The view from England (by an American)...

5 Nov. 2004 | NavyGuy

[navyguy]

Hey folks... this is Navyguy.

I should have been clearer... the media here is UNBELIEVABLY anti-american.... FAR in excess of anything we see in the states. Our jokes about the French are positively sedate in comparison. Its like Moveon.org runs the media here. I see serious insults to americans on TV every single night. I explained this to some coworkers here and 2 of them are hard Socialists and even they agreed the media was being quite out of line with insults to american citizens. The BBC is quite bad.

I should have made clearer just how bad it is here.

Thanks for letting me vent!

[chimera]

Maybe it's just me, but if I were a citizen of a relatively small and somewhat weak (militarily speaking) country, I would be very reluctant to bad mouth a firm and steadfast ally who shed blood and spent treasure in common cause over the course of two world wars, whose aid and comfort made a decisive difference in both, who protected my country and my neighbors from the threat of Soviet dominance for a half century, who forgave billions in war debt and asked nothing in return, no territory, no reparations, no exclusive trade agreements, no oaths of loyalty or bonds of obedience. Especially would I avoid criticism of that same country and it's people who are simply exercising their God-given right to live in freedom and choose the person they think is best suited to lead them and serve their interests in their highest elective office. I really don't understand why the British, and Europeans on the continent, would do this. We've been nothing but friendly and supportive of those countries, and here they have nothing better to do than complain about our electoral process and the choices we make. It really is strange.

So, I guess, bottom line, it might be best to say to hell with those who would stab us in the back so callously. I just hope the next time they get themselves in a jam and are looking for someone to pull their nuts from the fire, they remember what they've said and done.

[45semi]

You dont have to go overseas to find people who think the Southern part of the United States is a 3rd world!

[CasearianDaoist]

One must remember that the socialists, lead by the Fenchm have been trying to create a false "European Consciousness" for over twenty years. Their vehicles have been mostly the schools and the media (where do you think our socialists learned their tricks?) A central component of this is Anti-Americanism.

It is time to call them on the carpet about it, the time has passed for us to "explain ourselves." As much as I admire GWB, I doubt if he undertakes this task, I sure he has his reasons but to is in the long term not wise to allow this to fester. WE need to start a containment policy for the EU now while we are in a position to do it.

[T.Smith]

When I was in Florida last month I found that probably half of the people there were British. They were everywhere. I found that odd since I hadn't known that Orlando was such a huge British tourist destination.

I didn't have the opportunity to talk to any of them, though. I did notice that they dress strangely. The men wear tight plaid shorts and sleeveless shirts all the time. The women like to wear spaghetti strapped shirts that show most of their bras and see through shorts with a thong. It was as if they just weren't accustomed to dressing for warm weather. They were easy to spot.

[sushiman]

Thank God for George Washington and the Valley Forge guys who got us out from this den of iniquity , snobbishness , and accent ...England went soft in the outhouse back in the 60's ...

[Europeans4astrongamerica]

By the way, your starting comment is not the least bit incongruous (SP?) to me, on a personal level I also found the English people to be the most polite and charming on earth. Also - given the entirely accurate background you have just described - I think most AMericans have no idea just how far Tony Blair went out on a limb in supporting Bush in the war against overwhelming public opinion against it. He deserves a huge amount of creeit in my opinion . and in fact he has presented the case for the war with a much more convincing manner than the US President.

[GarySpFc]

Ping

[pau1f0rd]

How many anti-Brit posts are there today?

For the record. the most vociferous critics of America in England are Americans.

One thing I've learned from FR though is that Americans are prone to over-statement. So I take this sort of criticism with a pinch of salt,. They love us really. ;-)

[Samwise]

I'm sorry to hear that they hate us so much. I've always been an Anglophile myself. Is it just the media, or are the people becoming that way too?

[mabelkitty]

The Lord knew this was coming.
It was His will that we break from them and provide an oasis for folks.

[WKUHilltopper]

Your a peein's have always hated the USA---until they need something.

[edith]

My father-in-law is 89, fought in WWII (Siegfried Line, Battle of the Bulge, Nuremberg judge). He would agree with you.

[tjwmason]

We are descendants of brave people who threw off the yoke of tyranny whereas their ancestors embraced it.

One small question. Whence did the American founders get their concept of liberty?

Answer. The English. We are, and always have been a free nation (except the Commonwealth 1649-1660). We have 1000+ years of freedom behind us, and so are actually relaxed about it, we know we are free and don't have to shout it around all of the time.

[DestroytheDemocrats]

"I never saw a single story about ANYTHING positive happening in Iraq. Ever. "

Their media elite is way worse than ours. They don't ever hear the truth, or both sides. I love the Brits so I try to keep that in mind. Their views are shaped by propaganda and they probably don't even know it.

[tonycavanagh]

RAF Chicksands, my lot has taken over Chicksands, cant tell u the units, but I guess its on the website.

Not a bad little base.

I liked the school and the map of America on the playground.

The Yanks Go Home were not local people but Greenham common supporters.

Tony

[AngloSaxon]

How many anti-Brit posts are there today?

Well by my count thats the third in three hours. One for each Brit killed in Iraq yesterday in fact.

Bravo to the xenophobes.

[pau1f0rd]

Go over to DU and see who hates Amerika. You'll find an awful lot of Americans. What does that prove? The British do not hate America. Have a look at investment in the US by the UK and vice versa. Have a look at tourism from the UK to the US. Have a look at record sales, book sales, TV show sales, clothes, cars. I'm not sure what you guys are missing here. You want to find bad things? You'll find them.

[tonycavanagh]

re : They'll be wearing beards and praying East soon.

Oh no we wont

Your turn

[tjwmason]

I was told that were were 'too hung up on the US Constitution." This, above all, really disturbed me.

I think that the point here is that we get along perfectly well without a written constitution. On the otherhand, it seems that every law passed by the Congress is subject to the scrutiny of the courts. The mere fact that abortion is dealt with not by lawmakers, but rather by judges talking about the Constitution is alien to the British understanding. It also strikes us as a fundamentally undemocratic way of making laws.

I'm not trying to start a mutual flame-war, but over here Parliament makes law; the courts interpret it. It works, it has done for centuries; and it would seem that that was the intention of the founding fathers of the U.S.