princebatswater

leave madscientist alone. He's only giving us his opinion.

Who are you? Opinion police?

woodruffs

just acouple of points sorry to hear that we (brits) upset you but i think you will find that over the past 5-10 yrs we have been getting agresive to everyone including ourselves but the other side to that is and especially in the west country if we like you we take the piss if not you get nought (said nowt) . we,ve been to the US a few times and like it a lt so good luck the move back.

creed

i've posted on this thread once and commented that maybe the comments about the US accent were just in humour ... i suppose i was talking from my own experience and maybe i don't know how it is to be a foreigner in the UK

but i am interested in hearing from the brits who posted about the growing number of brits being raised with anti-american sentiment .... is this really true?

personally, i feel closer to americans than any nation, thats not to say they can't be the brunt of a joke or 20, but it's never malicious. as a brit i like being in europe but i think we are totally different from the rest of our continent ... i've no doubt that when push comes to shove only america would stand up for us ... and myself i'm always re-assured when the news declares our new prime minister or the new US president get on well.

i wonder what british person can say they hate americans and truely mean it .... no doubt we're very different but when ever i meet an american it always ends in drinks and a real good laugh about each others weaknesses.

if these brits love europe then good on them, i wish i could feel part of it all but i don't... don't get me wrong i really like the people of france and spain, when ever i've been on holiday there, they are always so nice and friendly (unless u try and speak french of course) ... but there is no commonality - i feel no connection in our society, i feel a strengh in our american allies and i don't feel inferior to them. they have never needed britain but they recognise that while so different in character our outlooks on morality are the same and it makes us stonger as friendly nations. i pity the day when america and britain stop seeing eye to eye.

i did think most brits thought this way ... am i wrong?

Don

I don't hate the Americans and I've met some very pleasant individuals but in truth I do think as a nation they are lacking in culture, education and a mature/ wise Weltanschauung - I somewhat misprize them for this.

I feel much more commonality with my fellow Europeans.

creamT

Hi,
this is a good thread! Have my own input if thats okay!

We moved out to NZ in Feb this year, early days still I know, but I really want to go home to UK. My hubby came out before me and I satyed to sell the house and tie up loose ends.

A word of warning to others in my situation. I came out here I believe to save a marriage that I don't think can be saved. I have two children, and I am so homesick for my family and friends, I think because I have no-one here, and realitys hit big time with a ruddy great sledgehammer!

I need my mates and my sister etc, I miss Safeways and tesco's, I miss all thats familiar, but I have no way to get home , no home to go to and no finances! So basically i'm stuck. My mates are all trying to find me some info, so I can go home as I and my children will be classed as homeless!

So please, please, please, think so very hard before you leave your respective homelands! I love it here in NZ,and will so miss it if I can get home, but the need to be bak , even though destitute is far greater. So make paramount the fact that you have a good solid relationship, please!

Peter

Good advice. I've been here in the US six years and been married for that long. My wife no longer wants to live in her country. She's very outgoing and I have no doubt she'll make a dozen friends within a month of being in Australia. She's under no illusions that she will feel homesick while she's over there. She knows she will probably get homesick.

Going back to Australia isn't a decision we made overnight. We've hemmed and hawed about it for nearly 4 years.

But now it's time.

Good luck with how things turn out for you.

MikeStanton

So generous of you. But, my, aren't the Americans inconsiderate?

Imagine if those uncultured, uneducated, immature Americans hadn't been willing to die in their thousands (especially starting 60 years ago today) for freedom. You probably wouldn't need to learn German as a second, third....language.

woodruffs

firstly please explain weltanschauung to a european
then i think alot of people are not giving the US or the aussies and NZers much credit for what they have done and got as there are reams of postings that say similar things about culture etc with all three places canada gets pulled in as well remember that in europe we see places of interest or that have been mapped etc with 700 or 800yrs history every day but the US etc have barely 300yrs since being discovered let alone having a church or school there, also there education originated in europe so i dont go expecting a "mature "culture i like the fact that anyone can get on if you really want . As that is a part of the problem here (europe) possibly too much history and social baggage i could go on and on but i wont for now .

woodruffs

No anti american sentiment in my house i,d go t,morrow .

Don

I naturally think the Allied cause was good in the case of the Second World War and will always be grateful for the sacrifice of those (esp Americans) who fought to keep Western Europe free.

Soldiers are trained to carry out orders effectively, not to question their orders. Nobody can seriously question the courage, ability or character of the Americans who fought then. But this is irrelevant to my points.

Perhaps if American political leaders had had better education, understanding of culture and a wiser Weltanschauung (or this had been true of their people - to keep their leaders in check) they would have avoided the mess that was/is (say) Vietnam, Iraq and found better solutions to the problems concerned.

Don

Webster's has 'Weltanschauung: Lit., world view; a conception of the course of events in, and of the purpose of, the world as a whole, forming a philosophical view or apprehension of the universe; the general idea embodied in a cosmology.'

It's not so much having lots of historical buildings around or a history going back more than 300 years. Americans could easily 'get it' if they were bothered.

Get what?

It's (for me) the curiosity to find out ever more about the world, the humility to see that all sorts of different approaches across the globe may have their merits, the determined application of intelligence to assimilate the learnings of history and the teachings of philosophy and form a balanced view of who we are and where we've come from.

Helps in deciding where you want to go.

Europeans have that cultural context in buckets.

MikeStanton

So, so naive. Few people would say that the US government always takes the right decisions. Not all their wars were just. But if it came to the crunch, I would side with USA before any mainland European country.

Please don't use the culture bullsh**, wisdom arguments. Both Germans and Japanese consider themselves extremely cultured. And where did they lead the world? And how exactly did the precious culture and wisdom of the Europeans help in Kosovo?

And while you're being grateful, also be grateful for the USA's assistance to Europe in WW1. And be damn grateful for the Marshall Plan and NATO. The EU has done almost nothing to keep the peace. Except talk.

Don

Naive...yeah, right. So for you: history is bunk, learning is pointless and philosophy ain't worth the paper it's written on.

I beg to differ (and I speak for the Europe that established Rome, Florence, Paris, Heidelberg and the Greece that bred me and my culture way back!).

Culture is what makes me European.

I'm glad I'm not American.

My neck is red enough already!

simbacat

Are you still on the war path with the Germans? Lucky really I don't need to be grateful for the Marshall plan or NATO.

simbacat

I am glad to see that there are people like you around.