Posted on 11/05/2004 5:53:39 AM PST by navyguy
I am an American currently working in England. I have been here for the last month and thought you might like to know what I've been seeing here...
Let me first say that the Brits are great people! They are cordial, giving, inviting and very decent people. I myself have old family roots here. There ARE some very vocal Socialists here, but I have no issue with the British people.
First, the pre-election media coverage of the election was totally skewed against President Bush. There wasn't even an attempt to hide it. As the election drew closer the coverage grew increasingly hostile. Further, the tone transformed from criticism of Bush to berating not just the president but anyone who supported him. In nearly every story I saw Republicans were characterized as complete religious zealots. In fact, like the US, leftists here believe that ALL conservative are Christian fanatics. I actually had to correct several Brits here that this was NOT the case. They seemed shocked. The tone rapidly descended into simple insults, with average americans routinely being called 'idiots', 'morons', 'stupid', etc... This tone continued, night after night for at least 10-12 days. If a european tells you they aren't anti-AMERICAN I can tell you they are lying. They simply do not like us, anything we do or anything we represent. I never saw a single postive word about Americans or America as a whole. I was told that were were 'too hung up on the US Constitution." This, above all, really disturbed me.
I never saw a single story about ANYTHING positive happening in Iraq. Ever.
I now know that europeans, for all of their 'sophistication' and 'worldliness', harbor serious misconceptions about America. For example, I saw New Mexico described as "a relatively small, mostly poor state." In fact, I saw a 1 hour documentary done by a Brit travelling through the states that essentially described America as a boiling cauldron of poverty, racism and violence. I could not believe what I was seeing. I saw southerners (I live in North carolina) described as "backwards", "fundamentalists" and "stupid". Farmers in the mid-west were described as "simple folk". There were many other examples as well. I now understand that europeans are half as sophisticated and worldly as they think they are. Most of them do NOT understand America. I finally got some of my coworkers here to admit as much.
There is a TOTAL anti-gun bias here. I saw it in the media over and over again. They are now trying to ban knives, BB guns and replicas of guns as well.
The Nanny State reigns supreme here. I predict that in 25 years the UK will be totally Socialist. If you want to see what the US would be like after 50 years of total Liberal domination come here for awhile. You won't like what you see.
After the election the anti-american torrent CONTINUED. Unreal.
The Guardian is viewed as MAINSTREAM MEDIA here.
It will be awhile before I return here. I love England and its people and its great and honorable history, but it is only a shadow of its former self.
Thank God for the Daily Telegraph.
Just thought you'd like to know. Cheers!
No no. Everyone bashes the Muslims extremists. My question is why the Brit Press is attacking American mainstream Christians as whackbats and ignoring mainstream Muslims. There is no chance of America taking over Britain but look at parts of mainland Europe. France had to ban head scarves for crying out loud.
I know some Europeans and they do think we Americans are largely gun-toting Bible thumping rednecks who spend most of our time shooting each other and flicking out rotten teeth. They think reasonable Americans(oddly they seem to know a lot of them) are an exception. George Bush is the quintessential American and they think he is a blood thirsty cowboy.
For Europe to be APPLALLED they we elected a normal person as President just makes me want to beat my head against the outhouse wall.
BTTT
Well, we helped on the last two.
We aren't just descended from British roots, you know.
But why would the Brits embrace the high taxation they have...why embrace the restrictive gun control they have.
There is a basic difference between us.
I once heard socialism explained as follows:
If a socialist sees a rich person in an expensive car, they dream of the day they will killl the rich person and take that car.
In the USA a person sees a rich person in an expensive car, and they KNOW if they do the work they can buy their own expensive car.
I travel often to London (will be there next Thursday) and I am amazed by the anti-American comments, freely expressed. They can't believe articulate, educated, sophisticated people, such as moi, support Bush. But who's really stupid -- they have a Queen, lord and ladies, princes and princes, powdered wigs(!), and a system where one can only achieve the highest title in the land through birth. I, on the other hand, have the highest title in my land: I am an American citizen! By the way, Happy Guy Fawkes Day. Here's a penny of common sense for the Guy!
Heck, I've found that the Spanish and Norwegians here are more reasonable than Dems at home. :P
They disagree, but they don't hate you for it.
Does anyone know what a 'gumby' is?
.
reference, the BBC documentary series about
life in the British Isles, 'Monty Python's Flying Circus'.
Because their liberal welfare state has maybe a 30 year head start on ours. By 2050 at the latest, if trends continue they way they have, we'll be in more or less the same boat in this country, especially when it comes to taxes.
Isn't it great! :D
What they STILL have in mind for us - hellary in '08, and the toon as UNSec.
Eh, sorry about the loudmouths. They're everywhere. :P
Just as well to say that the current terrorist blight learned those lessons quite well, note the 'charities' that support the families of homicide bombers and pay for the bombs as well.
As to Brit bashing; it was just a family spat up until the Guardian decided to start a letter writing campaign. That's when the bayonetts were fixed. Stupid, arrogant, blindly condescending, and sadly British.
I expect we'll all get over it.
PS: A Ranchero is a sort of sedanish truck, we really do value our pick-em-ups.
You What Mate
That's my standard reply as well. Imagine, for a moment, what it must have been like getting on a boat in 1870 (or earlier/later) and sailing away to a whole new country without any safety net programs?
However, this gene is recessive: how many people in the US ever move to even another state? Each generation (that stays) becomes progressively more passive. What the Libs and MSM miss most about the NEW South is that many of the people are all new transplants ie carrying on the traditional challenge of change.
True, true.
But the origins of the earliest settlers I don't believe add or detract form the force of the statement. And besides I'm sure some Spaniards might have an opinion about who was where first!
Wouldn't you agree though that to go from a brace of coastal settlements to being the dominant global power in such a short time is a rearkable feat? An unrivalled feat?
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