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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]^I am the OP of this thread and of course I didn't make it based on "one British person was rude to me one time".  Actually I frequent the Daily Mail, and, while of course the comment section there is notorious trash, I am shocked by the level of highly upvoted comments bashing Americans.  You don't see the reverse.  Yes, it's a British paper- but comments bashing Brits wouldn't make it to the top of any American newspaper I can think of.  Another thing- last season of Big Brother, the American contestants, with one exception, were all voted out first.  The nice ones, who did nothing to rock the vote- out.  Of course, we can talk all day about CBB being lowest common denominator- but these are platforms that have mass audiences, that truly check the pulse of a nation and the deeply ingrained beliefs.  When article after article has Brits upvoting rude remarks about Americans (and, btw- down voting any comebacks Americans give, so it's not just about a sense of humor) and the widely viewed television shows target Americans, then we have a real anti-American sentiment that isn't even attempted to be covered up.

Additionally, if you can't already tell, I watch a lot of British television and read a lot of British work and I think "rude" is exactly how I would class a lot of the behavior.  Of course there is an argument to be made for "television is not representative of a nation" but in a way it is- just as it says something about America that Carrie Underwood is the most successful American Idol of all time, etc.

Also- my personal experiences have also borne this out.  I would generally not ever try to make that kind of observation unless I had viewed it across multiple platforms, not just- oh, i met this lady once who had a British accent and she was rude.  I'm genuinely curious as to this cultural difference that I (and others) have observed[/quote]

I'm the "offended Brit" poster and I completely accept what you say about the Daily Mail comments section - it is appalling but you should know that most British people also find it appalling. I don't think it's right to say that the Daily Mail comments section checks the pulse of the nation. I think the Daily Mail in general appeals to a specific type of person (though there are many people - probably like you - who read it just to see what is going on in the celebrity world or whatever, but don't subscribe to its general philosophy) and I think the Daily Mail comment-leaver is a very specific kind of person and it bothers me that this is thought to be representative of the nation.

I think you also have to bear in mind the relative size and influence of the two countries. Many Americans don't know very much about the UK - it's a small country that has, obviously, historical ties to the US, but when you read a US newspaper you won't find very much about the UK in it (or any other country). But in the UK, America is of huge interest. Think about the women's marches all over the world including a huge one in London, after the inauguration. Almost all US tv shows are broadcast in the UK and are very popular - US culture is really prominent. Some British tv shows are shown in the US but they aren't generally on primetime and on the main networks. I think something like 50% of British people have been to America - that's huge, and means that a lot of British people have some experience of America and Americans and are very interested in American things. Tons of American celebrities feature in the Daily Mail, for example. So although American-bashing comments on the Daily Mail are hateful, I think there's a good reason why American-related things would come to the top of a British newspaper comment site, when the reverse would never be true for an American paper.

And re Celebrity Big Brother, I don't watch it so I don't really know how it works, but surely it wasn't "rude" that the Americans were voted off first? Without knowing anything about the people involved, perhaps that's just more about the cultural differences. The stereotypes work both ways - if Americans view British people as rude, I think a fairly common British stereotype of Americans is that they are naive (which can be annoying) or obnoxious/arrogant.

I hope none of this sounds argumentative - I'm genuinely very interested in this too, as as Brit living here. People react to me in different ways (mostly positive, I'm happy to say!) but not always.[/quote]

I can understand that about the DailyMail.  Of course all countries have lowest common denominator types and they seem to congregate on certain websites- I wouldn't want America judged on the comments on UsWeekly, for example (though the DM has a different crowd, but you know what I mean).  I do think it's a lot of cultural differences, which I can understand.  I guess I also don't get why American "naivety" is seen as being annoying- it also seems lumped in with American optimism.  I read something in the New Yorker written by an American who lived in Britain, and she said she almost always felt "like someone who had worn a Hawaiian shirt to a funeral" during her time there- as in, just completely inappropriately jovial.  I've also noticed on other television shows, because it can be hard to find a show that has Americans but is made by British companies, in my experience- that "American" is just used as a go-to insult.  of course this is a common European thing.

And... I don't mean to reduce this issue to anti-Americanism.  I guess it's just a cultural difference.  Americans value friendliness to everyone and I think many Brits find that... over the top and presumptuous?  But to me, that kind of attitude is, I guess, what I would call rude.  Like not being friendly and judging someone for being friendly, and letting your distaste be known... that's exactly what I think of as rude.  I'm sure this is a cultural thing but that's what I've observed.  Also not trying to be argumentative, just sharing my thoughts... [/quote]

I think the American friendliness is for a lot of British people (me included) one of the nicest things about Americans/America and lots of us really appreciate it. But on the other hand, as I posted earlier in this thread, for many British people, the "unfriendliness", by which I mean being less open, less willing to engage with strangers, etc, is really not intended to be rude but is British people feeling that it's much more important to "mind your own business". I understand entirely how that comes across as rude - but generally that is not the intention at all.

Re American "naivety" as being annoying... that is hard to explain (and again, doesn't apply to all British people)! Did you ever see that Sex and the City episode where Miranda went to visit her friend in LA? Or maybe the LA friend came to NYC - I can't remember which. But anyway, she said that her friend had become a "happy person" - I guess that is how some British see Americans - "happy people". There's good in that, of course - much better to be happy than sad - but also British people are often much more cynical and find it hard to understand people who are not. Again, I guess it works both ways.[/quote]

Thank you very much.  This explains a lot, and the SATC reference is very apt, I think, and truly explains it well.  I'm happy to hear all that you said.  As someone who has always valued their British ancestry (it's the only one I have!) I was starting to get bummed out about feeling that the British were not particularly welcoming, at least not to Americans- but this all makes a lot of sense.  That's why I made the thread, I truly wanted (and still want) to understand it. And this helps a lot. [/quote]

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