If I ever judged the UK by what I saw on TV when I lived in the US

[Tee2072]

Everyone in the UK would either speak with a Cockney or RP accent.

They would all either live in an over crowded terrace or a huge country estate.

All the schools would be crap.

The populace would spend their entire lives in pubs.

Now, I never believed any of that, being a relatively smart human being.

So am I being unreasonable to wonder how come I'm constantly battling US TV stereotypes here on MN?

It's a thread about many many many threads.

There is gas and air, but the mix is different, and the mix we use in the UK isn't licensed in the US. They probably all think we want to be knocked out during birth

New York women don't use scrunchies.
That is true, of course, because Carrie Bradshaw said it.

mignonette at Momma's head

I also think US culture is fascinating. Whenever I visit I am struck by how familiar it all seems (same language, same shops, same brands) while at the same time it all feels very different to me.

but they don't use it in birth.
it's nothing or epidural.
(i am on a couple of birthing forums where most of them are US and they all say the same)

American houses are all made of wood (except in large cities) and blow away quite easily.

Also, there is an alien magnet in the US.

Teenagers are either popular or geeks.

tabula re driving to school, my son's high school only allows Seniors (ie Upper VI / Year 13) to drive to school due to space in the car lot. DS and most of his friends have their junior licence, which means they have passed their tests but can only carry one other teenager and have to be off the road by 9pm. They are incoming Juniors (Lower VI).

I love going to an American restaurant and having a baked potato with sour cream and bacon , salad, coleslaw and mac and cheese coming as part of the meal!

And I can confirm that my big American house is made of wood and managed to not get blown away in either Hurricanes Irene and Sandy quite happily!

Midwifery is unlawful in some states. Births have to be in the presence of an attending physician.

Nurses assist w/ births in many hospitals. Weird to me.

The not walking much outside of some cities. I got stopped so many times by police and security guards whilst strolling along in many places, sometimes just to ask what I was doing, sometimes more suspiciously.

Jaywalking can be unlawful in some places. But you never see much walking in film/TV.

They all drive trucks in the South. Apparently. They all drink ice tea or sun tea. They sit on porches all day playing Canasta.

The whole of America has a soundtrack of Cicadas and Crickets from dusk. And fireflies are everywhere.

Everybody goes on road trips. In big gas guzzlers. They will either find misadventure, find an interesting and quirky person on their travels or find themselves as a result.

Cowboys never say much. But they have big deep thoughts. They all squint into the sun when asked questions and take their time in answering.

And one stereotype that is very true is that American teenagers are often scarily polite and call you Sir and Ma'am or Mr and Mrs CoolStoryBro. I have to keep correcting them with my first name. Having 18 year olds call me Mrs Cool makes me feel too old!!

We have several box sets of such quality broadcasts as The A-Team, Magnum and Murder She Wrote.

I think I know all I need to know about the States.

I am going to visit US, San Francisco, for the first time in October.

I expect to find:
Good Ole Boys calling me.ma'am
Chippy waitresses in Diners
Hippies calling me Maaan
People wearing preppie style clothes
Car chases down the steep hills

I am reeling at the thought of no decent chocolate, say it isn't so!! I like Montezuma and Green and Blacks; there will be an equivalent surely!!

No comment on whether YABU, but as someone with a lot of American relatives and a fair bit of time spent in the country, they are a very inward looking nation.

I was once on a greyhound bus, and was asked by a young woman if we had TV over here!!!!!
Combine that with always being asked if you happen to know a distant relative of the person you are speaking with, on the grounds that they live fairly close to you in the UK (think 'close' as in Manchester to Portsmouth!).....

Says it all really. God lov'em

High The USA was more of a culture shock to me than other places because i was expecting it to feel very familiar.

I have more-

The Deep South regards Jello with or without salad congealed in it as a vegetable dish. In fact they call it congealed salad. They do have amazing fresh vegetables though as part of their culture because the original slaves from Africa brought that over w/ them.
Texans have big hair.
We think real Chile (A bowl O'Red) has minced beef in it. It does not.
Everybody in Portland is a hippy.
Hawaiians eat the most Spam in the World (true). And wear lei's all day. And sway.

I was thrilled on my first trp to america when I was called ma'am by a bloke in the airport.

Do cheerleaders really wear their uniforms all day to school? This is something I have always wondered!

I am planning a trip to america next year, I haven't been for years. I am thinking of going to Nashville and Dollywood.

Earthy

You will find amazing chocolate in San Fran-home of the artisanal food movement in the USA. Try Ghirardelli which opened its first store there. Recchiuti Confections in the Embarcadero is great, Dandelion in the Mission is wonderful and you'll see loads of sellers in the farmers markets.

Artisanal chocolate is fantastic in the USA. I love it and I am pretty fussy.

• Brunch is a big, all-day event. My favourite one by my old house used to have unlimited champagne and bloody mary's, chocolate fountains, and about three rooms full of food, and had a 10 piece jazz band that played... It was amazing, and I really miss it living here in the UK.

• You do wear your sports uniforms or letter jackets to school, you do drink out of red cups, and you do have kegs at parties, and yes, you drive to school, and leave campus for lunch.

• "They all drink ice tea or sun tea." I'm not from the South, but I loove sun tea. When I first tried to make some on holiday, all of my friends (English) looked at me like I was mad.

• "The not walking much outside of some cities. I got stopped so many times by police and security guards whilst strolling along in many places, sometimes just to ask what I was doing, sometimes more suspiciously." Last time I was home I was crossing the street (at a crosswalk, on the "walk" signal) and someone shouted out the window, "Get a car!"

• "Jaywalking can be unlawful in some places." Having received a ticket for this before, I can vouch for this being true.

Mignon the culture shock freaked us out at first as we weren't expecting it.

Thank you for this thread. As an American on MN, I'm often surprised by the outlandish things some people seem to believe about the US. I suppose if they are basing their judgments on Hollywood fantasy, it shouldn't be too surprising.

The anti-American sneering can be a bit wearing at times, though. Whenever I see a thread title referring to something US-related, I make a bet with myself about how soon it will be before someone tosses in a knee-jerk anti-American insult. It usually doesn't take long.

I adore America and the Americans. Love them. We're not all rude Paper. Amazing country.

Moving house in America is very risky because American houses tend to be haunted.

American hitch-hikers are all serial killers.

American teenagers age badly, and by the age of 17 appear to be around 30.