I'm living abroad in the UK and I hate it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, let me give you a different perspective which is in line with much of what you say.

I am British and moved to the US several decades ago after being given an offer that I could not refuse! I was supposed to stay for just a couple of years but my employer said they would help me get a green card, retained an immigration lawyer on my behalf and after a couple of years I was given a green card and subsequently became a citizen.

The different perspective I referred to above: the culture shock I went through was just how service oriented businesses are in the US, how polite people are especially at department stores and restaurants and just about any type of business. I found Americans I worked with to be friendly and had no hesitation in inviting me to a bbq at their house, etc. It really was quite amazing how welcoming they were. One thing that may have helped me is that Americans generally are Anglophiles and my very English accent went down well - though today my accent is probably a mix of American and English. When I visit England I am told I have an American accent and over here they tell me that I have a British accent. But a British accent really has helped me both at work and socially though - unlike many of my compatriots - I never go on about how great life was in the UK, because quite frankly, I enjoy a far higher standard of living here than I did there. This higher standard of living applies to so many facets of life some of them you have named: a/c, central heating, the cost of living, etc.

My final comment pertains to health care. I am entirely familiar with the NHS and I will tell you that for someone who does not have any insurance or has inadequate insurance, there is nothing better than the NHS but for those who do have good insurance in the US, the overall standard of medical care especially if you are hospitalized is way better here.It is still the norm in much of the UK under NHS to end up in a ward if you are hospitalized - as opposed to a private or semi-private room here! I can give you specific instances of relatives who went through endless waits for relatively routine procedures eg knee replacements and pretty much any elective surgery. But the point that will best illustrate the NHS scene is that the most sought after employee benefit in the UK is private insurance - which would hardly be the case if the NHS was all that it was made out to be by some over there and here. This is not to say that health care here does not need reform because it does.

So, I am one grateful person and my decision to emigrate and settle down in the US is one of the best decisions that I ever made. BTW, when I was looking at moving here permanently relatives and friends were horrified and the disparaging comments about the US and Americans were relentless. To this day when I tell people there about how life in the US is good, there is an attitude of disbelief but then the British generally react disparagingly about other nationalities as well with the French and Germans getting the brunt of the criticism - though not nearly as much as Americans.

This is all a wonderful read and so elucidating and helpful. Thank you so much for giving your perspective, which seems much more informed than most of the posters here. It was really interesting to read.

I was wondering... do you have any idea why the British have more dislike for Americans over other nationalities? It does seem strange to me since most Americans, as you said, quite like the British.

OP, let me offer you a couple of other thoughts on why the British - and English especially - react the way they do to Americans.

A fellow Brit said that at a basic level there is an element of jealousy that the US is the predominant economic and military power in the world - though it is a position that is being increasingly challenged especially in terms of economic dominance. In many of what were the former British colonies, there was an attitude among the people in those countries that looked up to the British - that has pretty much disappeared. The country that has the most influence over these former British colonies is now the US.

Keep in mind that barely 60 years ago, the British ruled supreme over much of the world - a position that has diminished to the point of non-existence today. British education and values were looked up to but that is not the case any more - and that is not to knock the British education system which is still excellent. Most older Brits remember those heady times though the younger generation have grown up in an environment where Britain's role as a colonial power is something that is not a factor.

The class system is no longer as dominant as it used to be but there are still vestiges of it to this day. In this context, the Americans are viewed as being part of the nouveau rich - people with new found wealth but not much in the way of "breeding" as the British used to call it. The "browning" of America that is causing so much angst among some Americans today is something the British went through a few decades ago. In many ways Americans are more receptive to that change than were the British when it started to happen. You saw this in the British government's attitude to regimes abroad that proudly proclaimed their superiority because they were controlled by whites - I am thinking of South Africa under apartheid and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) which unilaterally declared independence and installed a government that was controlled by white settlers. British governments all the way to Margaret Thatcher were sympathetic to those white dominated regimes - and this was not so long ago.

Much of what you wrote reads like a commentary by a 18 year old kid whose knowledge of history and world politics is gained mostly from third rate blogs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who also lived in Britain I will tell you what really irritates the British and that's when Americans make snide comments or jokes about teeth or British food being terrible or how America defeated Britain in the Revolutionary War as if they ever cared, or how America saved Britain's ass during WWII while completely ignoring that Britain literally fought the war single handedly for two years before the US joined, or the women are ugly, or that it's still a class ridden society with toffee ruling the roost and cheeky cockneys everywhere, or that the British are still obsessed with empire and imperial decline. You get the idea. I loved living in Britain and I'm a proud American as well but there's definitely an element of arrogant jingoism that can manifest itself among some Americans and many British have seen that enough times. So if you complain about arrogant British people sneering at Americans, remember it goes both ways.

Is any of that untrue? No.

By far the worst snide remarks come from the British about Americans.

I'd argue much of it is untrue or pointlessly exaggerated - such as the teeth and food, especially when plenty of Americans have bad teeth and there's plenty of mediocre food in the US. Nor is it anywhere remotely true that "toffs" run the UK. And there's something petulant and childish in crowing about a victory that occurred 250 years ago.

Claims that "by far the worst snide remarks come from the British about Americans" is unsubstantiated and even ironic given that plenty of Americans make nasty comments and jokes about all types of nationalities. If there are Brits who don't like Americans, they are hardly alone as many people globally don't like Americans. Our pointless and botched invasion of Iraq never went down well and only portrayed the US as big, nasty bullies.

Not really, when it was a victory that decided the fate of the entire world and certainly the fates of the two countries involved.

Also many people globally dislike the British- I don't know that's a good defense for being rude to them (though I suppose I could try it)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, let me give you a different perspective which is in line with much of what you say.

I am British and moved to the US several decades ago after being given an offer that I could not refuse! I was supposed to stay for just a couple of years but my employer said they would help me get a green card, retained an immigration lawyer on my behalf and after a couple of years I was given a green card and subsequently became a citizen.

The different perspective I referred to above: the culture shock I went through was just how service oriented businesses are in the US, how polite people are especially at department stores and restaurants and just about any type of business. I found Americans I worked with to be friendly and had no hesitation in inviting me to a bbq at their house, etc. It really was quite amazing how welcoming they were. One thing that may have helped me is that Americans generally are Anglophiles and my very English accent went down well - though today my accent is probably a mix of American and English. When I visit England I am told I have an American accent and over here they tell me that I have a British accent. But a British accent really has helped me both at work and socially though - unlike many of my compatriots - I never go on about how great life was in the UK, because quite frankly, I enjoy a far higher standard of living here than I did there. This higher standard of living applies to so many facets of life some of them you have named: a/c, central heating, the cost of living, etc.

My final comment pertains to health care. I am entirely familiar with the NHS and I will tell you that for someone who does not have any insurance or has inadequate insurance, there is nothing better than the NHS but for those who do have good insurance in the US, the overall standard of medical care especially if you are hospitalized is way better here.It is still the norm in much of the UK under NHS to end up in a ward if you are hospitalized - as opposed to a private or semi-private room here! I can give you specific instances of relatives who went through endless waits for relatively routine procedures eg knee replacements and pretty much any elective surgery. But the point that will best illustrate the NHS scene is that the most sought after employee benefit in the UK is private insurance - which would hardly be the case if the NHS was all that it was made out to be by some over there and here. This is not to say that health care here does not need reform because it does.

So, I am one grateful person and my decision to emigrate and settle down in the US is one of the best decisions that I ever made. BTW, when I was looking at moving here permanently relatives and friends were horrified and the disparaging comments about the US and Americans were relentless. To this day when I tell people there about how life in the US is good, there is an attitude of disbelief but then the British generally react disparagingly about other nationalities as well with the French and Germans getting the brunt of the criticism - though not nearly as much as Americans.

This is all a wonderful read and so elucidating and helpful. Thank you so much for giving your perspective, which seems much more informed than most of the posters here. It was really interesting to read.

I was wondering... do you have any idea why the British have more dislike for Americans over other nationalities? It does seem strange to me since most Americans, as you said, quite like the British.

OP, let me offer you a couple of other thoughts on why the British - and English especially - react the way they do to Americans.

A fellow Brit said that at a basic level there is an element of jealousy that the US is the predominant economic and military power in the world - though it is a position that is being increasingly challenged especially in terms of economic dominance. In many of what were the former British colonies, there was an attitude among the people in those countries that looked up to the British - that has pretty much disappeared. The country that has the most influence over these former British colonies is now the US.

Keep in mind that barely 60 years ago, the British ruled supreme over much of the world - a position that has diminished to the point of non-existence today. British education and values were looked up to but that is not the case any more - and that is not to knock the British education system which is still excellent. Most older Brits remember those heady times though the younger generation have grown up in an environment where Britain's role as a colonial power is something that is not a factor.

The class system is no longer as dominant as it used to be but there are still vestiges of it to this day. In this context, the Americans are viewed as being part of the nouveau rich - people with new found wealth but not much in the way of "breeding" as the British used to call it. The "browning" of America that is causing so much angst among some Americans today is something the British went through a few decades ago. In many ways Americans are more receptive to that change than were the British when it started to happen. You saw this in the British government's attitude to regimes abroad that proudly proclaimed their superiority because they were controlled by whites - I am thinking of South Africa under apartheid and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) which unilaterally declared independence and installed a government that was controlled by white settlers. British governments all the way to Margaret Thatcher were sympathetic to those white dominated regimes - and this was not so long ago.

Much of what you wrote reads like a commentary by a 18 year old kid whose knowledge of history and world politics is gained mostly from third rate blogs.

Only to you, but you seem unhinged in general.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who also lived in Britain I will tell you what really irritates the British and that's when Americans make snide comments or jokes about teeth or British food being terrible or how America defeated Britain in the Revolutionary War as if they ever cared, or how America saved Britain's ass during WWII while completely ignoring that Britain literally fought the war single handedly for two years before the US joined, or the women are ugly, or that it's still a class ridden society with toffee ruling the roost and cheeky cockneys everywhere, or that the British are still obsessed with empire and imperial decline. You get the idea. I loved living in Britain and I'm a proud American as well but there's definitely an element of arrogant jingoism that can manifest itself among some Americans and many British have seen that enough times. So if you complain about arrogant British people sneering at Americans, remember it goes both ways.

Is any of that untrue? No.

By far the worst snide remarks come from the British about Americans.

I'd argue much of it is untrue or pointlessly exaggerated - such as the teeth and food, especially when plenty of Americans have bad teeth and there's plenty of mediocre food in the US. Nor is it anywhere remotely true that "toffs" run the UK. And there's something petulant and childish in crowing about a victory that occurred 250 years ago.

Claims that "by far the worst snide remarks come from the British about Americans" is unsubstantiated and even ironic given that plenty of Americans make nasty comments and jokes about all types of nationalities. If there are Brits who don't like Americans, they are hardly alone as many people globally don't like Americans. Our pointless and botched invasion of Iraq never went down well and only portrayed the US as big, nasty bullies.

Not really, when it was a victory that decided the fate of the entire world and certainly the fates of the two countries involved.

Also many people globally dislike the British- I don't know that's a good defense for being rude to them (though I suppose I could try it)

The revolutionary war is far more important to Americans than it was to the British. At the time (circa 1770s-1780s) the colonies were remote, had no real impact on the national psyche and the vast majority of British were unaffected or couldn't care less. Despite this there was even support within the UK for American independence. For the British at the time what was far, far, far more important were the wars with the French and the later Napoleonic Wars and the American Revolutionary War is usually taught as a footnote in the larger history with the French.

I assure you many more people globally dislike Americans than the British..... we the US are not exactly popular overseas due to global meddling, wars in the Middle East, supporting puppet regimes, and now Donald Trump.

This thread is turning childish (it was childish to start with) but whatever the views are let's remember all the claims made about British rudeness or whatever can be just as easily made about the Americans. And that is the key point. Remember the age old adage: people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who also lived in Britain I will tell you what really irritates the British and that's when Americans make snide comments or jokes about teeth or British food being terrible or how America defeated Britain in the Revolutionary War as if they ever cared, or how America saved Britain's ass during WWII while completely ignoring that Britain literally fought the war single handedly for two years before the US joined, or the women are ugly, or that it's still a class ridden society with toffee ruling the roost and cheeky cockneys everywhere, or that the British are still obsessed with empire and imperial decline. You get the idea. I loved living in Britain and I'm a proud American as well but there's definitely an element of arrogant jingoism that can manifest itself among some Americans and many British have seen that enough times. So if you complain about arrogant British people sneering at Americans, remember it goes both ways.

Is any of that untrue? No.

By far the worst snide remarks come from the British about Americans.

I'd argue much of it is untrue or pointlessly exaggerated - such as the teeth and food, especially when plenty of Americans have bad teeth and there's plenty of mediocre food in the US. Nor is it anywhere remotely true that "toffs" run the UK. And there's something petulant and childish in crowing about a victory that occurred 250 years ago.

Claims that "by far the worst snide remarks come from the British about Americans" is unsubstantiated and even ironic given that plenty of Americans make nasty comments and jokes about all types of nationalities. If there are Brits who don't like Americans, they are hardly alone as many people globally don't like Americans. Our pointless and botched invasion of Iraq never went down well and only portrayed the US as big, nasty bullies.

Not really, when it was a victory that decided the fate of the entire world and certainly the fates of the two countries involved.

Also many people globally dislike the British- I don't know that's a good defense for being rude to them (though I suppose I could try it)

The revolutionary war is far more important to Americans than it was to the British. At the time (circa 1770s-1780s) the colonies were remote, had no real impact on the national psyche and the vast majority of British were unaffected or couldn't care less. Despite this there was even support within the UK for American independence. For the British at the time what was far, far, far more important were the wars with the French and the later Napoleonic Wars and the American Revolutionary War is usually taught as a footnote in the larger history with the French.

I assure you many more people globally dislike Americans than the British..... we the US are not exactly popular overseas due to global meddling, wars in the Middle East, supporting puppet regimes, and now Donald Trump.

This thread is turning childish (it was childish to start with) but whatever the views are let's remember all the claims made about British rudeness or whatever can be just as easily made about the Americans. And that is the key point. Remember the age old adage: people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones....

You can make claims about anyone. Whether those claims are true or not, is a different issue. The British have a worldwide reputation for rudeness. Americans do not. Americans are considered, by and large, to be friendly- sometimes overly friendly, depending on the culture. But not rude or cold.

To deny cultural differences make you look clueless. And also in denial and desperate to obfuscate what are accepted facts. It also doesn't seem to be convincing anyone in the thread, but by all means, carry on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who also lived in Britain I will tell you what really irritates the British and that's when Americans make snide comments or jokes about teeth or British food being terrible or how America defeated Britain in the Revolutionary War as if they ever cared, or how America saved Britain's ass during WWII while completely ignoring that Britain literally fought the war single handedly for two years before the US joined, or the women are ugly, or that it's still a class ridden society with toffee ruling the roost and cheeky cockneys everywhere, or that the British are still obsessed with empire and imperial decline. You get the idea. I loved living in Britain and I'm a proud American as well but there's definitely an element of arrogant jingoism that can manifest itself among some Americans and many British have seen that enough times. So if you complain about arrogant British people sneering at Americans, remember it goes both ways.

Is any of that untrue? No.

By far the worst snide remarks come from the British about Americans.

I'd argue much of it is untrue or pointlessly exaggerated - such as the teeth and food, especially when plenty of Americans have bad teeth and there's plenty of mediocre food in the US. Nor is it anywhere remotely true that "toffs" run the UK. And there's something petulant and childish in crowing about a victory that occurred 250 years ago.

Claims that "by far the worst snide remarks come from the British about Americans" is unsubstantiated and even ironic given that plenty of Americans make nasty comments and jokes about all types of nationalities. If there are Brits who don't like Americans, they are hardly alone as many people globally don't like Americans. Our pointless and botched invasion of Iraq never went down well and only portrayed the US as big, nasty bullies.

Not really, when it was a victory that decided the fate of the entire world and certainly the fates of the two countries involved.

Also many people globally dislike the British- I don't know that's a good defense for being rude to them (though I suppose I could try it)

The revolutionary war is far more important to Americans than it was to the British. At the time (circa 1770s-1780s) the colonies were remote, had no real impact on the national psyche and the vast majority of British were unaffected or couldn't care less. Despite this there was even support within the UK for American independence. For the British at the time what was far, far, far more important were the wars with the French and the later Napoleonic Wars and the American Revolutionary War is usually taught as a footnote in the larger history with the French.

I assure you many more people globally dislike Americans than the British..... we the US are not exactly popular overseas due to global meddling, wars in the Middle East, supporting puppet regimes, and now Donald Trump.

This thread is turning childish (it was childish to start with) but whatever the views are let's remember all the claims made about British rudeness or whatever can be just as easily made about the Americans. And that is the key point. Remember the age old adage: people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones....

You can make claims about anyone. Whether those claims are true or not, is a different issue. The British have a worldwide reputation for rudeness. Americans do not. Americans are considered, by and large, to be friendly- sometimes overly friendly, depending on the culture. But not rude or cold.

To deny cultural differences make you look clueless. And also in denial and desperate to obfuscate what are accepted facts. It also doesn't seem to be convincing anyone in the thread, but by all means, carry on.

Do the British have a worldwide reputation for being rude? Really? I'll agree there is an old stereotype that they are standoffish and reserved but rude is new to me. It was the French who had the reputation for being rude

Whatever you think of the British or stereotypes, Americans also have a worldwide reputation for being loud, vulgar, ostentatious, pushy and arrogant, and yes, rude. I say this as an American who's proud of being American and our history and accomplishments and I'm also an American who has lived overseas for more than a decade now. But I find all these silly bashing of the British or other nationalities exactly what it is, silly, ignorant and pointless. And if you want to keep pointing fingers, let's not forget there have been seemingly hundreds of threads on this very forum about how X or Y American city is full of rude people or why you shouldn't move to, say, Seattle because of the "Seattle Freeze."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who also lived in Britain I will tell you what really irritates the British and that's when Americans make snide comments or jokes about teeth or British food being terrible or how America defeated Britain in the Revolutionary War as if they ever cared, or how America saved Britain's ass during WWII while completely ignoring that Britain literally fought the war single handedly for two years before the US joined, or the women are ugly, or that it's still a class ridden society with toffee ruling the roost and cheeky cockneys everywhere, or that the British are still obsessed with empire and imperial decline. You get the idea. I loved living in Britain and I'm a proud American as well but there's definitely an element of arrogant jingoism that can manifest itself among some Americans and many British have seen that enough times. So if you complain about arrogant British people sneering at Americans, remember it goes both ways.

Is any of that untrue? No.

By far the worst snide remarks come from the British about Americans.

I'd argue much of it is untrue or pointlessly exaggerated - such as the teeth and food, especially when plenty of Americans have bad teeth and there's plenty of mediocre food in the US. Nor is it anywhere remotely true that "toffs" run the UK. And there's something petulant and childish in crowing about a victory that occurred 250 years ago.

Claims that "by far the worst snide remarks come from the British about Americans" is unsubstantiated and even ironic given that plenty of Americans make nasty comments and jokes about all types of nationalities. If there are Brits who don't like Americans, they are hardly alone as many people globally don't like Americans. Our pointless and botched invasion of Iraq never went down well and only portrayed the US as big, nasty bullies.

Not really, when it was a victory that decided the fate of the entire world and certainly the fates of the two countries involved.

Also many people globally dislike the British- I don't know that's a good defense for being rude to them (though I suppose I could try it)

The revolutionary war is far more important to Americans than it was to the British. At the time (circa 1770s-1780s) the colonies were remote, had no real impact on the national psyche and the vast majority of British were unaffected or couldn't care less. Despite this there was even support within the UK for American independence. For the British at the time what was far, far, far more important were the wars with the French and the later Napoleonic Wars and the American Revolutionary War is usually taught as a footnote in the larger history with the French.

I assure you many more people globally dislike Americans than the British..... we the US are not exactly popular overseas due to global meddling, wars in the Middle East, supporting puppet regimes, and now Donald Trump.

This thread is turning childish (it was childish to start with) but whatever the views are let's remember all the claims made about British rudeness or whatever can be just as easily made about the Americans. And that is the key point. Remember the age old adage: people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones....

You can make claims about anyone. Whether those claims are true or not, is a different issue. The British have a worldwide reputation for rudeness. Americans do not. Americans are considered, by and large, to be friendly- sometimes overly friendly, depending on the culture. But not rude or cold.

To deny cultural differences make you look clueless. And also in denial and desperate to obfuscate what are accepted facts. It also doesn't seem to be convincing anyone in the thread, but by all means, carry on.

Do the British have a worldwide reputation for being rude? Really? I'll agree there is an old stereotype that they are standoffish and reserved but rude is new to me. It was the French who had the reputation for being rude

Whatever you think of the British or stereotypes, Americans also have a worldwide reputation for being loud, vulgar, ostentatious, pushy and arrogant, and yes, rude. I say this as an American who's proud of being American and our history and accomplishments and I'm also an American who has lived overseas for more than a decade now. But I find all these silly bashing of the British or other nationalities exactly what it is, silly, ignorant and pointless. And if you want to keep pointing fingers, let's not forget there have been seemingly hundreds of threads on this very forum about how X or Y American city is full of rude people or why you shouldn't move to, say, Seattle because of the "Seattle Freeze."

Yes, yes they do. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/inaccurate-stereotypes-about-british-people-that-everyone-believes-to-be-true-a6776461.html

I find your hysterical jump to "Americans are bashing British" to be kind of histrionic and absurd. This is a discussion board, where people go to discuss their concerns and make observations. Actually, the other comment you objected to was left by a British person- NOT an American who has lived in Britain for a while, but a real Brit. The discussion has, thus far, had a lot of great observations and personal experiences. Just as you point out that there are threads about various American cities that have a reputation for coldness and rudeness, like Seattle, Americans have every right to discuss the rudeness they have encountered by the British. I find it funny that you object so strongly to it. Do you do this in every thread about cultural differences? Did you do it in the "Seattle freeze" thread?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who also lived in Britain I will tell you what really irritates the British and that's when Americans make snide comments or jokes about teeth or British food being terrible or how America defeated Britain in the Revolutionary War as if they ever cared, or how America saved Britain's ass during WWII while completely ignoring that Britain literally fought the war single handedly for two years before the US joined, or the women are ugly, or that it's still a class ridden society with toffee ruling the roost and cheeky cockneys everywhere, or that the British are still obsessed with empire and imperial decline. You get the idea. I loved living in Britain and I'm a proud American as well but there's definitely an element of arrogant jingoism that can manifest itself among some Americans and many British have seen that enough times. So if you complain about arrogant British people sneering at Americans, remember it goes both ways.

Is any of that untrue? No.

By far the worst snide remarks come from the British about Americans.

I'd argue much of it is untrue or pointlessly exaggerated - such as the teeth and food, especially when plenty of Americans have bad teeth and there's plenty of mediocre food in the US. Nor is it anywhere remotely true that "toffs" run the UK. And there's something petulant and childish in crowing about a victory that occurred 250 years ago.

Claims that "by far the worst snide remarks come from the British about Americans" is unsubstantiated and even ironic given that plenty of Americans make nasty comments and jokes about all types of nationalities. If there are Brits who don't like Americans, they are hardly alone as many people globally don't like Americans. Our pointless and botched invasion of Iraq never went down well and only portrayed the US as big, nasty bullies.

Not really, when it was a victory that decided the fate of the entire world and certainly the fates of the two countries involved.

Also many people globally dislike the British- I don't know that's a good defense for being rude to them (though I suppose I could try it)

The revolutionary war is far more important to Americans than it was to the British. At the time (circa 1770s-1780s) the colonies were remote, had no real impact on the national psyche and the vast majority of British were unaffected or couldn't care less. Despite this there was even support within the UK for American independence. For the British at the time what was far, far, far more important were the wars with the French and the later Napoleonic Wars and the American Revolutionary War is usually taught as a footnote in the larger history with the French.

I assure you many more people globally dislike Americans than the British..... we the US are not exactly popular overseas due to global meddling, wars in the Middle East, supporting puppet regimes, and now Donald Trump.

This thread is turning childish (it was childish to start with) but whatever the views are let's remember all the claims made about British rudeness or whatever can be just as easily made about the Americans. And that is the key point. Remember the age old adage: people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones....

You can make claims about anyone. Whether those claims are true or not, is a different issue. The British have a worldwide reputation for rudeness. Americans do not. Americans are considered, by and large, to be friendly- sometimes overly friendly, depending on the culture. But not rude or cold.

To deny cultural differences make you look clueless. And also in denial and desperate to obfuscate what are accepted facts. It also doesn't seem to be convincing anyone in the thread, but by all means, carry on.

Do the British have a worldwide reputation for being rude? Really? I'll agree there is an old stereotype that they are standoffish and reserved but rude is new to me. It was the French who had the reputation for being rude

Whatever you think of the British or stereotypes, Americans also have a worldwide reputation for being loud, vulgar, ostentatious, pushy and arrogant, and yes, rude. I say this as an American who's proud of being American and our history and accomplishments and I'm also an American who has lived overseas for more than a decade now. But I find all these silly bashing of the British or other nationalities exactly what it is, silly, ignorant and pointless. And if you want to keep pointing fingers, let's not forget there have been seemingly hundreds of threads on this very forum about how X or Y American city is full of rude people or why you shouldn't move to, say, Seattle because of the "Seattle Freeze."

Where in the U.S. did you grow up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who also lived in Britain I will tell you what really irritates the British and that's when Americans make snide comments or jokes about teeth or British food being terrible or how America defeated Britain in the Revolutionary War as if they ever cared, or how America saved Britain's ass during WWII while completely ignoring that Britain literally fought the war single handedly for two years before the US joined, or the women are ugly, or that it's still a class ridden society with toffee ruling the roost and cheeky cockneys everywhere, or that the British are still obsessed with empire and imperial decline. You get the idea. I loved living in Britain and I'm a proud American as well but there's definitely an element of arrogant jingoism that can manifest itself among some Americans and many British have seen that enough times. So if you complain about arrogant British people sneering at Americans, remember it goes both ways.

Is any of that untrue? No.

By far the worst snide remarks come from the British about Americans.

I'd argue much of it is untrue or pointlessly exaggerated - such as the teeth and food, especially when plenty of Americans have bad teeth and there's plenty of mediocre food in the US. Nor is it anywhere remotely true that "toffs" run the UK. And there's something petulant and childish in crowing about a victory that occurred 250 years ago.

Claims that "by far the worst snide remarks come from the British about Americans" is unsubstantiated and even ironic given that plenty of Americans make nasty comments and jokes about all types of nationalities. If there are Brits who don't like Americans, they are hardly alone as many people globally don't like Americans. Our pointless and botched invasion of Iraq never went down well and only portrayed the US as big, nasty bullies.

Not really, when it was a victory that decided the fate of the entire world and certainly the fates of the two countries involved.

Also many people globally dislike the British- I don't know that's a good defense for being rude to them (though I suppose I could try it)

The revolutionary war is far more important to Americans than it was to the British. At the time (circa 1770s-1780s) the colonies were remote, had no real impact on the national psyche and the vast majority of British were unaffected or couldn't care less. Despite this there was even support within the UK for American independence. For the British at the time what was far, far, far more important were the wars with the French and the later Napoleonic Wars and the American Revolutionary War is usually taught as a footnote in the larger history with the French.

I assure you many more people globally dislike Americans than the British..... we the US are not exactly popular overseas due to global meddling, wars in the Middle East, supporting puppet regimes, and now Donald Trump.

This thread is turning childish (it was childish to start with) but whatever the views are let's remember all the claims made about British rudeness or whatever can be just as easily made about the Americans. And that is the key point. Remember the age old adage: people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones....

You can make claims about anyone. Whether those claims are true or not, is a different issue. The British have a worldwide reputation for rudeness. Americans do not. Americans are considered, by and large, to be friendly- sometimes overly friendly, depending on the culture. But not rude or cold.

To deny cultural differences make you look clueless. And also in denial and desperate to obfuscate what are accepted facts. It also doesn't seem to be convincing anyone in the thread, but by all means, carry on.

Do the British have a worldwide reputation for being rude? Really? I'll agree there is an old stereotype that they are standoffish and reserved but rude is new to me. It was the French who had the reputation for being rude

Whatever you think of the British or stereotypes, Americans also have a worldwide reputation for being loud, vulgar, ostentatious, pushy and arrogant, and yes, rude. I say this as an American who's proud of being American and our history and accomplishments and I'm also an American who has lived overseas for more than a decade now. But I find all these silly bashing of the British or other nationalities exactly what it is, silly, ignorant and pointless. And if you want to keep pointing fingers, let's not forget there have been seemingly hundreds of threads on this very forum about how X or Y American city is full of rude people or why you shouldn't move to, say, Seattle because of the "Seattle Freeze."

Yes, yes they do. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/inaccurate-stereotypes-about-british-people-that-everyone-believes-to-be-true-a6776461.html

I find your hysterical jump to "Americans are bashing British" to be kind of histrionic and absurd. This is a discussion board, where people go to discuss their concerns and make observations. Actually, the other comment you objected to was left by a British person- NOT an American who has lived in Britain for a while, but a real Brit. The discussion has, thus far, had a lot of great observations and personal experiences. Just as you point out that there are threads about various American cities that have a reputation for coldness and rudeness, like Seattle, Americans have every right to discuss the rudeness they have encountered by the British. I find it funny that you object so strongly to it. Do you do this in every thread about cultural differences? Did you do it in the "Seattle freeze" thread?

The article you linked is from a third rate newspaper infamous for becoming clickbait, and is in turn based on a Quora question, and last but not least, is implying that the British reputation for rudeness is unfounded unless you apparently stand on the left side of the escalator in London.

I've only posted a few times in this thread so I can't be the only person either defending the British or thinking this whole thread is silly. And it is silly. Some people clearly want to keep persisting making a big deal over the British being rude. I agree with you that people are free to make their observations, but people are not free to have those observations go refuted and unchallenged or inconsistencies and hypocrisies pointed out. And no, I have not posted in the Seattle thread. And yes, I was born and raised in the US in two different states in different parts of America. And yes, this is my last post on this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, let me give you a different perspective which is in line with much of what you say.

I am British and moved to the US several decades ago after being given an offer that I could not refuse! I was supposed to stay for just a couple of years but my employer said they would help me get a green card, retained an immigration lawyer on my behalf and after a couple of years I was given a green card and subsequently became a citizen.

The different perspective I referred to above: the culture shock I went through was just how service oriented businesses are in the US, how polite people are especially at department stores and restaurants and just about any type of business. I found Americans I worked with to be friendly and had no hesitation in inviting me to a bbq at their house, etc. It really was quite amazing how welcoming they were. One thing that may have helped me is that Americans generally are Anglophiles and my very English accent went down well - though today my accent is probably a mix of American and English. When I visit England I am told I have an American accent and over here they tell me that I have a British accent. But a British accent really has helped me both at work and socially though - unlike many of my compatriots - I never go on about how great life was in the UK, because quite frankly, I enjoy a far higher standard of living here than I did there. This higher standard of living applies to so many facets of life some of them you have named: a/c, central heating, the cost of living, etc.

My final comment pertains to health care. I am entirely familiar with the NHS and I will tell you that for someone who does not have any insurance or has inadequate insurance, there is nothing better than the NHS but for those who do have good insurance in the US, the overall standard of medical care especially if you are hospitalized is way better here.It is still the norm in much of the UK under NHS to end up in a ward if you are hospitalized - as opposed to a private or semi-private room here! I can give you specific instances of relatives who went through endless waits for relatively routine procedures eg knee replacements and pretty much any elective surgery. But the point that will best illustrate the NHS scene is that the most sought after employee benefit in the UK is private insurance - which would hardly be the case if the NHS was all that it was made out to be by some over there and here. This is not to say that health care here does not need reform because it does.

So, I am one grateful person and my decision to emigrate and settle down in the US is one of the best decisions that I ever made. BTW, when I was looking at moving here permanently relatives and friends were horrified and the disparaging comments about the US and Americans were relentless. To this day when I tell people there about how life in the US is good, there is an attitude of disbelief but then the British generally react disparagingly about other nationalities as well with the French and Germans getting the brunt of the criticism - though not nearly as much as Americans.

This is all a wonderful read and so elucidating and helpful. Thank you so much for giving your perspective, which seems much more informed than most of the posters here. It was really interesting to read.

I was wondering... do you have any idea why the British have more dislike for Americans over other nationalities? It does seem strange to me since most Americans, as you said, quite like the British.

OP, let me offer you a couple of other thoughts on why the British - and English especially - react the way they do to Americans.

A fellow Brit said that at a basic level there is an element of jealousy that the US is the predominant economic and military power in the world - though it is a position that is being increasingly challenged especially in terms of economic dominance. In many of what were the former British colonies, there was an attitude among the people in those countries that looked up to the British - that has pretty much disappeared. The country that has the most influence over these former British colonies is now the US.

Keep in mind that barely 60 years ago, the British ruled supreme over much of the world - a position that has diminished to the point of non-existence today. British education and values were looked up to but that is not the case any more - and that is not to knock the British education system which is still excellent. Most older Brits remember those heady times though the younger generation have grown up in an environment where Britain's role as a colonial power is something that is not a factor.

The class system is no longer as dominant as it used to be but there are still vestiges of it to this day. In this context, the Americans are viewed as being part of the nouveau rich - people with new found wealth but not much in the way of "breeding" as the British used to call it. The "browning" of America that is causing so much angst among some Americans today is something the British went through a few decades ago. In many ways Americans are more receptive to that change than were the British when it started to happen. You saw this in the British government's attitude to regimes abroad that proudly proclaimed their superiority because they were controlled by whites - I am thinking of South Africa under apartheid and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) which unilaterally declared independence and installed a government that was controlled by white settlers. British governments all the way to Margaret Thatcher were sympathetic to those white dominated regimes - and this was not so long ago.

Much of what you wrote reads like a commentary by a 18 year old kid whose knowledge of history and world politics is gained mostly from third rate blogs.

Perhaps you should offer a more insightful analysis since you are dismissive of what was provided.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who also lived in Britain I will tell you what really irritates the British and that's when Americans make snide comments or jokes about teeth or British food being terrible or how America defeated Britain in the Revolutionary War as if they ever cared, or how America saved Britain's ass during WWII while completely ignoring that Britain literally fought the war single handedly for two years before the US joined, or the women are ugly, or that it's still a class ridden society with toffee ruling the roost and cheeky cockneys everywhere, or that the British are still obsessed with empire and imperial decline. You get the idea. I loved living in Britain and I'm a proud American as well but there's definitely an element of arrogant jingoism that can manifest itself among some Americans and many British have seen that enough times. So if you complain about arrogant British people sneering at Americans, remember it goes both ways.

Is any of that untrue? No.

By far the worst snide remarks come from the British about Americans.

I'd argue much of it is untrue or pointlessly exaggerated - such as the teeth and food, especially when plenty of Americans have bad teeth and there's plenty of mediocre food in the US. Nor is it anywhere remotely true that "toffs" run the UK. And there's something petulant and childish in crowing about a victory that occurred 250 years ago.

Claims that "by far the worst snide remarks come from the British about Americans" is unsubstantiated and even ironic given that plenty of Americans make nasty comments and jokes about all types of nationalities. If there are Brits who don't like Americans, they are hardly alone as many people globally don't like Americans. Our pointless and botched invasion of Iraq never went down well and only portrayed the US as big, nasty bullies.

Not really, when it was a victory that decided the fate of the entire world and certainly the fates of the two countries involved.

Also many people globally dislike the British- I don't know that's a good defense for being rude to them (though I suppose I could try it)

The revolutionary war is far more important to Americans than it was to the British. At the time (circa 1770s-1780s) the colonies were remote, had no real impact on the national psyche and the vast majority of British were unaffected or couldn't care less. Despite this there was even support within the UK for American independence. For the British at the time what was far, far, far more important were the wars with the French and the later Napoleonic Wars and the American Revolutionary War is usually taught as a footnote in the larger history with the French.

I assure you many more people globally dislike Americans than the British..... we the US are not exactly popular overseas due to global meddling, wars in the Middle East, supporting puppet regimes, and now Donald Trump.

This thread is turning childish (it was childish to start with) but whatever the views are let's remember all the claims made about British rudeness or whatever can be just as easily made about the Americans. And that is the key point. Remember the age old adage: people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones....

You can make claims about anyone. Whether those claims are true or not, is a different issue. The British have a worldwide reputation for rudeness. Americans do not. Americans are considered, by and large, to be friendly- sometimes overly friendly, depending on the culture. But not rude or cold.

To deny cultural differences make you look clueless. And also in denial and desperate to obfuscate what are accepted facts. It also doesn't seem to be convincing anyone in the thread, but by all means, carry on.

Do the British have a worldwide reputation for being rude? Really? I'll agree there is an old stereotype that they are standoffish and reserved but rude is new to me. It was the French who had the reputation for being rude

Whatever you think of the British or stereotypes, Americans also have a worldwide reputation for being loud, vulgar, ostentatious, pushy and arrogant, and yes, rude. I say this as an American who's proud of being American and our history and accomplishments and I'm also an American who has lived overseas for more than a decade now. But I find all these silly bashing of the British or other nationalities exactly what it is, silly, ignorant and pointless. And if you want to keep pointing fingers, let's not forget there have been seemingly hundreds of threads on this very forum about how X or Y American city is full of rude people or why you shouldn't move to, say, Seattle because of the "Seattle Freeze."

Yes, yes they do. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/inaccurate-stereotypes-about-british-people-that-everyone-believes-to-be-true-a6776461.html

I find your hysterical jump to "Americans are bashing British" to be kind of histrionic and absurd. This is a discussion board, where people go to discuss their concerns and make observations. Actually, the other comment you objected to was left by a British person- NOT an American who has lived in Britain for a while, but a real Brit. The discussion has, thus far, had a lot of great observations and personal experiences. Just as you point out that there are threads about various American cities that have a reputation for coldness and rudeness, like Seattle, Americans have every right to discuss the rudeness they have encountered by the British. I find it funny that you object so strongly to it. Do you do this in every thread about cultural differences? Did you do it in the "Seattle freeze" thread?

The article you linked is from a third rate newspaper infamous for becoming clickbait, and is in turn based on a Quora question, and last but not least, is implying that the British reputation for rudeness is unfounded unless you apparently stand on the left side of the escalator in London.

I've only posted a few times in this thread so I can't be the only person either defending the British or thinking this whole thread is silly. And it is silly. Some people clearly want to keep persisting making a big deal over the British being rude. I agree with you that people are free to make their observations, but people are not free to have those observations go refuted and unchallenged or inconsistencies and hypocrisies pointed out. And no, I have not posted in the Seattle thread. And yes, I was born and raised in the US in two different states in different parts of America. And yes, this is my last post on this thread.

It certainly is not implying that, but you seem to have difficulty comprehending what an example is, among other things. Anyway another article based off of British Council Report:
https://www.vice.com/en_dk/article/nnyw4z/how-others-see-us-gavin-haynes-927


You have a very distinctive posting style so it's quite easy to follow your posts even though you aren't registered. Of course you can challenge people's opinions- but your challenges should be coherent and acknowledging of cultural differences. When you simply refuse to acknowledge them or act like they are all ridiculous, despite the lived experiences of many, including- yes- those who are actually British (unlike yourself) then you sound ignorant or perhaps socially clueless.

I find it interesting you didn't specify which states those are. I'll keep my suspicions as to the reasoning behind that to myself Have a good night.

[Anonymous]

The argument of who's ruder is getting pretty ridiculous as I'm finding that British and American reputations abroad are more similar than not. And they aren't particularly good, especially in the time of Trump and Brexit.

Americans may only seem nicer b/c we naturally smile more and overtip compared to the locals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The argument of who's ruder is getting pretty ridiculous as I'm finding that British and American reputations abroad are more similar than not. And they aren't particularly good, especially in the time of Trump and Brexit.

Americans may only seem nicer b/c we naturally smile more and overtip compared to the locals.

This is as sophomoric an explanation as I have seen on why Americans are perceived as more friendly.

[Anonymous]

It's not just the UK.

DD slipped next to a swimming pool in Germany over the summer and broke her arm.

The German lifeguard (one lifeguard for 3 large pools) just happened to be walking by when it happened.

All he said (without breaking his stride) was: "don't lay on the ground!" and he just kept walking.

Most people in Europe walk around looking as if they are pissed off about something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not just the UK.

DD slipped next to a swimming pool in Germany over the summer and broke her arm.

The German lifeguard (one lifeguard for 3 large pools) just happened to be walking by when it happened.

All he said (without breaking his stride) was: "don't lay on the ground!" and he just kept walking.

Most people in Europe walk around looking as if they are pissed off about something.

Wow, that's horrible.