And the worst about them is they are creeping into England and the rest of the world at a steady pace. A lot of words we use today were dismissed in my parents' time as unacceptable Americanisms. I'm sure it's an indisputable fact that British English is linguistically superior. After all, English isn't just our language, it's also our national identity. There are a lot of nuances and different shades of meaning that we have now lost because of the corrosion of our language by Americanisms. The domination of US English has a lot to do with their film industry. English books that are published in the US by English authors are routinely translated into US English by the publishers but American books published in Britain retain their language. Try reading Harry Potter published in the US and you'll see I'm right.
I may not be politically correct but I'm truthful for I am...
St Truth
Quote from: St Truth on September 25, 2017, 11:04:33 PM
And the worst about them is they are creeping into England and the rest of the world at a steady pace. A lot of words we use today were dismissed in my parents' time as unacceptable Americanisms. I'm sure it's an indisputable fact that British English is linguistically superior. After all, English isn't just our language, it's also our national identity. There are a lot of nuances and different shades of meaning that we have now lost because of the corrosion of our language by Americanisms. The domination of US English has a lot to do with their film industry. English books that are published in the US by English authors are routinely translated into US English by the publishers but American books published in Britain retain their language. Try reading Harry Potter published in the US and you'll see I'm right.
I may not be politically correct but I'm truthful for I am...
St Truth
Very interesting. Did you know that some Americanisms are obsolete Anglicisms? England moved on, in some ways, while the colonials stayed where they were already at.
Quote from: St Truth on September 25, 2017, 11:04:33 PM
And the worst about them is they are creeping into England and the rest of the world at a steady pace. A lot of words we use today were dismissed in my parents' time as unacceptable Americanisms. I'm sure it's an indisputable fact that British English is linguistically superior. After all, English isn't just our language, it's also our national identity. There are a lot of nuances and different shades of meaning that we have now lost because of the corrosion of our language by Americanisms. The domination of US English has a lot to do with their film industry. English books that are published in the US by English authors are routinely translated into US English by the publishers but American books published in Britain retain their language. Try reading Harry Potter published in the US and you'll see I'm right.
I may not be politically correct but I'm truthful for I am...
St Truth
10/10, would troll the Brits again.
Quote from: St Truth on September 25, 2017, 11:04:33 PMI'm sure it's an indisputable fact that British English is linguistically superior.
No.
Exhibit A: kerb
Exhibit B: waggons
Quote from: St Truth on September 25, 2017, 11:04:33 PM
And the worst about them is they are creeping into England and the rest of the world at a steady pace. A lot of words we use today were dismissed in my parents' time as unacceptable Americanisms. I'm sure it's an indisputable fact that British English is linguistically superior. After all, English isn't just our language, it's also our national identity. There are a lot of nuances and different shades of meaning that we have now lost because of the corrosion of our language by Americanisms. The domination of US English has a lot to do with their film industry. English books that are published in the US by English authors are routinely translated into US English by the publishers but American books published in Britain retain their language. Try reading Harry Potter published in the US and you'll see I'm right.
I may not be politically correct but I'm truthful for I am...
St Truth
You do realize that most on this board are American? Anyway, are you related to Hyacinth Bucket? I think you might be a bit of a prig or maybe more accurately, a toff?
British English is older, but not necessarily better.
I like the way that Americans feel the need to make up new words for words we've already got. Americans are friending people on Facebook.
You don't friend someone, because friend is not a verb. You can befriend someone however.
Good Lord! I didn't expect such a flurry of excitement. I'll address each one of you briefly.
What Baruch says may be true only of very limited examples. The perverse American removal of 'u' in labour, colour, and so on may have a historical basis. It's true that these words used to be spelt in English without the 'u'. But I'm not so concerned about spelling that does not lead to any confusion. What interests me more is something more serious. A lot of Americanisms stem from the people's inability to distinguish the finer shades of meaning which may be too subtle for those who live in the coarser and more hazardous new world. You see, when you are confronted with more pressing needs such as how to avoid getting scalped by the natives, you don't bother with intellectual subtleties in the language. You need no more than a few simple words eg 'RUN!!! Injuns comin'!'
Haha, I was only kidding. Hope I didn't ruffle feathers. Hydra009 only confirms what I have been saying. In the UK, kerb means pavement. 'Curb' means 'restrain' or 'restraint'; it's both a noun and a verb. But in the US, 'curb' means both restraint and pavement. That is precisely what I mean. American English fails to distinguish a lot of English words.
It's easier to express subtle nuances in British English that you can't in American English. There are millions of examples but I'll just give one. I can give you more if you want - even in the area of grammar as opposed to semantics.
When I first went to America, I was surprised to hear this announcement just before the train departed for another another airport terminal: 'This train will depart momentarily'. I remember laughing and my mum was telling me to 'stop it' even though she found it funny but that's the usual adult hypocrisy. An old woman who was seated near us asked me why I found the announcement funny. I told her if the train departed momentarily, it would have to return to where we were seconds later. She looked confused. When I got home to England, the first thing I did was to check my dictionary and of course I was right. But when I checked an online dictionary, I discovered something strange. In normal English, 'momentarily' means 'for a moment'. The boy shuddered momentarily before he collapsed. But in America, people have confused 'for a moment' with 'in a moment' so that 'momentarily' can mean both 'for a moment' and 'in a moment'.
Although I make fun of US English, I do recognise American hegemony throughout the world even in the arena of linguistics. The tide of US English is what grammarians in England have since the time of Henry Fowler sought to check but without the smallest success. The time will come when the Queen herself will say, 'RUN!!! Injuns comin'!' LOL
Please forgive my political incorrectness for I seek only the truth, as the one and only...
St Truth
I don't see why this matters.
Quote from: Sal1981 on September 26, 2017, 04:05:46 AM
I don't see why this matters.
Yep. You have to give someone permission to piss you off before they can do it.
eh, i watch enough american tv programs, cartoons and movies to have gotten use to it. If anything its easier to understand then some of the unique dialects around the uk like in the midlands or wales.
Quote from: Munch on September 26, 2017, 07:06:39 AM
eh, i watch enough american tv programs, cartoons and movies to have gotten use to it. If anything its easier to understand then some of the unique dialects around the uk like in the midlands or wales.
When I got married (again) in 2010 one of our guests was a young lady from Scotland. I picked her up at the airport and had a forty-five minute drive back to the house. During that entire trip she chatted away and I didn't understand a damn word she said.
Quote from: Gawdzilla Sama on September 26, 2017, 07:42:01 AM
When I got married (again) in 2010 one of our guests was a young lady from Scotland. I picked her up at the airport and had a forty-five minute drive back to the house. During that entire trip she chatted away and I didn't understand a damn word she said.
curiously I've not found this yet, since I go up to Scotland all the time to see my boyfriends, I've only ever once meet someone who spoke in such a broad Scottish accent I couldn't understand a word she was saying at a local shop. Everywhere else in places like Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling and Inverness had mixes of different dialects from all over.
Quote from: Munch on September 26, 2017, 08:15:36 AM
curiously I've not found this yet, since I go up to Scotland all the time to see my boyfriends, I've only ever once meet someone who spoke in such a broad Scottish accent I couldn't understand a word she was saying at a local shop. Everywhere else in places like Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling and Inverness had mixes of different dialects from all over.
She was Glaswegian. And a hooker.
I didn't, being a middle American in the heart of "accent? We don't have an accent in Ohio" country. And then I started listening to BBC Radio 4 a lot. And now I find even my own tone jarring sometimes.
Quote from: trdsf on September 26, 2017, 10:39:45 AM
I didn't, being a middle American in the heart of "accent? We don't have an accent in Ohio" country. And then I started listening to BBC Radio 4 a lot. And now I find even my own tone jarring sometimes.
The Midwestern accent was a favorite of TV execs in the '50s as being the "most neutral" accent for Americans. (You get to define "Midwest".)
Quote from: Gawdzilla Sama on September 26, 2017, 10:47:53 AM
The Midwestern accent was a favorite of TV execs in the '50s as being the "most neutral" accent for Americans. (You get to define "Midwest".)
And why call centers like placing in Ohio, we can be understood by everyone from the most Brahmin of Bostonians to the most Bayou of Louisianans and all points between and beside.
Quote from: trdsf on September 26, 2017, 11:25:56 AM
And why call centers like placing in Ohio, we can be understood by everyone from the most Brahmin of Bostonians to the most Bayou of Louisianans and all points between and beside.
Really? I wish I was connected to call centers in Ohio. Usually it is Ohio, India! And I get really tired of hearing myself keep saying--What? What?
Quote from: Mike Cl on September 26, 2017, 11:38:23 AM
Really? I wish I was connected to call centers in Ohio. Usually it is Ohio, India! And I get really tired of hearing myself keep saying--What? What?
I like getting calls from India! Those conversations usually end with me saying "...and your mother fucks elephants in Hell."
Quote from: Mike Cl on September 26, 2017, 11:38:23 AM
Really? I wish I was connected to call centers in Ohio. Usually it is Ohio, India! And I get really tired of hearing myself keep saying--What? What?
Well, okay, call centers that opt to stay in the US, anyway.
I get a kick out of hearing someone with an obvious Indian Subcontinent accent introduce themselves as 'Steve' or 'Brenda'. Technically possible, but... shyeah, right.
Quote from: Gawdzilla Sama on September 26, 2017, 11:49:38 AM
I like getting calls from India! Those conversations usually end with me saying "...and your mother fucks elephants in Hell."
Yeah, I like getting those calls from India that start--Are you on your computer? I listen for a heart beat and then utter...............and your mother fucks dead dogs............I have not added, 'in hell' yet, tho. I like that little flourish at the end. For some reason I'm usually hung up on.
But the calls I was referring to were the service calls that I make about something I need service on and get sent to a call center in India--or Bangladesh, or some place like that.
Quote from: Mike Cl on September 26, 2017, 12:38:00 PM
Yeah, I like getting those calls from India that start--Are you on your computer? I listen for a heart beat and then utter...............and your mother fucks dead dogs............I have not added, 'in hell' yet, tho. I like that little flourish at the end. For some reason I'm usually hung up on.
But the calls I was referring to were the service calls that I make about something I need service on and get sent to a call center in India--or Bangladesh, or some place like that.
Companies are starting to realize that "Live Chat" has no accent.
Quote from: trdsf on September 26, 2017, 12:11:23 PM
I get a kick out of hearing someone with an obvious Indian Subcontinent accent introduce themselves as 'Steve' or 'Brenda'. Technically possible, but... shyeah, right.
I would but I'm usually trying to understand them because they need to walk me through something or give me some info of some type.
Quote from: Sal1981 on September 26, 2017, 04:05:46 AM
I don't see why this matters.
It is funny. Ever see a YouTube of Irish people being exposed to Americanisms or American culture for the first time? Blogs of English people who have gone to college in the US or who have immigrated here? It is pure social comedy ;-)
Well, that could be one valid reason. If not for making it easier to communicate.
Sendt fra min SM-G920F med Tapatalk
Would you some tea and biscuits while I play the violin?
Quote from: St Truth on September 25, 2017, 11:04:33 PM
And the worst about them is they are creeping into England and the rest of the world at a steady pace. A lot of words we use today were dismissed in my parents' time as unacceptable Americanisms. I'm sure it's an indisputable fact that British English is linguistically superior. After all, English isn't just our language, it's also our national identity. There are a lot of nuances and different shades of meaning that we have now lost because of the corrosion of our language by Americanisms. The domination of US English has a lot to do with their film industry. English books that are published in the US by English authors are routinely translated into US English by the publishers but American books published in Britain retain their language. Try reading Harry Potter published in the US and you'll see I'm right.
I may not be politically correct but I'm truthful for I am...
St Truth
You might be surprised to learn that I would love to read a standard college world history book from England. And from other countries translated literally in any version of English.
Quote from: Cavebear on September 28, 2017, 01:48:19 AM
You might be surprised to learn that I would love to read a standard college world history book from England. And from other countries translated literally in any version of English.
Empire: A History of the British Empire ... by a Welshman, is an eye opener. Trevor Lloyd is the author. Americans have so many engrained prejudices about England, and Anglophones have even more engrained prejudices about non-English speakers.
Quote from: Baruch on September 28, 2017, 07:43:12 PM
Empire: A History of the British Empire ... by a Welshman, is an eye opener. Trevor Lloyd is the author. Americans have so many engrained prejudices about England, and Anglophones have even more engrained prejudices about non-English speakers.
Well, I meant more high school or college textbooks to see what they say compared to US ones. Not to know "The Real History", but to see the cultural differences.
The evidence reveals language changes over time among the various populations that use it.
Deal with it.
Quote from: Gawdzilla Sama on September 26, 2017, 10:47:53 AM
The Midwestern accent was a favorite of TV execs in the '50s as being the "most neutral" accent for Americans. (You get to define "Midwest".)
I grew up in Chicago and never paid much attention to accents other than the southern accent. I moved to Montana when I was 17, and it seemed like people talked pretty normal. I remember hearing about the Chicago accent, and even though I was from there, I had no clue what it sounded like. Years later, the Chicago accent popped up in a movie and hit me like a brick. I recognized the tonal patterns and word emphasis immediately, and for the first time, I understood what the Chicago accent sounded like. I didn't speak that way, at least not in such a pronounced way, and I wasn't aware of it as an accent. The thing is, not everyone from Chicago talks that way. I remember that some older men's speech sounded odd to me, and it was not uncommon among the older generation. I don't know why, but I came to the conclusion that these were Polish immigrants or people from the lower class that never learned how to talk properly. Instead of "the" it was "duh", and "for" came out "fir" I thought it was just people from the low end of society.
Years ago, SNL made a whole series of skits centered around a bunch of Chicago males drinking beer in a bar and praising "duh Shikago Barres and dare coach Joe Dit-ka Let's have a drink fir duh Berres. Now one fir Dit-ka." It just sounds like people who speak poorly to me. But in Chicago, it's accepted and expected as normal I guess.
I find most of american irritating let alone american"isms"....whatever the hell that is
Quote from: SGOS on October 01, 2017, 07:41:10 PMYears ago, SNL made a whole series of skits centered around a bunch of Chicago males drinking beer in a bar and praising "duh Shikago Barres and dare coach Joe Dit-ka Let's have a drink fir duh Berres. Now one fir Dit-ka." It just sounds like people who speak poorly to me. But in Chicago, it's accepted and expected as normal I guess.
The Boston accent is like that for me. I had a substitute teacher with a really thick Boston accent. His pronunciation of "cawfee" was hilarious. Bear in mind that as a young kid, everything's hilarious.
Quote from: Hydra009 on October 01, 2017, 09:44:59 PM
The Boston accent is like that for me.
Closely related but a step down on the unnerving scale is the Down East accent of Northern Maine, where I lived for three years. You, "Pock ya caa at Baa Habba." Then combine the accent with some especially vulgar colloquialisms like, "Son of hoawha," and it's like entering a small pocket of primitive society that is somehow isolated from the surrounding ocean of the civilized world.
Another one of their perplexing phrases was "the doa yhad." Little Jimmy left is tricycle in the doa yhad, and Rufus run over it with the caa." I even had to ask what that was. I knew there was always a doa to the house, and I knew houses have yhads, but which one of the yhads was the doa yhad? I asked my wife from northern Maine, "Whats a door yard?" And she replied, "You know. It's the doa yhad, cause it's outside the doa," and I figured with that, I'd only look stupid if I enquired further.
Quote from: SGOS on October 02, 2017, 07:11:17 AM
Closely related but a step down on the unnerving scale is the Down East accent of Northern Maine, where I lived for three years. You, "Pock ya caa at Baa Habba." Then combine the accent with some especially vulgar colloquialisms like, "Son of a wohwa," and it's like entering a small pocket of primitive society that is somehow isolated from the surrounding ocean of the civilized world.
Another one of their perplexing phrases was "the doa yhad." Little Jimmy left is tricycle in the doa yhad, and Rufus run over it with the caa." I even had to ask what that was. I knew there was always a doa to the house, and I knew houses have yhads, but which one of the yhads was the doa yhad? I asked my wife from northern Maine, "Whats a door yard?" And she replied, "You know. It's the doa yhad, cause it's outside the doa," and I figured with that, I'd only look stupid if I enquired further.
Is your wife a lobster ;-)
Quote from: Baruch on October 02, 2017, 07:21:02 AM
Is your wife a lobster ;-)
No, but we both loved lobsters. We attended a family get together in Portland, Maine, which appeared to be composed of half of South Portland and some relatives from Rhode Island and Connecticut. My wife's brother sponsored the event and bought lobsters from local fisherman, which was against the law, because fisherman are not allowed to sell to anyone but licensed lobster buyers. But how else can you buy 70 lobsters at an affordable price?
In my brother-in-law's yard a fire was built about 3 feet wide by 20 feet along. When the fire was roaring it was covered with a mountain of seaweed on which was thrown a bushel of corn still on the cob, and then then several tubs of fresh clams still in the shell. All this was topped off with a row of lobsters laid side by side down the entire length of the fire pit, and then more seaweed was piled on top of the whole thing.
I'd had lobster in restaurants before, but none of those dinners ever included three lobsters (or more if you wanted them). So after I finished my first lobster, some family member happily instructed me to have another, which I did but in a state of shock. Little kids that were 5 or 6 years old were eating more than one, but no one was as dazzled as me. It seemed like to everyone else it was just lobster, so you could eat as many of them as you wanted.
Quote from: aitm on October 01, 2017, 07:52:45 PM
I find most of american irritating let alone american"isms"....whatever the hell that is
I know what you mean about Americans being irritating. It's their loudness. They have a different idea of what politeness is. The impression most Brits get is they are loud, self-centred and they think too highly of themselves. But I think it's a different culture that they have. You can tell them apart in restaurants because they speak so loudly that most people think they want the whole world to listen to them. I used to have that impression too. But once, I heard an American woman talking about some illness she had and her voice was loud too. It couldn't be that she wanted everyone to hear what illness she had. I find their loudness irritating but that's just their different culture. Last year, I was dining at a restaurant in Northern Italy with my parents. Everyone was polite and spoke softly. My mum said that she was glad there were no Americans in that restaurant. And she is right. If there were Americans, they would have made sure the whole restaurant knew they were there. They were sure to exclaim loudly to attract attention.
Funny. I'm from Dayton Ohio where you might think everyone has the televisionized accent, but where I grew up nearly all of my friends were from Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia so that the televisionized English sounded odd.
Fast forward a few years to my teen years I began traveling around the US. At 17 I was in a Job Corps center in the mountains of Montana surrounded by guys from NYC and Boston. That was an eye opener! You want a POP? You either get told that your father doesn't live here or got hit..
They drank tonic, not pop and pronounced it tarnic.
Now I live in South Carolina and rarely do I hear the southern accent I grew up with.
The automobile in the US has changed everything. Society is much more mobile and forget television..I don't even need captioning to watch British TV shows..I can pick up the accents, but I can get the gist of nearly everything being said.
Quote from: AllPurposeAtheist on October 02, 2017, 09:39:32 AM
You want a POP?
When I moved to west Texas the first foreman i worked for asked me," wanna coke?" I said okay, then he says, "what flavor?"
Uh...wat?
There every thing is a coke, so you would ordered a coke and specify, orange please......oy.
When I moved to Alabama, I remember sodee pop. 'Ya'lllll wana sodee pop?'
Quote from: AllPurposeAtheist on October 02, 2017, 09:39:32 AM
Fast forward a few years to my teen years I began traveling around the US. At 17 I was in a Job Corps center in the mountains of Montana surrounded by guys from NYC and Boston. That was an eye opener! You want a POP? You either get told that your father doesn't live here or got hit..
Oy, the pop/soda divide. That was a running skirmish between my mom (pop-drinking Ohioan) and her sister (soda-state New Jerseyite). The first time I brought my (soda-state Iowan) partner up to town for Thanksgiving, he quite innocently asked if he could get a 'can of soda' and my aunt let out a whoop and nearly leaped over the kitchen table to get at him, going "I HAVE AN ALLY!" Damn near scared him back out of the house. :D
Ooo, that reminds me, I need to order CO
2 cartridges for my soda syphon...
Quote from: trdsf on October 02, 2017, 12:40:17 PM
Oy, the pop/soda divide. That was a running skirmish between my mom (pop-drinking Ohioan) and her sister (soda-state New Jerseyite). The first time I brought my (soda-state Iowan) partner up to town for Thanksgiving, he quite innocently asked if he could get a 'can of soda' and my aunt let out a whoop and nearly leaped over the kitchen table to get at him, going "I HAVE AN ALLY!" Damn near scared him back out of the house. :D
Ooo, that reminds me, I need to order CO2 cartridges for my soda syphon...
I remember commonly using the term "soda pop", but it would often be shortened to one or the other. I remember people in Montana laughing at me for using one of those parts, but I can't remember which one it was. Anyway, I just disregarded their delight, and continued to use one or the other whenever I felt like it. I couldn't tell you which one was appropriate in the PNW, even after living there for 45 years. I guess it wasn't that big a deal.
With regard to the pop/soda/coke divide, here's a handy guide from Pop vs. Soda (http://www.popvssoda.com/):
(http://www.popvssoda.com/countystats/total-county.gif)
Quote from: trdsf on October 02, 2017, 12:59:16 PM
With regard to the pop/soda/coke divide, here's a handy guide from Pop vs. Soda (http://www.popvssoda.com/):
(http://www.popvssoda.com/countystats/total-county.gif)
I didn't know pop and soda meant the same thing as Coke.
Quote from: St Truth on October 02, 2017, 01:02:18 PM
I didn't know pop and soda meant the same thing as Coke.
That's a mainly Southern thing where all soft drinks are called a 'coke', because of Coca-Cola's massive presence in Georgia. You seriously can be asked in a fast food place, "You want a coke with that?" "Sure." "What'll you have?" "Root beer."
Quote from: St Truth on October 02, 2017, 01:02:18 PM
I didn't know pop and soda meant the same thing as Coke.
When I moved to Alabama from Oregon, I soon learned that pop (never heard of that until then), soda, and coke (Not Coke, which was a Coca Cola--but you can't see a spoken capital C), were the same. And soft drink was in the mix as well. My dad was addicted to Coke, so when he said Coke, he meant it.
Quote from: St Truth on October 02, 2017, 08:31:25 AMI know what you mean about Americans being irritating. It's their loudness. They have a different idea of what politeness is.
There's probably some truth to this. But it's not because we're trying to piss you off - we're used to a certain amount of personal space (and therefore talking at further distances) and we're usually around a certain amount of background noise so we're accustomed to having to talk LOUDER to compensate.
https://matadornetwork.com/nights/heres-americans-loudest-travelers/
QuoteThe impression most Brits get is they are loud, self-centred and they think too highly of themselves.
Probable check, double check, check.
But there's some good stuff (https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/h4tbr/nonamerican_redditors_what_are_some_things_you/), too. Friendly/welcoming/open, good music, good food (southern BBQ ftw!), etc.
And sure, there's bad stuff, too. Racial tensions, militarism, mass incarceration, gun violence, crumbling infrastructure, religious fanaticism, etc. But come on over, we have jazz and Hollywood!
Quote from: trdsf on October 02, 2017, 12:59:16 PM
With regard to the pop/soda/coke divide, here's a handy guide from Pop vs. Soda (http://www.popvssoda.com/):
(http://www.popvssoda.com/countystats/total-county.gif)
Jeez. North Carolina is all over the place.
For the record, the correct answer is soda. Pop is a dumb name and Coke implicitly dismisses non-Coke brands like Pepsi. Pepsi, the superior flavor. They didn't pay me to write that, I wrote it because it's the truth. (Tenacious D: Pick of Destiny reference)
Come to think of it, most of my friends don't refer to soft drinks in the generic. If they offer you a coke they mean Coke, and it's usually specified as Coke, Diet Coke, or Coke Zero. At fast food joints, I ask for a medium drink, since all the girl does is hand me an empty cup.
If you are at a movie theater in Texas, where the machine is behind the counter how do you ask for a Coke?
"I'll have a Coke." "What kind?" "Just a regular Coke." "Yeah, but what flavor?" "Coke." "Oh, you mean a Coke." "Yes, thank you."
Having a different idea about politeness is the same as having a poor idea about politeness?
Quote from: Hydra009 on October 02, 2017, 09:07:45 PM
There's probably some truth to this. But it's not because we're trying to piss you off - we're used to a certain amount of personal space (and therefore talking at further distances) and we're usually around a certain amount of background noise so we're accustomed to having to talk LOUDER to compensate.
https://matadornetwork.com/nights/heres-americans-loudest-travelers/
Probable check, double check, check.
But there's some good stuff (https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/h4tbr/nonamerican_redditors_what_are_some_things_you/), too. Friendly/welcoming/open, good music, good food (southern BBQ ftw!), etc.
And sure, there's bad stuff, too. Racial tensions, militarism, mass incarceration, gun violence, crumbling infrastructure, religious fanaticism, etc. But come on over, we have jazz and Hollywood!
America is beautiful. I've been there. And the best place in the whole of the US is Orlando. If you've been to Disney World, every other Disney property pales by comparison. I've also been to Anaheim and Paris Disney but they are nothing compared with Orlando. I've also been to Las Vegas. There are many rides you can take there. Speaking of Las Vegas, I really have to say this. What is wrong with Americans? Why must they insist on the right to bear arms? What must it take before the whole nation can finally wise up and decide to clamp down on guns? It's the only country on this planet that seems to be afflicted by this lunacy.
Quote from: St Truth on October 03, 2017, 08:39:46 AM
America is beautiful. I've been there. And the best place in the whole of the US is Orlando. If you've been to Disney World, every other Disney property pales by comparison. I've also been to Anaheim and Paris Disney but they are nothing compared with Orlando. I've also been to Las Vegas. There are many rides you can take there. Speaking of Las Vegas, I really have to say this. What is wrong with Americans? Why must they insist on the right to bear arms? What must it take before the whole nation can finally wise up and decide to clamp down on guns? It's the only country on this planet that seems to be afflicted by this lunacy.
The full name of America is The United States of The Corporation.
Quote from: St Truth on October 03, 2017, 08:39:46 AM
Speaking of Las Vegas, I really have to say this. What is wrong with Americans? Why must they insist on the right to bear arms? What must it take before the whole nation can finally wise up and decide to clamp down on guns? It's the only country on this planet that seems to be afflicted by this lunacy.
Most Americans don't own guns. Most Americans who own guns own just one.
Quote from: Gawdzilla Sama on October 03, 2017, 11:15:19 AM
Most Americans don't own guns. Most Americans who own guns own just one.
Yes, that is true. But it is also true that half of the privately owned guns of the world are owned by Americans.
Quote from: St Truth on October 02, 2017, 08:31:25 AM
I know what you mean about Americans being irritating. It's their loudness. They have a different idea of what politeness is. The impression most Brits get is they are loud, self-centred and they think too highly of themselves. But I think it's a different culture that they have. You can tell them apart in restaurants because they speak so loudly that most people think they want the whole world to listen to them. I used to have that impression too. But once, I heard an American woman talking about some illness she had and her voice was loud too. It couldn't be that she wanted everyone to hear what illness she had. I find their loudness irritating but that's just their different culture. Last year, I was dining at a restaurant in Northern Italy with my parents. Everyone was polite and spoke softly. My mum said that she was glad there were no Americans in that restaurant. And she is right. If there were Americans, they would have made sure the whole restaurant knew they were there. They were sure to exclaim loudly to attract attention.
Being a regular Radio 4 listener, I have to say I find the typical presentation of Americans eye... rather, ear-opening. Loud and brash, certainly. Sometimes violent.
In the first decade of this century, 'ignorant' was added to the mix and the 'sometimes' was removed from 'violent'. Also, overweight. Americans are assumed to be large of size as well as of personality. Which led to Graeme Garden's memorable counter to the Americanism "cheese-eating surrender monkey" for the French, describing Americans as "burger-eating invasion monkeys".
Alas, the stereotype of the 'Ugly American' is alive and well, and is only reinforced by the ugliest of them all having been foisted upon us by the Electoral College.
Trying to counter that impression meets with a curious reaction: I've been told by European friends online that they think of me as a misplaced Canadian rather than as an American...
Quote from: St Truth on October 03, 2017, 08:39:46 AM
America is beautiful. I've been there. And the best place in the whole of the US is Orlando. If you've been to Disney World, every other Disney property pales by comparison. I've also been to Anaheim and Paris Disney but they are nothing compared with Orlando. I've also been to Las Vegas. There are many rides you can take there. Speaking of Las Vegas, I really have to say this. What is wrong with Americans? Why must they insist on the right to bear arms? What must it take before the whole nation can finally wise up and decide to clamp down on guns? It's the only country on this planet that seems to be afflicted by this lunacy.
We are still hunting for Redcoats that are asymmetrically making war on us ;-)
Quote from: Mike Cl on October 03, 2017, 12:33:10 PM
Yes, that is true. But it is also true that half of the privately owned guns of the world are owned by Americans.
Like Russia, or any other country ... on a globe, you are surrounded by enemies ;-) Gee, if we were more like Spain, we could just send in the Federales to shut down any elections we don't like ...
Quote from: Mike Cl on October 03, 2017, 12:33:10 PM
Yes, that is true. But it is also true that half of the privately owned guns of the world are owned by Americans.
I'll make that another line on the line.
Quote from: Gawdzilla Sama on October 03, 2017, 03:56:49 PM
I'll make that another line on the line.
Why bother? The commies want our guns.
Da Bears... LOL!