What accent do you really hate? and which one you love?

***Isn't your problem that they've won just about every war? ***

Erm...according to Hollywood...yes.....single handedly, with no other nation involved. The fact that the Americans arrived on the war scene late in both world wars, after some very crucial battles had been fought (and won), has been..erm....overlooked, ignored. At the same time Hollywood claimed American credit for things which they did not in fact perform.....Enigma is one glaring example. Is it any wonder anti American sentiment is rife?

Anyway, gratitude is due to them for their assistance when they finally did arrive.

I apologise to our American friends in here for going through an anti-Yankee rant at the minute.....blame it on some of your tourists over here. Yikes!!, as you guys would say to try and bring some element of Language into this post.

Cheers...have a nice day.

Now, now, Damian -- can't we all just love each other?

>>Erm...according to Hollywood...yes.....single handedly, with no other nation involved. <<

Settle down. You obviously overlooked or ignored the surrounding context ...like... the quote before mine. Anyway I suppose you think the BBC is unbiased and the Krauts would have fizzled out without the Yanks demolishing them.

>>Is it any wonder anti American sentiment is rife?<<

Eighth wonder of the world.

I pissed off a history teacher once by saying that the we Americans wouldn't have won the "War for Independence" as she insisted on calling it, if it wasn't for the French. She asked for evidence and I just said we basically lost every battle there was till good ol' Luis sent his whiteys over. Then she brought up the XYZ affair (funny name for a political non-declard war huh) saying that if we really needed the French we wouldn't have done what we did then. So I said we just weren't greatful and only helped Napolean cuz he sold us cheap land and he was fighting the British. Anyway, she wasn't too pleased.

OK...OK.....having a better day today.....not seen ......sorry....meant to say "not heard!"....just why DO we hear them all before we see them? :-).. ......one single American today...yet anyway. Ha! only joking!....the four American guys I saw the other night were really cool...so aye, let's all love each other transatlantically.......and let's not discuss BBC bias.......you guys over Stateside are SO not their best mates but don't lose any sleep over it! The Beeb (as the BBC is popularly known as over here) is often being drawn over the coals for political bias (way left of centre) in contravention of their constitution which demands total impartiality at all times :-) It seems that the BBC in its early years (it was "born" in 1922) was so stuffy, stiff and formal that its employees called it "Auntie" in jest. Now the Beeb is run by all sorts, and many kinds of firebrands. LOL

Please don't take my posts too seriously. I rather enjoy the wacky loopy questions American tourists ask us over here! I have a mate who works at the Information Centre up at Edinburgh Castle and he could write a book about the funny things he's been asked there, not all by Americans by any means but it's just that they win hands down by and large....some you wouldn't believe if only they weren't true!

I'd love to hear about the stupid things Brits ask when in America.......? Like how long did it take to excavate the Grand Canyon? :-)

Cheers.

>> Please don't take my posts too seriously. I rather enjoy the wacky loopy questions American tourists ask us over here! I have a mate who works at the Information Centre up at Edinburgh Castle and he could write a book about the funny things he's been asked there, not all by Americans by any means but it's just that they win hands down by and large....some you wouldn't believe if only they weren't true! <<

What sort of things did they ask?

Damian: love to hear some stories about dumb Americans. It sounds like there's some pretty funny ones.

Please bear in mind that it's not exclusively the Americans that say really stupid things but my mate at Edinburgh Castle says that more often than not it's they who do ask the most bizarre questions, like one American tourist who asked where she could best see the Eiffel Tower from the castle ramparts. The only conclusion we could come to with that one is that she wasn't sure what day of the week it was.....if it was Tuesday then she was definitely in Paris and not Edinburgh. But it wasn't Tuesday and it definitely wasn't Paris and yes, this is Edinburgh on a Thursday. Then there are all those ones who whinge on about things not being like they are back home in 'the States'! Just what do they expect? We put it down to their obvious insularity and a complete lack of awareness of the rest of the world for a good many of them.

Gavin's professional training as a guide has taught him to meet every situation with resigned politeness....then have a bloody good laugh with all of us down the pub later.

Give the Americans their due they are usually polite and could really teach a few lessons to Brits abroad as I've never seen Americans behaving like drunken louts, even those of my age group. If they do behave that way at home I wouldn't know but I guess they don't really, not like the Brits. No way would Brits would like the idea of waiting till they're 21 before they can legally go down the pub....it's 18 here.

What category of "English' would you put the character of Jeff ifrom the show Coupling?
Has anyone seen Richard Coyle in the vampire series on BBC? Do you like it? What accent does he have in the show? I'm an Interpersonal communication instructor and use Coupling in my classes - American students love the show.

".....Enigma is one glaring example. Is it any wonder anti American sentiment is rife? "

That's true. During WWII, it was the British who broke the Enigma code. But what do those damn Americans do? Make a movie which shows American soldiers breaking the Enigma code. In real life, the British broke the Enigma code before the Americans even entered the War.

The Americans have a nasty habit of giving themselves the glory and portraying themselves as heroes when it fact it was another nation who did it all.

Here are some from a website that I found -

I live in Edinburgh and my city is a popular venue for American tourists at this time of year, but they are renown for asking the most dumb questions. I just want others examples and views on why they are inclined to ask these questions.

Here are some pearls of wisdom from the mouths of Yanks

How long is the Royal Mile?

Is that France? (Asked while looking North over the Forth River to Fife from the castle)

What time does the One o'Clock gun go off?

Is the Castle built each year for the Military Tattoo?

Isnt it great that they built the Castle so close to the city centre?

My surname is Kowalski, whats my family Tartan?

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060828060430AA6YvXB
***********************************

One from an Australian -

At Leicester (or possibly "Lye-sester") station,a few years back.

Australian: "Say mate, could y'tell me where I get the train to Loogabarooga?"
Me: "Sorry?"
Australian: "The train to Loogabarooga."
Me: "Ah - Loughborough! Platform 3."
------------------------

Back to those brain dead Americans -

In the carpark at the Giants Causeway Northen Ireland
Fat American Woman : "Gee thats a weird car! "
Fat American Man : "What is it? "
Fat American Woman : "It says its a Meeegaaann?"
Fat American Man : "Whats a Meegaaan?"
Fat American Woman: "Is it French for Renault?"
Other people in carpark: "FFS"
-----------------------------------

http://www.b3ta.com/questions/stupidtourists/page1/

was staying in a very nice hotel in Philadelphia (circa 1996), went down for lunch and ordered myself a chicken korma, pilau rice and a keema naan (nothing to do with the story, just reminiscing about how good it was!)....

In walked some sweaty trucker (dirty red cap, checkered shirt, dirty jeans and a bodywarmer) the size of a barn, he walks up to the bar and orders 'a brewski', his words not mine...

Waiter brings over my food, we exchange small talk, next thing I know the sweaty trucker has sat himself down opposite me, he then asks me...

ST: Hey Buddy, you from the UK?
ME: Yeah
ST: So what do you think of the IRA?
------------------------------------

A couple of years ago in an AO Hell american chatroom...

Redneck.......'So where are you from dude?'

Me............'The UK'.

Redneck.......'You commie pinko bastard!'

Me............'What?'

redneck........'rant rant grrrrrrr etc'
-------------------------------------

American tourist 1 (outside King's College Cambridge, looking at a sign saying 'King's College' with his guidebook open at the Cambridge page with a large labelled picture of King's college): "Where's this then?"

American Tourist 2: "Must be King's College College I guess"

American Tourist 1: "Wow... looks like it must be 100 years old or something"

(I resisted the tempation to butt in and tell them that my college is actually three times older then their country)
---------------------------

One of my mother's workmates (Phillipa) visited America. Whilst over there she was in conversation with some yank and the conversation went as follows...

Yank - So where do you come from?
Phillipa - England
Yank - Ah, That's in Europe isn't it? Which country does it border with?
Phillipa - Well... it doesn't really border with any European country... it's an island.
Yank - What do you mean?
Phillipa - An island... meaning that it's surrounded by the ocean.
Yank - Oh... *ponders for a moment* So how do you get off that then?

http://www.b3ta.com/questions/ignorance/page35/

Americans and thier questions?

Is that France? (Asked while looking North over the Forth River to Fife from the castle)

try and look dead serious and say to the Americans no, it's Norway LOL

I find it amusing that Brits just will not let that Enigma movie go. It wasn't even a big blockbuster in the US -- I doubt most Americans have even seen it or could tell you what it was about!

That still doesn't detract from the point, Uriel. The film was historically unfaithful.