American-British Q&A

[drisky]

My question for British people (or anyone else who knows the answer): how do you feel about the idea that part of the reason America won the Revolutionary War was because England wasn't really that concerned about losing the thirteen colonies, and so didn't send most of its military might?

That is actually the argument I use against most Americans when it comes to the revolution.

Britian was busy dealing with France at the time so they really didn't want to send troops to America.

It is my belief, that if Britian were not at war, the Americans wouldn't have stood a chance.

Considering the French blockade is what ended it, pretty much. It still fun to say this is why though

 

[JDKJ]

[/quote]

Here is a question as a British Scottish person how would an average American (if such a thing exists which I doubt) differentiate me from an English person?

I understand the whole English accent = snarky comic relief/villain thing but that is used so commonly in conjunction with "British" it leaves me curious.

Especially since I think Scotland has quite a strong and recognisable national identity for our size.

That's kinda weird because the Scots who migrated here tended to end up in the Blue Ridge Mountain area of Kentucky where they became stereotypical mountain men, distilling moonshine (if there's one thing a Scotsman knows how to do, it's making whiskey) and feuding between their clans (e.g., the "McCoys" in Hatfields versus McCoys). I don't think the Scottish ended up in large metropolitan areas in any significant numbers -- unlike the Irish in Boston and New York. Your typical American probably's never encountered anyone of Scottish descent. But he can differentiate between an Englishman and an Irishman. The Irishman's always the drunker of the two.

Englishman Irishman and a Scotsman walk into a pub... none of them leave for fear of looking weak in front of the others.

Thanks for that info, it does strike me as quite curious though especially given the number that moved across to the Ammericas during the clearances...

I would bet the majority of Ammericans/Canadians know about the Irish Potato famine but don't know about the Highland clearances.

Scottish kid comes home all out of breath and gushes, "Pa, you'll be proud of me. I ran all the way home behind the bus and saved you a dollar."

Scottish father slaps him in the head and says, "You stupid child! You could have run behind a taxi and saved me ten dollars."

*rimshot*

Why would a Scottish person be concerned with 'dollars'.

Surely he'd have saved him pounds.

Meh. Details. Who gives a fuck about the details? I mean other than you.

 

[Daveman]

It seems to me that Americans don't drink that much (compared to us) from what I've heard. How much are you likely to drink on a night out?

Personally I drink at least a bottle of wine myself before we head out then a few beers and mixers whilst out to keep me going. If it's just a trip to the pub it'll be 4-6 pints of ale. I think this is fairly normal consumption for a student in the UK.

Sounds about right to me, well, at least in my case. Granted, if I really get going sometimes it'll be more like 5-7 pints, but even then it's no big deal. Then again, this could be somewhat off of a measure, as most of the people around me don't tend to make it past like, 4 pints, rarely.

Yeah, when I get to six pints things get extremely sketchy if I'm honest.

 

[JDKJ]

Spoiler: snip

Here is a question as a British Scottish person how would an average American (if such a thing exists which I doubt) differentiate me from an English person?

I understand the whole English accent = snarky comic relief/villain thing but that is used so commonly in conjunction with "British" it leaves me curious.

Especially since I think Scotland has quite a strong and recognisable national identity for our size.

That's kinda weird because the Scots who migrated here tended to end up in the Blue Ridge Mountain area of Kentucky where they became stereotypical mountain men, distilling moonshine (if there's one thing a Scotsman knows how to do, it's making whiskey) and feuding between their clans (e.g., the "McCoys" in Hatfields versus McCoys). I don't think the Scottish ended up in large metropolitan areas in any significant numbers -- unlike the Irish in Boston and New York. Your typical American probably's never encountered anyone of Scottish descent. But he can differentiate between an Englishman and an Irishman. The Irishman's always the drunker of the two.

Englishman Irishman and a Scotsman walk into a pub... none of them leave for fear of looking weak in front of the others.

Thanks for that info, it does strike me as quite curious though especially given the number that moved across to the Ammericas during the clearances...

I would bet the majority of Ammericans/Canadians know about the Irish Potato famine but don't know about the Highland clearances.

Scottish kid comes home all out of breath and gushes, "Pa, you'll be proud of me. I ran all the way home behind the bus and saved you a dollar."

Scottish father slaps him in the head and says, "You stupid child! You could of run behind a taxi and saved me ten dollars."

*rimshot*

See that's a stereotype I don't really get either, we have always been fairly canny (woo scots word) with money but the whole thing about being extremely mean with money just seems off given there are stories about Scottish generosity too.

Guess it is just a stereotype that exists to feed a joke that perpetuates the stereotype.

If given my druthers, I'd rather be a Scotsman stereotyped as cheap than a Irishman stereotyped as a fighting drunk.

Interesting aside, there's an American university by the name of Notre Dame founded by Irish Catholics and who have as the nick of their sporting teams "The Fighting Irish." And their mascot's a little green leprechaun with his fist raised as if he's ready to box. Talk about stereotype.

 

[SuccessAndBiscuts]

It seems to me that Americans don't drink that much (compared to us) from what I've heard. How much are you likely to drink on a night out?

Personally I drink at least a bottle of wine myself before we head out then a few beers and mixers whilst out to keep me going. If it's just a trip to the pub it'll be 4-6 pints of ale. I think this is fairly normal consumption for a student in the UK.

Sounds about right to me, well, at least in my case. Granted, if I really get going sometimes it'll be more like 5-7 pints, but even then it's no big deal. Then again, this could be somewhat off of a measure, as most of the people around me don't tend to make it past like, 4 pints, rarely.

Yeah, when I get to six pints things get extremely sketchy if I'm honest.

I find it depends on the night, some nights I go out and after 3-4 pints I'm really feeling it, other nights I go out and drink utterly insane amounts* with only a fraction of the effect.

*Last time this happened was at a flat party I'm alleged to have drunk around 2.5l of cider 3 cans of lager and half a bottle of crabbies ginger wine. I felt slightly tipsy.

 

[Winthrop]

A question for you americans, do you acknowledge that we are your ancestors?

We accept that America was formed from British colonies and extensively cover it in school, however we do not all have ancestors from the UK.

 

[megajon]

why do you Yanks call it football?
i mean common? u kick the ball like a few times in a game?

As an American I can confidently say, I haven't the slightest damn clue. I've honestly wondered if we did it just to cause confusion to everyone else sometimes.

The only thing I know, and this is something I read on a wiki once so no idea if its true/insane babel, is that it was born from someone fiddling with the rules of rugby. Was rugby ever called football or something?

why do you Yanks call it football?
i mean common? u kick the ball like a few times in a game?

As an American I can confidently say, I haven't the slightest damn clue. I've honestly wondered if we did it just to cause confusion to everyone else sometimes.

The only thing I know, and this is something I read on a wiki once so no idea if its true/insane babel, is that it was born from someone fiddling with the rules of rugby. Was rugby ever called football or something?

It real name is Rugby football but shortened to Rugby because its awkward to say simple so all he really did was get rid of the rugby bit but is actually something most british people them selfs won't know and yes i am british.

 

[zHellas]

I think its cause we tend to say it in that order. Like we say May 21st, 2011 as opposed to 21st of May, 2011.

Exactly! It just pisses me off when either side tries to say that "OUR SIDE IS SUPERIOR! NO REASONS NEEDED!".

 

[BoredDragon]

Maybe I should start an American-Russian Q&A then...

you bastard

 

[Shirokurou]

Maybe I should start an American-Russian Q&A then...

you bastard

Why?
Was it your idea, comrade?

 

[JDKJ]

Spoiler: snip

Here is a question as a British Scottish person how would an average American (if such a thing exists which I doubt) differentiate me from an English person?

I understand the whole English accent = snarky comic relief/villain thing but that is used so commonly in conjunction with "British" it leaves me curious.

Especially since I think Scotland has quite a strong and recognisable national identity for our size.

That's kinda weird because the Scots who migrated here tended to end up in the Blue Ridge Mountain area of Kentucky where they became stereotypical mountain men, distilling moonshine (if there's one thing a Scotsman knows how to do, it's making whiskey) and feuding between their clans (e.g., the "McCoys" in Hatfields versus McCoys). I don't think the Scottish ended up in large metropolitan areas in any significant numbers -- unlike the Irish in Boston and New York. Your typical American probably's never encountered anyone of Scottish descent. But he can differentiate between an Englishman and an Irishman. The Irishman's always the drunker of the two.

Englishman Irishman and a Scotsman walk into a pub... none of them leave for fear of looking weak in front of the others.

Thanks for that info, it does strike me as quite curious though especially given the number that moved across to the Ammericas during the clearances...

I would bet the majority of Ammericans/Canadians know about the Irish Potato famine but don't know about the Highland clearances.

Scottish kid comes home all out of breath and gushes, "Pa, you'll be proud of me. I ran all the way home behind the bus and saved you a dollar."

Scottish father slaps him in the head and says, "You stupid child! You could of run behind a taxi and saved me ten dollars."

*rimshot*

See that's a stereotype I don't really get either, we have always been fairly canny (woo scots word) with money but the whole thing about being extremely mean with money just seems off given there are stories about Scottish generosity too.

Guess it is just a stereotype that exists to feed a joke that perpetuates the stereotype.

Yea. In WWII when the army went around collecting donations to help the war effort. Glasgow gave the most money out of any city in Britain.

But stereotype about any country generally aren't true.

I hate the tea sipping English stereotype. I, nor 90% of the people I know, drink tea more than occasionally.

Here is a question as a British Scottish person how would an average American (if such a thing exists which I doubt) differentiate me from an English person?

I understand the whole English accent = snarky comic relief/villain thing but that is used so commonly in conjunction with "British" it leaves me curious.

Especially since I think Scotland has quite a strong and recognisable national identity for our size.

That's kinda weird because the Scots who migrated here tended to end up in the Blue Ridge Mountain area of Kentucky where they became stereotypical mountain men, distilling moonshine (if there's one thing a Scotsman knows how to do, it's making whiskey) and feuding between their clans (e.g., the "McCoys" in Hatfields versus McCoys). I don't think the Scottish ended up in large metropolitan areas in any significant numbers -- unlike the Irish in Boston and New York. Your typical American probably's never encountered anyone of Scottish descent. But he can differentiate between an Englishman and an Irishman. The Irishman's always the drunker of the two.

Englishman Irishman and a Scotsman walk into a pub... none of them leave for fear of looking weak in front of the others.

Thanks for that info, it does strike me as quite curious though especially given the number that moved across to the Ammericas during the clearances...

I would bet the majority of Ammericans/Canadians know about the Irish Potato famine but don't know about the Highland clearances.

Scottish kid comes home all out of breath and gushes, "Pa, you'll be proud of me. I ran all the way home behind the bus and saved you a dollar."

Scottish father slaps him in the head and says, "You stupid child! You could have run behind a taxi and saved me ten dollars."

*rimshot*

Why would a Scottish person be concerned with 'dollars'.

Surely he'd have saved him pounds.

Meh. Details. Who gives a fuck about the details? I mean other than you.

Oh. I dunno. Anyone who isn't American maybe?

SuccessandBiscuits, who claims to be Scottish, got the point and didn't get lost in the irrelevant details. But suit yourself, though.

 

[XandNobody]

It seems to me that Americans don't drink that much (compared to us) from what I've heard. How much are you likely to drink on a night out?

Personally I drink at least a bottle of wine myself before we head out then a few beers and mixers whilst out to keep me going. If it's just a trip to the pub it'll be 4-6 pints of ale. I think this is fairly normal consumption for a student in the UK.

Sounds about right to me, well, at least in my case. Granted, if I really get going sometimes it'll be more like 5-7 pints, but even then it's no big deal. Then again, this could be somewhat off of a measure, as most of the people around me don't tend to make it past like, 4 pints, rarely.

Yeah, when I get to six pints things get extremely sketchy if I'm honest.

I find it depends on the night, some nights I go out and after 3-4 pints I'm really feeling it, other nights I go out and drink utterly insane amounts* with only a fraction of the effect.

*Last time this happened was at a flat party I'm alleged to have drunk around 2.5l of cider 3 cans of lager and half a bottle of crabbies ginger wine. I felt slightly tipsy.

Yea, exactly the same here, most nights I'd prefer to stay around 4-5 pints myself. Mostly because it's not that off from the amount in a six-pack over here, except its lager, so it doesn't taste like piss. Have to love a good local bar.

 

[SuccessAndBiscuts]

what's the deal with the whole USA/Canada hatred thing? it's in a lot of shows but i don't know what the US ha against Canada. seems like a nice place

There are Canadians that hate the US too, I've always considered it like a political sports revelry, we make fun of each other a lot but theres only a few crazy jerks with true animosity.

I want to ask to UK, my grandmother went there and came back with a few menus of the places she ate, many of them had pidgin on it. How common pidgin in restaurants?

Well if you mean Pigeon it's not (at least anywhere I've ever been) because they are basically flying rats...

 

[Mad1Cow]

Here, I've got a question for all you American types. How many of you actually like Monty Python? I've come across many Brits that constantly start quoting sketches from it at me and it's formed a lot of random friendships for me, however I seem to notice that it doesn't seem as popular over there. My sources aren't exactly accurate per-say (I know about 5-7 Americans and 4 of them despise it) but it's still perplexing.

 

[JDKJ]

what's the deal with the whole USA/Canada hatred thing? it's in a lot of shows but i don't know what the US ha against Canada. seems like a nice place

There are Canadians that hate the US too, I've always considered it like a political sports revelry, we make fun of each other a lot but theres only a few crazy jerks with true animosit

I want to ask to UK, my grandmother went there and came back with a few menus of the places she ate, many of them had pidgin on it. How common pidgin in restaurants?

Well if you mean Pigeon it's not (at least anywhere I've ever been) because they are basically flying rats...

LOL because "pidgin" is a bastardized language.

Maybe you saw it as "squab," which is what it most commonly appears as on menus. And squab, when done well, ain't bad. Mr. Chow's (one of those foo-foo celebrity restaurants where you can't ever get a seat) does a great squab dish at a mere $40 a plate.

 

[megajon]

what's the deal with the whole USA/Canada hatred thing? it's in a lot of shows but i don't know what the US ha against Canada. seems like a nice place

There are Canadians that hate the US too, I've always considered it like a political sports revelry, we make fun of each other a lot but theres only a few crazy jerks with true animosity.

I want to ask to UK, my grandmother went there and came back with a few menus of the places she ate, many of them had pidgin on it. How common pidgin in restaurants?

Well if you mean Pigeon it's not (at least anywhere I've ever been) because they are basically flying rats...

i would beg to differ actually depending what part of country you go to and its not normal pigeons its wild pigeons from the country ones that don't come in contact with people much like wood pigeons and such they are common in resturants you won't find them catching the common pigeon the flying rat one.

 

[Jakub324]

The working class Sussex, Lancashire and Yorkshire accents are more commonly associated with stupidity. Cockney is more of a arguably intelligent East London Mafia type voice, I'd say.

 

[JDKJ]

SuccessandBiscuits, who claims to be Scottish, got the point and didn't get lost in the irrelevant details. But suit yourself, though.

Probably just couldn't be bothered contending the point with you because you'd argue till you're blue in the face that clouds are made of cotton candy if you'd said it accidentally earlier on.

Or maybe, and unlike you, he didn't see it as a point worth raising. Which, I suspect, is the same conclusion at which anyone with half a fucking brain would have also arrived.

 

[Harveypot]

What are grits? Seriously I hear about them all the time in games and stuff but have no idea. And can Americans tell the difference between different English accents? Cos the only American accents I can figure out are deep south and er... not deep south.

Also, I don't think I know anyone over the age of 10 who doesn't drink tea.

 

[BoredDragon]

Maybe I should start an American-Russian Q&A then...

you bastard

Why?
Was it your idea, comrade?

No, this is my thread and if you want to copy it you shall have to face me in mortal kombat