FAQ's

I thought it would be kind of cool to have an FAQ's page where we Yanks can ask all the burning questions we have about the UK and you British, English (whatever the politically correct term is) people can ask us Yanks everything you always wanted to know about the good old U.S of A.  First I must credit Frank Carr for his "Questions for Non-Brits" thread that he started for giving me the idea.  I hope you don't mind if I expand on it a bit, Frank.  The way you phrased your questions means, I'm afraid, that you're going to get all the wide-eyed gush gush stuff from us over here and all the b.....n' and moanin' from your countrymen over there.  But don't beat yourselves up - I'm sure that if Frank has asked, "What's lacking in the US?", the replies from over here would be strikingly similar to what you all have posted.

We could call it "Anglo-American Info for Dummies," although I don't want to use that as the title of the thread, because it may very well already be copyrighted!  Might I suggest a few simple ground rules:  Keep it clean.  Keep it friendly.  Keep it respectful.  Keep it educational and informational.  And if you really must be a smart aleck, at least keep it non-accusatory, if not necessarily factual!    This, I'm sure, will be rather fun.  I can't wait to see where it goes.

I'll start.  I'm kind of curious about what the British schools teach about the American Revolution.

Ruth, I have learnt in my Grammar school education and the much more important lessons of life that we Brits would rather turn a blind eye to any part of history in which we came second or worse, rather we would turn our attentions to 1966 when we won the World cup in football, or World War 2, please don't mention the Americans, Canadians, Australians, Polish etc that helped us.          

                                                                            Once upon a time (as all good fairy stories go) we were a so-called Superpower, ie we invaded countries that had no hope of beating us at anything, let alone combat, and basically bullied the BeJesus out of them and kept the spoils as well as the territory. Nowadays of course we are just a small island with all our ill gotten gains being hoarded by the Government of the day.

                                                                        Of course, we'll still invade countries that have useful resources or other such loot, as long as we can hold hands with the 'big boys' when we go marching, sailing or flying in. We won't touch Mugabe, there's no reward, but we'll have a go at Iraq, Iran, Syria. Libya etc. We'll even spank their big fat bottoms if they as much as say 'plutonium' , and then virtually the next day we are told by the government that there are plans afoot to build more Nuclear generators here.

   It's all double standards and the sooner we realis(z)e we are insignificant, the better. Andy. Oh, and as a footnote, although the very vast majority of the country doesn't want to go along with all this cowmuck, we have no choice, because our taxes pay for it all.

I love the fact that we can make even a great defeat in to a victory. i.e. the charge of the light brigade. 600 men charged to thier death, bugles blaring, sabers flashing and cannon balls blowing them to bits. Battle lost, and practicaly a whole brigade wiped out. And it was turned into a victory by people who think that bravery is victory. Tell that to the dead. What a shambles and waste of the lives of brave men.

But we are British, we never lose. Huh

This is a good idea, should make for an interesting thread Ruth.

I never finished my schooling, but what I remember of my history lessons seemed to focus on British history (spending a long time on the industrial revolution), the French revolution, and the history of the Brtish in India. There was very little mention of America at all apart from the Pilgrim fathers and the Americans help in times of war. But like I said I didn't finish my education.

Very true, Sue.  That's why we don't always get the straight scoop.

I didn't want to hog another post with a cultural question that's lost in translation.  In the Hello from W. Yorkshire posts, you are all discussing a gurning contest.  What's that?