Can't We All Just Get Along?

[Alien]

You know, sometimes in life I think we don't give each other much of a chance. We base our opinions on random encounters and they don't really give a full picture. I'm glad to see your father-in-law gave you a chance and he ended up finding a treasure, as did you.

 

Maybe I am getting all philosophical in my old age but I wish we all just gave each other a chance now and again, though I suppose a forum isn't the most likely of places for that to happen.

 

Anyway....I love America, Americans, Naturalized Americans, Great Britain, Brits and ex-pats.

 

Now, I'm off to open another cold beer! Cheers!

 

That's the mentality that screws things up...."I had a bad experience so therefore it is the full picture (because I say so) and all associated are the enemy". This mentality has caused so much hate and friction in the past, even to this day.

 

You make a philosophically good point/observation. That's because you're thinking rather than being rhetorical?

[Harleyman]

I'm just wondering Harleyman...do you have any stories of Brits being warm to the yanks...you do sound so terribly British.

There is the other aspect to this....modern UK/USA is breaking down the old "well I fought for this/that country" mentality. Young people are moving on now especially with the advent of the web. It's a slow process but it is happening. I think the old guard either side still have their hangups, and because of that the process will take longer. As much crap as we give our young-uns I really am putting faith in them....they surely can't get it as wrong as those of the past.

 

Who'd of thought 60yrs ago protesters would have climbed aboard a ship and sailed into overwhelming odds and stuck 2 fingers at a regime? I'm proud to live in an age where youngsters and old alike can think for themselves and actually act out those thoughts rather than toe the party line. For me that's what balls is..Not..yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir. Borders are being stretched thinner and thinner by the day...and one day, well...who knows, we may just all get along.

 

My mom, dad sister and brother welcomed my wife like one of the family and my brother wanted to steal her away from me. The people along the street where my folks in England lived were the same so there's a story of a warm welcome

 

I dont think my father in law got much exposure to the local people in England. They got very little leave and spent most of the time training for D-Day so he may have been too harsh and too quick in his judgement.

 

I always say that if you put a whole bunch of different nationalities in one room and told them they were going to live there for two weeks the Brits and the Yanks would become a single group after a week.

 

I agree that the youngsters today have the spirit to think and act on their beliefs. One of my sons took leave from his job and went to Haiti to help out as a medic after the big quake. I just have to admire him for that

[Phanerothyme]

Wales + Scotland + England = Great Britain

 

So...

 

If you're from Wales, you're Welsh and British.

If you're from Scotland, you're Scottish and British.

If you're from England, you're English and British.

 

I guess your fiance falls into the first category

 

…

 

Noticed that you did not mention Northern ireland ?? are you Catholic by any chance and have your kerbs painted orange green and white ??

 

Since when was Northern Ireland part of Great Britain?

 

I thought it was the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, sort of tacked on at the end there?

[Alien]

My mom, dad sister and brother welcomed my wife like one of the family and my brother wanted to steal her away from me. The people along the street where my folks in England lived were the same so there's a story of a warm welcome

 

I dont think my father in law got much exposure to the local people in England. They got very little leave and spent most of the time training for D-Day so he may have been too harsh and too quick in his judgement.

 

I always say that if you put a whole bunch of different nationalities in one room and told them they were going to live there for two weeks the Brits and the Yanks would become a single group after a week.

 

I agree that the youngsters today have the spirit to think and act on their beliefs. One of my sons took leave from his job and went to Haiti to help out as a medic after the big quake. I just have to admire him for that

 

 

Well I'd shake the lads hand till it went Blue.

[CottonTop]

That's the mentality that screws things up...."I had a bad experience so therefore it is the full picture (because I say so) and all associated are the enemy". This mentality has caused so much hate and friction in the past, even to this day.

 

You make a philosophically good point/observation. That's because you're thinking rather than being rhetorical?

 

I'm thinking.

 

This reminds me of a conversation I had recently with my OH. You know, I live in the Southern US and we haven't always been known for mixing with other races as is evidenced by our past history for slavery, our fight in the Civil War which, to be honest, was about nothing more than maintaining the right to "own" people of color, and for our blatant discrimination toward anyone who is different from us. My 4 1/2 year old daughter is in a daycare setting during the day. She is white and her best friend is black. My daughter loves that little girl. If her friend leaves early, my baby cries for her. If her friend is in time out for something, my little one want to comfort her. The feeling is quite mutual (and believe me when I tell you, my girl spends plenty of time in time out...lol). What is odd, to my thinking, is not that my daughter is white and her friend is black but they are so different in other ways. My daughter is small and her friend is very tall. My girl is a drama queen and her friend is very mature. But they love each other. She asked me one day if her friend was part of her family. I told her that if she loved her friend and her friend was in her heart, then yes, she was part of the family.

 

I wish we all could think like children sometimes.

[Tipex]

I've noticed on several threads lately an "us against them" attitude. It seems to appear in the form of "Anti-American" vs. "Anti-British" and vice versa. Most recently, this appeared on the thread about the shooting today in Cumbria. This problem needs to be aired so we can all kiss and make up and I didn't want to hijack that thread to do it.

 

Let me explain my point of view. I often see sweeping generalizations made by some members of the forum toward Americans. Things like we are all loud, crass, have big teeth, etc. These sorts of comments make me bristle and I want to respond with like insults. Usually I refrain because I know those comments aren't true. But sometimes, like the other American and adopted American posters here, I do lash out and say mean things about you guys.

 

Why do we do this to each other? In most ways, I and about everyone I know, think of the British as our cousins across the pond. Our friends, our allies, our extended family. Somehow, I don't think most of you guys see us that way, though.

 

Anyway.....like the thread says, can't we all just get along?

 

It's only the miserable brits who slag off america, the ones who hate everyone, even themselves.

 

I think americans are friendly, nice people.

[Trout_Basher]

I think you'll find that Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, along with England, Scotland and Wales. So why would I mention it when I'm talking about Great Britain?

 

Geography and keeping my mouth shut were never good points for me at school..

Apologies sir...

[Agent Orange]

I have nothing against Americans or anyone else, come to think of it. The bickering that occurs on this forum, from both sides of the pond, makes me shake my head in disbelief

 

I have met some lovely Americans and I've also met some not so nice Americans. The same applies here or wherever else I've been in the world. However, I will concentrate on niceties for now.

 

I have been to US twice and the last time I was over there, I spoke to two very nice people. One of which I was seated next to on my flight to Chicago. We struck up a very good conversation in the 8 hours + it took to get to our destination. She was getting a connecting flight to her home in Los Angelas and asked if I wanted to join her and her family for a bbq at a later point in my trip. Unfortunately, I had to decline, but that invite really set the mood for the trip.

[rubydazzler]

I'm not going to say too much on this topic, because the ex pats seem to be a bit over sensitive at the moment. Maybe they think that people are having a specific go at their adopted country because they chose to live there as opposed to here, or maybe they've forgotten the slowtiming soh Sheffield is famous for?

 

In spite of poppins claim that I have a 'jealous hatred' for the USA, that I don't know any Americans and that I've never been there, and is wrong on all counts, I don't have any dislike of America or the Americans. And until the recent thread I doubt I've posted about either in any depth. America is an interesting country with stunning scenery and I loved all the old cowboy series back in the 60s. They make good TV and films too which we often enjoy watching.

 

But this is, after all, a local forum and people are going to post things that outsiders might not like sometimes. I've seen some total rubbish about the UK and 'Brits' on American forums too. Just take it with a pinch of salt. After all, what's the percentage of Americans who don't even possess a passport and have never visited outside their own area, let alone their own country? We're like a myth to them

[milquetoast1]

Even if it was possible to generalise about people of a certain nationality (it isn't), then it would still be impossible to generalise about Americans.

 

First is the fact that Americans are made up of such a wide variety of immigrants from different nationalities anyway, much more varied than any other country.

 

Second, the clue's in the name United States of America. No state is like another.

 

I have been to America on a number of occasions, love it and loathe it in almost equal measures, and have taken an interest in American history. There was a fantastic series about American history on R4 recently called America: Empire, Liberty and Faith. It is still available and I would urge anyone interested to listen to it.

 

I have no doubt that Jefferson and the other founding fathers put in place a fantastic secular framework to make the US, on paper at least, the greatest country on the planet. Despite this, and to bring this post on topic, the US is one of the most polarised countries on the planet. Republicans v Democrats. Teabaggers v Liberals. Bill O’Reilly v Jon Stewart. Why does half of America hate the other half? Why can’t they just get along?

 

Unfortunately I think a big part of the answer lies in religion. Since McCarthy in particular, if you are a Christian in the US it seems that you will automatically take sides with Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck. Sarah Palin and others and declare that the US is a Christian nation and buy into all the hatred for others that are not on your "side".

 

As I pointed out in another post, it’s no coincidence that members of another religion automatically buy into the concept of hatred of all things America. Unfortunately some of us are born into cultures with certain hatreds for others as standard, which no amount of rational thinking can change.