Comments on: So THAT’S what you think about Britain?

By: GrahameD

GrahameD — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:03:52 +0000

Shurely it’s ‘tom tit”?

Important to get these things right.

By: NFAH

NFAH — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:14:36 +0000

Really, it’s just embarrassing whenever either culture tries to publish a short guide to the other. Better for people to just go out and figure it out for themselves.

By: Almost American

Almost American — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:43:43 +0000

Definitely an odd choice of terms by that newspaper! I would venture a guess that the article was written by an American who’s never been to the UK!

By: Iota

Iota — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:28:56 +0000

Last time I was having tea with the Queen, she kept insisting I had another cup, until I finally had to tell her

“Ma’am I’m so bladdered, I couldn’t gargle another mouthful of the old bone china”.

She seemed to understand, but then, she’s not American.

By: Brooklyn

Brooklyn — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:51:27 +0000

Actually, I do not like sports and don’t view drinking as a recreation in and of itself. This of course leaves more time for better uses of my time, namely, more intensive shagging, relaxed shitting, and, in lieu of watching sports, watching movies that “blow things up real good”(“Crank 2″ anyone?).

But my point was not that the description you objected to was accuate as to each and every Brit (including you), Yank (including me), Italian, Russian, Uzbek, Bolivian, etc. male, but that the stereotype of Brit males you descirbe is not a stereotype of Brit males as Brits, but a stereotype of males generally.

By: Dylan

Dylan — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:09:28 +0000

To be fair, Brooklyn, I would like to think that – even as a British male – there is more to me than drinking, shagging, shitting and watching football. Much as I enjoy all of these activities, obviously.

By: Brooklyn

Brooklyn — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:02:03 +0000

“So, if this Metro piece is to be believed, Brits spend all their time drinking, shagging, shitting and watching football. Or trains.”

The stereotype described above for male Brits (the football is the giveaway) cannot be viewed as a special insult to the “Brit” in Brit males.

Except for the trains, the term (not the act) “shagging,” and the definition of “football,” isn’t that the stereotype of male Yanks?

For that matter, aside from the trains and substituting “driking [wine]” for the “drinking [beer]” for Brits and Yanks, isn’t that stereotype of Italian males?

(I think I see a pattern here.)

By: benny

benny — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:39:17 +0000

i call it footy all the time

with a y tho

By: IanB

IanB — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:57:47 +0000

I called Lisa a “ratbag” once during a (light-hearted) exchange along the lines of “I was busy, you ratbag”.

Halfway through my following sentence she suddenly said: “hang on a minute, did you just call me a ratbag?”

I also had the weird experience of my future-sister-in-law saying to me, in her broad Illinois accent: “hello love how are you”. Apparently she was ‘doing her Austin Powers accent’.

Feel free to try “what a total spanner” on the New York populace – I suspect it may provoke as many quizzical looks as my more recent use of my father’s favourite phrase:- “he walks like the hairs on his arse are tied together”.

By: Expat Mum

Expat Mum — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:27:57 +0000

They’ve been watching Top Gear haven’t they? My 6 year old referred to his bits as “Gentleman Vegetables” the other day and when asked where he’d heard that, he blamed Hammond.