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?

I feel a bit embarrassed by this thread and hope that Americans don't think that we all regard you in the same cliched way.

Lack or irony.

Lack of finesse.

Mahoosive obesity.

British plugs are bigger (and better)

They think that a hundred years is a long time.
We think a hundred miles is a long way!

MsTSwift another house swapper here It's one of the reasons I love it, in that it puts you among an actual community - and if that happens to be an American community it suits me just fine!!

To the Americans who mentioned they were upset by what's been said on here, I think it's important to filter out the unpleasantness and actually, a lot of what's been said is either positive or just objective differences. The type of people who say things like 'loud, rude, obnoxious'... etc are generally the type of people who haven't visited the US (or many other countries) and so their observations are based on lazy stereotypes and what they want to be true to make themselves feel superior. Most people haven't said this and don't feel this
way though!

I lived in the US for several years. I found Americans normal-volumed (!), genuinely friendly, positive and welcoming. I think Brits really are more negative and I noticed it a lot when I moved back. Listening to my parents/grandparents when they get on their soapbox makes me lose the will to live

I can also hear a Brit from a mile away when abroad, whether in the US, France, Spain etc and I think it comes from hearing something out of the norm.

I was taken a bit aback by Americans' directness when I first moved there - my 2 year old was having a tantrum as e'd just arrived and he was jetlagged and tired and I was told by the person serving me that I needed to get a handle on his behaviour before he got much older. But equally, i think they find our skirting around saying what we actually mean frustrating.

I do categorically not think that Brits are more polite, I think this a myth we like to perpetuate! Yes we say please and thank you more, but there is more to politeness than that. American teenagers we're far more polite than most of the British teenagers I have met. Someone on another thread said there are no rude nations, just different norms and expectations of what politeness is and I think that's right.

I'm married to a yank and travel there a lot for work to and have done for 20 odd years. it would actually be more appropriate to compare Europeans to Americans as the country is so diverse but here goes:

Americans on the surface are much more positive and 'can do' in their attitude. Many still seem to believe in that American Dream where through hard work you can achieve anything and be successful. BUT that's clearly not true for many of the poorer people in the US. Many people of colour. Which leads me to:
Americans have NO empathy. Your work hard and provide. And if you're poor or don't have health insurance for your family or can't afford a decent life - that's your tough luck. You needed to study harder or work harder or play a sport. There's no awknowledgement that a black kid in an inner city project does NOT have access to the same opportunities as middle class kids. That poor kids needs to get off his ass and get a scholarship etc.
Americans in my experience are more racist that Brits. Much more so. It's worse in the South and MidWest than the coasts but still there too.
They're obsessed with guns, and many of my 'liberal' US friends still believe in the right to bear arms. The other liberals are horrified at all the gun crime but feel powerless to do anything about it.
Americans genuinely think the USA is the greatest country in the world.No irony whatsoever about that.
They're more religious than us - or pay lip service to religion because they have to - even in the workplace there are prayer groups or people thanking god every 5 mins for something,
They're incredibly proud of and protective of their military - USA are the good guys. Probably because so many people service in the USA military - many because they are poor and serving gets you good health care and education opportunities that you wouldn't afford otherwise.
Sports are huge - and Highschool and College sports are huge. People support their local college teams the way we do city teams or national teams. Sports opportunities for girls are equal to the boys in many respects and fantastic. There are as many sports scholarships for girls as boys - which is great.
They're competitive and taught to be competitive. You don't get medals in the USA for taking part - you play to win.
They're obsessed with health care and talk about their doctors the way Brits do their homes/property ladder. But I know many colleagues who feel trapped at our workplace because they have excellent health care which they'd find hard to match in another job.
Work- huge pressure at our US offices to be present - i.e. at your desk 7am -6/7pm - or available by email at all times. Even when on vacation.
Our US colleagues can't believe the amount of hols we get, or that we can work flexible hours, or part-time in high-ish level jobs. They have called us 'lazy' on many occasions (!) BUT they're all in bloody therapy! ( paid for by the company) because they are so stressed. They talk about this openly like it's a badge of honour.
Confidence - oodles of it compared to your average Brit INHO.
Manners - they're not rude as such just very direct which I personally like.BUT same goes for the kids, which I find irritating. No please or thank yous from our nieces and nephews, which frankly makes our kids look like rockstars when they're in the US.
They're not as interested in Brits as we are in them! And by Brits they generally mean English anyway. Although my friends all love BBC America, Our news, The Queen and Downton Abbey.
They can be incredibly generous - despite the lack of empathy thing. Many of my US colleagues/friends plans seem to be - Work like a dog, climb the greasy pole till their in their fifties then retire early, filthy rich, buy a boat, volunteer, spend time with the kids they don't see at the minute as they're in child care 12 hours a day.
I love to visit and have had the chance many times to move there but when push comes to shove, despite the fact love many, many things about the US, ultimately I don't want my children to be raised there. The guns bother me, the lack of empathy bother me, the racism bothers me and the privilege/inequality bother me.

A lot can be explained by the age of countries I believe. America is like an overconfident 15 year old, convinced they’re right about everything, lots of energy, see the world in black and white, it’s our way or the highway. Talk in a way that on the face of it sounds likeEnglish but actually you have no understanding what they are saying, looks are all important. They are going to save the world. No understanding of irony. The uk is like an old man. Seen it and done it all,
Cynical, likes to remember the past, lives on past achievements (and mentions them often). Thinks they should be respected cos of their age. Don’t ike change. Starting to lose the plot.

stone then like fuck you've never heard the word 'cunt', what a load of nonsense.

I think it's ridiculous on these threads when people start saying shite like 'oh if you have a negative opinion about xyz, you're obviously petty and small-minded and never travelled etc.' That in itself is pretty small minded in my opinion.

No one on here is saying Americans are awful. They're pointing out differences.

I've had European friends say that Brits are awful on their holidays, that we're sneaky and evasive rather than genuinely polite, that we eat shite food etc and tbh I can see where those ideas come from, even if I can also see the other side of it.

No need to get all snippy and defensive cos someone said Americans are fat.

Americans think life is serious but not hopeless.

Brits think life is hopeless but not serious.

Optimism = USA
Pessimism = UK

Tipping in all bars/restaurants etc. There's quite strictly adhered to etiquette in the States.

Also I've noticed that Americans use brand names as the "thing" eg British would says "shall we go to Starbucks for coffee?" Americans would say "let's get Starbucks".

Hisaishi
Maybe because I've never met you 🥳🥳

Hisaishi

I think it's ridiculous on these threads when people start saying shite like 'oh if you have a negative opinion about xyz, you're obviously petty and small-minded and never travelled etc.' That in itself is pretty small minded in my opinion. No one on here is saying Americans are awful. They're pointing out differences

Are you really saying SilentIsla 's 4 posts (for example) further up this page are an objective comparison of Brit/American differences? There's a world of difference between commenting on genuine differences and just being rude for the sake of it. Makes a bit of a mockery of our purported politeness .

And it's not small minded to point out that people who often have the strongest negative, non-objective opinions are often least in the position to make those comparisons, as first hand experience counts for a hell of a lot more than 'stuff I saw on tv'.

Kettles

The people saying Americans aren’t funny or don’t get irony have clearly never watched SNL, 30 rock, the Simpsons, South Park, Friends, parks and recreation, or Aquaman.

I'm British and would much rather spend time with Americans than fellow Brits. As for Brits being more polite? In my experience that's the biggest lie told. Such lazy stereotyping on this thread, I don't know whether it is acceptable due to a shared history or totally unacceptable because if you replaced US and UK with other countries or cultures potentially this would fall foul of MN rules.

I lived in both and the only difference I've noticed is Americans whine a lot less and just get on with shit.

Where I live (in the States) people can do stuff for themselves more than in Britain.

People where i live in the States are way quieter than Brits.

These threads are so ridiculous. It's like comparing Brits to Russians with the size of America.

I think Americans have a different sense of humor

Sarcasm is very much part of our humor not so much in the states at least not in personal interactions

I find Americans to be far more friendly and polite until a mistake is made have lost count the amount of times I have heard lawyers been mentioned for what appears to be something trivial

Where I am at least too, people are so much more friendly and open. I jumped in to a woman I've met just three times before (lots of friends in common though) in a pub the other night and she asked us to go stay with them this Winter!

When we're lost power for long periods of time we've done laundry or showered in total strangers houses.

I'm still shocked at how helpful and giving people are here.

Insularity, Americans are much more insular than Brits. Brits, meanwhile, make sweeping generalisations about Americans.