To think Mumsnet is xenophobic

[sittight]

When it comes to Americans?

If it was about any other nation it would be called out as the racism is it.

I’ve seen it today across the Halloween threads - people looking down their nose at Halloween because it’s an ‘American import’ (which it isn’t).

The attitude that baby showers are disdainful because they’re American. The snobbery about proms because they’re American. Elf on the Shelf, gender reveal parties etc. - fair enough if you just don’t like them but there are always derisive posts about them being American.

I suspect the same people embrace traditions imported from other cultures but when it comes to American traditions there is such snobbery.

Also, I saw ‘Santa’ described as a ‘vulgar Americanism’ and the poster was told to just use ‘Father Christmas’.

@NotAnotherScarf Fish and chips (combined from the 1800s) and Greggs. Fast food origins in the UK.

Trick or Treating was common in Scotland and Ireland long before American TV influenced anything.

Most MNs are women and don't care about American involvement in historical military operations as a reason to be anti American baby showers.

It's the colony that 'got away'.

Resulting in the need to try and disparage anything and everything about it. Sure it has some issues their president for a start but Brits just love to dig in on America where they have the opportunity.

I don't agree with the racism positioning for two reasons.

1. American's are not a race
2. There is an increasing shit ton of racism on Mumsnet which is rarely called out. I guess it's just a microcosm of wider society.

Thought Santa Claus, Sinterklaas, originated from the Netherlands, could be wrong of course.

It is being used as a slur.

So Greg's a bakery but I'll give you that one

So women aren't interested in geo politics? First I've heard. How many female presidents and how many female prime ministers?

I doubt that very much.

I'm guessing you don't live in the UK? I don't see people embracing traditions from other cultures here. If you think American's are hated you should pop on to some right wing Facebook pages and see what a lot of British people think about other cultures.

I think you're right and I think there's also xenophobia against the English on here by some Scottish and Irish posters. Thankfully less recently than there has been in the past.

We all know that few of cultural events actually originated in the USA. However, that doesn’t change the fact that it was within the USA that they transformed into what they are today - mass occasions for overconsumption.

I mean, we had Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.

Probably easier to avoid eating chocolate there! 😅Hershey's tastes like baking chocolate to me.

Fast food restaurants...name any that are indigenous to the UK?

None because we the brits have no idea of food innovations apart from fish n chips and pies and mash and the infamous wagamama.

Other countries have inspiration and alot of this country needs cultural enrichment whether you like it or not.

I think it's perfectly normal to be critical, satirical or frankly bamboozled by some aspects of American culture. The not walking thing is INSANE, to a European anyway. I'm just back from a work trip (Long Island, Manhattan) and I met amazing, welcoming, open minded American people. Whose culture leaves me in headspinning wtf'ery.

No idea why you’d guess that. I am from the UK

Yeah, but some of the same people who disparage Americans are happy to embrace other cultures. But anything American is wrong.

I am fed up with the attempted americanisation of our culture.
They are the last place in the world anyone should copy.
A phobia on the other hand is an irrational prejudice.

I don’t think you can say ‘no one’, there are certainly some people who do.

YANBU. A lot of American imports are nice and fun - like prom. What kind of joyless bores object to PROM? Or even baby showers.

Halloween is not an American import and neither is trick or treating but a lot of elements are quite American - who fucking cares? It's a nice evening where kids dress up, have fun and the community joins in.

I think there is a certain type of person who makes being anti-American their entire personality.

I would move there in a heartbeat (I have tried) and dream of having a Golden Girls style bungalow in a Miami suburb in my retirement. My UK pension and salary will probably get me a trailer park straight out of Demon Copperhead if I'm lucky.

America is just the latest 'target.' Some people have an ingrained need to feel superior, which sadly often manifests in putting others down to prove that they're classier/better/more enlightened.

Love Americans and American culture but I think it's coming over here a bit too much. I'd have the same opinion whatever culture it happened to be. The trick or treating is a good example-and yeah I know I know it's not American originally but the point is we wouldn't have to partake in it if it wasn't popularized by America (unless you happen to be from the culture it originated).

We also get way too much American news, every time I turn on there's Trump and I have to turn off (and it's not even from being anti-Trump it's because I don't care a jot about American politics I'm just sick of it)

I haven’t noticed anymore xenophobia against Yanks than any other nation.

Mumsnet simply is a microcosm of the real world so of course some people are xenophobes. I do think the people who dislike these things because they are American in origin (like the ones who whine about people saying “mom”) are idiots though.

No, that isn’t the reason , it’s just snobbery

I’m Canadian, and have a similar accent, and we have some cultural similarities.
I’ve been in this country for a very long time, and I love it here.
However, there is so much accent bias here. I can’t get through a week without someone correcting how I say something. It’s rude.
If I do anything ‘different’ it’s always attributed to being foreign rather than just a personal preference.

The thing is, it took me a really long time to realise what was happening . When people’s faces change when they hear my accent, or just assume I’m slightly less intelligent. It’s exhausting.

Yes but Johnson and Liz Truss for all their loopiness were not going around creating mayhem with world economies, ranting all night on social media or giving off the idea they were going to nuke somewhere or sucking up to Putin - their is a lot of anti American feeling unfortunately because issues created affect more than just the USA and are fuelling disquiet everywhere