oh, for heavens' sake

[winterbadger]

as seen on brits_americans

As a US citizen living in London, Christian Cox says she is shocked at the amount of abuse she receives because of her nationality.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4881474.stm

Comments

[silme.livejournal.com]

The fact that she has to lower her voice on the Tube is a clue. She probably just came across as a loud, brash, obnoxious person -- and the fact that she's American just added to the stereotype.

I have noticed that when I'm in public here in the UK, I speak much more quietly than I used to in public in the US. I also notice that American friends visiting seem loud -- when I didn't used to think they were so in the US.

Of course, I did buy a 'Don't blame me, I voted for Kerry' t-shirt whilst in the US recently. ;)

[winterbadger]

I'm a bit puzzled, because I've never experienced any problems, either when visiting or when living in London. Maybe I'm just missing most of the trademark "American" things that set people off, but the only people who think I *sound* British are cabdrivers in the US. :-)

[silme.livejournal.com]

What's funny is that on this trip to the US people kept telling me I have a British accent, which is funny because I clearly don't.

My sister tried to clarify one man's confusion by stating that I didn't sound like a Pennsylvanian. (I am a Pennsylvania native, but I've not lived there since '79 when I moved to Colorado.)

[sioneva.livejournal.com]

I got whaled on for about fifteen minutes at my brother-in-law's girlfriend's HOUSE because Americans didn't enter WWII early enough and why were we all so apathetic and...and...and. Never mind that both of my grandfathers were enlisted in the war and one of them was wounded TWICE.

I don't generally get it everyday but I've certainly had instances where people go off on me about American politics. So while I don't think it's anything like as widespread as she seems to imply, I've certainly had a fair few unpleasant encounters due to my accent. This despite the fact that many people have been shocked that I AM American because I tend to be so quiet and reserved!

[winterbadger]

This despite the fact that many people have been shocked that I AM American because I tend to be so quiet and reserved!

Oh, I'm sure--major points for not being loud and boorish!

Thinking about it, what must seem distressing to some is that normally English people in particular are *so* reserved in public and don't just push their way into other people's personal space that for someone to break that boundary *and* launch straight into telling one how much one's president sucks or how deficient Americans were when it came to "the War" or whatever.

I'm convinced that at least part of the different experience I've had is that most of my more recent experience has been in Scotland. Scots (especially Glaswegians) are a lot more outgoing than the English, so one is a lot more likely to hear their opinions (solicited or not), but they're (at least in my experience) also more easy-going.

Another thought: unless one lives in a small town, it must be a fairly common thing for Brits to assume that anyone they encounter who seems identifiably American is a tourist/visitor. And it's my observation that *universally* locals feel much less inhibited about unbelting to tourists about "what you lot do/think/whatever" or giving them the third degree about their cultural practices/foods/politics. There's something about the "well, they'll be gone tomorrow, so the normal rules don't apply" nature of the situation. Somewhat less for people actually in the tourist trade (hotleiers, restaurant people, guides) but even there there's a tendency to feel they need to engage the other person, if only to make them feel welcome.