How have you been treated here as a Brit?
#76
Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
Well for starters you need planning permission for the sort of 12'-15' pole that is fairly common in the US, and you are unlikely to get permission, so thd question is moot.
#77
Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
I wasn't exactly talking about a full-fledged flag pole! I was talking about a little yard flag, more like a banner!
#79
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 12,852
Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
I can't recall a single occasion in almost 30 years where I've had a negative reaction here for being British. The closest I've come is having to correct some crazy assertions regarding the NHS at the height of the "debate" on the ACA.
#80
Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
Someone told me it was because the British accent is perceived to be posh and intelligent.
(in fact, the way in which one woman behaved did reveal that I did have more intelligence and class than she could ever hope to muster -I'm not sure if that was a self fulfilling prophecy or serendipity.)
#81
I have a comma problem
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: Fox Lake, IL (from Carrickfergus NI)
Posts: 49,598
Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
'As a Brit', I'm not treated in any special way. As a reasonably unfriendly, surly type bloke, I'm treated surprisingly well by the generally quite friendly (bless them) Americans I run into. I put that in a weird way - but I do have one of those tones where I can come across as very sarcastic even if I don't mean to be and in general it still doesn't bother the locals, plus when I am in a mood where I don't want to be bothered by people I'm really bad at hiding it.
Anyway, as far as the being a Brit aspect - a lot of times, people don't bring it up. Occasionally I'll get the 'Are you Irish/Scottish/English/etc' asked but most of the time if someone is curious, they just ask what my accent is, so I tell them, then they ask why I moved out here because they'd love to live there. You can't win. I also get a worrying amount of 'women of a certain age' who tell me how lovely my accent is and how they love to listen to me talk. It makes for some uncomfortable phone calls at work
On the other side of the coin, in Scotland when we were over the last time, some nice old lady asked my wife at a bus stop what part of Canada she was from and it was all I could do to stop myself pissing my pants laughing
Anyway, as far as the being a Brit aspect - a lot of times, people don't bring it up. Occasionally I'll get the 'Are you Irish/Scottish/English/etc' asked but most of the time if someone is curious, they just ask what my accent is, so I tell them, then they ask why I moved out here because they'd love to live there. You can't win. I also get a worrying amount of 'women of a certain age' who tell me how lovely my accent is and how they love to listen to me talk. It makes for some uncomfortable phone calls at work
On the other side of the coin, in Scotland when we were over the last time, some nice old lady asked my wife at a bus stop what part of Canada she was from and it was all I could do to stop myself pissing my pants laughing
#82
Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
Having women colleagues tell me they "luuurve" my accent are perhaps the more bizarre episodes, but among the most common are waitresses who go all gooey about my accent when I sitting there with Mrs P! ..... And IME it's not just women "of a certain age", it extends from about sixteen to sixty.
#83
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 22,105
Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
Having women colleagues tell me they "luuurve" my accent are perhaps the more bizarre episodes, but among the most common are waitresses who go all gooey about my accent when I sitting there with Mrs P! ..... And IME it's not just women "of a certain age", it extends from about sixteen to sixty.
#84
I have a comma problem
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: Fox Lake, IL (from Carrickfergus NI)
Posts: 49,598
Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
Having women colleagues tell me they "luuurve" my accent are perhaps the more bizarre episodes, but among the most common are waitresses who go all gooey about my accent when I sitting there with Mrs P! ..... And IME it's not just women "of a certain age", it extends from about sixteen to sixty.
That is one I'll admit makes me uncomfortable though, I never know how to handle myself when a woman starts doing the 'ooooo, I just love to listen to you speak' routine. I never know how to handle myself after that. Especially because at home I'm usually told to shut up
#86
I have a comma problem
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: Fox Lake, IL (from Carrickfergus NI)
Posts: 49,598
Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
That is to be expected with daily exposure. I don't even notice that everyone has an American accent here anymore.
#87
Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
This deceptively simple, 1 sentence of self-reflection jumped off the page when I read it.
I can't recall anyone here ever asking themselves that before.
IMO: It might be a worthwhile activity
#89
Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
Yep, that's to be expected with time. OH and I are the same way. There's only an occasional word every now and then that I have to ask him to repeat himself. I really don't hear his accent too much anymore either.
#90
Re: How have you been treated here as a Brit?
I can't tell Mrs P's "pin" and "pen" apart.
Last edited by Pulaski; Apr 21st 2014 at 4:37 pm.