Why do the Americans always portray us Brits as idiots?

Question

Stuck up? Or if we are neither then we are defianlty the bad guy?

Answer 1

to make themselves look better

Answer 2

Same reason why Brits always portray American's as the backwoods uneducated hicks. It's based on ignorance and stereotypes. Why do the Brits always portray the French badly?

God forbid any writer should dig a little deeper and portray people between the two extremes of stuck up or bad guys. It's in every culture though. Everyone seems to need another culture to poke fun at so they feel better about themselves as if "well at least we aren't like THAT."

Answer 3

There was hostility between the Brits and the Americans for ages. Brits think they have a great culture - art, music, history. Americans thinkn they know better and Brits are snobs...How that came about? I will wildly speculate that it has something to do with the UK being once the most powerful empire in the world and then being diminished to another European country. Now US is the largest, richest whatever

Answer 4

they want to be always the good guys of the wars and everything.
Have yo seen a real movie showing in a real and statistic way that they didn´t win Vietnam? I'm waiting for a movie like that. But no, they are always the heroes, you are not the unique victims of the American media, Arabs are, Germans are, we Latins are too.
And be thankful because at least the don´t make you see as junks or as the most stupid people of a continent.
In every movie we represent maids, gangs and every problem in the streets of America

Answer 5

American television has a slight tendency to portray anyone, other than Americans, in one of these three categories.

It's the same way that films from the mid 1900's portrayed Germans and Russians, only now, it's all of us.

I'm Canadian, at least you have an ocean and distinct cultural differences. We, on the other hand, are basically portrayed as stupid American wanna-be's.

Answer 6

Are you kidding me?

James Bond is the coolest character ever.
Jason Statham is the even cooler than the Rock or Vin Diesel

The stereotype Brit is urbane and educated.

Monty Python gives them a glimpse into the weirdness.

Relax, you are just watching too much Simpsons and Family Guy!

Answer 7

They portray us a snooty thicko's with marbles in our mouths. You only need to look across the Atlantic to realise we are on the best side. American people to the UK are portraid as overweight, pompus people who cannot design or make anything that lasts any length of time. They try and make things big to make up for the lack of quality. A country who are jealous of Canada for having a better accent and country all round. The best thing to come out of the US is Sudoku! Another thing is they try and claim they invented things that the UK came up with first, like supersonic air travel.
PS I'm going to Florida next year, can't wait!

Answer 8

Because we know you guys are smarter and it makes us feel better to portray you guys as such. Although on the other hand, a British bad guy is just way more badass than an American badguy.

Answer 9

At least it gives British Actors work in Hollywood films. Also there is nothing wrong with always being a bad guy, must be great fun to unleash your nasty side and play the villain

Answer 10

That is not true, I have never heard that of the British but maybe that is how we are perceived in Britain. Most of the humor here is the food is not flavorful and the beer is room temp. Everyone knows it is not true, except the beer part. In Chicago the British are known as good friends of the U.S., more proper and polite, and your accent is pretty cool too.

Answer 11

I have never heard of that before. However, we all tend to be ethnocentric. If you are an American, America is the best country. If your are British, Britain is the best. That is just how it is. So naturally, the maker of the film will be portrayed in the best light.