What do American tourists do that offend people in Britain?

[raisindot]

I can't think of a one of them (British people) who wasn't charming, funny, and cultured.

Gosh! J-I*b.
I never knew you cared so much. [/quote]

You're right. There's always an exception.

J-I-B

 

[DaveC]

I love How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory, and to an extent, Two and a Half Men, and because I find them edegier than currnet similar British stcoms.

Wow...talk about your cultural divide. Here those shows are considered to be rather pedestrian and middle of the road compared to, as you said, edgier shows like Arrested Development and (when at their best) 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, The Office and some of the more 'adult' comedy shows like Californication, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Weeds.

Over here, sitcoms are either bland, like My Family or Green Green Grass or really edgy like Psychoville or Being Human both mixed with horror.

 

[Bouncy Castle]

A friend of mine has a son working in Korea, teaching English to five and six year olds (or thereabouts).

He tells tales of the Americans working over there as incredibly rude.

They slag off the country, the people (treating the Koreans they work with as third class citizens - "why is he/she sitting with us?" when they all go out for a meal, the culture, and he often finds himself wondering why the took a job outside the US in the first place.

He loves the place to bits, and has just taken a new job at a university.

 

[raisindot]

A friend of mine has a son working in Korea, teaching English to five and six year olds (or thereabouts).

He tells tales of the Americans working over there as incredibly rude.

They slag off the country, the people (treating the Koreans they work with as third class citizens - "why is he/she sitting with us?" when they all go out for a meal, the culture, and he often finds himself wondering why the took a job outside the US in the first place.

Many Americans working abroad, particularly those working in lower-paid jobs in nations whose natives have different color skin and very different cultural traditions, unfortunately often make the poorest impressions.

They often take these jobs because they can't get work in the U.S. (like the Blackwater mercenaries who are far too violent and psychotic even to find jobs in Texas) or are paid huge amounts (like the US oil workers in the mideast), or simply want 'adventure.'

They probably all wished they could work in the UK or Europe, but instead get sent to a culture that is entirely alien to them and, because of the language and cultural barriers, plus their own general unhappiness with the current lot in life, tend to stick with their own and look down upon the natives.

Regrettable.

 

[mystmoon]

I love How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory, and to an extent, Two and a Half Men, and because I find them edegier than currnet similar British stcoms.

Wow...talk about your cultural divide. Here those shows are considered to be rather pedestrian and middle of the road compared to, as you said, edgier shows like Arrested Development and (when at their best) 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, The Office and some of the more 'adult' comedy shows like Californication, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Weeds.

Over here, sitcoms are either bland, like My Family or Green Green Grass or really edgy like Psychoville or Being Human both mixed with horror.

B-but Being Human is awesome! It's like-got werewolves and vampires and ghosts and stuff!

 

[DaveC]

I love How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory, and to an extent, Two and a Half Men, and because I find them edegier than currnet similar British stcoms.

Wow...talk about your cultural divide. Here those shows are considered to be rather pedestrian and middle of the road compared to, as you said, edgier shows like Arrested Development and (when at their best) 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, The Office and some of the more 'adult' comedy shows like Californication, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Weeds.

Over here, sitcoms are either bland, like My Family or Green Green Grass or really edgy like Psychoville or Being Human both mixed with horror.

B-but Being Human is awesome! It's like-got werewolves and vampires and ghosts and stuff!

Sorry Myst! I meant to say I love Being Human and Psychoville! The darker the better for my comedy.

 

[deldaisy]

Maybe this should be retitled.... What do tourists do in other countries that annoy the locals ? I am sure we are all guilty... not just Americans.

 

[mystmoon]

Ooh, are we really doing this? ok, Japanese tourists annoy me because they stop IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET to take pictures when you're walking behind them. Tour groups in general annoyed me in York, becuse they used to come down the narrow streets as like a wave of people who you couldn't get past, I mean, I know the Shambles are a tourist spot and yu want pictures, BUT I NEED TO GET TO WORK

 

[Bouncy Castle]

For starters, they start threads about American tourists in the Non-Discworld section!

 

[deldaisy]

YORK?????!!!!!! Okay Lets ask what do the locals do to TOURISTS in YORK Myst shall we?????

I accidently left my valuable Pentax camera in a cab once when I was visiting York... when I realised, everything was shut so first thing next morning I asked at the cab company if someone had handed it in... Well the LOVELY cab driver from the day before had taken it home with him for safe keeping overnight and returned it to me.

When I got home to Australia and got my films developed, in the York set where three of four photos of the cab driver STARK NAKED in his bedsit. And he wasn't a studly cab driver... he was a very naked UNstudly hairy man. Ohhhhh!!!!!!! I was a young girl I was.... easily shocked! Naughty bad bad man. Thats York for you then huh?

Shambles? I missed the Shambles??????? They were in YORK?

 

[mystmoon]

del, i hand on heart swear, I never took nude piccies of ugly men on a tourists camera
yeh, the shambles are in York, they're next to marks and spencer, i used to use them as a shortcut to work in the morning, but couldn't use them in the afternoon cos they were too busy

 

[deldaisy]

I KNOW that Americans hate being called "yanks" overseas... but hey thats what we call you ... its not suggesting you are from the north or the south... its a generalisation.

and on to the inhabitants of the islands up there....

You live in the United Kingdom.... We call most of you Brits. Unless you are Irish or Welsh or Scot.... If I am referring to everyone on all the islands.... what name do I use? If I mean ... *draws a big circle around England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales and other islands* WHAT do I call the people who live THERE?

 

[raisindot]

I KNOW that Americans hate being called "yanks" overseas... but hey thats what we call you ... its not suggesting you are from the north or the south... its a generalisation.

Only Americans from outside of New England hate being called Yanks. I kind of like it. We were the original Yankees. New York just appropriated it for their baseball team.

You live in the United Kingdom.... We call most of you Brits. Unless you are Irish or Welsh or Scot.... If I am referring to everyone on all the islands.... what name do I use? If I mean ... *draws a big circle around England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales and other islands* WHAT do I call the people who live THERE?

UKies?
Islanders?
UKups?
WISEguys/gals?



J-I-B

 

[The Mad Collector]

You live in the United Kingdom.... We call most of you Brits. Unless you are Irish or Welsh or Scot.... If I am referring to everyone on all the islands.... what name do I use? If I mean ... *draws a big circle around England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales and other islands* WHAT do I call the people who live THERE?

It's British Del, or Brits if you insist, this covers all the mainland and most of the islands. Almost all the ones who aren't Irish or Welsh or Scot are English Unless they are from The Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands of course which aren't British . There isn't a collective noun for all the people of the UK

 

[The Mad Collector]

Only Americans from outside of New England hate being called Yanks. I kind of like it. We were the original Yankees. New York just appropriated it for their baseball team.

Never mind Yank, my ex wife (who is American) always preferred to be called Canadian when she was out of the country

 

[mystmoon]

You live in the United Kingdom.... We call most of you Brits. Unless you are Irish or Welsh or Scot.... If I am referring to everyone on all the islands.... what name do I use? If I mean ... *draws a big circle around England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales and other islands* WHAT do I call the people who live THERE?

It's British Del, or Brits if you insist, this covers all the mainland and most of the islands. Almost all the ones who aren't Irish or Welsh or Scot are English Unless they are from The Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands of course which aren't British . There isn't a collective noun for all the people of the UK

Which pretty much explains the relationship between the different countries and islands in the UK

 

[chris.ph]

with the six nations just about to start im not getting involved in this

 

[Beyond Birthday]

So is Dexter, True Blood and Weeds shown in Britain?

Dexter and True Blood is mega popular over here.

 

[BatrickPatrick]

True Blood is definately, I think Dexter is on certain channels. Don't know about Weeds.

But I'm into Glee...Though I don't think it needs to be said there isn't really so much singing in real American schools.

 

[MongoGutman]

In general I like tourists, whatever nationality, they pour money into London, staying in our vastly overpriced hotels, buying our expensive gift-crap, paying the exorbitant fares of the black cabs... money money money, come and give us more

Also they tend to be happier than the locals - why not? they're on holiday! Meet a local and all you get is a moan, about the weather, about the govt., about anything - if they cant find anything else to moan about they'll moan about you.

But I do wish they'd look the right way when stepping off the curb. I'm always whizzing in and out of the traffic and couldn't tell you how many times I've had to stand on the brakes to miss 'em. And wont tell you how many I've hit.