Marcus

After a visit to Paris a few years ago, I told my friends how the local kids got free rides on the subway by jumping right in with me while I was going through the turnstile after paying my fare. I thought it was a typical children's prank. Then I was told that's how they bump people and pick their back pockets. Luckily I carry my wallet in my front pocket. That happened several times.

euro

"Do you know what I find ironic. Whenever there is a terrible crime, Europeans always say, these things only happen in America.
I'm hearing this a lot lately."

I think Europeans are raised to blame everything wrong in their society on Americans. The reality is that the two places are very very different. Rising crime, rising unemployment it's the fault of an outdated, decrepit system.

trash

"Rising crime, rising unemployment it's the fault of an outdated, decrepit system."

Whose system?

Mark

The Brits are obsessed with Americans. Anyone who has spent time there can verify this fact. Comedians, columnists, talk show hosts do nothing but criticize the US. Then when their day is done, they go home in their American cars (well some),pick up some McDonalds and then watch American TV and movies. I think they are really bothered that they are not the world superpower they once were, although they finally have a leader who has the respect of the world. We're not alone though. The Brits pretty much look down on everybody, we're just number one on their obsession list.

Bill

Oh, I remember after the great war telling Ernest, while we watched the sun rise, Ernie, things in Paris are just not the same anymore. Brett's running around with those funny boys, you've got that damned war injury, Bill's a drunk, and now that Robert is being so annoying, wanting to fight everybody the way he did at Princeton. Gosh, lets go down to Spain for some fishing, and afterward we'll run a few bulls.

American

Hey, I thought Europe was a museum, go over look at all the sites and then go back home.

Isn't this fun.

Angela

Actually Mark,

I think Americans run a close third to French and Germans for being disliked by Brits....;-), and the Brits are the butt of many jokes, esp by Americans i.e teeth. Funny though as we always stand by each other closest of all when we have a problem. Just look at the UK reaction to the events of September 11th and the reaction of the UK population, playing the US National Anthem at Buckingham Palace, just as one moving example, that was unprecedented and certainly appreciated by the Americans in London at the time. Guess its just that kind of "can't live with, can't live without" relationship!
Having said that no Brit I know is "obssessed" with Americans. None of my friends drive American cars, but instead drive German ones. None eat McDonalds. I rarely hear anyone on the TV critisise Americans??? (except for taking the micky out of Bush), therefore I don't know where you get this from re Brits obsessions with Americans/America, can you give examples? Also American TV, (apart from perhaps ER, Friends and Allie McBeal) is pretty poor and not that often on British TV, we have enough good (and sometimes bad) programmes of our own. Movies are a different matter are there are some great US movies and movie makers...can't we just be friends and appreciiate each others strengths and weaknesses?

Kate

Mark, we ("The Brits"), criticise everyone, but we criticise ourselves more than anyone. If you'd ever really spent a decent amount of time here, you would know this. I think this is the single most distinguishing feature between Americans and British.

Madrid

Another flashback.In 1969 I was with a male friend driving out of Madrid,no A/C,windows open and I swear I had my arm resting on the back of the seat.Suddenly we saw flashing lights,actually tried to pull over to hide on a farm but the policeman tracked us down.We got a fine for public display of affection!Also all kissing was censored in movies,you would see acouple moving and then the next thing they wereapart1 That was Franco's weird sense of morality!
Flash forward,2001,in the Retiro park in Madrid in the afternoon,a couple going at it in the fullest sense, in view of everyone!My high school students were amazed! Full circle,eh?

top

More please!

Bill

... since you insist. It was raining when we left Paris that evening, and in the rain we couldn't see how much that city had changed. By the early light, we could see the mountains up behind the plains, and that was where we thought the fish might bite. The red wines were so stringent, cold they made our teeth ache, and we caught five before lunch and wrapped them in the grass and stuck them deep in our rucksacks to keep them fresh while we got the coals started. And then we celebrated the fish and how we utilized them for our bodies, but then it occurred this wasn't Spain the way we knew it before the great war, before the coming of Red Lobster. This had changed, and knowing this at that time, when it's the time to know things, we knew it was time to leave and start for Pamplona and the bulls. Before things got worse, which we knew they would, since times were changing even as we went.

Sheila

Well, of course I know this was just a juvenil response to the "Why do the Americans" thread, but the basic premise is quite right. Europe just isn't what it used to be. What do you want- no TV, no central heating, no air conditioning... the cultrual attitudes of the past?

Og course the worst problems have nothing to do with immigration. they are probably those brought on by globalisation, industrial pollution, and over population.

But some of the improvements! Cultural diversification, tolerance, a world view, better architecture (did you see some of the stuff they put up 50 years ago?), modern music...

But crime IS getting better (look at the stats, mark, don't knee jerk); drugs are much worse.

And what do you mean "Europe isn't that different from other places"? Europe IS other places....lots of them.

And I do agree that we won't see the carefree travel to Europe of the 60s again. neither will we see the poverty of the peasants in southern Europe, the totalitarian regimes of Franco, the Colonels; that guy in Portugal (name escapes me for the moment)

Unfortunately we well understand that horrible things happen everywhere..but I was shocked recently to discover that my friends in the US didn't even KNOW about the Dunblane massacre. Your gun laws don't help, and are probably the reason for our significantly lower homicide rates. I repeat, crime is, overall, falling, not rising (fact not fiction) and we have a rate of unemployment so low we have problems finding workers.

In the same way that you don't like being classed as "Americans" I don't like being a "Brit". I'm a Scot; and we have an Auld Alliance with the French who are our pals (usually against the English)

There's American (and British) telly to love and loathe.

Actually I think Americans are obsessed with obsessing about Brits' obsessions

Ray

I remember when you were down and you needed a helping hand. I came to feed you but now that I need you, you won't give me a second glance.

Now I'm calling all citizens from all over the world, this is Captain America calling. I bailed you out when you were down on your knees so will you catch me now I'm falling.

english

>In the same way that you don't like >being classed as "Americans" I don't >like being a "Brit

For better or worse you are British. You are Scottish and are in a larger entity called Britain and then in an even larger one called Europe. I am English and proud of it and put it on my passport, but I am also British. As for the alliance with France, for many years Scotland was England's Cuba, a small country in our backyard allied to our principal enemy.

DB

I was in Europe last week during the heatwave. Believe me, there are still a lot places without air conditioning. I still had a marvelous time though.

Bill

If you insist on being serious, then ... and there they were, the boys of the town in the white shirts which would soon be a mix of the red, and the purple, the crush of the grape, and in the middle, just one of the chaps, Brett, and she was very much with them, and we tried for the hotel not to be seen, for they were well ahead of us and we wouldn't catch up before the bars closed for the long slumber after lunch, only to reopen in the cool of the late day. Hello, chaps, she called, and we knew we should say hello and give our excuses and then check in and take a rest before the party got started in earnest later in the day. Things had changed, and we knew it before we saw the changes.

Mosaic

Europe isn't what it used to be. What sort of facile nonsense is that?
Of course it isn't - it's alive.
The US isn't what it used to be. Asia seems to have changed a little too as far as I can see.
Most Brits are obsessed with America are they? Sure, and most racists use gross generalisations to rationalise their own opinions. We've got other, more interesting things to do than criticise other peoples' cultures, like enjoying the differences between them.
Societies change, tastes change. History shows us the changes are pretty cyclical, so maybe your rose-tinted ideals will crop up again one day. On the other hand, maybe not. Enjoy what we have here and now or try and change things for the better, don't just moan about it and do nothing.

sam

I could care less about Americans,I don't drive an American car,I don't eat Mcdonalds and I don't watch American Tv.To say that the British are obsessed with Americans is complete crap .

Ronald McDonald

Have you noticed no Brits eat at McDonalds but the UK is full of them. Seems like most of the people in their had bad teeth too.
hmmm?

Jaguar

Sam, believe it or not, but there are Americans who don't eat at Macdonalds. And someone is buying those crap US TV shows. A good portion of which don't make it into the primary US TV market. And whatever car you choose to drive, the fact is that British cars are really poorly made.