Posted on 11/12/2004 6:34:35 PM PST by quidnunc
There was a moment when we Americans living in Britain, all 200,000 or so of us, thought we were home free. The years of being mocked and antagonised for our country's leader were coming to an end. "Actually, I'm voting for Kerry" was the simplest way of getting out of a difficult conversation. The truth is that many Americans in Britain probably voted for Bush, but have kept it to themselves. It's about as fashionable as admitting to having the clap.
"Every meeting I go to, every social occasion, even when I'm out shopping, someone hears my accent and challenges me to a debate," says Annie Ouroussof Jordan, an executive headhunter who, though American, spent years in France and the Middle East before moving to Britain 15 years ago. She did not vote.
"There wasn't a proper candidate as far as I'm concerned and I wasn't going to vote for Kerry just not to vote for Bush. The truth is that I would have voted for Bush if I had to make a choice. Many of us Americans feel this way because we don't know what Kerry believes in. He stands for nothing. I have gotten flak for it but part of being an American is speaking up. I am often provoked in social situations and have taken to avoiding the subject altogether." Still, this is nothing compared with French anti-Americanism. "It's pure hatred there," she says.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
That's why the Eurotrash identify with him.
Nope. Hyphenated surnames in nonhispanic U.S. households have arisen as part of the feminist movement. The stated reason is that a woman should not give up her surname as part of being subjugated to a man in wedlock. This conveniently ignores that such surnames retained come from the bride's male parent. Retaining the maiden name of the bride's mother wouldn't be a solution because that is the maternal grandfather's surname. In short, the feminist hypenation game is built on a pillar of ignorance...proving one is an equal to the husband in a gender war at the altar by attaching another male's surname with a hyphen. Every nonhispanic woman I've met who has hyphenated her name has had a feminist axe to grind. I choose to neither do business with nor socialize with such people. There may be an exception. Life is too short to waste my time searching for it.
I guess, according to her, I don't know much about American culture. I don't know what nail bars or Bliss Spas are, or what, exactly, a "power shower" is. Nor do I have any idea why Nobu is such a good restaurant or so distinctively American. But I am insane!
Whatever the media portrays...is far from the truth. From mainstream Germany...and excluding the elite university crowd...over 60 percent are pro-American. I see the same thing thoughout Europe. The media in each country does an excellent job selling their liberal left picture...but the facts simply aren't there. Even the regional elections in Europe over the past six months have told the same story. They may not be exactly pro-Bush...but there isn't a huge shift of anti-Americanism going on.
I think that showers are actually a relatively recent thing in the UK since hot water heaters were very small and very slow.
A lot of London residences have their own water tanks built in because the water mains there are so old and decrepit that water pressure is negligible.
That's neat, but if pressurized hot water and a few chain stores are the only American contributions to the UK that this lady can think of, no wonder she hides under her delusory Canadian status.
bookmark bump
"In short, the feminist hypenation game is built on a pillar of ignorance...proving one is an equal to the husband in a gender war at the altar by attaching another male's surname with a hyphen"
Dude, some women just like their given names or find keeping it easier in career terms. They don't all secretly want to castrate you.
The Europeans are willfully going extinct and they call us stupid.
Geez, at least we're smart enough to replace ourselves with ouroffspring.
I got that 'war monger' crap thrown at me while I was in Europe a little while ago. I replied that America did not start WW1 and not only did we not start WW2, but we had to be dragged into it. Additionally the French got us involved in Vietnam. And besides, America has only been around for just over 200 years, Europians on the other hand have been killing each other for over 2,000 years.
That last line shut em up real quick. Reality can bite.
Why not, when you hate America pretend to be an American hater.
Everyone I've come across that works for a government contractor seems to have a twisted sense of humor & yeah, that smirk seems to come with the package. LOL
I see TRW, I think pumps. What do I know? That's some other guys, right? ::snicker::
Yes. And BTW, I don't know if Lord Black still owns the Telegraph, but he's the most honest and conservative media mogul who owns media over there. If he sold his shares in that paper, it is likely that he also left his legacy with it, anyway. He tends to make deals like that on the way out, when he does sell. That way, the same conservative outlet will continue to hold its subscribers and market standing.
And as for Britain, I've seen the attitude described in the posted column above many times--even from British Conservatives.
EURABIA Anti-American,anti-semitic Europe explained http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1223220/posts
The response should always be... "I noticed you're speaking German!"
Hyphenated last names are very commonly among the Poms - the first impression if I know someone with such name is that the gentleman or lady comes from Britain. It is extremely rare among Americans.
I have noticed many British conservatives' response is either deny it exists at the first place, or then say "Yes, there is some anti-Americanism here, but it is just an expression of upsurge in belief that Britain can control its destony by itself again when compared with the decline in fortune from 1946 to 1979, it is no threat to friendship with America" yada yada. I just found it harder and harder to trust these Poms' words day by day... (speaking as a former "colonial" - New Zealander)
…someone hears my accent and challenges me to a debate…
…
Many of us Americans feel this way because we don't know what Kerry believes in. He stands for nothing.
In my opinion:
“He stands for nothing.” should end any debate.
If I were in her situation, I would explain that Americans are not Europeans. We have a far different sociological background.
In general, Europeans have always been under the thumb of their “betters”. The elite have always had the responsibility of taking care of the masses (noblesse oblige).
This was not the case for the English colonies – we were left to our own devises. As long as the British investors made their profit we were pretty much left alone. After our Independence Americans flooded across the Alleghenies to join the few that were already (illegally!) there. Once again we were on our own. Ours is not a history of having Lords and Ladies. Even when the masses of Europe came over in the mid-19th century they experienced little supervision from above. Those who settled in the Alleghenies and the West were pretty much free of government supervision.
We learned to fend for ourselves.
A little background: I've been freeping since oh, I don't know, 1997..? And I've been in the UK since 2001, so here's my two cents. Pence. Heh.
Many younger and more Labour-party-loving Britons do not see Margaret Thatcher in a positive light (heartless poll-taxer privatizer of services who took away milk from school lunches!) and see US conservatism in a similar light. They can't understand why a majority in the US do not see "free" health care as a citizen's birthright, capital punishment is wrong, and think the US is chiefly responsible for causing global warming with our SUVs and criminally-cheap gasoline. So this gives them something to feel morally superior about, even though religious observance and moralitiy is seen as laughably old hat.
They also criticize American pop culture but consume the Simpsons, The Sopranos, 24, and much of Hollywood's output unironically, and most of the lefties I know would love to visit the US.
I had a great time the day after the election collecting numerous pub bets, let me tell ya.
I had a great time the day after the election collecting numerous pub bets, let me tell ya.
I’ll bet it warmed the cockles of your heart!
By the way – what (other than a mollusk) is a “cockle”? I don’t think I like the idea of having a hot seashell in my heart!
I have a cousin who has been living for the last 15 years in Australia. She said she and her children are treated terribly because they are Americans. The kids are harrassed at school all the time. They just visited here recently and announced they are moving back to the USA.
<<<<<<<<<
It took them 15 years to figure that out?
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