Why are the British so snotty towards Americans?

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monkeyface

Maybe you should look to your own countrymen's behaviour towards we British. Surely if we are nice to Canadians & Australians it is because they are nice to us. We take people as we find them. I, personally, have no problem with any American people I have met although I have to admit that they do tend to act a little superior.

L B

being an Aussie in UK I too have not had that experience, although I copped heaps of it in NZ oddly enough. I think that Americans in general (and I really am generalising here) don't recognise or respond to the general british reserve with quite the same sensitivity as do Australians and Canadians. Maybe because you moved away from the parent country earlier than us. But generally speaking. Americans can be too friendly and want to tell you too much about themselves which makes the British uncomfortable. They prefer to have known you for few generations before they share information to the extent Americans do. Basically, I suspect you are just being a bit too open, is all. Not a 'we hate americans', more are 'we are not too sure what to do about Americans and so we will defend ourselves with irony and wit' which you interpret as sarcasm... A cultural difference.

Vitruvius

This is just nonsense. We wind up everyone, except possibly the Canadians, and that's only from sympathy at being so close to the...

Oops. Sorry. You got me It's a reflex.

One of the few things that every British person will recognise in every other, that unites the UK more effectively than the Queen, the BBC, and dynamic meteorology is a sort of background Yankophobic static charge.

It's a universal understood social convention, as commonplace as shaking hands. It is a considered absolutely socially acceptable under any conditions, in any company, and is something that nobody could ever possibly take offence from.

From garden parties to the roughest East End dive bar, people a) discuss the weather, b) enquire after someone's health, c) discuss sport, and d) make fun of the United States of America and...

... GET OVER YOURSELF.

Can't you tell when someone has spotted your collective national character flaw of the deep need to be loved; and is constructing an entire narrative universe to make you feel unloved?

You are so easy! We give you exactly the opposite of what you crave; a sort of teasing, which I have to admit I find a little bit unattractive in myself. It's a shared in-joke like "Mornington Crescent"; a very elabourate tailored "art form" to reflect your weaknesses back to you while you are among those who will do nothing more than tease you about them. Don't think of it as an insult, think of it as a paradoxically polite but rough form of Group Therapy.

The ultimate social 'faux pas' would be accidental rudeness, so we have built an entire society based on deliberate but carefully modulated and nuanced insult.

The Australians, New Zealanders, and Canadians are in on the joke because they understand the American yearning to be loved as well. More specifically, they are also still culturally similar enough to stop listening for the insult, and listen instead for the underlying intention and nuance.

It's an in-joke. They would have recognised the situation, taken the cue, and replied along the lines of "I don't know what you mean. The Brits are great. It must be you."

Actually, we save the real venom for the real enemy; the French.

Henry R

We aren't snotty towards you, you just misinterpret our humour!

DogzBolokz

i personally in a respectful way don't give a shite

Kenya C

Probably because Americans (and I happen to be one) overall tend to be obnoxious little twits, being of the belief most times that the world revolves around them and that its people should cater to them. So the Brits put on a defensive face when dealing with them.

Liar Liar

Its just the massive culture clash, people forget just because we speak the same language doesnt mean we live the same culture. Americans are very different to British people, as much as British people are different to the French! - we're led completely differently, we have a monarchy and parliment system, america has presidency. Our music is very different, our tv is different, our currency is different, our education system is different, the list could go on. One thing we do have in common though is we're both very proud of our own countries, which makes it even harder to get along really!

We seem to get along ok with Aussies and canadians, i think it's because they're both similar to britain in many more ways than America is, and also by and large Australians get on with most people!

Sunshine

You are stating overgeneralizations...

Terry BB

Because Canadians and Aussies are a part of the Commonwealth and blood (them) is thicker than water (you). Hope this answers your question.

tinow

this is not personally my opinion but if you look at all the mvies that come from america (armageddon, pearl harbour) it also seems to be the americans who save the world. pearl harbour particularly grated **** because it took the piss out of our efforts, it was like the british hadnt even lifted a finger.

movies were america saves the world grates ****

minime

because Aussies and canucks are in my personal experience more polite to us, my sister in law is a yank and she is big headed , loud obnoxious need i go on.

Rembrandt Q. Einstein

Every British character in the American media is a baddie, an effeminate weirdo or a stuffy prude who doesn't live in the real world, so it is unsurprising that some British people feel that it is they who are looked down on by Americans.

Although it is wrong to stereotype, and two wrongs don't make a right, I would say that you are getting the same treatment that British people have been getting from Americans for years. It seems that Americans can give out the insults, but they can't take them.

angel eyes

Australians and canadians have respect for their fellow man where the yank has a loud, obtrusive, overbearing trait in their overrated flawed character.

â™ªDon't.Upset.The.Rythmâ™ª

because American accents are more irritating! =)

jonesy

cos americans think they summet were not

Mrs Robinson 2 B

its a well known fact the yanks are a waste of space sorry! too ignorant, loud and self obsessed for my liking! only being honest

Here there and everywhere

You are totally misunderstanding the British!

America is a young nation, Britain is not.

Just think of Americans as being teenagers and the British as being adults. A rather unfortunate analogy in some ways, but just think of the misunderstanding between the two groups, even though they share the same language...

Petervl

Maybe cause Americans police the world and not everyone likes that. We also hear a lot of stories about enormously fat and stupid Americans, so that doesn't really create a good picture.

kramisin

americans have seen it all, done it all, got it all only bigger and better. and why do americans dislike canadians so much ?
p.s. thanks for the friendly fire and the air pollution and the afghan war and the iraq war
And yes americans might have better teeth but then they have to eat all that extra food (the joys of free dental care)

Another Faceless User

Maybe it was just you. No offence.

I should be doing something else

I agree with Attila the Auditor. But it's not just Americans who say things like this.

Either myself, or my friends / family have been asked the following questions by CANADIANS:

Do you have tractors in Ireland?
Do you have cigarettes in Ireland?

(I even read once that someone was even asked if we had electricity in Ireland)

And my personal favourite: Do you have pizza in Europe?

Pizza is Italian, Italy is in Europe. Go Figure.

sarahhhhhhh

Well whats the deal with yanks being so "gung ho" about everything? I dont think its personall, it very political, England is the most contrabuting country in the world. America doesnt contrabute anything at all. I have american family, so it s a bit unfair to say that all of us are like that.

Mystery

AMERICANs can be very arrogant and go on and on and on about if it wasn't for them we would not have won the war etc. i don't dislike anyone but americans shoot themselves in the foot with their arrogance and the belief that their country is the all of all and the centre of the universe

SLINKY

I didnt know we did, I personally dont have anything against Americans. Sorry that happened to you :/

pin ball

when i was in america touring around, the americans that i met were lovely. they were so kind and helpful. one man went home to get half dollar coins to give to us because we said we hadnt ever seen any. how nice is that? the only unpleasant person i met in USA in 3 months was a german.
.i think though that there is a problem with americans because we immediately think BUSH!!!! and we dont like him. therefore thats your fault. get rid of bush and you will be popular with brits.but i like you lol im sure you are very nice

Attila the auditor

When you get questions like :

How many British dollars in one American dollar?
Hey everyone! I couldn't find this information on the internet. I need to know how many American dollars are in one British dollar.
I'm visiting England late this month so I need to know.
Or is American currency used in England?

Thanks in advance :)

(asked on these pages at 8.13 GMT, 21 Jan)

Or, from a very senior person in the Ford Motor Company in the US - "What is a kilometre?"

it does make you think what some Americans think goes on in the world. Do they know ANYTHING outside the US?

No wonder Americans get sarcastic comments. Unfortunately they deserve them.

That's the way it is.

Nikolai

I was in the UK for a while and I had no problem! Everyone was really nice to me, but I'm a quiet person who keeps to myself and doesn't complain. Also I didn't want to be "THAT YANK"!

10 out of 10

British people don't hate Americans or look down at them at all your just judging by what you saw a few people do. most people like USA i know i do. i bet there's people like that in your country to but once again a minority.

andy F7

my only comment is....instead of looking at our differences, why not look at our similarities?.think you will find we are the same.

u r dumb

It's interestting in my travels I have heard Americans make fun of others and belittle them ...but when it comes to themselves getting the treatment they give back they become shocked! Why is it a one way streak why do Americans think its socially acceptable to be obnoxiouls to others but not to have it done back to them ???
This is a general statment thouh as I would not blame all for this attitude but most whereever I go brag about being the best and are proud to place down other countries and insult others

Sal*UK

I certainly don't. I have worked with a lot of Americans/Australians/Canadians and count some of them amongst my best friends.

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