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Edited by: Calicoe Aug 22, 08, 12:52 #146
I haven't bothered to read through this thread and tried to avoid commenting. But, it seems that it is always the same with many English, all though not all. It seems that some are more intent on seeing the world and especially America through the prism of their tabloid-infested media.
Is there racism in America - yes.
Are there many racist and anti-semitic English - yes.
Are there social problems in both countries - yes.
Do the English particularly favor stereotyping and bad-mouthing Americans constantly, many times to the point of viciousness, supported by their mainstream tabloid press - yes.
Are the English often times guilty of the same characteristics and hypocrisies for which they blame Americans - yes.
Are they both countries that have an abundance of contradictions, including free speech and an open policy on immigrants and refugees, which provide both positives and negatives - yes.
Is there chauvinism amongst Jewish people as well, especially toward Poland and other Eastern Europeans - yes.
Will I ever believe that the English brand of humor is really as funny as only the English will have everyone else believe - no.
It seems as though we humans have a lot of contradictions, doesn't it?
Here's a little story on my first interaction with a group of English students (sorry for the English people out there who are not like this, among many whom I count as friends):
I am a Polish, Hungarian, Suriname mixed girl that looks white, but was raised by black and Puerto Rican parents (during the 60s no less). My whole family is black and brown. Several years ago I was at a graduate seminar in Vietnam, with a lot of English who were attending with another school. We worked in groups that included folks from both schools (American and English). One of the women in my group was an African who was studying at an English university. During one of our informal group presentations to the class, she mentioned a number that was off slightly, so I just casually interjected the correct number for the rest of the group, very casually, with no other motive or inflection but to make sure everyone had the right numbers.
The next thing you know, the entire English contingent is ignoring me and being typically nasty, because they branded me an American racist overnight. What was simply my casual American manner, suddenly became a reason to alienate and malign me within the mob personality of the group, without them even knowing anything about me! The African woman and myself were fine, and in fact she was the one to tell me why they suddenly gave me the cold shoulder, but the group from the other side of the pond were so convinced in their typical reactionary English fashion that I was a big, bad American racist that they heard so much about through their "impartial" leftist, hysterical and chauvinist BBC news channel.
You should have seen the face of one of the worst of the lot when he overheard me talking about my family roots to someone - pure shock - ha ha ha. And even still, he couldn't come over and say anything to me out of sheer loss for words and possible loss of his English superiority trip.
I am not saying that Americans don't have problems, or that we don't have Fox News, et al, and that there are not great qualities about English people, because many are my friends. But the hatred and bigotry of English mass media and culture across all segments toward Americans is incredible, and I actually do have examples, statistics and history, etc. to back me up.
So, fire away. ;)
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Member Posts: 98
Joined: Aug 15, 08
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