To point out the anti-Americanism on Mumsnet?

[PitilessYank]

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.

[PitilessYank]

Sykadelic-the fine was $95 per year in 2014, not per month. It went up in 2015 and 2016, though.

Obamacare is only okay, not great, better than what we had, it did two important things: outlawed up-charging/denial of insurance based on pre-existing conditions, and took away caps on coverage.

Many of us see it as an experimental stepping stone, to soften the attitudes around health care provision, paving the way for Single-Payer.

Most of the left-wingers I know dislike Obamacare as much as the right-wingers.

[PitilessYank]

Sykadelic-Swiss chocolate??

[sykadelic]

PitilessYank I'm American, it's $95.00 per month, my SIL is paying the fine. I've seen it.

[Roussette]

Phew! I've always felt so sorry for Americans with just 10 days holiday a year!

I wasn't offended on elevator woman - I found it hilarious because it was so "un-English" !

I've never in my life thrown away chocolate but I did Hersheys, is it equivalent to Cadburys?! (which I hate too!)

I'm due to spend some time soon with some Americans I don't know - are there any subjects I should avoid? (there I go again, typical English angst!)

[Noofly]

VocationalGoat I love Maine! I went to college in Maine and it's the most fantastic state! You do need a good pair of Bean Boots to survive the winters.

I miss Maine!

[UmbongoUnchained]

Just out of interest , how does one go from a single mum on benefits in England to living in a cool ass apartment in New York? Hoping to study a degree next year if that helps!

[maybebabybee]

I love, love, love American food. Don't really know where the perception that it's shit comes from.

Except for American chocolate, which is vile.

[sykadelic]

Re fine - "In 2015 it rises to the greater of $325 or 2 percent of income." so hers is income based

Re chocolate - more pointing out it's a taste thing. Personally, Australian is better than UK, by far, but then I grew up on Aussie chocolate and enjoy vegemite!

[HesterShaw]

I love, love, love American food. Don't really know where the perception that it's shit comes from.

Eating it :o

[maggiethemagpie]

I have an american style fridge freezer. It's fucking great.

[Roussette]

A funny story - when we took the DCs to Disney Florida, we went for a naice meal one night. The special as described by the waitress was "Flaming Yong". I asked 3 times what it was, she got impatient that I didn't know what she was saying but decided to go for it.

It was Fillet Mignon and was delicious

[sykadelic]

New York is an extremely expensive place. You'll probably be sharing a shoebox apartment. SATC lies! If you're willing to live a little further out and commute though, your chances of a good place rise.

Check out some apartments: streeteasy.com/rentals or www.zillow.com/new-york-ny/apartments/

[LittleBeautyBelle]

As a pp said, America is a very large, very diverse place. Somebody mentioned Donald Trump. He is an opportunist, not a Republican. He is almost 70 and has never voted in a Republican primary. Our country is in gridlock and his fans think he can get something done ("make America great again"), I don't think they even know or care what. They're not listening to the specifics because if they did, how could they even consider voting for him. They are frustrated with both parties. I think that is the crux.

As far as the can do American attitude, that is absolutely one of the things I love about my country. And the helpfulness and optimism. When I was a teenager, I was driving too fast around a curve and lost control and ended up in a ditch. I was shaken up, I was on a road between two small towns, no houses or businesses around. A truck with two guys in their twenties stopped, they jumped out, helped me out of the car and made sure I was ok. They were the stereotypical good ol country boys, they picked up my little CRX with their hands like it was a toy and put it back on the road. They gave me a big smile and jumped back into their truck. The good side of America is a lot like those two guys.

[maybebabybee]

Hester I love cheese and fried things so maybe it's just me :)

[Mistigri]

I don't see a massive amount of anti American sentiment in here tbh OP?

Being anti American has always struck me as being a bit daft anyway ... Because it's not a homogenous culture and two Americans can be frm the same country but practically from different planets.

[PitilessYank]

Roussette-talk about anything! I will even mention my atheism to evangelical Christians here and they love it, although I do get a bit of a bible lecture, usually.

And I have a patient who is a real racist (nazi tattoos and all) and I constantly rib him about that. He laughs very hard, and has even started admitting that he is not entirely sure about his biases.

[AgentCooper]

I flamin' love America, Massachusetts especially. I go every year in autumn and the friendliness of people almost brings a tear to my eye. It's infectious too, I feel like interacting with people there makes me a more open, nicer person! I've been out walking between towns and old ladies have stopped to offer me a lift. I would live there if I could.

[marfisa]

I'm American and I haven't encountered anti-Americanism on MN, at least not any that I recollect.

I also agree 100% with Greatsnafu's list of problematic things about the U.S. I'm very happy to be bringing up my DC in the U.K. Gun violence in the U.S. and the lack of universal health care (OK, it's good that you're working on it, OP, but it hasn't happened yet!) are both incredibly troubling. Those two things alone are reason enough to make me prefer living in the UK to living in the US. I grew up in the US without health insurance and my family went through some fairly horrific stuff as a result. I still can't get over the luxury of ringing up the GP and making an appointment whenever I want to. I love love LOVE the NHS.

And the fact that U.S. schools are funded by property tax is shocking as well.

[biggles50]

Hi pitlessyank no I didn't know about Howard Stern so I'll look him up. Yes John Sarno is a genius I thank the universe for him every day, I don't exaggerate. My nephew has moved to NY from the UK and loves it.

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

I did tell you on your other thread - I love Americans!

[SenecaFalls]

The US is like a collection of 50 different small countries horribly lumped together. More than that actually. There can be great divisions within states. I live in the culturally Southern part of Florida; it is very different from other parts of the state. I grew up in Georgia; the difference between Atlanta and the rural part of the state that I grew up in is massive. This is true for every state, I think.

Early in my life I had the incredible experience of attending university in the UK. It was life-changing in a tectonic kind of way. Most of all, it made me realize that the US-is-the-greatest-country-in-the world, American exceptionalism that lies at the heart of so many cultural attitudes in the US is utter tosh. And American politicians, even those on the left, feel that they have to spout this view on a regular basis to get elected. It is very unhealthy and damaging, and I can certainly see why people in other countries find that very off-putting.

I do love my country, and I defend the unfair statements that sometimes crop up on MN, but I also sympathize with some of the criticisms.

[UmbongoUnchained]

I guarantee even a shoe box apartment will be twice the size of my little house!

[marfisa]

Early in my life I had the incredible experience of attending university in the UK.

Me too SenecaFalls! I totally identify with everything you say (except that I didn't grow up in the South. My mom did though).

[marfisa]

Oh dear wacky formatting there.

[TheGreatSnafu]

Howard Stern is a bottom feeding misogynist pig that exemplifies everything that is wrong and bad in a media person.

I cannot believe that anyone would recommend him. WTAF?


"So odious are Stern's views about women that, following the massacre at Columbine high school in 1999, Colorado legislators passed a resolution asking the local broadcaster to drop the Stern show after Stern asked on the air if two gunmen had tried to have sex with any female students during the attack."

He also referenced websites on his radio program that featured the violent sexual abuse of runaway teenage girls.