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AIBU?

To point out the anti-Americanism on Mumsnet?

266 replies

PitilessYank · 04/02/2016 15:52

To My Fellow Mumsnetters,

This topic arose on my recent thread about Bernie Sanders, so I decided to start a thread centered around it.

I really enjoy Mumsnet; there is nothing else like it. However, even as a mellow person, and someone whose hackles rarely get raised, I find myself increasingly pissed off by the anti-American schtick around here.

Enough about our mammoth American refrigerators! (Yes, I own one.) It is not our fault that you have imported over-the-top baby showers or bachelorette parties ("hen-dos"). (I didn't have one, for the record, I think that they are dumb.)

Our educational system is very decent, thank you very much. (For one, unless you are talking about NYC, children here are guaranteed a spot in a local school in the town in which they reside. No muss, no fuss.

Also, did you know that the majority of US physicians, of whom I am one, currently support the implementation of a single-payer health care system that provides guaranteed coverage to all? We are working on it, European onlookers!!

The US is like a collection of 50 different small countries horribly lumped together, and change can be slow.

But we got it together on gay marriage! That was pretty impressive. And Bernie Sanders is very popular! That is a good sign. We make good tv shows?? (Yours are great as well, and much more artful, imho.)

And I think we are so nice to you-always gushing about your lovely accents, assuming that you are smarter than we are because of how you talk, even, appreciating your amazing architecture, art, lusting after your sexy princes, etc...

Well, that concludes my rant for now. Thank you for reading it. I feel better. Commence telling me IABU.

With Love,
Pitiless Yank.

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maybebabybee · 04/02/2016 15:54

Agree. But my boss is American and I love her :)

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usual · 04/02/2016 15:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

cleaty · 04/02/2016 15:58

YABU. Plenty of states do not have it together on gay marriage and do not even want to implement Obama care. As you said, it is like a lot of separate countries bound together.

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UmbongoUnchained · 04/02/2016 16:02

America is like britains annoying little brother. You are terribly annoying so we rib you to hell but we love you really.

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MrsTerryPratchett · 04/02/2016 16:05

I think the issue is conflating America with Americans.

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RiverTam · 04/02/2016 16:05

Yanbu. Hate it. Outright snobbery in many cases - baby names, baby showers, Hallowe'en ffs. The last two seem to be done so much better in the U.S. as well.

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WorraLiberty · 04/02/2016 16:07

Meh! You should hear us Brits slagging off the Brits.

Americans get off very lightly in comparison Grin

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PitilessYank · 04/02/2016 16:11

Cleaty-a few states are pushing back, but the precedent has been set, same-sex marriage is legal throughout the US.

To point out the anti-Americanism on Mumsnet?
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ManneryTowers · 04/02/2016 16:11

You don't like our teeth Grin

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PitilessYank · 04/02/2016 16:14

Umbongo-but do you love us? I don't feel loved. Prove it by giving me a big old hug and a kiss in public, okay? (Lip kiss, not a wimpy cheek-brushing kiss.)

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juneau · 04/02/2016 16:14

High five fellow American!

Actually I'm a dual citizen and I enjoy debating the merits (and faults) of both my nations.

I think though that America is fonder, generally, of the UK than the UK is of America. I've lost count of the number of times I've had to defend America in my everyday life here in the UK and sometimes it makes me sad that America is so misunderstood when in so many ways its a wonderful country that has given so much good stuff to the world. I love going back and the welcome I get from homeland security who rarely fail to say 'Welcome Home', unlike the miserable bastards at UK Border Force.

There are things though that I find hard to defend - like religious evangelism, incomprehensible attitudes towards gun control, and the general awfulness of many American politicians (Donald Trump, Sarah Palin, morons like Mike Huckabee who don't believe in evolution and trumpet it as if that kind of ignorance is something to be proud of). Those things make me understand why Europe has a love/hate relationship with America.

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Strokethefurrywall · 04/02/2016 16:14

Pisses me RIGHT off - if I see one more "just another American import..." post about baby showers or Halloween I'm going to lose it. The baby names thing is the one that really fucks me off though. "Sounds American to me..." said as though its an insult, even more so if it's a surname as first name.

It makes the poster look like an ignorant tosser. And I'm not even American!

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PitilessYank · 04/02/2016 16:16

Manners-Oh, I will own up to that one. We are absolute bitches about your teeth. We looove to take cheap shots at your dentition. But again, I think it is only because we can't think of anything else about you we don't dig!!!

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Dotandethel · 04/02/2016 16:17

Yanbu. For what it's worth i really like the States. Can't wait to travel more of it.

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PouletDePrintemps · 04/02/2016 16:21

We love you really it's just we're all scared you're going to shoot us Wink

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GiraffesAndButterflies · 04/02/2016 16:22

Brits are equal-opportunity slagger-offers. We hate everyone, as Worra has said, including our own Grin

Your fridge-freezers and TV shows are ace. Interesting that you mention art/architecture because you are the only country I've seen use the phrase "genuine replica" without any sense of irony, so I have to laugh at you for that. And your TV news is weirdly obsessed with our royal family, that's another one.

And if you bring up Sanders as evidence of your relative sanity then someone has to mention Trump as evidence of complete lunacy Confused

We have only ourselves to blame for copying stupid hen/baby shower ideas, YANBU there.

You're my favourite country to visit and the friendliest I've been to (coughexceptNewYorkcough) so I must like you overall Smile

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acasualobserver · 04/02/2016 16:22

As the world's most powerful nation I think you are resented for your success and influence; a lot of anti-Americanism is a sort of weird back-handed compliment. I think it's tedious personally and would quite like to be an American. Or a German.

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CrossfireHurricane · 04/02/2016 16:27

Any country that can produce the perfect specimen that is Dave Grohl ranks highly on my favourite places.

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Diggum · 04/02/2016 16:30

Well I love you.

But I'm not IN love with you.

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Bailey101 · 04/02/2016 16:32

I was speaking to someone the other day about Donald Trump and she was going on about how it would be awful if he was president but Americans are such a weird bunch that it might happen. I pointed out that if she replaced American for Arab in that sentence, it sounded just like something Donald Trump might say - the conversation moved on pretty quickly after that!

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WorraLiberty · 04/02/2016 16:32

We love you really it's just we're all scared you're going to shoot us Wink

I proper laughed out loud at that! Grin Grin

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PitilessYank · 04/02/2016 16:33

Diggum-are you sure? You haven't seen us naked yet...

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PitilessYank · 04/02/2016 16:36

Crossfire-I will see your Dave Grohl, and I will raise you one Bill Nighy, who is more my cup of tea!!

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LurkingHusband · 04/02/2016 16:37

MrsLH and I have just started watching Broadwalk Empire.

From S1E1:

Jimmy: "I want opportunities."
Thompson: "This is America. What's fucking stopping you ?"

for some reason, cracked me up Smile

One thing I love about America/Americans, is they don't (or didn't Sad) appear to know about the word "no". And I firmly believe this is the last thing they inherited from the Victorian era, which the British have lost. Any time spent in the US will see buildings and structures which really shouldn't exist, and display an arrogance with the world.

HS2 should be completed by 2033.

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CrystalMcPistol · 04/02/2016 16:37

America is like britains annoying little brother.

America is the big brother now! I think that's what bothers British people with anti American feelings. Their ego can't cope with no longer being a super power.

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