Americans React to UK vs US Culture Explained 

Correction: Lindsay says she meant 'Murphy's Law'--not Newton's 😂

I think Victoria Wood once summed up the British. "Last time I went Intercity there were a couple across the aisle having sex. Of course, this being a British train, nobody said anything. Then they finished, they both lit up a cigarette and this woman stood up and said, Excuse me, I think you'll find this is a non-smoking compartment."

Class is not about money in the UK, its actually closer to an internal racism, because its based on family lines. In many ways the UK is less racially divided than the US, but is far more divided by Class so overall is just as fractured from that POV

One MAJOR difference between Europe and America is that its all about ME, and not like in Europe about WE! All over yt all these Americans are like I HAVE THE RIGHT .. .. ...... while most of them don't even know the first amendment. In Europe we have way more rights but we are also aware that it comes with responsibilities. America is so sick in so many ways, justice, police, healthcare, housing, job security,food safety,employment rights,education,guns and the biggest of all politics. No one at a rally confronting the speaker with the facts that Hungary doesn't borders with Russia & Ukraine or protesting when Hitler/Mussolini rhetorics are used. It really is so sad that a country like the USA has become this way,and a big portion doesn't even realises it.

The 'Twin '...that ran away from home!!!! 😂❤

@7:15 You probably want to say the British Isles. Also it probably came about because someone threw a box of Chinese tea into a lake... and after that we took our ball home and concentrated on Europe and random islands ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8fVNtHQ1tTQ.html

1:20 you arent abandoned children, we had a big fight over dinner and you stormed off 😂

23:42 You missed the joke through the sarcasm, it was 75% *dis*trust in the government.

I was surprized that British Black Humour wasn't mentioned. if there is a natural disaster, terrorist attack, death of a public figure/celebrity, within half an hour you will hear a joke about it.

I like our own individuality here in the UK. I hope we fight to keep it.

I have watched a few Americans react to this video and you two laughed at the British comedy more than anyone else, you definitely have the British sense of humour😂

Generally speaking from a British point of view he's right. But British culture is a lot more complicated than he said. It's about so many different things you can't learn what it means in a short space of time.

In the USA, Class is only about money and the effects that brings with it. The traditional British class system is nothing to do with money.

Personally, as an Aussie, I find American humour is usually at the expense of someone else. For example, the TV shows that show all the celebrity roasts, or all the slapstick humour that’s been around since the silent movie era. The movies are also about defeating someone else, whether it’s a western, an ancient war or a modern war, everything involves guns and the US has to win every battle, also, the rest of the movies involve cars - chases, crashes, getaways, racing, etc which reflects their lifestyles and attitudes in real life too. British humour is well-written, carefully thought out and very clever, often times too subtle for American audiences to “get”.

I'm working class. If I won Eoromillions say £200 million. I would still be working class, just retired, living in a big house with indoor pool, lots of expensive cars and probably develop a real attitude problem but would still be working class.

The British politeness is on point. I, a British person, once went to a McDonalds drive thru at around 2AM. I was the only car in the drive thru and there were no customers inside. I placed my order which was just a quarter pounder meal. After waiting at the collection window for around 10 minutes, my order still wasn't ready. I waited some more. 5 minutes later the poor employee rushes back over and apologises heavily stating that the machine had just broken on him and made a complete mess, so he'd have to start cooking the food from scratch. I said "Not to worry" and patiently waited another 10 minutes for my food to be made. In short I waited 25 MINUTES and was the only customer at the restaurant, I didn't scream shout or abuse him because it wasn't his fault. I didn't "make a fuss" and demand free things or vouchers because I'm a British person. As we say over here... "shit happens".

reganald D hunter (an american comidian living in the uk) says it best " the class system is how you discriminate people of the same skin colour as you"

Yours is a young nation and still has misguided optimism for the future. Ours is an old nation which has accepted, with two thousand years experience , that nothing will ever change ! 😅

You could have all the money in the world, doesn't mean a thing and necessarily doesn't mean you're upper-class. That comes down to your family, education, upbringing etc.

A pessimist is what an optimist calls a realist. If you haven't guessed, I'm a Brit.

Class and money are completely different elements in the UK. There are a lot of very poor upper class people, and there is an even bigger mix of rich lower class people (think the footballers, pop stars and reality TV so-called celebrities who appear on our TV screens and are hero-worshipped by millions).

How do the British view US? America is like our younger cousins. Who tries to tell us what to do, all of the time 😂😉

I would not say that the British are not optimistic or don’t look to improve themselves, the British have done so much in science, engineering, music, literature, art, just music alone British music has dominated the charts since the Beatles, Americans even for all there hype have added a lot less considering the population difference. In America you can become head of state, whereas in Britain you technically can’t but you can become Prime minister which has technically more power than the sovereign. Look at most actors in Hollywood now they are mostly British or Australian with a few Canadians along the way.

If you want to understand the differences between the British and American approach and style, you should consider reacting to British movies, shows, and music.

The Brits. are self deprecating, but that is a surface thing, underneath we are very confident and self assured. That is how we can afford to to back pedal. It is on the surface though.

America to the UK is like the wayward troubled teenage son, who rebelled and left home early. Who has a good heart somewhere but is struggling with skipping school, doing drugs, gang-violence and extremes of idealism and who's got a gun. But also has unrecognised talents, fresh ideas, a strong work ethic and a thirst for life that "Dad" doesn't truly acknowledge and could probably learn-from.

Lyndsey, you need to be included in more of these videos. This video was great.. seeing you both laugh and converse is fabulous! Yes, we Brits are very gritty and much more hardened to life’s knocks. Our history is ingrained in our lives and, maybe our DNA! It would take a social sciences professor to explain it in a 3 hour lecture! Personally, I think that US citizens have innate optimism like a child because they are still a very young country and life hasn’t knocked them about for centuries! lol! Brits are like the elders and have seen a lot of life in comparison and have learned a lot. Our comedy reflects this. A for our class system, it is the result of having a monarchy with people that held court and were titled and given land and wealth and the rest of us were subjects of the monarchy. Personally I appreciate having a monarchy and the titles people are not as wealthy as they used to be and have had to step down in station. Hence why you will most huge mansions of the once elite being opened to the public and them having to sell land. Much of this came about after the 2nd world war. I don’t claim to know much more but in my past job I have served Lords and Ladies and they were very down to earth and self deprecating, not wanting me to address them as Lord or Lady etc. I would go as far as to say that they were humble! Then I have served ‘new money’ people and they have been rude and acted like they were above everyone else! (These kind usually got a halfhearted service from me) As for our Stiff upper lip and reserve, we are on a small island and so personal space needs to be respected, so laughing loudly or talking loudly in a restaurant or lift is a no no, unless you want everyone tutting at you lol😅 and looking at you like you have no etiquette what so ever! So yes I agree with the video. Things are changing with the masses of migrants that are coming in but we are a stubborn, proud bunch so it will take time. More videos like this please Steve. Or even with just Lyndsey so we can hear her very own opinion. Thank you guys 😊

As a Brit I look on the Commonwealth countries as First Cousins and the USA as one of our Second Cousins. 🙂

Class in Britain is nothing to do with wealth, although it can and usually does play a part. It is the social background you are born into. If your parents, particularly your Father is upper class, ie from an aristocratic background, than so are you, even if the family fortune has long gone and you are struggling to make ends meet. Likewise if your Father was a coal miner or factory worker, you are working class, even if you are a world famous football player or singer. It is a very complex subject that few if any people from outside the UK understand, and which we British tend not to notice until it is commented on by outsiders, because it is such an embedded part of our culture. It is a subject that much has been written about and which you could spend a lifetime studying.

The differences might come from America trying to break out of the class system in Britain . So the American philosophy of life is anyone can become anything they want in life, whereas the British have a view which means that people feel more “stuck” in the class that they were born into. Also, the American film industry was all about making money and started very early to aim for a happy ending because they thought more people would pay to see a movie which left them feeling good (more commercial). On the other hand British plays, books films have a long tradition of making more artistic films that challenge the audience( for example Shakespeare, the Brontë sisters, Charles Dickens to name a few).

The great thing about America is anyone can become President; the sad thing is anybody frequently has.

I don't think that it's so much the people, but the culture and the culture at least initially shapes attitudes. American TV rarely depicts everyday lives, but rather beautiful people who work very little, living in very expensive properties, always selling The Dream™. British TV is much more grounded and reflective of real life. In my experience, we still have the same mix of people who are optimistic, whether perennially, or until life beats them down, the miserable, the happy, the embittered etc, but the culture we experience feeds into the way we express ourselves. For people with the exact same level of happiness, an American might say "I'm great", whereas a British person might say "I'm not bad". Why those cultures are so divergent, I don't know. I do wonder if the affectation of positivity in the US was the same before the advent of mass media though.

Rain doesn’t bother us, no such thing as bad weather just bad clothing choices, we just wear appropriate clothing because if we didn’t we’d never go out.

Sarcasm, self deprecation and black humour are our culture. We don't take anything too seriously and our way of dealing with something bad is to make a cuppa or say something like "well that's not ideal" while our house is on fire

Aussie here. We've been seperate from Britain for a while as well but in my opinion, in general , our underlying national attitude/psyche is very close to Britain. Although I think on the whole we're more optomistic. And that could very well be to do with the weather. Not so much the rain but the cold

These types of comparison videos are never actually representative of reality. I guarantee there will be hundreds of British people in the comments that I have absolutely nothing in common with. It takes a bit longer than 20 minutes to break down the entire culture of the US or the UK.

It’s old (I think 1940s) but there’s a British movie called: A Matter of Life and Death. There’s a scene in like a courtroom type setting where some of the American and UK differences are heard. It’s a good movie 😊

Don’t forget that those of you in America who’s ancestors came from the U.K. left looking for a better life that things could be better. Those who stayed were more like what’s the point of leaving things will stay the same no matter where we live.

Americans do not understand the British class system. Money has little to do with it. What the Americans call Middle Class is what the British would call Working Class. Upper Class (aristocrats) from the king through the various titles such as Earl, Duke, Baron etc are a Class unknown in the USA. Upper Middle Class is a group of people who influence politics and culture. Always coming from exclusive schools and universities with entrance to exclusive gentleman's clubs etc. The lower Middle Classes are largely made up of professionals such as doctors, solicitors lecturers and so on. The working class is basically everyone else, no matter how wealthy or poor they are.

The only lord I ever met was Sir Iain Moncreiff of that ilk. He was 66 at the time and visiting the university. When I met him he was on his knees on a student flat with a mug of tea playing with the train set. and waving off his escort who was trying in vain to move him to his next official function.

Another great video guys. The reason why our UK weather is so varied, and the reason we talk about it so much, is because we're a small island where 5 major air masses converge and battle for supremacy all around us. The weather is very changeable and is a great way of starting a conversation!

That was a great video - obviously jokey and drawing broad generalisations, but overall pretty accurate. (Lindsay is SO a British person!😂)

The US live by the American Dream The Brits live by likely reality Our long history line shows us dreams are mostly just that

Americans call sods law Murphy's law because they don't understand Murphy's law. Murphy's law is: anything that can happen will happen given enough time. It isn't positive or negative. Sods law is anything bad that can happen will happen. Newton's law is: objects in motion will stay in motion unless affected upon by outside forces

The way I see it is American comedy as immature and silly and British as smart witty dark

There is no doubt that everytime I visit the USA or our friends come to the U.K. I am impressed by the optimism. This comes out in lots of the RU-vid videos where American folk visit the U.K. and paint a rosy picture. But the life of an optimist is full of disappointment whereas the life of a total pessimist like myself is, if not exactly full, then has pleasant surprises from time to time. Also when it does all go wrong as it usually will, you have the great pleasure of saying “I told you so!” I also seriously think the weather influences the British attitude a lot. When it’s warm and sunny then people seem more cheerful but when it is like it has been here since mid October- gales lashing rain floods and continuous grey skies, people get very down.

Our class structure is not based on money at all and our classes are all equal, but different. A Duke and a baker like me each have our own job and responsibility. Social mobility I actually easier than in most countries. One of the King's ancestors was a bricklayer.

The skit about US tourist is Harry Enfield and very funny. Worth a look

If she had been British she would have said "I used to be optimistic pretty much all the time, and then I got married", because that sort of tipifies a lot of the humour there.

I live in Manchester and it rains a lot, we're wedged between two mountain ranges and we're stuck in "the doldrums" it's either freezing or it's wet, rarely is there an in between.

A quote from psychology today “Self-deprecating-not self-debasing-humor is especially good at shrinking the shoulder chip many of us lug around. Counter-intuitive as it may seem, laughing at oneself can increase self-confidence, too. People who present themselves to the world, weaknesses and all, with no apology, show strength that perceptive others notice and respect.”

This was really funny! 😂 A lot of it was very true. I must say, though, having lived in Sweden for >30 years, that Swedes are more reserved than Brits. It is difficult to get to know new people unless you yourself are an extrovert. I feel it is easier to establish new contacts in Scotland where I grew up.

The difference between UK and US culture is,DRUM ROLL PLEASE,DA DA DAAAAAA The UK HAS A THOUSAND YEARS OF CULTURE The USA HAS NOT GOT ANY CULTURE 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

The Founding Fathers admitted that they based the US Constitution on English Common Law, England’s Magna Carta from the year 1215 (leading to the first Parliament in the year 1216), and England’s Bill of Rights from the year 1688.

If you haven't already I would recommend watching Only Fools and Horses. With Del Boy's chant of "this time next year we'll be millionnairs", sums up nicely the Brits optimism, albeit misplaced optimism.

The majority of Americans came from Europe, not Britain. This is reflected in the strange and silly names Americans have and the fact that you drive on the wrong side of the road. Australia didn't have these problems because until recent times, they were all British.

The unwritten rule in uk is the further west and/or North uou go the more rain you get on average 🎩

Hi Steve and Lindsey. Steve, when you said that your government has given you many reasons not to trust them you were more or less echoing what my cousin in Detroit has told me. He is a naturalised American, so in his childhood was never influenced by your second amendment rights. Yet when I asked why it was necessary for Americans to own assault rifles, his response surprised me. Surely rifles and hand guns would suffice. He believes that Americans need to be able to defend themselves if the government comes for their property. You stated that there are many examples of your government not being trustworty. I have trouble getting my head around your countymen's distrust of your government. Were you to be living in a third world country, or a dictatorship like Russia or China I would understand the attitude , but you don't. Can you please enlighten me as to why this belief exists? I live in England and enjoy visiting The US and enjoy the differences. I also like to understand them.

I thought that Americans called it " Murphy's Law", not Newton's Law " !? As comic Al Murray said, " we don't have a dream in the UK.....because we are AWAKE !" The UK class system. I work for a Duke. We are the same age. I live in a 3 bedroomed house which I worked all my life to buy. He lives between 4 very large country estates in England and Scotland. I don't despise or hate him. That's just how it is.

A light bulb went on for me when Steve said his time alone is when he recharges his batteries. That is so me! After a time in company, when everyone wants to talk, I need to get away for some time alone.

75% trust in the government? This must be an old video. I thought it would be way lower than that!

It's simple! Look on the black side and you won't be disappointed!

The light in the distance is an oncoming train! But if we brits were that jaded and pessimistic we would have given up during WWII. Not entirely true! We are more 'Keep calm and carry on'. The class system is still very much alive whatever they say.

Hi guys , it's true we tend to have a downer on certain things for sports for example we hope to win but expect the worst , I think it's true as well we tend not to have high goals or much ambition to go to the top , the little things that matter to me are far more important than any high paid job or living in a huge house . 😊❤

Hey Steve. I've worked with US guys for decades (from all over your great country) and while there are differences usually we get on with the odd joke aimed at each other! Class is interesting in the UK, in that many towns and cities have council estates next to million pound properties. I know you did Grenfell tragedy video recently where Grenfell is in a council estate (social housing) where the next street has multi million pound houses.

I knew there is a reason I love Lyndsey [sorry for butchering your name] but she is completely British. She can seal her identity when you travel over. If you don't apologise for everything passing you even a flying bee, then you are not British enough

I speak for many when I say we do not trust our government.ENGLAND

One of the things in the video he missed out was the fact that in America you are bombarded with Cognitive Reinforcement, as in how Great America is. From the moment you start school, you have to Pledge Allegiance to the flag every day. You constantly see how bad things are in other countries on TV but how Great things are in America in comparison. Look at how the subject of immigration is handled and how you're constantly told that everyone wants to move to America because of how much better it is. Yet in the rest of the world, we don't have that, we're just get given the facts and left to make up our own minds.

A simple way of thinking about it, is that the UK is a jaded old man, who has been around a long time and seen a lot. Whereas the USA is more like an optimistic teenager who thinks that they are indestructible.

to slightly explain better the 'class system' here in the UK as compared with America: in the UK, even if you work your hardest and you achieve great feats, if you were part of the 'lower bracket' of the population you will always be viewed as such, and will never truly be accepted by the 'elites' etc, the whole 'old money' vs 'new money' debate. whereas in the US, money is king, and even if you have some degree of heritage to your family name (think like the whole donald trump bullshit), ultimately if you offer people enough money they will happily accept you into the fold because of the nature of your capitalist social structure. this is also going to sound a bit harsh, but sadly it's one of those things that's very much true, there's also a major divide in terms of both moral and ethical aspects to both nations, where the UK has a slightly stronger moral compass than the US, where as mentioned above if you offer enough money, the US in general will overlook certain things if the payment is 'just right', whereas the same scenario wouldn't normally happen here in the UK (although with the shitshow of a government we have currently it's possible due to the nature of the twats in charge). as a great example of this you should check out the video about the British crusade against slavery, and how Britain ended slavery for the whole world, whereas in the US, you guys fought a civil war over not wanting to give up slavery.

I don't think I've ever laughed at an American comic.

In Scotland, we love nothing better than to make fun of ourselves. Our sense of humour is a wee bit unique! Keep up the good work guys. Absolutely love your videos. You're a lovely family.

When a British person is asked: "How are you?" If they respond with ANYTHING other than "Yeah, not bad." They become a social pariah. That's British optimism, we're not good, we're just not bad!

Trotter's Independent Traders T.I.T.

The best way to explain British class system is watch titanic. Born from money or new money.

Try Al Murray Pub Landlord, Micky Flanagan etc.

Hey, guys. Don't know when the video you are watching was made [a lot of the clips from the comedy shows were very old] , so that figure of 75% trust in the government here...I doubt it's that now, and probably more like your 30%. Since Boris Johnson and now with Rishi Sunak, and all the scandal we have had since Brexit, Covid , immigration, the NHS and the rest...the public have lost all faith and don't trust any of them. We've had 13 years of a Conservative government and this year [2024] we are due for a General Election with the hope that Labour will gain power. We have never had such corruption and unethical behaviour in our government since the Victorian times. Wish us luck!!!

Two party politics is a big issue here in the UK too, probably just as much as in America.

I laughed hard when you said in America you call it Newton's law. Newton's law is something different in the rest of the world. Edit video is wrong the record number of rainy days in the UK is 165. Also they didn't leave for America through optimism they left because it was made illegal to persecute other religions and they didn't like the change so left.

I recommend Peter Kay and Lee Evans, both British comedians, mainly observational comics in my opinion. I recently discovered Peter Kay, he comes from the Lancashire area, in north west England, and he is hilarious. Both are very animated too. Tit is a slang way to say idiot. We have a lot of ways on how calling people stupid/idiot. Love you too! =D

Politics- something we all, UK and US dislike, BUT is so important. As much as we dislike to say, politics rule the way we live, from cradle to grave. We need to pay politics more attention and not just let the few 1000s decide how we live. That goes for both countries. Don't just whinge about politicians, get involved! As I say to people who don't vote, you have no right to moan about decisions made as you did not take part in the democratic process 😉

I wouldn't let my gf check my internet bookmarks lol 😉

If things are "a bit sticky" the world is literally on fire. If things are "not bad" things are beyond awesome. There's a film set during WW2, made in the 50s, about the SOE operating in France. The actual agents play themselves. It contains an example I like to use as the most British thing ever - a British agent saying that if the Nazis in the area saw a plane coming down to pick up downed pilots, they might have a few tricky questions. (Also the most French thing ever - a farmer built a false back onto his barn to hide the good wine from the Germans.)

When life gives you lemons, throw them at people 😂. One thing most people in the UK feel is that, it doesn’t matter what party people are in, we hate all MP’s. One thing I think a lot of British people like about traditions here are the funny aspects like cheese rolling and gurning. Every year, previously near me we would have a rubber duckie race on the Conwy Estuary. It was great! It was on Pirate day when everyone dresses up

I'm really not keen on jimmythegiant videos. He seems to get his facts from wolters world 😂

Lindsey's laugh makes me happy. She's adorable

I remember my mum commenting on the Meghan Markle vs Princess of Wales saga when MM said " I'm a hugger...always been a hugger" and my mum said " well we are an island nation..we don't hug people we don't know too well" - I sort of get it now!

Loved this video. British people seem more seem less optimistic as they don't only look at what is happening in their country but how events in other countries can affect price rises and interest rates etc.

Watch Al Murray he is funny and british.

I love the rain. I can't imagine if you don't and live in the UK. I think most people who do must live in Southern England. I would never go there and I frankly hate Summer with passion. I don't like the sun nor the heat. I am perfectly happy where I am :D

Only ever heard sod's/Murphy's law. Newton's law is more a physics thing about motion lol

I would definitely say you two have a very British /English sense of humour. I think you'd understand an English conversation 😂😂

If there is one thing Brits have wrong about Americans its the bragging, Americans on the whole do not Brag, while Brits are always trying to keep up with the Jones's, having a new Merc brings status, Brits judge others on the fancy cars they buy, its the easiest way of saying "Look at Me" Im rich lol.

The American class system is almost exclusively based around wealth...in uk it's also background,what school you went to etc too🎩

You're not British though. How many generations are you American... As cultural influences are what moulds your personality. I understand that you like to trace your roots. But enjoy your videos.

Lindsey is so lush, her happy face makes me so happy 🥰 can you please call her "hardd" (har-th) (soft th lol) for me? It means beautiful in welsh ❤

The most British thing I’ve ever done was apologise to a cardboard cutout I almost walked into, just a reflex now.

I didn't come up with this, I read it somewhere years ago, but here it is: ~ Britain is the mother, and her first born child; the USA, was always very independent and ambitious, left home early and paved his own way in life very successfully. Australia; the weird middle child who always goes outside with no shoes on- likes to play with snakes in the woods and keep insects as pets in jars, and always comes home with dirty hands, face and clothes, but he made the most of it and is doing alright. Then there's Canada- the youngest child- the mummys boy that Britain still thinks of as her little baby - who only recently cut the apron strings, but still relies on the parent in alot of ways. I dunno?? 🤔 I like it...

We have way more checks and balances against out government The US political system is weighted towards the rich and corporations

Personally, I'd love the three of you to be my nextdoor neighbours ❤