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Sometimes, I Pretend I Am Canadian (How Americns living in England cope with the hate)
The Telegraph ^ | November 13, 2004 | Helen Kirwan-Taylor

Posted on 11/12/2004 6:34:35 PM PST by quidnunc

Sneering, insults, condescension – it's not so much fun being an American in London since the election

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 ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: antiamericanism; britain; england; eurotwits; greatbritain; kerrydefeat; scotland; uk; unitedkingdom; wales
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1 posted on 11/12/2004 6:34:36 PM PST by quidnunc
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To: quidnunc
Helen Kirwan-Taylor

Hyphenated name. Wow. A woman proving she is just as good as a man by retaining her father's surname.

2 posted on 11/12/2004 6:35:48 PM PST by peyton randolph (Time for Bush to pack the U.S. Supremes)
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To: BritishBulldog

What were you saying about Brit-bashing?


3 posted on 11/12/2004 6:37:23 PM PST by quidnunc (Omnis Gaul delenda est)
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To: quidnunc

Be glad to help them fill out all the proper paperwork to make it so.


4 posted on 11/12/2004 6:38:49 PM PST by SquirrelKing ("I have to march because my mother couldn't have an abortion." - Maxine Waters (D-California)
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To: quidnunc
Sometimes, I Pretend I Am Canadian.

That's OK. Sometimes, I pretend you aren't a freaking idiot!

5 posted on 11/12/2004 6:39:39 PM PST by airborne (God bless and keep our fallen heroes.)
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To: SquirrelKing

What a coward.......


6 posted on 11/12/2004 6:39:45 PM PST by AirForceMom (I have post-election elation syndrome)
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To: quidnunc

Blah blah blah


7 posted on 11/12/2004 6:40:13 PM PST by satchmodog9 (Murder and weather are our only news)
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To: quidnunc
hmmm Battle of Britain ? Lend-Lease ? the Battle of the Atlantic? D-Day? the eradication of the Nazis?
Holding the Soviets at bay? Our support for the the UK during the Falklands War ?

You Americans should just print out a list of these great events wherein , were it not for America , Britain would have either ceased to exist or had a much harder time of it.
Just hand the mealy mouthed bastards the list and walk away.

As you walk off tell them how much you think of gallant Tony Blair and how the great majority of we true blooded Americans love the man.

Stupid people, they are hero worshiping the wrong models.
8 posted on 11/12/2004 6:40:21 PM PST by injin
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To: quidnunc

Three months ago when I and my son were in Great Britain I wore a ball cap with an American flag everyday I wasn't doing something formal, and a Bush Cheney shirt as often as I could get away with it. Every time I was on the tubes for more than 5 minutes I talked about the war and how much we appreciated our alies and hated the French. Be American and proud of it. Let them choke if they don't like it.


9 posted on 11/12/2004 6:40:43 PM PST by politicalmerc (The avalanche has started. It is too late for the pebbles to vote.)
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To: quidnunc

As the former speaker said last yesterday. We are two people, one who left and those who stayed.


10 posted on 11/12/2004 6:40:48 PM PST by Domangart
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To: SquirrelKing
the europussies are tragic. their weak socialist states cannot protect them anymore. they lash out in blind rage and fury due to their own self hatred. die well weaklings!
11 posted on 11/12/2004 6:41:11 PM PST by glennherman (a gun in every home, gays back in the closet, Islam crushed, commies jailed, etc., ad infinitum)
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To: quidnunc

This is a total lie... I was just in London and had no problem at all. There are so many Americans there and Britain is as much involved in what is controversial as we are...

The media lies about this story constantly.


12 posted on 11/12/2004 6:41:34 PM PST by TFine80 (Patton's Son: "There's no soap ever been invented that can wash that blood off his hands.")
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To: quidnunc

Why pretend?

Renounce the blessings of American Citizenship if you are so embarassed.

The red states would appreciate it and the blue states will be one vote weaker.

It's a win for all concerned!


13 posted on 11/12/2004 6:41:51 PM PST by Buckeye Battle Cry (The Measure of a Man is the Willingness to Accept Responsibility for Consequences of his Acts.)
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To: quidnunc
"Every meeting I go to, every social occasion, even when I'm out shopping, someone hears my accent and challenges me to a debate,"

I'd just yawn in their face and tell them I could the Guardian myself if I wanted their opinion.
14 posted on 11/12/2004 6:42:35 PM PST by Welsh Rabbit
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To: quidnunc

It only makes sense that eating eels and kidneys is just slightly less damaging to the human brain than eating mollusks. At least they have the decency to mispronounce their own language, and to help the United States when we need them.


15 posted on 11/12/2004 6:42:41 PM PST by Unknowing (Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.)
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To: quidnunc

How do California Republicans deal with hate?

Same thing....


16 posted on 11/12/2004 6:44:18 PM PST by Dashing Dasher (Bush/Cheney FOUR MORE YEARS!)
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To: quidnunc

My wife and I have spent two weeks a year in the English countryside every year since 2000. We've never hidden the fact that we're Americans and we've never had a problem. We do avoid the cities, though, so I can't speak for the attitudes there.


17 posted on 11/12/2004 6:45:14 PM PST by clintonh8r (Get Out The Gloat!!)
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To: TFine80
"The media lies about this story constantly."

Yeah, the False Prophet is like that...

18 posted on 11/12/2004 6:45:16 PM PST by Windsong (FighterPilot)
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To: peyton randolph

The UK is rapidly becoming Islamic. Blair's foreign policy is good but his domestic policy is a nightmare.

Western Europe is so politically corrects and they have let Muslims flood in. The Dutch have seen where that has led them. Crime by Islmic gangs in the UK is out of control but the nespapers nevr report it.

They know they are doomed because of the exploding Islamic population. They are sheep to the growing wolves and they think by bleeting that they hate Bush that they will be saved. The Western Europeans are hostages in their own countries and they think that by hating Israel and America that they will not be devoured by teh Islamic wolves.


19 posted on 11/12/2004 6:45:57 PM PST by FrankRepublican (Arlen Specter = Ted Kennedy Dem Bush = Open Borders w/ Mexico)
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To: quidnunc
She did not vote.

The truth is that I would have voted for Bush if I had to make a choice.

No, the truth is, you're gutless and not worthy of being American.

20 posted on 11/12/2004 6:46:06 PM PST by TADSLOS (Right Wing Infidel since 1954)
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