Americans vs Brits

[WeirdHandDryers]

What’s the difference? Because there is a massive difference but I can’t put my finger on what it is! I love America so this isn’t an American bashing thread, would just love to know if anyone else sees the massive difference between the average Brit and the average American?

zfactor what I've found with atheist Americans though is that they are religiously atheist. As in, they are properly committed to it.

Brits tend to go for a wishy-washy 'well, you know, there could be something out there/not sure/not really thought about it much' type of approach to God, Americans are much more in or out. (IN MY EXPERIENCE for all the people who are still whining on about generalising etc.)

Your average American used a knife and fork differently to Brits. They utilise a ‘stab and hack’ method to cut everything up and then switch the fork to the right hand to eat.
I still remember British people eating pizza with a knife and fork.

I still eat pizza with a knife and fork, I hate eating anything even a bit greasy with my hands, feels horrible.

Family, faith and country.
Aspiration, ambition and the belief that most things that can be bought are good.
A more positive outlook on life. An ability to get things done at the local level. The British are so defeatist.

I said this on another thread but - tea breaks. One of the reasons Dh wants to move to the UK is all the tea breaks he sees trades men getting.

When I moved here I kept offering people working at the house cups of tea or a biscuit.

After a while I realised that what they call a biscuit is some awful dry ass scone thing and that all of the locals thought i was a bored housewife trying to get a leg up.

Someone will have to be on fire or choking before I offer them tea again.

@MissConductUS I nearly give up and come home every fucking winter.

Especially seeing as it's only November, we've got snow on the ground and it's already been as low as -26.

Americans:
Flashy
Confident/arrogant

Brits:
Prudish
Self depreciating

The funniest thing is the similarities between the two. Both are incredibly dramatic, Americans seem almost histrionic while Brits seem offended by everything "oh no something I didn't like was on telly"

That said I only know a handful of Americans. So a lot is based on media perception.

(Aside from the negative traits mentioned I do love Brits. Humor especially.)

@mycatistoo

Especially seeing as it's only November, we've got snow on the ground and it's already been as low as -26.

We got 10 inches of snow a couple of weeks ago too, but minus 26 degrees? In NY we usually only got below zero F (-18 C) a few times a year.

What part of the US are you in?

Erm, I think that the average American I’ve met is a little less polite in the passing niceties, but in conversation is much warmer than the average Brit I’ve met.

I love love Americans, on our most recent trip I bonded with a lady over her absolute love affair with Britain, and mine of America, and cake! I wish I’d have taken her contact details.

@MissConductUS -26 was with windchill. It's not unusual to be -40 with windchill in Jan/Feb.

I'm up in Maine.

@mycatistoo that’s crazy, we’re in Toronto and it’s 5C with no snow! You must have some kind of microclimate on the coast there!

@Sashkin I'm using Celsius though. Although I think they begin to even out and -40 is the same in both.

It's not usually this bloody cold this time of the year.

We used to have a ski house in Western Maine and it was so cold that DH got frostbite on his face on a five minute run (idiot didnt wear a face mask.)

I had heaters in my boots, gloves, helmet and pockets all over and couldn't do more than a ten minute run without feeling like bits were going to fall off me. Brutal.

You could throw hot water out of a window and it would freeze/explode the second it left the pan. (Again, Dh the idiot did it, not me!)

It's warm again today though. 4 degrees Celsius. Feels like the Caribbean after last week!

We’re working in Celsius too! -26C still sounds crazy cold to me. I do think that cities retain heat - it always seems to be much colder when we go out of town. Or maybe there’s just more heat escaping from the buildings in denser built up areas.

I've never been to either country. But having seen lots of US movies and many UK movies and tv series, America seems colourful with modern buildings, shopping malls (pronounced mawls, the same way balls is pronounced), modern language, etc. With English shows, you see men in various suits of brown and beige. No colour. Same with women. Brown vests, grey skirts. Really old buildings that look like they should have been bulldozed 4 thousand years ago. 'Homes' (council 'estates'?) that run into each other and share roofs (where i am, housing commission houses are separate stand alone houses normally 3 bedroom highsets) so that it looks like one massive big building like an apartment building. Old Morris Minors/Miners or whatever they are..... Just - shades of beige, brown and grey. I detest America for it's President and their obsession with guns, but when you see a tv show or movie from America, it at least looks like the people live in dwellings and dress in clothes from the 21st century. Lots of sunshine, colour, modern buildings, vibrant coloured clothes, and cars that were made past 1960s.

4 degrees celsius is warm? FMD, that would be an apocalyptic ice age where I am! Anything less than 10 degrees c is a fierce winter. Most summers here are 32c up to 39c.

Salem, Toronto summers are like that too! And unbearably humid!

When we moved here everyone warned us about the Canadian winters - the Canadian summers are far worse! Anything over 25C is too hot for me

Not going to address the rest of the post: I know from all of your previous posts that you are Australian and don’t like the UK on principle, but I am well aware that Australia is not actually as it is portrayed in Crocodile Dundee, so I’m sure you know the UK is not actually like Kes.

Well both are very different to what to you've described.

One thing I will say against the Americans is their drink driving. Everywhere I've gone it seems to not be an issue.

It boils my fucking blood.

Every single person I know drink drives, there absolutely no social stigma at all around it.

People drive pretty drunk with their kids in the car.

I've been egged on and told I'm silly for only having one small drink if I'm driving.

It's absolutely disgusting.

So many people have died in the last few weeks in our local area alone on the roads. Including a 9 year old boy.

Someone actually slammed in to a sign locally last week and tore it and the concrete right out of the road. It was seen as an amusing Saturday night antic by everyone.

mycat that attitude is not common everywhere. Drink driving is not tolerated socially or legally where I am in New York.

MissConductUS I wonder if it is more rural areas? DH has a friend from Wichita who was baffled that we didn’t drink drive. “How do you get home from the bar?” But the distance from the bar to her house was 20km or something silly, and there was no Uber or public transport available.

She now lives in Berlin, I imagine that must have been a bit of a culture shock!

The brown vests comment reminds me of one: undershirts! Nobody wears them in the UK, but it seems to be a quite normal garment for men in the US, even in hot places.

Shashkin I live in an exurban area of New York, so we don't have a lot of public transport and even Uber is fairly new in my area. I'm sure there is some drink driving here, but the police are really on top of it and the penalties are severe. When people go out they pick a designated driver who won't drink. Or you can prebook a taxi. Since I don't drink sometimes it's me.

DH wears a cotton undershirt year round. I think the idea is to provide a layer to absorb sweat and keep it away from your good shirt. For DH it also covers all of that chest hair. I think he's part gorilla.

With English shows, you see men in various suits of brown and beige. No colour. Same with women. Brown vests, grey skirts

You're not kidding I deeply envy American women's choice of lovely, bright colours and try to stock up whenever I'm there

Given the usual English climate you'd think such shades would be more popular here, but apparently not

I think on the whole, Americans I have known socially have been warmer and easier to get to know, whilst the Brit’s are more reserved.

I like the American direct approach. I like the British self deprecating approach to life too.

I find the cultural differences interesting.