what do the american public think of the british people?

Answer 1

kewl accent

Answer 2

Unfortunately, as it is the case when there is little real knowledge involved, americans or persons of any other origin for that matter, will have a long list of misconceptions about other nationalities and cultures. The problem is that as much as I would like to see it differently, a lot of the times I've noticed that these misconceptions are based not only on little knowledge, but also on some kind of prejudice, and as such, do not exactly reflect the good of other peoples and nations.

To say something about "The British" or any other nationality or culture as a general fact or statement, would probably be false in 80% of the cases in my opinion. I think you'll always find the good, the bad and the ugly when referring to any group, race or nationality. When you hear only the "bad" from someone, you'll find that the source of the problem usually stems from those in need to prove themselves "superior" to others.

I've been to England a few times by the way and CHOOSE to remember the charming and good people I met, the beautiful places I visited and the many things I learned. I've found that for the most part people and places will usually reflect back to you exactly the same way you wanted to see them in the first place... Try it you'll see.

Answer 3

To all of the people that think we're too concerned with our history, it could just be that your own media and culture stereotypes us in that manner, and in actual fact it's a long way from the truth. Look at the way Brits are portrayed in US sitcoms, it's no reflection on modern British life.

Personally i couldn't give a monkeys about the monarchy, they're an excellent tourist attraction and generate a lot of income from overseas revenue, but that's about it.

It's actually foreign visitors that are really interested in British History and the Monarchy, much more than Brits themselves. If that disappears and the revenue dries up then they might as well go. I don't think too many of the younger generations would be terribly distressed anyway.

Answer 4

i would like to make two comments first of all is to the person who made the unappreciated and unnecessary comment about british people being wrapped up in history and the monarchy. well i wouldd like to say we are not wrapped up in history in fact we are more modern than americans. unlike americans we have managed to achieve a counterbalance between our past and our we future, we simply live modern but with the attitude, hisory and culture of our country all three of which americans lack! i would also like to say well done to the above comment about accents it is true i have a strong nottingham accent and hate to hear an american imitate the queen and assume we all sound like that but again i think the comment about the monarchy was a little far fetched, yes they royals are not of any real necessity without them but can you imagine our head of state being a dumb idiotic stupid moron who can not even speak properly? i would rather have the refined friendly looking face of the queen then a mankey in a suit. now i would appreciate if americans would stop insulting britain simply because they are jealous of the diversity of our history and culture!

Answer 5

I'm British and from the Midlands.

I just want to offer you a different view of Britain and Britishness!

I think that when you say that you like the British accent, you often mean the queens english/hugh grant way of speaking or the cockney accent, which is not how all of us speak. I blame British films, they're always set in London or the home counties where people do speak like that, but this is not true of most Brits!

There are many more rich, distinctive and diverse dialects in the UK that include, the Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester, Bristol, Glasgow, Belfast, Cardiff, North Walian accents that sound nothing like what you see in films. You would probably would never hear them in film/on TV as they are considered 'unrefined', even within Britain. I had a friend who was on holiday in Florida, and because of her black country accent, Americans kept asking her what country she was from, as it is so different to what they had seen in movies etc...!

I think the BBC webite has some soundbites of accents from around Britain on the local pages, so maybe you'd like to listen to them to see what I mean!

Most foreign tourists visit London and think that the rest of the UK must be like that. In fact alot of Brits have a friendly rivalry with London as they seem so different to us!

While most of us are proud of or rich heritage, though none of us are 100% genetically English. People have settled here (Saxons, Romans, Normans, Vikings and from even further afield than Europe) and alot of us are decended from these people. We still have alot of immigration in our country, which makes our country even more diverse than a lot people realise.
If anything the Scots and the Welsh who are more directly decended from Celts, (the aboriginal 'British' tribes), are closest to being properly genetically British.

In response to one comment made on here I would like to say that we are not backward thinking. Most provincial cities and town such as Wolverhampton, where I am from are very forward thinking, and many of us are not Royalists. I do not like the royal family, I personally think it's an outdated institution!

Hope this helps to provide a more realistic view of what Britain is like.

Answer 6

In general, Americans feel that Great Britain is their parent country, and the child wants to be better than the parent.

This may not be a widespread opinion, it's just embedded in our customes and ideas.

Since Americans are a diverse group, there are feelings ranging from friendship to bitterness, depending on where ancestors came from.

My personal feeling is that Great Britain has a long and storied past, but may be a little too consumed with the past...i.e. It's Monarchy.

Answer 7

umm so i have a different opinion. I did this summer program thing at oxford and found that a lot of the people were really snobby. But then outside of school everyone else I met was really cool, so it depends on the people. But I love the accent.

Answer 8

Amusing, with a dry sense of humor, which I like. But I see from the post you have that there are going to be some bad things printed here by "Americans" right?

Answer 9

Four things which seem to be a constant:

1. Irritability (the primary sign of their mental health),
2. Smart as tacks (the British are very intelligent, period),
3. Great sense of humour (they have a keen, quick wit),
4. Stubborn (have you ever tried to change their minds?),
5. Endurance (they will stick together through anything).

Answer 10

That your guards are a bunch of stiffs... Just kidding... They are very well disciplined... But I have nothing against the British... Or any culture/country/race/what the heck else I'm thinking of...

Good day then...

Answer 11

I really don't care what Americans think of me as a British person as my life does not revolve around them or anyonelse!