I love Americans

[Greenlizard0]

Originally Posted by Burble

Apparently Americans all expect us Brits to sound like High Grant so when we don't and the realise it isn't an American accent we have they assume it's an Australian accent.

This kind of stuff really irritates me, but aye their view of us does involve films a lot. A similar but different thing happened a few years back when Snatch and Lockstock came out.

Another film that I'm sure doesn't help is e.g. Vicki Christina Barcelona in terms of their European Perceptions in general.

[semi-pro waster]

I've been accused of being English/Northern Irish/Welsh/French on account of my accent before; in fairness to the last option the girl who said it was from Eastern Europe so perhaps her mistake is excusable. However it can be worse: while I was in Canadia and people found out I was Scottish after telling me they were Scottish too ("really, only five generations removed, that's very close") they'd ask me do the voice of Shrek - I wouldn't have minded so much if it was someone cool like Shir Sean but that it was a Canadian masquerading as a Scottish ogre....

[Burble]

Originally Posted by semi-pro waster

telling me they were Scottish too ("really, only five generations removed, that's very close")

That sort of thing always makes me laugh. I got chatting to an 'Irish' chap in Seattle a few years ago and despite his insistence that he is Irish it turns out that he's six generations removed. FFS.

[Garp]

I get all sorts of oddities out here. Thankfully being a small island state where White Caucasians are in the minority, it isn't quite so bad as sometimes it appears things are on the mainland. They aren't quite so provincial, though still shockingly unaware of what is going on in the world.

A couple of things off the top of my head:

Newcastle is only a short drive from London, suitable for popping down on a Saturday to go see the sights.

British people are predominantly smokers. That I'm not seems to come as a shock to people.

Everyone seems confused where I'm from, they expect either a Gangster/Mockney accent or a Hugh Grant one.

[Garp]

Originally Posted by Burble

That sort of thing always makes me laugh. I got chatting to an 'Irish' chap in Seattle a few years ago and despite his insistence that he is Irish it turns out that he's six generations removed. FFS.

They have no long history of their own, and a deep sense of need for such, so they latch on to whatever they can find.

[Burble]

Originally Posted by Garp

They have no long history of their own, and a deep sense of need for such, so they latch on to whatever they can find.

I did point that out to someone once and he got quite irate with it. After he'd cooled down a bit I asked him what the Americans were doing, for example, around the time that Henry VIII was beheading wifes left, right and centre. Silence.

I may come over as disliking Americans but that isn't the case, this is just one of their little quirks.

[Streeteh]

Originally Posted by Garp

They have no long history of their own

Indeed. Was discussing this with a mate only a couple of weeks ago and we realized the (old) renovated farm house his family live in was built before America was even independent. Makes you realize how little time the country has existed for.

I love America though, many are terribly educated about the outside world, but i tend to find they're always eager to learn and don't mind appearing dim for asking questions. Many of the friendliest people i've ever met are from America.

[Garp]

Originally Posted by Streeteh

Indeed. Was discussing this with a mate only a couple of weeks ago and we realized the (old) renovated farm house his family live in was built before America was even independent. Makes you realize how little time the country has existed for.

I love America though, many are terribly educated about the outside world, but i tend to find they're always eager to learn and don't mind appearing dim for asking questions. Many of the friendliest people i've ever met are from America.

Agreed on the last score. The more time I live here the more I'm beginning to like them

The church I'm at celebrated it's 75th birthday a few months back, and people asked me how old my church was back in England. Whilst my last church was only 15 years old, they were shocked when I mentioned the C of E church I used to go to was over 900 years old, and currently in a building from before Chris Columbus sailed the ocean blue (it's a late 14th century building)

[Nutcase]

I was in one of the smithsonian museums in DC a few years back, and was at one of the shops looking to buy a film for my camera. I asked how much 24 exp and a 36 exp were. The polite lady behind the counter cottoned on to my accent and asked whereabout from England I was from. So far so good. I said about 30 miles north east of London. She said "Wow London! So you must know the Queen?"

I had to bite my tounge a bit, but replied "If I knew the Queen, do you think I'd have to ask the difference in price of a 24 and a 36 film?!"

I love Americans, have to really, my brother married one, and to be fair they're a fantastic bunch. But they, like us, have their strange quirks!

[Darrin]

I generally can pick out the nuances between a Dundee and a Glasgow accent, but you southerners all sound the same to me. You either sound like The Doctor or Ms Brahms...