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Asante
Mage


Registered: 02/06/02
Posts: 86,796
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An American visits England - cultural observations 1
#22344079 - 10/07/15 05:33 AM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
I was in England again a few weeks ago, mostly in small towns, but here’s some of what I learned:
Almost everyone is very polite The food is generally outstanding There are no guns There are too many narrow stairs Everything is just a little bit different The pubs close too early The reason they drive on the left is because all their cars are built backwards Pubs are not bars, they are community living rooms. You’d better like peas, potatoes and sausage Refrigerators and washing machines are very small Everything is generally older, smaller and shorter People don’t seem to be afraid of their neighbors or the government Their paper money makes sense, the coins don’t Everyone has a washing machine but driers are rare Hot and cold water faucets. Remember them? Pants are called “trousers”, underwear are “pants” and sweaters are “jumpers” The bathroom light is a string hanging from the ceiling “Fanny” is a naughty word, as is “shag” All the signs are well designed with beautiful typography and written in full sentences with proper grammar. There’s no dress code Doors close by themselves, but they don’t always open They eat with their forks upside down The English are as crazy about their gardens as Americans are about cars They don’t seem to use facecloths or napkins or maybe they’re just neater then [sic] we are The wall outlets all have switches, some don’t do anything There are hardly any cops or police cars 5,000 year ago, someone arranged a lot of rocks all over, but no one is sure why When you do see police they seem to be in male & female pairs and often smiling Black people are just people: they didn’t quite do slavery here Everything comes with chips, which are French fries. You put vinegar on them Cookies are “biscuits” and potato chips are “crisps” HP sauce is better then catsup Obama is considered a hero, Bush is considered an idiot. After fish and chips, curry is the most popular food The water controls in showers need detailed instructions They can boil anything Folks don’t always lock their bikes It’s not unusual to see people dressed different and speaking different languages Your electronic devices will work fine with just a plug adapter Nearly everyone is better educated then we are If someone buys you a drink you must do the same There are no guns Look right, walk left. Again; look right, walk left. You’re welcome. Avoid British wine and French beer It’s not that hard to eat with the fork in your left hand with a little practice. If you don’t, everyone knows you’re an American Many of the roads are the size of our sidewalks There’s no AC Instead of turning the heat up, you put on a jumper Gas is “petrol”, it costs about $6 a gallon and is sold by the liter If you speed on a motorway, you get a ticket. Period. Always You don’t have to tip, really! Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Cornwall really are different countries Only 14% of Americans have a passport, everyone in the UK does You pay the price marked on products because the taxes (VAT) are built in Walking is the national pastime Their TV looks and sounds much better then ours They took the street signs down during WWII, but haven’t put them all back up yet Everyone enjoys a good joke There are no guns Dogs are very well behaved and welcome everywhere There are no window screens You can get on a bus and end up in Paris Everyone knows more about our history then we do Radio is still a big deal. The BBC is quite good The newspapers can be awful Everything costs the same but our money is worth less so you have to add 50% to the price to figure what you’re paying Beer comes in large, completely filled, actual pint glasses and the closer the brewery the better the beer Butter and eggs aren’t refrigerated The beer isn’t warm, each style is served at the proper temperature Cider (alcoholic) is quite good. Excess cider consumption can be very painful. The universal greeting is “Cheers” (pronounced “cheeahz” unless you are from Cornwall, then it’s “chairz”) The money is easy to understand: 1-2-5-10-20-50 pence, then-£1-£2-£5-£10, etc bills. There are no quarters. Their cash makes ours look like Monopoly money Cars don’t have bumper stickers Many doorknobs, buildings and tools are older than America By law, there are no crappy, old cars When the sign says something was built in 456, they didn’t lose the “1” Cake is is pudding, ice cream is pudding, anything served for desert is pudding, even pudding BBC 4 is NPR Everything closes by 1800 (6pm) Very few people smoke, those who do often roll their own You’re defined by your accent No one in Cornwall knows what the hell a Cornish Game Hen is Soccer is a religion, religion is a sport Europeans dress better then the British, we dress worse The trains work: a three minute delay is regrettable Drinks don’t come with ice There are far fewer fat English people There are a lot of healthy old folks around participating in life instead of hiding at home watching tv If you’re over 60, you get free tv and bus and rail passes. They don’t use Bose anything anywhere Displaying your political or religious affiliation is considered very bad taste Every pub has a pet drunk Their healthcare works, but they still bitch about it Cake is one of the major food groups Their coffee is mediocre but their tea is wonderful There are still no guns Towel warmers! Cheers
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Achillita
Back to the basics



Registered: 05/26/14
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Re: An American visits England - cultural observations [Re: Asante] 1
#22344094 - 10/07/15 05:47 AM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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He said there are no guns like 6 times... We get it 
I'd imagine it really matters what area of england you go to, and what area of America you're from. Because the US has wildly different cultures since it's so big. As does england.
There's good parts and bad parts everywhere. I've always heard certain parts of london have a lot of petty crime problems.
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my3rdeye



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Re: An American visits England - cultural observations [Re: Asante]
#22344100 - 10/07/15 05:51 AM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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The pubs close too early
I heard that was extended since I was last there. I laughed when they told me it was last call at 9:30 or whatever it was, totally thought he was joking.
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OhMrJohnson
Ashes Against The Grain

Registered: 01/12/14
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Re: An American visits England - cultural observations [Re: Achillita]
#22344101 - 10/07/15 05:51 AM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Saying there are no guns in England is like saying there are no illegal drugs in England
In other words it's a crock of shit
There are guns anywhere you go do you seriously think there isn't a black market for that shit across Europe?
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OhMrJohnson
Ashes Against The Grain

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Re: An American visits England - cultural observations [Re: OhMrJohnson]
#22344117 - 10/07/15 06:03 AM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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'In 2009, twelve years after the Firearms Act of 1997 was passed, Daily Mail Online reported that Britain was “the most violent country in Europe.” They also reported that Britain’s home figures showed “the UK [had] a worse rate for all types of violence than the U.S. and South Africa.”'
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Apollyphelion
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Re: An American visits England - cultural observations [Re: OhMrJohnson]
#22344131 - 10/07/15 06:16 AM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Depending on my mood or the weather I sometimes consider the UK Europe and sometimes I don't.
I have a swedish friend who says swedes call sweden "little America" because he says basically everything America does, sweden does as well or worse. My english friend says freespeech doesn't exist in the UK like it does in America, all in all as an American living in Europe, I have come to the conclusion that Europe is not BETTER than the states, but it is BETTER FOR ME. Both landmasses have somewhat different but the same amount of problems or bullshit if you wanna call it that.
I will say that it really is the the little things that make you feel like you are in another country, most of the time. The door knobs, light switches, sidewalks, the beeps and boops for electronics, the style of adverts...alllll a liiiiiiittle different. For the most part, the western world is the western world with the cultural differences no meaning too much other than a bit different expectations. I've met germans that could pass for Americans and Americans that could pass for Germans.
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my3rdeye



Registered: 08/10/12
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Re: An American visits England - cultural observations [Re: Apollyphelion]
#22344149 - 10/07/15 06:34 AM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Apollyphelion said: all in all as an American living in Europe,
Tell us about the gun battles you've seen since moving there. How do you avoid the crossfire? You just hide inside all night unarmed waiting for the home invasion right? How many illegal gun dealers you met there? Must be a lot the other poster says illegal guns are everywhere and easy to obtain and he has tabloid journos backing him up.
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KrishnaDreamer
I bleed nicotine...


Registered: 09/23/07
Posts: 4,132
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Re: An American visits England - cultural observations [Re: Apollyphelion]
#22344165 - 10/07/15 06:44 AM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Would love to visit Europe. Do British women really look as bad as they're stereotyped?
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sh4d0ws
LSx


Registered: 02/26/08
Posts: 12,086
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Re: An American visits England - cultural observations [Re: my3rdeye]
#22344167 - 10/07/15 06:47 AM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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There's illegal gun dealers everywhere... there's illegal gun dealers and illegal guns all over Canada too. Maybe you haven't met them because you're not involved in the scene but that is a different thing than it not existing.
I don't think he said there was gun battles all over the place or people getting shot up left right and centre, but rather the main article Asante posted boasts about how there is no guns
I think that's all MrJohnson was trying to point out. I wouldn't believe anything the daily mail says either, but to think there isn't an illegal firearm market in every country (yes, even where they are banned) isn't true.
I'm shocked to know the bars close so early over there. I thought they liked drinking and shit? And really, do most shops close up at 6pm? So weird...
I still wanna go there one day!! I would like to hit europe and just travel through a lot of countries there for a while. Sounds like a good experience
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geffer
Dude


Registered: 11/24/13
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Re: An American visits England - cultural observations [Re: KrishnaDreamer]
#22344179 - 10/07/15 07:01 AM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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With no AC they might as well be living in huts. I don't know how hot it gets in England but I couldn't live like that if it was ever even in the 80s outside.
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Apollyphelion
Dungeon Master/Princess(1009)


Registered: 03/15/07
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Re: An American visits England - cultural observations [Re: my3rdeye] 1
#22344190 - 10/07/15 07:04 AM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
my3rdeye said:
Quote:
Apollyphelion said: all in all as an American living in Europe,
Tell us about the gun battles you've seen since moving there. How do you avoid the crossfire? You just hide inside all night unarmed waiting for the home invasion right? How many illegal gun dealers you met there? Must be a lot the other poster says illegal guns are everywhere and easy to obtain and he has tabloid journos backing him up.
I couldn't tell you where to go to get that shit in America. I do know that some guy was killed by shotgun a block from me about a month ago here in Berlin. Gun deaths certainly do happen but it is rarer. I'm more worried about being stabbed or gangbanged here, though.
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KrishnaDreamer
I bleed nicotine...


Registered: 09/23/07
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Re: An American visits England - cultural observations [Re: Apollyphelion]
#22344196 - 10/07/15 07:07 AM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Gangbanged? 
Like bukkake?
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Edited by KrishnaDreamer (10/07/15 07:16 AM)
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Apollyphelion
Dungeon Master/Princess(1009)


Registered: 03/15/07
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Loc: Festival of Deaths
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Re: An American visits England - cultural observations [Re: KrishnaDreamer]
#22344200 - 10/07/15 07:09 AM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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jumped by a gang.
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specialpeopleclub



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Re: An American visits England - cultural observations [Re: Apollyphelion]
#22344207 - 10/07/15 07:13 AM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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I do eat alot of peas and potatoes, and sausagemsounds great
Fuck England, they are right next to  Where there are like, still death by dragons on a regular basis
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Stonehenge
Alt Center

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Re: An American visits England - cultural observations [Re: specialpeopleclub]
#22347023 - 10/07/15 07:11 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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English food is famous for being bland. They don't refrigerate butter or cheese? Are they nuts? I seriously doubt everyone thinks obumble is a hero, shrub being an idiot, yeah I can see that. The writer is no doubt a liberal but even conservatives know shrub is a dolt. Here, even the liberals have realized for the most part how incompetent obumble is and what a liar. The English are a bit behind the curve.
I liked my last trip to Europe, its true everything is a little different except the stuff imported from usa. That stuff is more expensive than what we pay. You can look at the windows and how they open and its little different. I like the older buildings.
In England they can bust into your home with no warrant and root around to see what they can find.
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Cepheus
Balance




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Re: An American visits England - cultural observations [Re: Stonehenge]
#22347085 - 10/07/15 07:23 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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No they can't.. I'm English and have had my house raided under warrant, twice.
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