America is Vulgar! Says Britons!

[PigsnieLite]

HOW RUDE! America is vulgar, they say. I haf never heard anything so widiculous. I thought we drank more Beer. [PLite lets out a royal fart and spits in a flower pot.]

Britons see US as vulgar empire builder
By Ben Fenton, THE TELEGRAPH
(Filed: 03/07/2006)

Britons have never had such a low opinion of the leadership of the United States, a YouGov poll shows.

As Americans prepare to celebrate the 230th anniversary of their independence tomorrow, the poll found that only 12 per cent of Britons trust them to act wisely on the global stage. This is half the number who had faith in the Vietnam-scarred White House of 1975.

Most Britons see America as a cruel, vulgar, arrogant society, riven by class and racism, crime-ridden, obsessed with money and led by an incompetent hypocrite.

American troops are failing either to win "hearts and minds" in Iraq or bring democracy to that country.

More than two-thirds who offered an opinion said America is essentially an imperial power seeking world domination. And 81 per cent of those who took a view said President George W Bush hypocritically championed democracy as a cover for the pursuit of American self-interests.

A spokesman for the American embassy said that the poll's findings were contradicted by its own surveys.

"We question the judgment of anyone who asserts the world would be a better place with Saddam still terrorizing his own nation and threatening people well beyond Iraq's borders."

[Satine]

Regardless of how we or anyone else may characterize the US & our illustrious government, it's simple & silly to try & put a label on 300 million people. Other than being colleted in the same vast territory ...given the significant variety of watered down culture, opinions, family styles, religious/spiritual beliefs (or lack of) etc... it's no more realistic than walt disney's idea of the "small world" to project any kind of in common themes from vulgar to virtuous on a group of this size. I'm no anthropologist but i imagine a similar percentage of vulgarity & arrogance is one thing varying societies do have in common.

[PigsnieLite]

When Americuns think of England, whut are their generalisations about us? I would like to know!

[Scott]

Originally Posted by PigsnieLite

Most Britons see America as a cruel, vulgar, arrogant society, riven by class and racism,

BWAHAHAHA! Yeah, I gotta tell you. I can't go to an NFL game without seeing Nazi flags and racist bigots eveywhere....oh wait, that's European football that's plagued with axis sympathizers.

America is the most race-sensitive nation in the world, where you'll get fired from a government job for correctly using the word niggardly in a budget report.

Our class system is defined by monetary worth, but there's no hereditary or pre-determined restriction to how well you can do. We're the most welcoming nation to immigrants in the free world. Just how long would it take me to become a legal resident of Australia? Japan?

How would Americans react to a British magician who suspended himself in a glass box over a bridge? Probably with little attention. How would Britons react to an American magician suspending himself in a glass box over the Thames?

[Scott]

What you'll NEVER see at an American sporting arena:

Swastikas are seen during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Lazio and Livorno in Rome. With the World Cup starting this month, an anti-racism group in Germany is so concerned that it has warned non-white visitors to avoid rural areas outside Berlin.

[PigsnieLite]

Errr .. those swastikas are in Rome, sorry. And I think those are Eyetalians, not Britons.

[Avril]

Originally Posted by Scott

America is the most race-sensitive nation in the world, where you'll get fired from a government job for correctly using the word niggardly in a budget report.

OMG is this true? Did the person appeal with dictionary in hand and get his/her job back?

I'm reminded of The Guru where Anglo-Indian actor Jimi Mistry played an Indian immigrant. Christine Baranski's character was a hoot - rapidly and automatically correcting herself to say Native American Indian followed by a smug look, then the beginnings of confusion. Brilliantly funny.

Britons have been saying stuff like that ("cruel, vulgar, arrogant society, riven by class and racism") about Americans forever. They smugly trot the variations on that theme about Australia too, except we mostly get "cultural backwater" instead of cruel etc. What's new? So what?

Ken Loach's new film The Wind that Shakes the Barley is a savage indictment of England's brutal military treatment of Ireland with a sympathetic view of the IRA. Turn "cruel, vulgar, arrogant society, riven by class and racism" back and it fits admirably. As it does with ANY imperialistic nation.

[PigsnieLite]

I wonder why Britons use the word *vulgar.* I mean, we watch BIG BROTHER! for Crying out Loud. And I love that show, its hilarious. As for Australia, I mostly think of it as a very hot huge place wid a giant opera house & where lives Avril & Readurt & Wombut & formerly Alan & where there used to be alot of wickood nuns.

[Avril]

Heheh, the cancer of Big Brother is spreading and I, for one avoid it like the plague. (In fact I tend to avoid that whole channel since they took off my beloved Aerobics Oz Style at 6.30 am and replaced it with an hour and a half of TV-shopping and non-stop ads.)

Our Big Brother has got so raunchy that this week when some dodgy sexual activity involving a possible assault using force by two guys and a reluctant girl live-streamed on the Internet, our PM stepped in and called for it to be axed.

If only!

[Satine]

yeah well if big brother is vulgar how 'bout US knock off versions & variations like BB allstars?! woooooooooooooo


as for this american's generalizations, Uk seems to have a lot less drama. smaller percentage of negative attention seekers. better guiness draught.