To wonder if the anti-Americanism on MN is typical of the broader UK population?

[NCforthisonetwothree]

MN regular, NC for this. I’m an American, been in the UK for 10+ years. DH is also American, moved here for his work. Most of the posts I see that bring up the US are pretty down on it (and I agree! Trump, guns, healthcare, etc.) but there’s also a sort of strong general anti-American-ness, a sort of disdain, I’d say, for things (names, attitudes, behaviours, styles, etc.) that are “too American.”

We have two kids (born here) and both work full time and have integrated (reasonably well, I think?), but most of our friends are other expats and immigrants. I wonder whether the anti-American sentiment that seems fairly widespread here on MN is representative of most of the UK?

Posting here obviously as I don’t think anyone IRL would give me a straight answer.

Also ‘I could care less’! Ffs doesn’t even make sense. Luckily I moved here (uk) before that one stuck.

There are threads on mn where posters agonise over Sabine or Tadhg, so yeh, gonna say that I agree a name can be too Ametican for a British child.

Op it all stems from the end of the Second World War. The US offered repatriation in exchange for access to markets. Old Europe was scared to death of being flooded with American movies and Coca Cola. A very simplistic answer but it's probably the root cause of anti Americanism.

In reality the boss of the world will always get stick. Look how people deride Brexit as the UK wanting a taste of its former glory aka the nasty British Empire. There's also a dose of little Englander going on.

I adore America and its people. I've traveled all over and visit once a year.

Not reparations....The Marshal plan

Probably the usual London think which is not what the rest of the country are concerned with.

Trump is beyond the pale to most British people but many Americans think he is great. The US is a huge country and there are wildly differing opinions all over.

I have been there quite a few times but would not want to live there

It depends on the American and the society they are mixing with. Etiquette in Britain is very different to America. There are things that are typical of Americans that really piss me off and I’m not even British yet (talking really loudly!). But most Americans I know personally are fine. They make an effort to integrate and not offend. Obviously they still have habits that I wouldn’t want my children to adopt (like holding wine glasses like tumblers or cutting up food before eating it) but they aren’t offensive (in the way that some tourists or non integrators are).

It's really just Trump and baby showers that people have a problem with.

I disagree...there is also halloween...and mass gun ownership...

Loads of us love Halloween which is celebrated all over the world and originated from the Ancient Celts.

The way Americans throw themselves into the seasons and holidays is one of the things I really like.🎃🍁🍂

are those leaves? I thought is was a double middle finger for a while....

Don’t agree that Americans talk loud, if anything I think we’re louder. We certainly moan louder.

Yes they’re leaves.

Living in a tourist area of Wales, we get on fine with the Americans, just don`t mention the chinese. America like the UK is good in parts. They have their problems, we have ours. Maybe there is a problem with little englanders, that I would not know.

I feel quiet sorry for Americans on here - getting the blame for the infiltration of Halloween, Santa, the use of High School and the use of the word Gotten. When in actual fact the originate from Scotland

Narrowmindedness on MN is rife

Is it not just how we talk about everything? It is part of my British upbringing to speak depreciatingly about oyr own culture and country, and I was raised hearing constant negativity about France, Germany and America.

I live in America and it isn't the wonderful place I imagined as a 90's teenager, and if I am having a moan I will bring up things that drive me mad about life here. Doesn't mean I don't love the place, anymore than talking negatively about England did when I was back home. Its just my experiences and my take on stuff.

Over here people have things to say about the Brits too. They don't all think we are royalty with afternoon tea.

I’m not anti-American. I’ve just finished hosting some friends from Chicago, and my niece is married to a USAF man.
I work on IT and have been to the US repeatedly over the last 30 years.

But you have to admit, Trump and lack of gun control, and the healthcare thing are a bit off.

It depends.

I'm going to be honest with you. It depends on what you look like and what area of the UK you are in. Right now there is a hotbed for racism in the UK and if you look Eastern European, Southern European, African, Asian, etc then it really doesn't matter if you're from America, Canada, Australia, or South Africa. Sometimes it doesn't even matter if you're born and raised in the UK. You will always have an ignorant minority no matter where you go. Some hate foreigners no matter what, so you could be 100% ethnically English descent and still get shit for not having the local county accent. In their minds, you will never be one of them.

Oh and even Irish can face xenophobic hate in the UK, so you really shouldn't think you're safe from that if you're American or from another ex colony.

We asked Irish Times Abroad readers if they have noticed or experienced anti-Irish sentiment while living in Britain since Brexit or if they’ve found British people to be supportive and welcoming of the Irish community.

The questions were prompted after a teacher from Ireland shared on social media his shock at being verbally abused by a person for being Irish after they overheard his accent while he was speaking on his phone.

Elroy Cahill, who works as a head teacher in London school, tweeted: “(They) told me they ‘couldn’t wait for Boris and Brexit Party to make Brexit happen and send me and my lot back to f*ing Ireland,” he wrote.

“Told me to tell my lot to stop trying to stop Brexit with their f*ing border’... have never ever felt so shocked or unwelcome in this country! How has this kind of abuse become acceptable?”..."

www.google.com/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/abroad/anti-irish-sentiment-in-britain-i-feel-like-i-am-back-in-the-1980s-1.3992131%3fmode=amp

I'm American & have lived in UK almost 30 yrs.
tbh, it's a weird mix of responses.
Most people are indifferent.
A minority despair.
A larger minority of people openly admire.
I get gasps "But why do you choose to live HERE?!!" from many Brits.
I vividly remember an Italian telling me "but of course all Americans are rich!" He believed it.

I get laughed at by relatives if i mention snobby Brits (there's a lot of British snobbiness, I just forget to notice it most the time).

But why do you live here? I’d live in the US in a nanosecond- the beauty, the space, everybody is so relaxed.... What on earth has the UK got to offer?

I think many of the posts refer to American words in place of UK English ones. I really dislike it when people use an American word instead of a UK one, eg diaper, as I feel it's destroying our language. I have absolutely nothing against American people (except Trump obvs)

I do not think the Scots, Irish or Welsh are snobby, we have our own problems being looked down upon. It is amusing that the worst people from certain parts of England still feel superior to any other people living in the UK.

I think there’s far more anti-America(n) sentiment on MN than in real life, and that it’s probably driven by snobbery. I also think people yap on about America (and Americans) in a way that they would never dare about, say, Somalia or Sudan.

I think some posters think it’s clever.

When I lived in England in the 90’s people were often pretty rude to me, but then would fall all over themselves apologizing when they found out I was Canadian 🙄 I hadn’t changed, just they didn’t tend to be anti-Canadian.

When I went back for a visit 6 years ago people were lovely. I’m not sure if that was representative, or just good luck, but I felt it had changed.