Dan B

How often do people get sh*t for being English?

I get called "limey" all the time, and there are frequent references to bad teeth and the war of independence. It does wear me down sometimes.

If I get particularly irritated by it I will usually, in reference to the bad teeth and limey thing, call the person out and say "do you actually know what you are calling me that?" They hardly ever do.

When the "war" comes up I usually claim that there was never an official declaration to cease hostilities so that, technically, England and the US are still at war and that I could kill the person and get away with it as they would be a combat casualty.

Anyone else with these "problems"?

HoosierDaddy

I really don't get any grief for being Scottish, except the odd reference at work to being a "fuzzy little foreigner" (Caddyshack quote) or inquiries as to where my kilt is or what's under it. Might also be some passing mention of bagpipes or Braveheart, but at least it is an engagement of conversation... Water off a duck's back.

The bad teeth thing is hard to refute.* I've been amazed and impressed at the level and quality of dentistry over here as opposed to the 'care' provided on the NHS. Couple that with half the people on any given BBC America show and the Americans have a good point.

*(my favourite illustration was in a Simpsons epsiode when the dentist brought out The Big Book of British Smiles to scare Ralph into brushing regularly)

anabella

I get " where is your flamenco costume ", I did while I lived in England too..

Roland Hulme

Nothing really.

My wife got A LOT of crap in England from various retarded lugnuts thinking they were hilarious - or idiots deciding that she might be interested in their dreary political rants about George Bush et. al.

Americans seem lovely and friendly - curious about my accent, but that's about it.

chicagojlo

I'm from up North so everyone assumes I'm Australian, and they don't seem to know enough about Aus to come up with any jokes! It was quite funny when we had an actual Australian join our team for a few weeks, it was a fortnight before any of my co-workers realised she WASN'T British. And that was because I told them.

Dan B

My native pretends to be Canadian. The WORST time we had with her accent was when we went to the Glastonbury Festival. I was shocked.

u.k. lady

Yep,
my kids have had some at school. They hate American history because they have to hear how awful the British were and of course they are British. One teacher in my daughters class said all British people drank tea with their little fingers in the air and said British people said americans spoke like yanks. My daughter replied "no we dont and well you do".

Dan B

yeah, that damn Mel Gibson film doesn't help either (The Patriot). Nor does it help that the Death Star has exclusively British officers.

Roland Hulme

Hey, this might not be the right crowd, but didn't we start an unfair taxation program to make the colonies pay for the costs of defending themselves? Yet offer them no parliamentry representation for doing so?

Kind of like the English taxpayers money that goes towards the Scottish parliament these days?

Thydney

The only problem I have is from my next door neighbour.
As for teeth I'm always being complemented on my dental work and teeth.

Thydney

I nearly feel over last week I saw a film with an Irish baddy, well he was an English man with a crappy oirish accent but it was a start.

Roland Hulme

speaking of which, did you spot Ray Winstone in the Departed?

That guy does 'bloke you wouldn't want to piss off because he'd kill you with a stick' very well. Not so sure about the accent.

Dan B

Was is Patriot Games?

anotherlimey

No, you must be a real arsehole!

You could remind them of Yank stereotypes... fat and stupid.

Dan B

I'm not denying that