Though only a stone’s-throw away across the grand Atlantic, Europeans and Americans are as different as night and day. And being anywhere from 5 to 7 hours difference in time, they literally are, too. Back in the days of old when that rag-tag batch of ticked-off Englishmen decided to brave the snarling sea and make new their lives in America, we’ve held similarities close to our hearts. However, times force great changes and leaps in advancement force gaps in our likenesses and make them far more diverse and different. Gone are the days when the ‘New’ Americans would take tea time, instead, we, as Americans, stumbled upon the idea of lunch… similar, but still, quite different. Well, you get the idea. Here are ten (of many, as we all know) ways we, as Americans, are different from our jovial brethren across the pond: the Europeans.
10. Government
Our Governments could not be any more unalike if we purposely attempted to create them so. And, as it turns out, we (the US) kind of did. Not happy with the persecution the European Government was dishing out to specific religious groups, the original Pilgrims who ended up on American shores would eventually go on to pass down ideas for a new government in their new land – despite the fact that they persecuted people in equally (if not worse) ways than the nations they left behind. Here are the governmental differences spelled out as clearly as possible:
Europe: The European Parliament (Europarl or EP) is the directly elected parliamentary body of the European Union (EU). Together with the Council of the European Union (the Council), it forms the bicameral legislative branch of the Union’s institutions and has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world. The Parliament and Council form the highest legislative body within the Union. However their powers as such are limited to the competencies conferred upon the European Community by member states. Hence the institution has little control over policy areas held by the states and within the other two of the three pillars of the European Union. The Parliament is composed of 785 MEPs (Member of the European Parliament) who serve the second largest democratic electorate in the world (after India) and the largest trans-national democratic electorate in the world (492 million).
America: The federal government of the United States is the United States governmental body that carries out the roles assigned to the federation of individual states established by the Constitution. The federal government has three branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial. Through a system of separation of powers or “checks and balances,” each of these branches has some authority to act on its own, some authority to regulate the other two branches, and has some of its own authority, in turn, regulated by the other branches. In addition, the powers of the federal government as a whole are limited by the Constitution, which leaves a great deal of authority to the individual states. The federal government is based in the federal district of Washington, D.C. and is often referred to as “Washington”.
9. Television
While Americans enjoy a mind-numbingly huge array of television stations via satellite or cable, Europe (though able to acquire said choices) also has a slew of nationally funded channels that offer them different types of programming (and in the case of the BBC in Britain, free of advertising). Since about 2000, both continents offer roughly the same when it comes to cable, satellite, and the offers of broadband with phone service and TV. The BBC and ITV are due to launch Freesat, which, unlike Freesat from Sky, will be a free-to-air system similar to Freeview. Europe, of course, features comedies and dramas specifically catered to its core audience, such as Dr. Who and the original Office. We here in American television companies have been know to pilfer European (usually English) programming which then needs modification to make it more appealing to US viewers. In some cases these American spin offs have become more popular than the originals. Two in particular that spring to mind are The Office, and Three’s Company.
8. Meal Times and Etiquette
Europeans are more likely to be found eating as a family around the dinner table than many Americans who prefer the convenience of eating in front of the television. As a result, fast food chains are not as popular in placed like France and Italy as they are stateside. This, however, is not true of all nations in Europe, as the English (possibly through the influence of American television programming) are also beginning to lean toward the convenience of fast food (either ready made or ready-to-cook). Another striking difference is that in mainland Europe, supermarkets are far fewer in number than in America, as a large number of Europeans still buy their food daily from markets in their towns or city centers (again, this is probably no longer true of the United Kingdom). These markets are part of the appeal that Europe has for Americans traveling to Europe.
Trivia: In Europe, an entree is usually the first course of a meal (the same as an American appetizer). The main course is called “the main course”. American’s like to have a salad course, but this is almost never seen in Europe as salad (if it is being served) will usually be presented alongside the main course.
7. Shops
Shopping in the typical American city is a mater of walking around, going inside of whichever building one needs explore in order to locate goods and services, and purchasing. We have a plethora of the Big Box Stores like WAL-MART, Target, Meijer, and those similarly huge home-improvement shops like Lowe’s, Home Depot, and the like. We like what we need readily available at our finger tips and unfortunately this has contributed greatly to the end many of mom-and-pop stores. Grocery delivery is very common in England, while it is still only seen occasionally in the US. Europeans prefer the open-air shops with the amazing array of vastly different foods available in each specific location suited specifically to the item’s location. In Europe you will still see more high street shopping than malls, though this is beginning to change in some countries. The upside to this is that you get personal service, the downside is that if you get dreadful service, you have no one to complain to. It can take a lot more effort to find the items you need as you have to go to many shops instead of one.
6. Money
American currency is just about as basic as it comes: Bills for anything for a dollar and over (5,10,20,50 etc.), and coins for anything a quarter (25 cents) or less: dime (10), nickel (5), penny (1). For the most part and for the longest time our bills have been green with nothing more than age-old etched images of presidents and persons of historical significance, and some say hidden meanings dating back to the rise of the Free Masons and other government clubs. The member states of the European Union have adopted a universal currency called the Euro (with the exception of the British who are exempted from adopting the Euro). This can be incredibly convenient when on holiday, but the adoption of the Euro has caused some difficulties in nations where prices dramatically rose – such as Italy.
5. Language
America has one language for all – American English (though some might say that Spanish is creeping in) – Europe, on the other hand has more languages than nations. As a result, most Europeans will learn at least one other language in school (this is often compulsory in mainland Europe, but not the United Kingdom). English is spoken in most major cities and in the case of some people – like the Dutch, the English in Europe can be better than the English in England. Combined with the universal currency of Europe, this really does make holidaying easier.
4. Sports
To Americans, nothing kills a weekend more appropriately than sitting around with some good friends, nursing a few beers, and watching your favorite sports team beat the snot out of its opponent. We here in the U.S. have five major sports: Baseball, American Football, Basketball, Hockey, and Car Racing. Grabbing several bowls of artery-clogging goodies, staking out a spot in a favorite chair, and yelling at the television is what sports fans are all about. We love our sports so much we’ve delegated entire clothing lines to them. Now in Europe, the four main spectator sports are Football (soccer), Cricket, Rugby, and Tennis. And as we all know, your rabid attraction to your home teams rivals the beastly incorporation we have with our own. In fact, I have never seen anything even remotely close to the mass of infuriated spectators rising in unison to a bad call or a loss than European sports crowds. It’s just scary and has been known in the past to be deadly.
3. Cooking
American cooking, for all its variety and excitement, owes its very existence to everywhere else. Even our deep-seeded southern roots stemmed from French influence. If it can be successfully fried, we’ll happily do it. If it can be mass-produced and served with fried potatoes, we’ll joyfully do that, too. We love our steaks, our hamburgers, our hot dogs, our potato and tortilla chips, and our foods smothered in gravy. Europeans have a diverse cultural history in their food and this is still obvious in every nation. It would be wrong, however, to consider European food healthier overall – this is not necessarily the case and Europeans, knowing this, tend to eat smaller portions. Virtually every aspect of French cooking involves butter and cream. Of all the European nations, England is the one with the worst reputation for food – it is expensive and usually bad. This, however, is beginning to change as more English people take an interest in redefining old English favorites (such as steak-and-kidney pudding) for the new millennium.
2. Drinking
There is very little doubt that America’s favorite alcoholic beverage has got to be beer. We love to import, export, and support the local micro-brews of which there are literally thousands. In fact, I live smack in the middle of six, and the beers produced there are always readily available. We do have quite the active wine making community as well, generally on the west coast in California, though other states, such as Michigan where I live, produce wine as well. In my state, selling alcohol before 12 p.m. is not only taboo, but illegal. On Sundays you aren’t allowed to purchase after five p.m., and if it’s a holiday, none after 2 a.m the previous day or on the holiday at all. Now, in bars and pubs, you can purchase (as long as you are inside) until 2 a.m. Also, unless you want some serious trouble, you ought to be 21 to do so at all. Despite this high drinking-age, many kids start around 16 or 17. Europeans of course have beer, wine, and other alcohol, but most often just different variations on the common theme. In Europe the drinking age in each country varies too, but to be on the safe side, carry your ID if you drink or purchase alcoholic beverages. Some countries list two legal ages: one to buy beer and wine and another to buy stronger spirits such as vodka, while other countries allow younger people to drink while dining in the company of adults. It seems that the laws are similar as are the concerns for under-age drinking and especially drinking and driving. One major difference here, however, is that many European families give their children wine with dinner (often watered down) – there is much less a taboo associated with alcohol in Europe than America, which may be partly a side-effect of the prohibition movement.
1. Day to Day
While Americans and Europeans (excluding the British) drive on the same side of the road, there are still many different rules. The most obvious is the American rule allowing cars to turn on a red light. Most of the street signs use the same international symbols. In England, there are a variety of different crosswalks with different names: A puffin crossing has the lights on the same side as the pedestrian; a toucan crossing is a crossing for pedestrians and bicycles; a pegasus crossing allows horse-riders to cross as well. There are also tiger crossings (alternating yellow and black stripes) to allow cyclists to cross without dismounting, and of course, the zebra crossing. But wait – there’s more. There are also pelican crossings which are traffic light controlled.
Power sockets in the United Kingdom differ from the rest of Europe, and both are different from American (and Japanese) sockets. European plugs generally have two circular pins for inserting in to the socket (though there are variations in almost all of the nations in Europe), while British and Irish plugs have three thick rectangular pins. Also, European lights switch off in the opposite direction to American lights.
For those who missed it, Stew probably pressed the boundaries of good taste. And considering the amount and venom of the responses, it could be considered a success, actually. And, given what I know now, I'm a bit embarrassed to have taken it seriously.
Really, when you look at the number one subject on the list (which has since been changed to something far more sensical) it was obviously meant as a joke. Was it satire or more a reflection of the author's take on his own country's shortcomings? Up to the viewer, I guess.
nopunynerd: Perhaps, perhaps… I have been to both, but, considering my current track record for state and country comparisons, I think I'll steer clear of that potential blast radius.
re: Thank you. I do believe that sums it up. And, despite my chastising and verbal waylaying, at least you can all take part in reading my other, far superior and less pointless, lists. Sometimes humor is about as well placed as a exhaust backfire: it's messy and it stinks.
No need for apologies, as I know how difficult it really is to compile good lists.
Personally, I'm working on a few lists for the site, but I will be the first to admit that it is very VERY difficult to come up with something that is interesting and informative. Everything has been pretty much been taken, as you know.
For the most part it's a matter of cleaning up and/or improving the most basic of them and going on from there… or coming up with something really different which takes unusual creativity and imagination. And then there is the further matter of writing ability, which so few of us possess.
Jamie—–when you apply for a green card through marriage you need to prove that your marriage is real. This includes joint bank account, joint tax return documents, the same address, photographs of your life together, such as wedding,(though not nesesary) on holiday, at home ect.. If you have a very good friend to help you do this you can pull it off. I have seen it done many times. The most nerve raking step of the process is when you go in for an interview with one of their government workers, you need to look in love, because they are the ones who make the decision, whether to grant you a card or not.
lola: wow – that is a lot of effort!
for the most of it, this list is bull*****.
you compare Europe and USA like Europe is a country, but you seem to know that it isn't. for example the !st difference: government of the EU does not rule Europe as a country, and governments of individual countries in Europe ARE dividied in judicial, legislative and executive. Reading the first difference, being crap, I say that everything else in this list, but the last paragraph is also crap.
this doesnt mean I dont enjoy the rest of your site.
dangorironhide:
I agree 100%, though to be fair we must remember it was a different world then, and Americans at the time found it far more loathsome than they do today, to get involved in the affairs of foreign nations—except for our little neighbors to the South, of course, whom we were all too willing to invade and otherwise push around as it suited us.
el dude:
Really, you should think about the van.
wow, i can't believe nobody did this yet…
Vincent Vega: [Y]ou know what the funniest thing about Europe is?
Jules Winnfield: What?
Vincent Vega: It's the little differences. I mean they got the same ***** over there that they got here, but it's just, just there it's a little different.
Jules Winnfield: Example.
Vincent Vega: Alright, well you can walk into a movie theater and buy a beer. And, I don't mean just like a paper cup, I'm talking about a glass of beer. And, in Paris, you can buy a beer in McDonald's. You know what they call a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Paris?
Jules Winnfield: They don't call it a Quarter Pounder with Cheese?
Vincent Vega: No, man, they got the metric system, they don't know what the ***** a Quarter Pounder is.
Jules Winnfield: What do they call it?
Vincent Vega: They call it a Royal with Cheese.
Jules Winnfield: Royal with Cheese.
Vincent Vega: That's right.
Jules Winnfield: What do they call a Big Mac?
Vincent Vega: Big Mac's a Big Mac, but they call it Le Big Mac.
Jules Winnfield: Le Big Mac. What do they call a Whopper?
Vincent Vega: I don't know. I didn't go into Burger King. You know what they put on French fries in Holland instead of ketchup?
Jules Winnfield: What?
Vincent Vega: Mayonnaise.
Jules Winnfield: Goddamn.
Vincent Vega: I've seen 'em do it, man. They *****ing drown 'em in that *****.
i just had to get that off my chest.
JFray, is there a way to see the original list. i was so confused as to why everyone was so upset. then, after reading 81 comments, i saw that the list had been changed.
i promise i won't get mad stewie!!
Mmmmm, I love mayonnaise on my chips
Mayonnaise is one big thing for me that KFC has over Macdonalds
Well, reading through all these comments I'll just say one thing: EVERY region in the world has it's pros and cons, it's charms, and it's bad sides. But at the end of the day it all depends on the individual him/herself as to how they perceive these…
I call Vancouver (BC, Canada) my HOME, and I just LOVE it, there is no other way to put it!!!
–It does have a lot of rain, granted, but many have still named it the number 1 city to lie in, in the word 
I haven't lived here my whole life though. I was born in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where I spent my childhood, and I loved it there. The country is amazing. The people even more so. When I go there to visit family and old friends I'm always amazed as to how friendly and happy all the people are, even after all what they've been through during the Serbian aggression.
Also, I lived in Croatia for some time, and I loved it there too… The people are awesome and the culture too. The nature, the sea, countless islands…
I've traveled throughout the Europe, and EVERYWHERE I've been to I enjoyed the people, the culture, and the settings they live in. (I love history, so I may actually move back to Europe sometime, for that reason alone. There is tons to see. Although I love Vancouver, I miss that aspect of things… For instance, Vancouver is just about 150 years old).
On this side of the globe I've been to a number of cities in the states (mostly west coast), and again I must say the people are VERY friendly, open, and easy going.
Different people, cultures, cuisines, languages, countries, etc. are here for us to explore.
Wouldn't it be boring if everything, everywhere were the same.
Carpe diem.
Main difference….
Europe is a Continent.
America is a Country.
Most of the differences make alot of sense now huh?
As an ex-New Yorker, I would love to see a top 10 differences between NYC and WY.
On a similar vein, for a good read, look at this –>http://members.aol.com/david10567/journal.htm
It's the journal of a Texan's experience of moving to New York. Quite entertaining and insightful.
Cheers,
Shaun
Here in South Africa, we lean more to the Europeans, though I'd say more British, Dutch and French.
I guess that will derive from Colonial times, since the Europeans were basically the "founders" and colonisers of many of the Southern African countries. Basic stuff like driving on the left hand side of the road, we got from the British.
shaun: really enjoyed David Bell's journal … thanks for the link. I recently moved back to Houston after being away for years. Top 10 Differences Between NYC and WY sounds great.
Penny
Bonnie: "I love America fiercely. We save our lands, we protect our forests and wilderness, we battle oil spills and regulate our industry so we don’t hurt our wild life."
LOL! That's because you invade and ruin everybody else's lands, cut down their trees, steal their oil and and regulate your industry by putting their children to work to make shoes!!! God bless America hey…
Europeans are the stupidest people on earth !!!
That's because you invade and ruin everybody else's lands ? Your Thinking of Europe
Jay what country do you live in?
UK originally but I emigrated several years ago.
The list is far too focused on the UK, which is not really seen (especially culturally) as a part of Europe. Some corrections here from Germany, which is a far more typical European country.
10. Government: Quite right as it is written.
9. Television: You have a lot of TV options in Germany, either digital or *****og; terrestrial, cable or satellite. You get a few hundred channels, if you like, via digital satellite.
There are two nationally funded channels (ARD and ZDF) and two dozen or so regional (on the state level) “third programs” like WDR and NDR. All of them are advertising-free. The commercial channels are usually in the hand of a few media empires and full of crazy reality shows no sane human (even including Americans) would watch.
8. Meal times and etiquette: I live in a major urban agglomeration, and no supermarket is more than five minutes by foot away. Huge malls/shopping centers are not that common as in the US (2 in my city of 400000), but there is usually at least one hypermarket in every city district or smaller town.
7. Shops: Open air markets and mom-and-pop stores? Maybe in rural Romania. Where I live, you go to the supermarket or one of the large specialty stores because there are not many other options.
6. Money: Prices also increased in Germany when the Euro was introduced in 2001 because the retailers saw the opportunity to round up by a few cents. But competition between the retailer chains removed that effect quite soon.
5. Language: Germans and Scandinavians are probably the best non-native English speakers. But in France and southern Europe, you will have a VERY hard time trying to communicate in English, as I know from experience.
4. Sports: Cricket? Rugby? Is that something you can eat? Germany and most other European countries are all about soccer, soccer and soccer. Maybe sometimes Tennis, if there is nothing better on TV.
3. Cooking: Whether European food is healthier or not healthier than American food is arguable, but Americans apparently eat more strongly preprocessed fast food. Where I live, there is a very diverse and international fast food and snack culture. Most of it definitely has more vitamins than Big Mac & Co., because it visibly contains uncooked vegetables.
2. Drinking: Poor Americans. Germany is not especially liberal with drinking age for European standards, but it still means you can drink in the public with 16 and consume the stronger booze with 18.
The funny thing is: Because Germany is so liberal with drinking in public places, you actually DON’T SEE many drunk people on the street, which on the other hand is a major problem in the UK.
1. Day to day: Ok, the intersection stuff makes me finally think the Brits are some really crazy folks
German intersections have four-stage traffic lights (red, red+yellow, green, yellow) and when there are none, there are stop/yield/right of way signs. Without signs, there is a right-before-left rule, e.g. you have to give right of way to everyone right of you.
You can only turn right at a red light if there is that small green arrow sign next to it, and only after you have stopped and ensured it is possible without endangering someone.
Shawna –
"Main difference….
Europe is a Continent.
America is a Country.
Most of the differences make alot of sense now huh?"
No, no, no.
America is not a country, but a region comprising of two continents and in the list's case, Northern America .
The United States OF America is a country.
Nice try.
Nice Try jackass but we Americans are American so go marry your sister ok mate
D Holmes –
Aren't you nitpicking a bit? It was understood that by saying America, she was refering to the United States of America. Most Amerians just say "america" when refering to our country, maybe it was just lost in translation?
edited for a typo!
Jay, every country exploits countries less powerful than itself, I'm not saying its right, but it happens. You say you are from the UK? The UK is the origional SUPER-empire and most african and asian coutries are still *****ed up due to colonization by English and European nations.
I remember hearing a corny saying when I was little – "Everytime you point a finger, there are three pointing right back at you."
Cheers!
I'm not disagreeing with you. I was merely pointing out how ridiculous the statement from Bonnie was. And it's slightly Ironic that Americans feel so proud of their country and swear allegiance to their flag, when the only other people to do the same are from the places the USA are at odds with, like N. Korea, Iran, Iraq etc. But I guess that irony is lost on most Americans..
Not having a go at Americans, just making a point. You won't find too many Europeans making statements like that about their home country. Most have an inherent cynicism and mistrust of their Govt.
That's probably the biggest difference.
Oh, and BTW, although the British Empire was certainly not saintly, it didn't just rape the counties for local resources. Most of the countries it took over it left better off. It gave many countries education, sanitation, infrastructure, medicine, stable government… the list goes on.
It was motivated by the greed and want for local resources, granted, but it wasn't all bad. Look at Australia, India, Hong Kong, and let's not forget the good old USA… If there's one thing the Brits know how to do it's run an occupied country! Lol
Man inbred people are *****ing stupid you Europeans murdered and raped every people you invaded
The USA has its own god examples as well. Just take a look at Singapore. Puerto Rico? How about post WWII Japan, the US did alot to bring them back on their feet, and it shows with the good relations we still have with them today. I dont think there is any one horrible country in the world. Only horrible leader.
I agree with you in that the US gov has a bad rep for real and some good reasons. The US might be no holds barred when it comes to dealing with other countries, but it protects the basic rights of those living under her. Presidents will come and go, but life for americans really wont change much due to the way our system of gov works. As long as this system stays in place I'll always be a loyal American.
Take Bush for instance, the last 4 years my life and the lives of my friends and family has improved, even though Bush is a dimwit. The system of checks and balances ensures that one man(even our own leader) will not be able to drastically change our way of life.
I think that all nations will, to some degree, have the same successes and failures due a common trait shared by all. We are all human. All humans ***** up, its inevitable.
I'm a bit tipsy right now, sorry if I'm all over the place
"Well, useless, maybe it just confirms that Europeans are also superior to Americans in writing."
I'm British, genius. It was the descriptions of Europe I found offensive.
Randall: Your claim Europe would have been doomed if the USA hadn't stopped Russia? An outrageous, exaggerated claim that is purely speculative. It was pushed by the USA at the time in order to give the Govt. carte blanche on carrying out it's foreign policy pertaining to it's anti-communist ideals.
Secondly America was selling arms and supplies to the Allies way before they joined the war, choosing to profit from the Nazi onslaught before being forced into the war by Pearl Harbor in 1941. Hardly something to be proud of.
Also the Russian casualties in WW2 fighting the Nazis were more than all other allied casualties combined. Giving sole credit to the USA for saving the world from being "sunk in a barbaric nightmare of totalitarian horror" is a little over the top, if not patronising and frankly disrespectful to those that sacrificed themselves from day one. Not to mention the "dangerous" state of the world today, due largely, again, to American foreign policy. America carries much of the blame for the anti-western feeling among the Muslin nations, so claiming the USA is making the world a safer place is quite bizarre.
And people "***** about American imperial pretensions" because the rest of the world has learnt from long gone empires and their mistakes, it's just America that sees it necessary to invade countries that have never posed a threat to them.. Altruism you say? I think US foreign policy is the absolute antithesis of altruism. You couldn't be more wrong.
But hey, that's just my opinion.
And don't get me wrong – I know I sound like I'm just having a go at Americans but I'm not. I like America, have many American Friends. It just upsets me when the US tries to re-write history and ignore the more unattractive aspects of past and present governments.
"Secondly America was selling arms and supplies to the Allies way before they joined the war, choosing to profit from the Nazi onslaught before being forced into the war by Pearl Harbor in 1941. Hardly something to be proud of."
Whoa whoa whoa, there was no need for us to be involved in WW2 until Pearl Harbor, USA tried to keep our nose clean, isn't that what the rest of the world wishes we would do now? No one allied nation is resposible for "winning the war" but it could be argued that America entering the war tipped the scales in favor of the allies.
Also, during the Amerian civil war (more american casualties than all other wars combined) the UK and FRANCE did nothing but profit from the war, while refusing to take sides. They refused to takes sides until it was clear that one side would be able to win on its own. In other words, they only wanted to step in at the last minute, when the smoke was clearing, and try to gain a new foothold on American soil.
And for christs *****ing sake, Jay. America has done NOTHING that the core European (UK icluded) nations have not done. The only difference is that we did them AFTER. The reason for that is because we just got a LATE START.
The USA has tons of idiots within its borders, unfortunately they are usually the most outspoken individuals. Most of these idiots think that the USA can do nothing wrong and mouth off like they actually know something. Ignore these people, you seem like an intelligent person, Jay, so just ignore the idiots. Say what you need to say, but realize that America has dont nothing that Europe hasnt done, you guys just got a head start.
I pretty much agree with you sdggrant. The only thing I would say different is that the USA did these things, and continues to do, AFTER everyone else as you say, with the benefit of the history books, which is pretty bad in this modern age.
But you are right, every country on the planet has blood on it's hands, there is no denying that. I agree completely. I am indeed guilty of getting angry due to the louder ignorants out there..
I was basically replying to the post from Randall as it got under my skin. Will commence with ignoring post haste.
I am a New York expat living in London and I love America too; if by "America" you are talking about everything East of the Hudson and West of San Francisco Bay.
sdggrant: You are right – "America" means the USA; if people mean North or South America, they say that, or both, "The Americas". Of course, if you're from Texas, it's "Amurka".
Re: WWII – America actually stayed out of the war because of a strong isolationist mentality prevailing amongst the population of the time. Roosevelt actually thought America should go to war, but knew there was no way the public would support it (hence all the conspiracy theories that he 'let' Pearl Harbor happen, akin to those that Bush 'let' 9/11 happen…).
Truth is, until Europe was decimated by WWII, America was a pretty inconsequential country, almost a backwater on the edge of the world – I think most people just wanted to stay safely on their comfortable, spacious continent and let the world get on with its own affairs.
As I said, I am from New York (I don't lay claim to any part of North America off the island of Manhattan), and I have great misgivings about America and its current policies. However, I do find it a bit frustrating that America is demonised for its heavy hand, but conversely is expected to step in whenever there is trouble. Unfortunately, you can't have it both ways. I think, on balance, it's much better America's no longer isolationist, and I hope the recent mistakes are just blips and not a foreshadow of a consistent new American Way.
shaunism.."Of course, if you’re from Texas, it’s “Amurka”."
hey, not all Texans talk like that.
i don't.
Cyn: Thanks for taking my light-hearted fun the way it was meant to; after I posted that I read more of the posts and realised I could've opened up another flame war. Whoops!
You know, I was just thinking about how everywhere has its points to be proud of and its points to laugh about, and how they each attract different sorts. My friend David said very wisely about New York "Your family and friends from back home will hate New York for all the reasons you love it." I think that is a brilliant insight and can be said about most everywhere.
that is an excellent insight.
If a flame war broke out I was going to ask "Can't we all just get along?"
Cricket as a popular sport in Europe ?
I think most Europeans (outside the UK) have never even heard of it (and certainly don't know the rules).
I believe cycling is another major sport in Europe (at least in Belgium, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, …).
It can't beat football ofcourse (or soccer as "USA-tians" call it).
"… and in the case of some people – like the Dutch, the English in Europe can be better than the English in England."
WTF ?
So why are we comparing a Continent with a Country … ??? …
damn americans with your superiority complex … absolutely no mention of Canada … or Mexico for that matter ..
Winton Churchill: "You can always count on Americans to do the right thing—after they’ve tried everything else."
Useless:
If it was Churchill, then someone else was quoting *him,* and paraphrasing. I distinctly remember it was someone in foreign service who said it.
Thanks though.
Jay:
Come off it. Who’s “rewriting history” here?
Your posting was so full of addle-brained statements, I don’t know where to begin. You clearly don’t know the history of the country of your birth, let alone the US.
First of all, you say, the UK “…was pushed by the USA at the time in order to give the Govt. carte blanche on carrying out it’s foreign policy pertaining to it’s anti-communist ideals.”
What have you been smoking? The government of the UK–even under Labour–has, if anything, been even more staunchily anti-Soviet than the US. Certainly Britain had reason to be; the UK was a clear target of Soviet espionage since well before WWII. There were a lot of fellow-travellers and other Russian-communist sympathizers in the UK before the war, particularly in the intellectual classes, and many of them made no bones about their allegiance being to Moscow, not Whitehall. The government was aware of this and knew the threat posed. While certainly, sure, a few artists and writers and other free-thinkers did no harm, it was well aware that there were a few serious militants in the crowd who would be only too glad to bring even violent revolution to Britain if they could. Mind you–I’m not defending the ruling classes of the UK, of the day—they were, if anything, close-minded know-nothings who were more interested in maintaining a rigid status quo… but my point is, the British government has long felt threatened by Stalin’s obvious attempts at exporting communist revolution. (And let’s not pretend, as you seem to be, that Stalin didn’t do this. Comintern was a very real thing and it’s purpose was to sow the seeds of revolution wherever and whenever it could). Moreover, it’s well known that Britain was a favorite target of Stalin’s… he deeply distrusted the British and saw them as one of the primary threats to his foreign policy prior to the war; second only to Germany. And it’s long been known that about the only people in Europe that the Soviets had more rancor for than the Brits were the Swedes.
So the idea that the US “pushed” the UK to agree with US foreign policy after the war is absolutely laughable. Your statement smacks of someone who’s bought some old, antiquated leftist propaganda hook, line, and sinker.
And at that, let me stop and say, you’re not dealing with some Right Wing, jingoistic, flag-waving American here. I do, in fact, write more or less from the Left, and am by no means some blind supporter of my country or its foreign policies. (Let alone some of its domestic ones). But I care passionately about historical truth—and the stuff you’ve dished out is as far from historical truth as people sometimes get.
Getting back to it—what the hell does your statement have to do with the reality of post-war Europe anyway? There is simply no possible way Britain could have been victorious against Germany on its own—it would have been forced into alliance with Russia as it was, in fact—and assuming there *was no* United States–what do you suppose would have happened once the USSR had defeated Germany? Britain never could have managed a cross-channel invasion of France without American manpower and supplies… so clearly the USSR would have swept across Europe all the way to the Atlantic. What Stalin’s move would have been then is anybody’s guess–surely he wouldn’t have invaded Britain, but equally surely he wouldn’t have simply brought his troops home to play nice. It would have meant either the outright occupation of all of Western Europe or the setting up of puppet governments in the countries of Europe that had once been free allies of Britain. If you think Britain could have survived long and remained free in such a world, minus the US, and without being forced to eventually rely on Soviet “friendship,” then I’ve got a nice bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. And indeed, “Jay,” that would have been the conclusion of our Western Civilization as we know it. If you don’t want to accept this simple fact, I can’t help your glaring ignorance.
I never excused American behavior prior to WWII. Indeed, I’ve long thought it reprehensible that we didn’t step into the fray sooner—but playing hindsight games is also highly disingenuous. The US had a tradition at that time of deep distrust for the European powers, Britain included, and a distaste for getting involved in European “messes.” I don’t excuse it–in fact I find it an example of our then-childishness in terms of our responsibility to the world–but it IS understandable, given our history.
As for the Russian contribution to defeating the Nazis, you’ve either entirely misunderstood me (which I doubt) or again, you’re simply steamrolling over my statements in order to blurt out more nonsense. In point of fact I acknowledge the terrible price the Russian people paid in WWII and the great contribution they made in crushing Germany, and it’s likely that even without the US, Russia could have done this. (But let’s not forget that American Lend-Lease DID make possible a lot of the recovery that Russia experienced, despite deep and serious losses to the Nazis in terms of materiel, factories, and manpower… though I know perfectly well that even without this, Russia almost certainly would have defeated Germany in the end–though it would have taken longer, and been bloodier). But the point was not whether Russia could have defeated Germany—but that Germany was NOT the only threat to Western Civilization. Stalinist Russia was ALSO a threat, and a real one–and a Russian solitary victory in WWII, would not have been a good thing for the West and its tradition of freedom.
And I’ll caution you about lecturing me on the sacrifices made in that war, “Jay.” I don’t know what your family did in the war, but six of the male members of my family at the time were *in combat,* including my father—not simply in uniform, mind you–not in the rear echelons operating radios or fixing trucks in motor pools or sitting behind desks–they were *in combat.* So don’t high horse me, sir.
As for the dangerous state of the world today being the fault of US foreign policy—good lord, if that’s not an overstatement I don’t know what is. I’ll be the first to grant you that American foreign policy in the postwar world hasn’t always been operating on full brainpower, and it’s certainly been shortsighted at times–but to blame Arab insanity on American foreign policy alone or even mostly is making an outright lie out of a small truth. And it’s deeply unseemly for a *Brit* even more so to make such statements–it’s the stupid and haphazard dividing up of the Middle East into artificial-boundaries by Britain and France that has helped fuel the unending mess there, and Britain and France were only too happy to keep on contributing to the flames right up until the Suez Crisis–so get off of it.
For whatever reason of their own, the Arabs all over the Middle East have chosen to turn backwards away from their historical intellectual traditions to a more rigid and fundamentalist interpretation of Islam, and worse, to take on a deep and intransigent sense of victimization. Why, I don’t know—perhaps it has something to do with ALL of us in the West treating them shabbily—but certainly not the US alone. We are simply the lates in a long line of Western powers that they’ve had it in for. Frankly I find their victim-game tired and sickening. Is America partly to blame for it? Maybe… but the Arabs the Middle-East over, no matter what their country, are also to blame if they turn away from sanity to totalitarian madness–which they have been doing since WWII ended, and without American encouragement.
“…America that sees it necessary to invade countries that have never posed a threat to them..”
Another piece of propandagandistic bull*****. Yes, again, I grant you—America has many times done this–many times in South America, for example… but so have many other Western powers, pal. Moreover, to characterize American foreign policy since WWII as mere “empire building,” and the “invading of countries that pose no threat to the US”—is just ridiculous cant. American foreign policy, right or wrong, since WWII, centered around opposing Soviet expansion and domination, and protecting American interests. Do I defend everything the US did in that time? Of course not. I’ll be the first to admit many of the shameful and stupid things done. But to pretend Britain or any other Western power would have done differently is puke-makingly sanctimonious.
“I think US foreign policy is the absolute antithesis of altruism.”
Again, “Jay,” I’m not about to defend everything the US has done—but another gross overstatement, once again, from you. Tell what I just quoted from you to Latin American, African and Asian countries to whom America gave billions in aid to over the years–tell it to those who benefited from American aid for food, infrastructure, and other essentials–more money than any other country has ever given in history. Tell it those who benefited from staunch US opposition to the spread of totalitarianism—to those who flocked here as refugees from oppression over the decades.
And yes, I know there’s many instances where the US also acted in its own interests, kept dictators in power or put them in power, and made a mess of things the world over. But we’ve tried to do good where we can, and I would argue more than any other country has done. In any case, to state that our foreign policy is exactly the opposite of altruism is a disgusting and shameful bit of childish cant. Good and bad, we’ve done it—but you paint the US as a monster that’s done the world only harm, and that’s just outrageous.
You know, “Jay,” it was a BRITISH foreign service expert who once said, “America makes a lot of mistakes at the start, but we can trust them in the end to almost always do the right thing.”
Randall: "And I’ll caution you about lecturing me on the sacrifices made in that war, “Jay.”….don’t high horse me, sir."
Wow Randall, thanks for the caution, I'll be sure to watch what I type in the future.
From the small faeces, sorry, thesis, that you just wrote I assume I touched a nerve. Get over it. I thought the US was pro freedom of speech? And it isn't me who is the one lecturing in a pompous and patronising tone. I'm not the one who needs to climb down from his horse here…
Anyway, I'm taking sdggrant's advice and just going to walk away from this one. Congratulations, you bored me to defeat with borrowed kudos from your family's contribution to the War and an unfaltering sense that you couldn't ever possibly be wrong.
Jay:
Good for you, you realized I'm never wrong.
You can call it "boredom" and toss adolescent insults my way, but what's clear is, you have no intellectual response to what I said.
Grow up, pal.
And yup, there sure is freedom of speech in the US… yup, you betchya. But informed opinions are better than moronic knee-jerk ones that have no logic or facts to support them.
Nice to see that Denmark isn't mentioned in the alcohol section. Heh.
Oohhh… I almost forgot. Patriotism depicted as blind fanatacism through the media(I think I am unlucky to bump into all of those clips on youtube) vs. torching cars and riots because of government screw-ups might be worth mentioning.
No bones to pick, just saying…
Randall: If I was out of work and with nothing better to do I may have replied to your small novel. Fortunately I do have better things to do.
I like America as a country and it's people, but One question Randall: Why is America the most despised country worldwide?
Because of it's foreign policy. Plain and simple. The American citizens are not to blame, but it's people like you saying "we're not the only ones who have done it.." just serves to upset people even more.
For someone who purports to having a strong sense of history and facts, your logic is seriously unsound.
Jay:
“If I was out of work and with nothing better to do I may have replied to your small novel. Fortunately I do have better things to do.”
That’s a transparent excuse. If you had anything with which to dispute my points, you would have used it.
Yes, it was a long post. Sometimes the truth takes longer than ridiculous lies, distortions, and cant. Particularly when truth has to refute such things.
Now, since you have no argument with which to challenge me, you bring up America’s current unpopularity in the world, as though I had ever denied that this was the case, and act as if you’re making some kind of “point”.
A) I never said America has done the right thing all the time. YOU were ranting about how terrible it has acted, going way overboard with outright untruths, distortions, and cant (as noted above). *I* was challenging your overblown statements—I was NOT challenging and do NOT challenge America’s most-hated-nation status in the world right now.
B) the reason people are upset “even more” by statements such as “we’re not the only ones who have done it…” is because many of them are from countries THAT HAVE DONE THE SAME THINGS and even did WORSE. And no one likes to have to face their own dark secrets and skeletons. As I noted, I find it particularly odious when Brits and former Brits, such as yourself, take this stand. Brits sometimes like to pat themselves on the back because, as imperialistic colonizers, they treated their subjects a tad better than the French and the Spanish and Germans and the Dutch. Yippee. You were “kindlier taskmasters.” The hypocrisy sickens me. Now, in point of fact, I even agree with the sentiment a bit–it’s true, Britain left behind, for the most part, colonies in better shape than the French left, for instance. But it doesn’t change the fact that the British Empire, *like all empires,* was built on exploitation, injustice, lies and rapaciousness.
I don’t mind Brits or anyone else in the world coming after us, as Americans, for our mistakes and misbehaviors. But DON’T give it to me with the over-the-top moralizing cant that you used in your original posting. Realize that YOU, Jay, as a Brit, come from a LONG line of people yourself—who, yes, did good things, but also did TERRIBLE things… so stop and remember that before you dictate morals to me, as an American. I don’t mind if you do it, and you have every right—but have enough class, intelligence, and bravery to do it with an even hand—show some intellectual honesty and a command of the truth—rather than spewing propagandistic nonsense to me.
I’m ashamed of many things my country has done, and I’m ashamed of and detest George Bush and his cohorts and supporters. But this does not then make it okay to throw the truth totally out the window and talk like a jackass, as you have done.
Another difference between Europe and America:
- Europeans can buy adult toys like vibrators in vending machines in pubs and even hair salons. Don't believe it? Check this out:http://www.tabooboo.com/vendingmachines.html
- Americans in some states aren't even allowed to own a vibrator. They are forced to shop in privacy online.http://www.theadulttoyshoppe.com
Complete opposites!
el duderino – I agree with almost all that you have said
Nicely done.
Jamye,
here in the USA you can never tell when a woman has used a vibrator. In Europe they're much more open about it, which probably explains all the women walking around with chipped teeth.
el duderino: hahah
-J- You really don’t want to waste your irreplaceable youth in a loveless marriage just to get a green card. My best friend is from Germany, Her American husband quit work a month after the wedding and lives off of her pay. He spends most of his hours trolling the web for desperate women. She will not/ can not divorce him now she only has 1 year left before she is granted duel citizenship. I would start if you want to check out the USA by getting a student visa and maybe see that we aren’t all that different we are all just trying to have our needs met
Randall: As always very entertaining.
Unlike most Americans I like Europe. In fact I’ve been to several different European countries and to help my fellow Americans understand our friends across the pond let’s dispel some myths and set some stories straight.
Europeans don’t bathe. True in some places, i.e. most of Europe, but not always true. The smell could just be the goat’s ass they ate for lunch. Scandinavians bathe all the time, what else are they going to do? The English for some reason are nuts about bathing their feet. Why I don’t know.
Europeans have a different word for everything. False. If it was invented in the last 120 years or is useful to any hominid that walks on two legs, the word will usually be the same as ours. They may say it all funny – but they just do that to be difficult. Think of Inspector Clouseau asking to use a “phoenne”.
They have a proud heritage and ancient traditions. True and false, depends. In Greece they are very proud of Periclean Athens but are ashamed to have been ruled by the Turk for almost 400 years, which represents the last time they had an effective government. In truth by now most Greek culture is Turkish, but don’t point that out to them it *****es them of like you wouldn’t believe. In France everyone you talk to had parents or grandparents who were in the “resistance”. I think the only thing the French ever resisted was hygiene and political restraint. Most collaborated with the Nazis so feverently their lips still conform to Nazi rectums. Vichy bastards. Make no mistake the only Europeans who were on the right side during WWII were the Brits, Poles and sometime the Italians when they tried to “help” the Germans. Having the Italian Army on your side during a shooting war is like seeing Hillary Clinton naked – it’s not often done and for good reason.
British food is horrible. Not true. You can find good East Indian food almost everywhere in Britain. Actual British food for the most part can not be eaten unless there is a money wager involved. Yorkshire Pudding is NOT pudding but Blood Sausage is exactly that – you have been warned. With that said there are more Five Star restaurants in London than Paris if eating pancreas and God knows what else is your thing. The Brits are among the best foreigners you will meet mostly because they speak English and because they are polite, maybe too polite judging by recent events. British Policeman, aka Bobbies look harmless enough because they don’t carry guns but don’t screw with them. I think there is a lot of paperwork herein the U.S. if a cop shoots somebody but the Bobbies don’t have to fill out ***** if they pound the crap out of you with their billy clubs. Ask yourself this question; who were we limiting with our Bill of Rights? If you see Tinkers in Britain or Ireland stay away from them, they’re no damn good. The same is true of Albanians in Greece, Gypsies in Eastern Europe, and Arabs in France.
The British have bad teeth. True. But so do the Irish and everyone in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Germans have nice teeth but they rarely smile and when they do you should be very concerned particularly if you are Jewish, Catholic, Roma, a trade unionist or gay. I’ve come to believe that tea-drinking cultures have really bad teeth.
The women in Spain are the best looking in Europe. True. Look at them while you can because their Salafi – Wahhabi masters will have them all wearing burkas before too long. There was a time when less then a hundred Spanish soldiers conquered one of the largest and most blood thirsty and repressive empires in human history.
The only thing on time in Spain are the BullFights. True. Be sure to drag that annoying PETA friend with you to the Corrida. Tell him/her that you saw the bull before in the countryside, sitting peacefully under a tree and he was crying. Give the bull a name too, something endearing. You might mention that the Matador beats his wife and kids too, just to see if you can goad the PETArd into intervening on behalf of the bull. I can tell you there are few things as amusing as watching 3000 drunken Spaniards beating the dog ***** out of some English speaking PETArd. Oddly enough there is profound religious and cultural symbolism and prehistoric precedent in bullfighting, so the Spanish have little tolerance for the “Morrisey Meat is Murder” crowd.
Clues: I will just enter the lottery like everyone else
It would certainly make it easier for me to keep up with the comments on the site if I was in the US.
el duderino: theres actually waaaay too much paperwork to do with the police these days in the UK. It's something they're trying to cut down on so they can get more police on the streets.
Apart from that, pretty accurate!
I especially loved your 'PETArded'. I dont think I've ever seen a better way to describe them!
Speaking of Petarded – I was doing some Christmas shopping last week at Harrods and there was a huge anti-fur protest – you could tell by the way that they were all dressed that none had jobs and were probably just protesting for something to do.
jfrater: hahaha that sounds like PETA all right! They should try creating a list website instead
Hmm…I suggest moving to Ohio. They seem to like me well enough here, bad teeth and all! But let's face it: there are nice Americans and mean Americans, just like their are nice Europeans and mean Europeans. It's the same everywhere, and as a person who grew up in the UK and moved to the States, I love both of my homes equally, and for different reasons.
The "u" thing bothers me, though. I don't know why Americans hate the "u" so much!
kittym: Ohio is a wonderful place, trust me I know. We have such a variety it is hard not to like.
No offense but I find the American accent slightly annoying at times, and is it just me, or do they also talk louder?
I love English and Scottish accents, I think they sound wonderful!
I'm from New Zealand which was first discovered by the British etc etc (Like South Africa which someone posted about above me) so we have more similarities to Britain than the US, e.g. driving on the left side of the road, etc.
Someone also mentioned the rivalry between New Zealand and Australia. That would make a good list, but the two countries are actually very similar in a lot of ways, although at times we refuse to acknowledge that. Its usually things such as the accent difference that separate us. (A popular example is, Aussies say 'FEESH and CHEPS' instead of just Fish and Chips how us Kiwis say it. They think we say 'FOSH and CHOPS' which they are greatly mistaken in!
Anyway I'll finish waffling on about something not really related to this list….
Justine: When you visit America the American accent is not grating – I think it just appears loud because New Zealanders are softly spoken and Americans are more assertive in their speech. The English find the same thing because they are softly spoken as well.