Why do Americans think Britain is London.?

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Biscuit Bill

Not that I condone Yank bashing but I believe it's because they're a bunch of backward, inbred fuckpigs. When I went over they thought I was Australian. I'm from near Burnley. Had to resist the urge to choke the living shite out of anybody who said 'throw another shrimp on the barbie'.

witch

i completely agree with biscuit bill!!!!!!!!!

Monday's Child

Cause like most American they don't realise there is a whole different world outside of their borders!!!

kÂ²

The same reason why on TV (yes, even on the BBC), like on the news they'd go on about what's happening in Leeds, Manchester and so on, but when something happens in Edinburgh or Dundee, they just say Scotland.

Sun M

In the UK the same thing happens. Everyone only seems to care about London.

carly s

I agree with most people's comments, Americans don't realise that there is a whole world beyond their country.

For example the call their Superbowl 'The World Superbowl' Even though the only participating country is America!!!

To be fair Im glad most americas dont travel! They'd only leave a trail of burger wrappings where ever they went! All the more room for us EDUCATED and civilised british!

Little Rip

When I went the taxi driver in New York kept asking me if I knew Boy George, doh!!!!

paja

This myth is perpetuated by the english. They go on endlessly about eg the Queen of england instead of the Queen of GB and NI.
Most english people abroad use england when they mean the UK. That's probably why the Americans are confused

Tuppence

I think it is unfair to have a go at Americans because the only UK place a lot of them know about is London. Think about it what little British news they will get will involve London because that is where the Prime minister is. Why should they know about our cities and our accents? How many of you non-americans can distinguish their accents or say what city is in which state? the only reason we know as much as we do is because of Hollywood and the movie industry!

ASHLEY

I met some Americans on holiday, they were travelling Europe.
They told me that there next destination was Wales in London.

rastus7742

Geography is taught, it's just most of us don't listen. A lot of people in the U,S. don't do much world travel and just don't know.

thepenismightier

Because many (but not all) Americans are woefully uneducated. Many of them think we use "euro-dollars" over here as well.

vichussmith

Not all of us think that. Maybe you should ask someone outside of NC where Britan is.

Ollie

Hi,im from the north east when i lived in london they took my accent to be irish,geordie,liverpool,they had never heard of Middlesbrough.

JeffE

For the same reason that one of them told me that they thought Britain was somewhere in the Middle East.

Dr Dee

Americans are very poor in geography. When they show war in a foreign country on CNN, notice that they frequently show a map.

Cindy G

I'm sorry, dear. You ARE in North Carolina. (They think Fargo is in Minnesota. So don't take it personally!)

It's not that all people in the United States are uneducated, but it is a distinct possibility for a large part of the population. Although we are supposed to all have free education, there was never any qualifier for EQUAL education. Poorer areas still have poorer education, and in areas with large inequalities it seems the politicians are even more corrupt. Money seems to disappear at the top before it gets to the classroom. Republican-leaning states tend to have even more uneducated individuals, which I believe is in part to people not feeling any responsibility for their neighbor.

I'm sorry you are having an unpleasant experience. If YOU thought Fargo was in Minnesota...well then, send you back to school! ;)

old school

Hello, American here. The media in America usually reports on things in London. It is a place most Americans have heard of. Yes, I know of many other cities in the UK. Have been to a few other than London.

Geography is taught, but not really substantially. It is blown over and gone. Most Americans do not know where most of the US states are. Ignorance is bliss.

Americans feel their country is the greatest and there is no need to learn about others as they will never travel abroad. It is sad but true. If they only knew the truth.....

Most Americans haven't left the state they were born in so can't find their a*** from their elbow - they also think that England is Britain

brandit2001uk

I have never come across this in 17 years of travelling to the states.

Iluv24

Because Americans know no further than their own shores. They don't know where other countries are and are generally not interested because they're only concerned with themselves.

Barneyboy

Yes but as with all their subjects at a very simple level, otherwise their heads would explode and they would be unable to invade countries willy nilly.

Life after 45

What do you want from people that eat "fat back" or "boiled peanuts"???????? LOL :)

leigh

thats nothing my son works on the cruise ships and one american thought that the U.K. was in africa

dosey-rosey

Most Americans can't see beyond the USA, I think Knowing London exists is progress....I'm from Northumberland and when I visited America no one had a clue what my accent was. In answer to your question I don't think they are aware of the rest of the world.... they don't seem to teach world geography, history or economics... and of course they can't speak (or spell) English!

Tinkerbell Blue

Its because thats the only city they hear about, Im from newcastle! surely they can tell the different accents! I'm a geordie like!

styce

its just how they are

nnjamerson

I'm a brit living in oregon... where's north carolina.??

Remember, the Uk is tiny, and i believe the americans on this point. At least half of england is london now, so the british people in kent,essex, and hampshire have said many times. Even bristol now i believe, is in fact a borough of london now.

Thing's have changed since you left surely. I believe that york is soon to become part of london, manchester next. As soon a virgin trains work of course.

Edinburgh and scotland though, will forever be independent.
Dum yanks.

sweetlin52

Many Americans are so thick thats why .

nanrai18

I am from Russia. And people think i am from Moscow.

cate

There is an awful lot of British (english??) baiting of our American friends on here dont you think? I agree that many americans dont seem to be very clued up on our geography or accents but I am not sure why we should expect them to be........ they certainly dont expect us to have intimate knowledge of their country. or accents. we are taught geography in our schools but not much of it covers america in any depth. why do we assume it should be any diff for them? I used to live in Northumberland (a fellow Geordie, Tinkerbell Blue!!) I lived in a place designated as an area of natural beauty and the only irritation i remember was every summer when the american tourists (only a handful really) would turn up in big cars as part of their tour of England. (My annoyance was just that strangers were in our village and on our beach!!! not that they were americans!!!!!)

I think it is too much of a generalisation to tarr all americans with the same brush. They are a diverse nation just as we are. We have to stop our political views clouding our personal opinions of the American people.......thats what i think anyway!!!

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