Serious question about Brit Bashing on Free Republic...

[BritishBulldog]

Just lately (noticeably since the US election result) there seems to be an awful lot of anti-British sentiment on here (there always was a little but I put that down to a handful of xenophobic kiddies)

What I would like to know is do most Freepers now share the low opinion that some (many) on here seem to have of our nation or is it just a small (but very vocal) minority of morons?

I've enjoyed this forum (for the relatively short time that I've contributed) and have always liked Americans in general, but I now find myself reconsidering my thoughts on both.

If we Brits are not liked or wanted around here, I think I'll probably discontinue my involvement.

[Max Combined]

"He's not worth your effort, my friend."

True. He is intellectually dishonest, as he must be to defend his unsupportable position.

[Dan from Michigan]

I missed most of the fight.

Unfortunatly, there's a tendancy to paint with a broad brush, and that story from the Guardian trying to influence the election really pissed off(meaning angry, not drunk) a lot of Americans and caused some reaction. The Guardian crossed the line.

Add the fact that, in our own joke of a media, we hear story after story after story of Europeans blasting Bush and Americans with a sneering elitism(Most Americans of all political stripes despise snobs even more than the Taliban). Eventually, after hearing it over and over and over, there's going to be a backlash over it - and backlashes hit everybody in the same country(and it all cycles).

Although the broad brush doesn't apply to just England. If you take all the comments literally on this site - my state is 99% Arab and Islamic. (While even the city of Dearborn is about 1/3)

I don't have a problem with today's England which is far removed from its Cromwell days. A few individuals there like George Galloway, the mayor of London, and the Guardian absoultely suck - as do the New York Slimes and John Kerry in my own country.

[broadsword]

And now the intellectual giant has resorted to implying that I am a schizophrenic moron. What a paragon of rhetorical virtue.

No wonder the Scotts, Irish and Welsh hate those twits.

[ought-six]

My mother was English. She met my father during the war (WWII) when he was stationed there, flying with the US 8th Air Force against Germany. Thus, I am, by blood, one-half British (but 100% American by birth and choice). I have a great deal of respect for the British military, and for some of Britain's leaders (Churchill was the greatest leader of the 2oth century from ANY country; Margaret Thatcher is one of my all-time favorite leaders; I respect Tony Blair for his integrity and decency and steadfastness, although I do not like his socialism). That being said, it is my experience (and I have a whole slew of cousins and aunts and uncles in Britain) that there is not a great deal of love and affection for us by the average Brit, and I count many of my relatives in that category. Perhaps they are the most vocal, and thus are the only voices heard; and maybe there are a great many Brits who do have good some good things to say about us over here on this side of the Big Pond. We are, after all, made pretty much of the same cloth. But, you know, when it comes right down to it, at the end of the day I don't give a damn if we are liked or not. But I do give a damn if someone wants to kill us.

[broadsword]

Oh, how the little one writhes and gnashes its teeth! LOL! It confuses talking behind its back with talking down at it because it is not worth talking to.

[Max Combined]

"Oh, how the little one writhes and gnashes its teeth!"

I suspect that the little one is a female due to the highly emotional investment she has made in her believe that genes have NO influence on temperament, however, most women can spell better than our young intellectual giant.

It seems like she is hoping to convince herself by convincing us.

[Max Combined]

"Why do you assume I am a He."

I read this after I posted that our friend was probably a female. It looks like I was right.

The bad spelling indicated a man, but the overly emotional attachment to a fantasy and underhanded and intellectually dishonest methods of argumentation pointed towards a female.

I should have suspected that she was female as soon as I read her first post in response to your light-hearted post about Scots, since it was nothing but an annoying nag.

[Max Combined]

"I am now an it. Interesting how you dehumanise your enemy."

Careful now broadsword, or she will burst into tears next and you know how bad that makes you feel.

[Dan from Michigan]

A lot of us ARE Brits (English, Welsh, Scots-Irish, Scottish, Irish descent, etc..)

Small correction. Irish(unless in Northern Ireland) aren't Brits unless those of Irish blood emigrated to England/Scotland.

My grandfather whose full blooded Irish would go insane if he was called a Brit.

[broadsword]

LOL! I can picture a female hunchback shuffling along with a kerchief over her eyes, crying, "Oh! The tears! The tears!"

ROTF! Like anyone gives a crap if it's a male or female or English or Bosnian. They're all going to be Muslim in a few generations anyway.

[broadsword]

My grandfather whose full blooded Irish would go insane if he was called a Brit.

Exactly! It's funny when you think about it. Everyone else on earth knew how folks felt when they were oppressing them, but the English seem to think that folks should be grateful when THEY oppress them. My guess is that such an attitude would make the oppressed hate them even more, and it usually did, but they just failed to grasp it. Still do.

[Max Combined]

"I am training to be a Biomedical Scientist"

So, does Britain have affirmative action?

[Max Combined]

"Like anyone gives a crap if it's a male or female or English or Bosnian."

She is a 1982 import, so some persuasion. She may already be a Muslim.

[broadsword]

For some inexplicable reason, it still thinks I might find it, and its crying nonsense, worthy of a reply.