How British People Really View Americans 

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I'm American - that first description about the kids from different mothers has me cracking up laughing right now. I love it.

As a Brit I can totally relate to Chris. I love Americans can do attitude and optimism, which is why I make sure I visit the USA regularly!

In England you're expected to know your place. In the US you're expected to define your place.

I was deployed in the USAF in 2002/2003 and loved being posted with the Brits. The Brits were self-deprecating, sarcastic and hilarious. I loved working with them.

As a native texan with a thick accent, my first trip to the UK was a blast. One of the first things I learned is that everyone in England thinks everyone in Texas is a cowboy and owns a ranch lol. I caught some shit for it but most of it was good natured and we had a lot of fun. Love the British people and culture. It really is special.

I’m an American that lived in the UK for a number of years. The class divide can’t be understated. I got the vibe that in the UK you are encouraged to do as well as your class will allow. A class glass ceiling if you will. We tell children of trash men (“rubbish collector”) they can be President in the US. That’s not to say we don’t have many issues and a class problem, but you’re encouraged to break out of your class and do great things.

Essentially we are “Brit’s with self belief” because everyone who came to America in the early days was a risk taker and bet on themselves

As a 50 year old American I have always looked at the UK as our older brothers that we grew up bigger than but nobody else should mess with them or they have to deal with us. We are forever tied to each other.

there was an American lad I worked with a few yrs ago. 6ft3 well put together etc. through himself into UK culture, played football, would even talk about his 'touch' , could handle a liquid lunch, did well with the ladies, could take the piss and visa virsa, but he was humble, we absolutely loved him.

I can't help but remember that the U.S. was formed by Brits who wanted to do things differently, go against the grain, as you said, Chris. The U.S. was a blank slate. Everything was adaptations of UK things or started from scratch. Entrepreneurial from the beginning.

I’m an American that lived in London for 8 years. I love London, England and the UK and I love the Brits. Any Brit that wants to come to America is welcome

Californian here ~ a few years ago a Brit arrived with her horse to board at my barn. One afternoon a few teens pulled into the ranch, parked under a tree to smoke some pot and the Brit stomps down the driveway to tell them they're on private property and to get out!! The boys immediately leave and she walks back to the barn just blown away that the guys didn't tell her off. She said she would have been cussed out if this happened across the pond, but these boys apologized and peacefully left. I told her it was the accent! It saved her that day.

Nothing is more annoying than watching a british lad arrive in the states and NOT immediately take advantage of the fact that he's now the most eligible bachelor in the room. It's a super power.

My Dad immigrated to the U.S. from the U.K. In the 60s. He lovingly calls us His Majesty’s unruly teenagers, tell them they can’t do something and they’ll do just that.

I always felt like the UK was the elder brother and the US the younger--who grew up taller and got a job that paid more.

This was one of the best and accurate conversations I’ve listened too in years

A working class Brit here. I was blessed with working for an American company. I managed to reach a level in the company that I never imagined possible. I am absolutely certain that would not have happened in a British company. The Americans don’t see class, only effort and ability. I worked harder for the people that put their faith in me, I think that applied to every American that I worked for and several of the Brits, but it wasn’t as universal as the Americans. Every American manager that I worked for got their position on merit. Some of British managers definitely had an element of the old boy network. The difference in GDP per capita is striking now, Britain, like the rest of similar sized European economies is well behind America. Is that down to regulation and tax or is down to the cultural differences? They maybe go hand in hand?

Someone said to me once that in America you are told to "achieve your dreams, shoot for the stars, you're amazing and God will help guide you to your dreams if you work hard." And in Britain we're told "yeah you can have your dreams but they're unrealistic and it's better just to get a safe, stable job and settle down." So for me people in the US have a much more positive mentality and attitude than people in the UK.

We Americans ARE proud of America, in a good way, I hope. That said, we also are quite proud of your England -our grandfather and our sisters and brothers. You gave us our beginning and we stand with each other when the chips are down. Also Canadians -our kinder, better brothers and sisters, when they’re not being silly- and our smartassed, strong and irreverent Austrailian black sheep with hearts of gold. May we all learn to be more like ourselves again!

As a Canadian who’s lived in Midlands UK for two years now, I’ve gotta say, I feel like a space alien on the daily. I’m not an overly gregarious person, yet I’m viewed as one here. My friendliness and openness to talk to people is often rebuffed. It’s been tough. But I’m not going to give up! I do find England beautiful.

Another point: we Americans are all descended from someone who said, “F-it, I’m going to move halfway around the world to a new country and see what happens!” And then those people succeeded (at least the ones from whom we descend). Rolling the dice on long odds, and expecting success, is literally in our DNA.

I'm American and I take great pride in Britain. You guys are amazing. Own it. 🎉

As an American I have so much respect for all the Brits. I had the honor to work with many of them over the years and it was so much fun we all got along great

I appreciate you guys being nice to us.

As an American, I would say that our country’s founding history was a huge contribution to our identity and behavior.

American In London here, the entrepreneurship thing is very simple, you guys have way way way more red tape towards starting, let alone succeeding in a business. I know there are cultural differences about that stuff too but I know this from experience, I would figure this has to matter quite a bit

The thing I noticed most about Americans during the times I've visited the States is their concept of space and time. They would drive for an hour and 20 minutes just to go to a restaurant for some food. No one in England would drive that far. I also remember driving from a camp in the Mohavi to Vegas and had a period of about an hour and a half of not seeing another car, here, I don't think you could drive anywhere for more than 10 minutes and not see another car.

Ed Sheeran said people in the UK dislike rich people because they think they’re putting on airs. And in the US we are happy for someone being wealthy.

Anglo-American here: born in Manchester and moved to Miami where I lived from 8-20 from which I moved to London, where I now reside. One of my great advantages is my “American brashness” and ability to view everything optimistically compared to the dark depressing Brits who are pessimistic about everything.

Really solid observations i hadn’t considered as an American though they ring true. They were yet felt, enjoyed but not considered. I love the witty humor, quick wittedness and sarcasm of the brits/people from the UK in general. Love my mates from London. Wish there were heaps more of you over here.

The English I’ve met from Manchester were taking aback on how confident we are, I responded “we are buck wild pal.”

My ancestors came from the UK on my mother and father's side as recently as the mid 1800s. I love so many things about Britain. I love my country. I am not, however, blind to the faults of either country. We all have room for improvement. We can learn from each other. You guys are great.

As an American native to New England, my family came to the US from England/Scotland in the late 1600s. My 4th great grandfather from Effingham, New Hampshire, fought the Brits in the revolution. That being said, I can't help but have an intrinsic fondness for England and a feeling of fondness when I meet someone from the UK.

The thing to remember about UK is we have more accents than any other country. In addition if you go 5 minutes down the road between two towns/villages that distance is sufficient to ensure a level of hatred for each other not seen elsewhere in the civilised world.

As a Brit who is married to an American and who lives in America now, I have pondered this question, and I think that Brits generally, have a scarcity mentality, whereas yanks don’t. I think this is because most people in Britain have either experienced or are children/grand children of people who were involved in World Wars, and this mentally of feeling insecure/unsafe, added to in recent years with the addition of the threat of terrorism on our shores makes you grateful for peace and/or the little things in life. I believe that’s why we seem to get such pleasure out of the most basic things in life, such as having a chat with a stranger, taking the piss out of ourselves or having a cup of tea. Americans have no idea how lucky most of them are to live in a place with so many opportunities or relative safety. So much so that they seem intent on inventing their own problems.

As the child of an entrepreneur, the daughter-in-law of a small business owner (he "just bought the business", lol, and then increased it's output incredibly and made his entire extended family financially stable) and now an entrepreneur myself, along with my husband: confidence in yourself is everything. Nothing matters more in entrepreneurship/business than the simple but difficult decision to have confidence in your ideas and your ability to do what you will need to do. I was lucky to be born to a confident family, to be born in America where starting businesses is so common, to be born into a business-friendly state and to marry a man that cultivated knowledge and skills I could turn into a profitable business. I turned on a dime from stay-at-home mom to business owner in 3 days back in 2014. That took, above all, confidence. Thanks to America and my parents! ;) haha

My cousin married an English guy. We had a few conversations about class, accents, and words we use differently. The class divide in the UK is just beyond most Americans' comprehension. He explained it from the perspective of a poor east end of London expat. It blew my mind in a kind of unnerving way.

As a brit who moved to the US at 21 and has been here for 7 years, this is quite accurate.

As an older American, watching lots of British Tv and listening to classic British musicians talk about themselves and their upbringing and society…I got the impression that, at least in the 50’s snd 60’s, stepping outside the box was not rewarded. Those who became highly successful were cut down. Brits were noted for “takin’ the piss” when it came to successful people. Getting “above yourself”. Not knowing your place. “ Who do you think you are?” Kind of mindset. That takes away self-confidence. You find allot, if not most, highly successful Brits, at least of the boomer generation, being VERY self-deprecating. You don’t see that in Americans. Americans are usually very proud and open about their success, often to a fault. And others don’t try to take them down a peg or two, like they would in Britain. British society, at least a few decades ago, seemed much more conformist.

As an American it’s funny how much hate we get.. we all know that’s rooted in jealousy

I'm English and have spent two and a half years in America when I was younger (California, NY state and Kansas). My overall impression of Americans is positive. They are generally open and keen to listen and be helpful. They are similar to the British. I'm pleased that we have the Special Relationship. Sharing intelligence prevents most terrorist attacks and that's a good thing.

As an American… Imagine the temperament and type of personality you might need to say screw this. I’m hopping on a leaky wooden boat and heading across the Atlantic Ocean To the New World. I do believe those genetics are with us today.

I spent nearly 20 years in USA, in the south, loved it. Love the weather, the people, the space, the land. Made to feel really welcome, the Geordie accent made for some great reactions and a wonderful ice-breaker. Enjoy your time, but be careful about becoming a dual citizen boys, especially if you ever move back home!

I was sat in a Greggs in Wigan listening to this 👀

Worked with Brits, Aussies and South African in Silicon Valley. They caught on real quick that they left the class structure far behind. After a few drinks they would lapse into their dialects and laugh at the whole thing

I never thought about the introductions thing. I’ve been in Japan for 8 years and I introduce everyone that way. I talk them up and give them a great first impression. When people introduce me it’s “This is Grant. He’s American. His job is X.” Fortunately, people here will take over and ask follow up questions and be very hospitable.

The British accent is worth 20 IQ points in the US. I worked with a young woman who, like me, grew up in American. She went away on vacation and two weeks later came back with a British accent. It was mild reminiscent of someone who was born in the UK but who had been in the US for a long time but it was there. To everyone else she just ignored their comments and carried on as usual. I asked her how she did it. She said she picked out a British actress with the accent she wanted and then she started to work on it. She figured that the accent was the same as a co0llege degree.

It is true that Brits appear less positive. However, if a Brit says, "I believe in you. You can do this!", he genuinely means it

The only problem with the A-B test theory is how do you explain the rest of the Empire? There must have been an adventurous and enterprising spirt to have built/stumbled into Empire. Not saying it is wrong, just that it is too simple. I think a lot of the modern traits of the UK and the USA comes from the end of the Second World War. America came out of the war much stronger and in a dominating position, the UK entered the war as a superpower and left as basically a vassal state of the US!

I visited the western USA last month and had a wonderful experience. The conversations I had with the locals were great albeit brief. Quite refreshing from the sarcastic and pessimistic characters we have in Britain 😂

Thanks for the perspectives, mate! Some folks have never left the USA, it's a huge and diverse country on its own. But the world is soooooo diverse. Thanks for all the great content.

I was a 10-13 American kid in Australia and became really inculcated into the practice of "taking the piss" amongst peers and it has not served me well since I returned to the States. Americans are incredibly, and exhaustingly, sensitive to mockery and frank criticism.

We lived in the UK for 3 years back in the late 80's. We liked to visit all the old estates. I asked a docent one time, "how did this family make their money?" The Docent didn't understand the question. I tried to clarify, "you know, steel, oil, shipping, railroads, what?" They still didn't know what I was taking about. They finally said something like, "They always had money." LIke, "you idiot American, we have classes here, some people have money and some don't and you are expected to know your place and stay there."

I spent 6 months in California in 2009. Absolutely loved it. The accent is a weapon there. I left the UK 9 years ago to live in Canada (much easier to get a visa). I think both the US and Canada give you permission to dream and go after something big with your life. A lot of the UK seems quite negative. That being said, I do miss many things. The humor, the banter, and watching footy at a reasonable time of day.

12:00 as someone not born but grew up and spent most of my life in the USA, I appreciate your synopsis of how we introduce new people to a group. While we definitely can be like the British in that regard, by and large we do really hype up the new person in a friend group. You’ll see a lot of friend groups that encompass so many people that don’t, on the surface, seem like they’d get along well, yet they’re all huge parts of the others’ lives. In general, we are very friendly and welcoming people and if we introduce somebody to our friend group, we really want our friends to see all the great things about you that we do, and if you’re visiting from abroad and the trip has been planned, we will have already hyped you up big time before you even arrived. We get a bad reputation abroad, and it definitely can be well deserved, but I just wish people would remember that there are well over 300 million of us, so you’ll meet pretty much the whole spectrum here.

Definitely my favorite thing about RU-vid is that i felt so alone and persecuted at times. Finding more people that thought similarly was a mighty help.

Andrew Schulz said something that really got me thinking. People see America as a crazy place. Well that’s also because it was started by crazy people who decided to leave their home countries for a new land. Even now really! So many first generations leaving their families for such a different way of life!

I lived in Brazil for a few years and found it interesting that there were huge amounts of country pride. The radio announcers dont say "Happy Mother's Day" they say "Happy Mother's Day to all those Brazilian Mothers out there."

It’s true I lived and worked in America (I’m welsh) people instantly trust you and it gets you out of bother easily . I was an idiot when I was younger. Drunk and disorderly . But my accent in America got me out of lots of issues I made for myself .

As a Brit i have been lucky to spend a few years working in the United States and i was lucky to meet some great people . I cant speak for other people on their view of Americans but of the ones i spent time with were extremely kind and generous people . That is not to say i didnt struggle with certain beliefs and views that many of these people held . The belief in their own exceptionalism , their interpretation of patriotism with flag waving and the oaths of allegiance at schools. It was also the viewpoint that the poor or the most vulnerable in their society had nothing to do with them and finally how poor in general their news platforms and their use of commentators. However their is s optimiism that is unique to the US that i have never seem anywhere else, and an a sense of honesty and forwardness i was not prepared for. Like being asked anout my salary or networth by strangers . A lady sitting next to me waited for my partner to pop out yo make a call and passing me her number . Perhaps im a big old fashioned but i didnt like that . Ive learned there are certainly cultural differences between brits and Americans. I have met good and bad people in both UK and America . I like Americans

As an American, I love our British cousins. Americans have inherented so much of our beliefs, culture, and way of life from the UK.

Interesting assessment of both the British and American mentalities and the outlook of both of them. Never had the luck on my 2 visits to New York with my essex accent but very impressed on my 2 trips to New York.

Upvoted just for the Silverstein shirt. Was already a fan, but you just took it to a new level

To me as an American I would make a comparison this way. Brits are in a classroom with not only the teacher but the principal are in the classroom. America...we got a substitute teacher for the day that is on their phone and told the class to do whatever you want.

The Three Lions comes from house Plantagenet which was the royal house of Kind Richard the 1st. The lions are from two French provinces Normandy (which has two lions on its coat of arms) and Aquitaine (which has one lion on its coat of arms)! Love your podcast boss man! Keep Smashing it, hope to meet you one day, much love from the UK. P.S If you are interested in learning the Kings who made England check this wicked fresh tome out: The Plantagenets: The Kings Who Made England by Dan Jones

The English are for the most part phlegmatic. Things go slowly, change is regarded with suspicion, and it is difficult to make things happen. It's like pushing stones uphill. If you stop pushing, they'll roll down again to where they were before. For both better and worse, in this sense the country is profoundly conservative. Ambition is a bad word, though greed is widely practised. The English find it particularly satisfying to sit in their houses, do nothing, and see the house prices go up. Their mode of operation is subtle and not understood by foreigners or those with the wrong accents. Cooperation is limited and highly selective: you first need to prove that you can be trusted, become a member of the club, an insider. Success is ruthlessly pursued but outwardly apologised for. An apologetic manner is often used to disguise indifference. Despite all this, the country contains some very nice people.

The british accent is the Rolex of language. Anywhere in the world it can help you get home

If the Cornish can be proud of Cornwall and the Welsh can be proud of Wales, then the English should be proud of England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Fly your flag! It doesn't make you a bad person. Love of country, patria, is a virtue.

I am a theater actor in Louisville, Kentucky, known for being able to handle UK dialects. As an experiment I recorded one of my speeches using my own Midwest American dialect (the Magrathea intro speech by Peter Jones from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), then played it back. It was so weird, after doing in the Peter Jones voice for years, and for just a moment I had a glimpse of what my American accent would sound like to British ears. Very strange. If I ever did emigrate to the UK I would be so eager to not be a bother that I bet I would way overdo it, just turn into a Leonard Rossiter character because my knowledge of British culture was formed in 1980...

I actually think the Brits are happy in there own skin , you hit the nail on the head with Bald and Bankrupt if he was American he’d be milking the hell out of his fame

It's not even that deep, I'm Mexican American & it'd be impossible to throw a blanket statement on America, it's diverse with so many different kinds of ppl. All i know is there's no excuses and that's that. I hear alot of em coming from this guy🤷

The metaphor at 00:33 is priceless...

As an American, I support this message. Also as an American, I want almost nothing more than to see the glory of England restored.

Unfortunately not all Americans are driven and or self sufficient but we do love a rags to riches story. It’s how we are built. I love the British and have visited the UK several times. I first heard that some Brits felt this way while talking to a police officer outside #10. He told me his dream was to come to America and pursue more in life than what the UK offered. He went on to say that he felt that his whole nation was mired in a kind of stagnant depression and alcoholism and that it was killing his soul. I went away quite sad from that exchange and hope that he was able to fulfill his dreams.

Bipedalism is actually the most efficient method of locomotion on land. This is why humans are persistence hunters. Traditionally humans would walk, or jog, their prey to death over the course of days. This was done by walking close enough to the prey animal that they would move away but not so close that it would attack, and then repeat over days until it collapsed then stabbing it to death with spears. This is what makes zombies so terrifying to, us humans, at an instinctual level, because a zombie hunts us the way we hunt everything else.

As an American that visited London for the first time last year I get what he was saying in the beginning. I had come from Paris which felt so crazy and foreign and like a different world, then going to the UK was like, a bizarro cousin version of America? Just with Pubs and stuff.

Aussie here. Our pop entertainment mostly comes from America but 'taking the piss' has never left out blood. It's a key attribute in a socially prosperous man!

I actually just mentioned the same theory about “when the ships came” while talking with my my son (he is 12) about our British ancestors who all came over before the Revolution and why Americans tend to be more innovative and take more risks than people on other countries. I said to him that our ancestors were the ones that were like “This is dangerous but could totally pay off!” as they boarded those ships and to always remember that that same bravery and adventurous spirit is his built into his DNA and that he is always capable if he is willing to put in the work and sacrifice. We all grow up hearing stories of how hard the people before us worked to get us to where we are now so it really is built into our families and our society (as they say “the American spirit”)

I’m American, and randomly made friends with a few Brit’s while traveling in Thailand, and Im telling you, these boys could paaarty. Holy shit I thought I could hold my own, but they made me look like a school kid in comparison. I’m sure them being in the RAF was a big reason too. These dudes didn’t even hesitate to go to blows with anyone either and defended me like I was a blood brother even after only knowing them for 24 hours 😂

American here. These guys have a cartoon image of Ameri cans in their head. The way they talk makes it sound like they've never spent any time in the US at all. In reality they are probably just the kind of people that gravitate more towards the fake, plastic, shallow, "business minded" types and so that's what they find. Why is this guy so obsessed with the number of entrepreneurs? The last thing we need are more people obsessed with making money and delivering crap in terms of value. We need scientists, journalists, writers, doctors, and musicians. Not business "men".

The British accent to Americans seems naturally kind of posh

Former inspections officer here, I’ve spoken with tons of British travelers and I think what blows a lot of their minds when they first get here is just how big the US is and how many cultures are here. During conversations they’ll be asked where they are going and invariably NY, LA or Miami and Vegas. I would respond go to places like Cincinnati or Wichita, Pittsburgh. Get away from the tourist traps.

Its just strange that while on vacation in Florida we were on a bus with some brits, and they didnt speak, Europe has this weird ( to us anyway) cold way of things, i only wanted to say our local bus company had bought and imported a lot of your older double decker busses. The wife was very kind, but the men just sat there. Sorry we are so happy and friendly, but we think of you as sort of long lost family...youre always welcome here.

Dave Rubin interviewed an Iranian transplant from Sweden (Econ. Prof.), and Dave asked the Swede citizen and professor about the difference between the Swede’s and American’s. The professor said Swede’s didn’t have the same sense of freedom that American’s have and that Swede’s value safety over ‘freedom’. In other words maybe a more collective view of their society. That might explain the difference in other European countries and why Americans might have an edge on numbers of entrepreneurs . The large middle class private sector also would indicate that. It is a fascinating subject to talk about. Great discussion. 🇺🇸❤️. Americans do love the Brits!

Really insightful fellas.

I love how in America- being successful (eg. having money or being highly educated etc ) is not frowned upon and infact applauded whereas in the UK- if someone is rich/ highly intelligent/educated/ they have to play it down otherwise there will be so much jealousy. High achievers seem to be idolised/ respected in the US however here we think they are greedy or crooks....... that might explain why people are not keen to start businesses and earn lots

Excellent discussion .. a second gen Hungarian American ..one of the US mongrels .. Hungarian, Finnish,Irish ,Scottish Blood .. You guys nailed it .. I think what you all think for a long time .. My favorite British … Monty Python Group, Cadfael, Sharpe , Hornblower , Churchill , UTRED….😇😇😇🤗🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️

There are a few Americans, such as myself who grew up with British culture alongside with American, especially British humor, which definitely neutralizes and brings such Americans back down to earth! As far as accents, we know there is many more in the British Isles then all of the United States I can recognize the regional differences in Great Britain immediately when most British think we sound like Texans🤣

You’ll be shocked to know that Americans do not care what anyone thinks

Brit in the US here... the accent definitely helps with some things. If you're a single guy in the US with a british accent you're doing something wrong. I always thought it was 3 lions because that's what it takes to make a pride (of lions) - I.E. make us proud.

@0:23 that’s the best I’ve heard yet. Spot on.

As an American, I love this conversation. Great points all around.

I’ve always admired Americans for their perceived enthusiasm. I think a balance between the 2 cultures would be aeeesome

That analogy at the start is brilliant lol

As an American I would submit that it’s very hard to make assumptions on the whole. Most foreigners know Americans as far as Californians and New Yorkers, maybe Miami. The big cities. But there are soooo many other cultures within that a far different.

American here:-) Just a quick response… Thank You for your observations & kind words about Americans. America is enormous in land & population. One of our challenges is finding agreement at scale. We have such differences in geography, industry, regional priorities & awareness that the founders were brilliant to conceive of states rights & a small & limited federal government. Unfortunately, we’ve effed it all up, but those 19-26 yr old men were spot on! Anyhoo, we seem to be perceived as the perpetual teens of the world which comes w/ quite a lot of criticism. It’s nice to hear your positive perspectives on us. Thanks again!

I've been to America. Loved it over there,good people,they may well be the world's very best. Americans aren't sneering,piss taking cynics like us. There's an agreeable and appealing morality and decency among many Americans that I admire. C'mon, yanks,do the right thing in November, make America great again.

Older American here. Just discovered this video. According to my search for the top 10 universities in the world, the US had 7 in the top 10 & the UK had 3. I was disappointed with the lack of differences actually discussed in this video. I personally don't think your guest really knew much about Americans. Obviously, these are just my opinions & are very wide generalizations based on my experiences & observations of both cultures. I believe our cultures are extremely different, if not totally opposites. The American culture seems to be more competitive & built on the survival of the fittest principle. The UK culture seems to be based on the survival of the most docile, compliant or obedient. The go along to get along principle. Americans question authority, express their opinions, tend to be competitive, independent, creative, demanding, adventurous & dare I say, more assertive / aggressive, which is typically more in line with alpha-male animal traits [in keeping with the "animal kingdom analogy" used by your guest]. It looks to me as if British people are raised to be docile, compliant, & subservient to all those holding a higher social status or position. Perhaps the differences found between our two cultures are more akin to those found between hunters vs. gatherers. Perhaps we Americans just aren't as refined or domesticated as the average Britt? Americans, sometimes to our detriment, are emotional, passionate, driven [internally & externally] to do our best, & are expected to desire & to reach for more. Culturally Britts come across as being more emotionally repressed, do enough to get by, & are expected to be satisfied with what they have & happy with the way things are. It seems to me that Britain's ruling class did what they could to create a more governable, compliant or domesticated population. A population willing to be told what to do & willing to accept things as they are, not to question authority, strive for improvement or to aggressively push for change. Their goal appears to have been to create a more cultured, refined & genteel population, one that more closely mirrors the ideal posh & proper cultural attributes of the aristocratic ruling class. Obviously, in my unrefined American opinion, they appear to have accomplished this goal by breeding the assertive, rough, rebellious, competitive alpha-male like qualities right out of their subjects. The average American generally questions or resists invasive or oppressive Orwellian style governmental regulations. It looks to me like the Britts seem to feel the only way to peacefully coexist with each other is for government to regulate or control so many aspects of your every day life. Seriously, being charged with a crime because you inappropriately honked your car horn, had a UK flag on your van or because something you said in a conversation, possibly not even to offended person, can be considered a crime? Americans are expected to do what is necessary to take care of ourselves & our families & to plan for our own futures while the British appear to look to the government to provide everything for them, from cradle to grave. American culture values success & the British culture seems to value basic survival & compliance. I'm not saying one culture is better than the other. Both have their weaknesses. You decide which is best for you.

On the accents, I used to work with a British chemist in his 50's. He was tall and had bad teeth but the ladies loved him. They would crowd around and coo at him and say they could listen to him all day. He once told me that if he had known his accent was this golden in the US, he would have come over in his 20's and plowed his way from coast to coast.