Many years ago I read an autobiography of a guy who was a Mormon chaplain in a US army regiment from Utah fighting in Vietnam. Excellent book, guy was very brave, praying in the foxholes with the grunts, he covered the Mormons, catholics and Jews as army chaplains have to multitask. Anyway, one chapter he tells the story of how they were based with a regiment from NewYork and his boys were so shocked with the bad language of these city soldiers and he had to go and have a word with their commanding officer about the swearing! Few years later, reading a book about the 1982 Falklands war. A radio message comes in from the 2nd Battalion, The Parachute regiment, passes up to Admiral Sandy Woodward, commander of the task force on HMS Hermes Admiral Woodward; “Hello Hermes here.” 2Para “Hello Hermes, 2 para here, Where’s our fucking mail?” AW; “I’m sorry could you repeat that?!?” 2Para “Hello Hermes, 2 Para, We haven’t had our fucking mail issue, the boys are a bit pissed off, where’s our fucking mail?” AW “This is Admiral Woodward here!” 2Para “Hello sir, sorry, this is the Chaplain of 2 Para, do you know who’s got our fucking mail?” He was under a lot of stress!
@@billi2182 No, I don't think he's saying that. I think he's saying that we don't mind others insulting us because we are self depreciating. I'm saying that we are self depreciating, but we don't like it if someone else insults us. Who likes to be insulted? If he thinks that someone saying 'That's so British', is not an insult, and is either a neutral of positive thing to say, then there is no need to talk about self depreciation in the first place.
That wasn’t the point. They were just trying to say that you might think things are the same there in the pub/ tavern when you’ve been drinking but it’s not, they carry guns.
@@syrus3657 I'm a Brit and lived in the States for 6 years. Guns really never bothered me and doubt that'd cross the mind of a pissed up Brit. Brits are not going to back down from a fight because an American has a gun. That's more of a challenge than a threat. I've dealt with guns and Americans and trust me. When they see a pissed up Brit, guns are not relevant at all!
@@Bot23 "somewhere in the world" needn't be added. Aren't they just saying that it's 5 o'clock for them, for now, no matter what the real time is? That' sthe way I've always understood it.
They didn't really go into much detail in the video, so I can understand why you would say that, but the history of gun culture in America is actually a little bit more nuanced than simply our relationship with the UK pre- and during the American Revolution (1775-1783). Guns are indeed protected under the 2nd Amendment of the US Constitution, which reads: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed". Because so much of the original US states was very rural and spread out across what is now the Northeast of the country, it wasn't possible for a regular Army or modern police force to be present in all communities to protect the US population from wildlife, criminals, and other dangers. So, almost all rural communities formed militia out of eligible men in case such a need arose, and all of these men owned and used their own guns for this purpose. That being said, the technology and culture of the time meant that the guns in question were muskets, rifles, other hunting guns, etc, and not the handguns and machineguns that we see today, as they were mostly actually being used for hunting or chasing off the occasional Canadian (see: the War of 1812). However, the real catalyst to the modern American gun culture was our own Civil War (1861-1865), in which the Southern-most states (the Confederacy) attempted to secede, fought against the Northern states (the Union), and ultimately lost. A huge majority of the male population in both the North and South fought in the war and were allowed to bring home their guns when the fighting was done. As a result, it was not only farmers and militiamen owning guns, like how the original amendment was intended, but it was almost everyone. In addition, despite the defeat in the South they still harbored a whole lot of bitterness towards both the government in general and the Northern states and the general culture shifted towards it being a point of pride in the South to own and use guns just in case the South decided to "rise again" (in fact, a surprising number of Southern folk who consider themselves to be Confederacy enthusiasts still believe that "the South will rise again" and that they will have to use their guns to make it happen). Thus, we are left with the completely bonkers and out-of-control gun culture in the US which originally actually had a useful, if perhaps not well thought out, purpose. Just to clarify: I believe there should be much more stringent gun regulations in the US and that nobody has the need to own an AK-47, but I also believe it is important to understand the differences in histories behind two vastly different countries before generalizing between them.
@@valkyriealden4609 Up until the end of WW1 there were few restrictions in UK on owning guns except for concealed weapons, particularly pistols. Until then the right of individuals to bear arms had been allowed by law under the 1689 Bill of Rights; not unlike the US 2nd Amendment. Troops returning from Europe with large amounts of guns and ammunition caused great concern in government and in 1920 a Bill was passed making this right to bear arms conditional upon approval by the police. Since then firearms laws have been progressively tightened, sometimes following serious incidents such as the mass shootings in Hungerford in 1987 and Dunblane in 1997. However, it is still possible for anyone to own a firearm in the UK, provided they can satisfy the police as to the reason for owning one. Airguns and CO2 guns have no such restriction, provided they conform to the legal limits. Semi-automatic and automatic weapons are banned altogether outside the police, security forces and military.
@@daveh9753 Thanks for educating me and providing me with more info on the situation in the UK. It looks like there are still some differences in the history that result in big differences today, but it's more similar than I originally thought. I wonder if those big differences are also a result of different political systems both on the federal and more local levels?
@@alangknowles Finland. We declared war on them in 1940 when the allied with Germany but never went into conflict or invaded them. To date its the only example of two democratic countries going to war. Other than that the list is pretty slim I admit.
I have been to the US many times and I have heard 'that's so British/English' so many times I assumed it was common usage. Most of the time it's inoffensive but I've also heard it used where it was intended to be offensive.
@@leea8706 Just remember that next time you use the "If it wasn't for us, you would be speaking German" line has a response: "Well, I suppose you were better late than never".
Not true, most people in the uk believe, they just think it's personal and nothing to do with other people. Not many people shout about their religious beliefs but the vast majority identity as COE or Catholic.
You're talking about actively religious and you are correct but most people still think of themselves as believers, they just don't go to church. There are a great many people who believe that the churches' recent records are a disgrace so they have moved away from organised religion.
Sarah Hardy I feel like we down play everything like “oh you don’t scrub up too bad” is a compliment and used when someone’s clearly tried in regards to their appearance. Like when did we decide to stop actually complementing people??
@GABRIEL GREGORY It realy isn't over on this side of the pond, sorry. I know it's different over there but I've always thought that I could care less doesn't make much sense. You care more about what they're saying than you should? I never got why you chaps changed this. 'I couldn't care less' means what it says. There is no way you could give less of damn about whatever it is you're discussing. Maybe it's just one of those things that over time, if enough folk say it wrong, ends up getting used more than the original saying. Another one (and it drives me CRACKERS) is 'the proof is in the pudding'. Because it's 'the proof of the pudding is in the eating'. And again, people have the gist of the sentiment, kind of, but the meaning changes. I bloody LOVE language :)
All of these just seem to be Americans being sensitive. All the “that’s so British” type things don’t bother us because we already make fun of ourself.
That's interesting. In America it's much more acceptable to make fun of yourself than it is someone else. Is it different in Britain? (Honest question)
Ambar _ as an Arab living in UK for 4 years, i think the British people are so kind and i was amazed by the overuse of the two words « sorry and thanks » 😆 but i think it’s a good way to show respect to the other
America is confusing when it comes to joking and sarcasm. I guess it also has to do with what part of the US. I was born and raised in New York/New Jersey where sarcasm and making fun of each other (in a friendly manner) was a normal thing growing up. Maybe it also has to do with the change throughout the years, but Americans have become very touchy and could take a joke as an insult if they don’t have that kind of confidence with another person. I also love sarcasm, I consider it to be like another language..because not a lot of people understand it. While some that understood the sarcasm will laugh, others might just have a confused “Is he joking or serious” look on their faces. 🤷🏻♂️
@@elliedoesntwanttobehere Nah, all they say about Europe is that they supposedly singlehandedly saved it from Nazi Germany even though they were too cowardly to join in from the start like the rest of the world.
Well, the First Amendment (Freedom of speech) in America refers to the people being able to say what they want without the government coming in and saying, "No, that's offensive, you can't say that." Freedom of speech doesn't mean that there aren't ever cultural consequences to what you say or do in the states. While all of what was mentioned in the video is fantastic advice for folks just visiting the states, also remember that Americans are, for the most part, very accepting and forgiving so even if you do stumble with some of these cultural mistakes, most Americans, if they know your not from America, will just laugh it off you. But for the love of god, please don't start bar fights. They weren't kidding, you will be shot. 99% of bar owners in America keep a shotgun close at hand.
@@hannahdyson7129 Only if you venture into political talk. America is very divided politically right now and that's where a lot of antagonism stems from. Steer clear of politics, and people are generally polite.
Andrea Clyndes’s In fairness, I think all of these are truly generalisations for the UK because we really are a tiny place but we have so many different attitudes/niches don’t we?☺️ I personally am a very forward person, I definitely wouldn’t walk up to a random person and say “you dirty conservative” but I would not hesitate to jump into a conversation that was getting me riled up 😂🤦🏼♂️ I think that may be a Northern thing we have? I’m not sure that would happen in the South 😬
Maybe it's just because we're yanks then, but I swear that nearly every single person we met in England opened the conversation with "Hi, nice to meet you, shame about Trump." Which is why we included the politics faux pas in this video.
@@WanderingRavens I think Trump (you might point out in a future video that that means 'fart' in the UK) is a special case. We tend to assume (obviously incorrectly) that any American who is not actually dragging their knuckles along the ground will appreciate our sympathy about Trump. A lot of us would appreciate your sympathy regarding a certain B Johnson. Also, where the hell ^h^h^heck were you where people were starting brawls? I dare say it does happen, but it's hardly common in all areas of the UK.
@@normanrogers6092 in the 12 states I've visited I can say that's never happened to me. And I'm definitely not worried about "a fist", I'm Glaswegian, that's something we're very experienced in.
@@Iamcatlady7 But in reality, do any Brits actually do any of these things? I'm not sure where the hosts got their list from but a lot of this just sounds BS.
It's more to do with politeness than sensitivity. Like we said in the video, you can talk about all these things. It's just not considered polite to confront waitstaff and strangers with your opinions and if you want to get into a political or religious discussion with someone, the common courtesy is to ask the other person if they'd be okay talking about the topic with you. We mentioned these because while we were in the UK we had many strangers confront us at first meeting about their religious and political opinions (for example, we encountered the following sentence more times than we could count: "Hi, nice to meet you, shame about Trump"). While we didn't mind talking politics with the Brits we met, this abrupt "Hi, here's my political opinion" wouldn't go over well in the States, so we thought we should warn visiting Brits about this potential faux pas ;)
Americans abroad, don't adhere to your "if you haven't got anything nice to say..." rule. Most common phrase from Americans abroad is "it so much better in America"
@Rita Roork lol. You keep on telling yourself that. By what metic is it the greatest nation now, yet ever in all world history? In your view maybe, but doesn't make it a fact. Not by health. Not by law and order. Not on the happiness spectrum. A great scientific nation, but the UK has invented more, as has ancient Greece, Rome and China. Richest nation, but not per person, massive wealth discrepancy. Military on top, but China rising. Culturally, definitely not.
@Rita Roork 1)English mathematician and inventor Charles Babbage is credited with having conceived the first automatic digital computer. 2)During the mid-1830sBritish computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee in 1989-90 resulted in the World Wide Web
I’m English, and I have to admit that I wouldn’t do most of this stuff anyway. I wouldn’t walk around talking about politics, religion or the military with anyone and everyone in the UK. I wouldn’t be critical with people that I don’t know, that’s just polite. I definitely wouldn’t start fights with people after drinking. The only thing I’d struggle with is the sarcasm, but that’s because it’s so ingrained in British culture that most of the time we don’t even have to think about it. I have never said “that’s so American” in my life. If I was to criticise the US, I’d do it behind closed doors, not to an American person. We may be sarcastic, but we’re not impolite, and most of us don’t lack common sense. I think that most of us are well aware of the cultural differences and would try to adhere to them.
I want to say that’s true but I can’t because as I hear it a lot when travelling for me if someone try’s to get me talking I just I don’t have time as I have my own problems
The one thing that gets me from American is when your News media and senators say the NHS is a third rated Health service when a American health services is rated one of the worst and the NHS is rated in the top 3
America’s healthcare is not rated the worst. The worlds richest people go there to have procedures done. The accessibility to that care is the problem not the actual care itself.
4 года назад+5
That's why everybody wants to come to England to get free medical treatment, then bugger off back home leaving us tax payers to pick up their bill. Our government are to lazy or bothered to chase them for the money, were owed millions s by foreign tourists that had treatment.
Now now cap tango foreigners do pay as when you get a Visa they have to pay into a pot before they can come into the country so they do pay their bills my original point is that a Americans call our social health services so bad that it is no better then says the Congo
Casey Matto yes most Americans don’t no or care but I have seen footage from Fox News and from some of your sentences and one from Trump calling our health service worse then any country if we were close allies then why do you constantly call our health service like the worst in the world
I don't like swearing, and I have long thought that there is much too much public swearing these days, even women. Anyway, it doesn't make me feel better to learn that Europeans swear even more.The whole world is going to hell.%$^&^&%#$$!!!
@@sgl0d10n You're not being honest. People did not swear in the past to the extent they do today. Sure, there has always been swearing but NOT LIKE TODAY. I remember when women did not swear. I remember when children did not swear. I remember when no white man would ever say, MF. Yes, it was a better world then, a much better world. I think it's fair to say that the soul is corrupted by using such language. You can't use such language without being affected by it, FOR THE WORSE. It's dehumanizing.
If there’s one thing that pretty much anyone out with London that lives in the UK hates, it’s when Americans erroneously refer to Britain as England. Say that to a Scottish, Welsh or Irish person, and you’re not gonna have a good time. Indeed, as a general rule of thumb, we more strongly identify with our local nationality (remember, the UK is a political union of nations, not a nation state in and of itself). Not entirely unlike, say, a Texan more strongly associating with Texas than the US as a whole.
Being a very patriotic Welshman I do get incredibly angry with anyone who thinks that UK=England and just think that England is the only country in the U.K. I still think getting ‘lectured’ by a country of such a huge population yet the best you could offer is either Donald or Hillary.... I mean please!
My favourite one of the ways we Brits tend to beat around the bush is when we say someone was 'tired and emotional', meaning they were off their tits (drunk)
"Don't call an ambulance for anyone unless they're actually in risk of dying, you might unintentionally bankrupt them." At least that's the impression I get when hearing about the American system.
This is completely true. If they are conscious, please ask them if they want an ambulance called before you do so. Even with health insurance it can cost thousands of dollars just for a short ride in an ambulance, let alone the hospital bills just for walking in the door.
I'm glad u said that coz I was thinking what are they talking about, I've never heard anyone say you alright as a greeting lol 😂 Then I read ur comment and realised they were talking about alright "origh" or where I'm from in Scotland "alreet" lol 😂
ProcolHarum1967 I’m from Teesside and the word “bairn” is used. We are nowhere near Scotland, (although very north) there are other words but I can’t think of them off the top of my head.
Ha ha ha. That's what I thought. 10% for bad service? No chance. If you need tips for living then do a good job. This just encourages bad service. The fact Americans don't like it yet still do it seems a stupid argument. No pay with bad service and see those bad waiters/waitresses sort their service out.
Kermis Nomo The problem in the US is that waiting staff are poorly paid and are reliant on tips. The Federal government only requires a wage of $2.13 per hour
@@markpotter1292 I agree, but even if someone a bit hopeless at waiting you can't help but feel sorry for them when you understand the rubbish pay and conditions that they are employed under.
Everything you say makes me realise that I'm best staying away from the USA. I couldn't manage 5 minutes without being sarcastic and probably about the current president or about "religious" people who seem to hate everyone who is not like them.
@@orcaflotta7867 Oh I am one of those as well, but asking a Brit to not be ironic, which is what it is, rather than sarcastic, is like asking them to stop breathing.
Damn, I understand sarcasm, and have been told I'm very sarcastic. I just don't appreciate someone who doesn't know me think they have have the right to make snide comments about me, my country, president, military, my apparent religion or my guns! If you do, get ready to get it back in kind. 😘
"Guns are protected just as much as free speech and freedom of religion." Here is a list of things you shouldn't talk about in America. It includes religion.
After the equivalents of "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", they all go downhill. You can't logically talk people out of believing something they didn't logically talk themselves into, and most of religion is based on "faith" instead of logic, so unless you want to focus on what ethical values different religions agree on, then debates around religion heads for a dead end. Americans practice a very wide assortment of religions, so we pretty much tend to let each other go their own way without differences needing to be debated.
I use sarcasm a lot, and it's something we don't even think about in conversation, unfortunately cos I don't think about it, I've learned the hard way several times that you can't really detect sarcasm in a text message. I find the 'not bad' discussion really funny, cos despite it seeming like an insult in the US, it's actually quite a good compliment here (although this REALLY depends on the tone of voice etc. putting stress, emphasis, a downward-ish inflection and lengthening the 'bad' means that it's in a grey area between bad and good, however a lot of the time 'not bad' with a different tone, maybe a more upward inflection on the bad at the end, really is much better than just saying 'good') with the military, I've always found it fascinating the way Americans treat veterans, I don't know if Idolising is the right word, but it just seems like there's a culture created where veterans can't be perceived as doing anything wrong. Obviously I have high general respect for people willing to go into the military but it just seems very different in america. whether this is to do with much higher patriotism, or America's position in the world, or people believing the USA is some sort of symbol of freedom and democracy. Anyway I just think it's interesting.
A *lot* of military people secretly hate “thank you for your service” but they’re far too polite to say anything IRL. I’m an essential worker so I’ve recently been on the receiving end of “thank you for your service” and it *is* awkward.
Also re: “not bad” over here basically means “this is ok, not good, not bad, just ok”, so it’s definitely not a compliment. It’s not an insult either, but it does imply to us that the speaker isn’t 100% content with what they have.
@@orcaflotta7867 I've occasionally said "how American" and usually on the context they describe. But like people said before if it were reversed, we probably just agree. We understand and accept our flaws.
Your comments describing issues in Ireland as “Northern Ireland” vs “Southern Ireland” was ignorant. There isn’t a “Southern Ireland” but rather the Republic of Ireland and for some people Northern Ireland is synonymous with the phrase “occupied Ireland”. It’s best for Americans to simply avoid this subject as most Americans are far removed from the issues, the history, and the pain associated with the issue. Neither the Brits nor the Irish care to hear what you think about the issue and it could result in offending someone or even a fight.
We walk around smoking because it was banned in pubs, parks, shops etc so technically unless your in your own home the only place you can legitimately smoke is whilst walking around.
You might want to consider that, much like the human body, sensitivity usually has to do with injury. America is only about 160 years away from having had a civil war and has a great deal of violence and trauma in its past - everything from slavery to the western expansion to jim crow. It also is a Nation of immigrants, most of whom did not arrive through happy circumstances. The issues that divide Americans are deeply emotionally charged because citizens are living with the legacy of these wounds at any given moment. It does not hurt when you probe scar tissue, but an open wound is another story. People, regardless of nationality don't really enjoy having those wounds proded by a stranger.
It's more to do with politeness than sensitivity. Like we said in the video, you can talk about all these things. It's just not considered polite to confront waitstaff and strangers with your opinions and if you want to get into a political or religious discussion with someone, the common courtesy is to ask the other person if they'd be okay talking about the topic with you. We mentioned these because while we were in the UK we had many strangers confront us at first meeting about their religious and political opinions (for example, we encountered the following sentence more times than we could count: "Hi, nice to meet you, shame about Trump"). While we didn't mind talking politics with the Brits we met, this abrupt "Hi, here's my political opinion" wouldn't go over well in the States, so we thought we should warn visiting Brits about this potential faux pas ;)
Wandering Ravens this makes more sense, I would never start a political conversation with waitstaff, although as a bartender many folk start political conversations with me. On the trump comments I think that is something that is inherently British to look over at Americans and see someone who would never be elected using an American voting system in the uk but I do not think many would travel America openly skating trump to strangers
If someone is going to beat you to death then you have the right to kill them in self defense. You can do that in the UK as far as I am aware, the only difference is that we don't hold the method you use against you. W.T.F. you had to let a physically superior person kill you because you could not legally draw and fire?
@@themajormagers I think the difference is with intent. The video suggests that if I punched you once, you could draw a pistol and kill me. Brawls in the UK, while rare, very rarely end with serious injuries. Normally its just a few bruises.
@@scottdodds246 The laws work in such a way that you should have a situation where you fear for your life before you shoot. the problem with brawls is that there are plenty of cases where someone dies after one punch. don't go punching people unless you are trying to kill them, you might just do so. Brawls in America happen and typically no one is shot. just because we have the right to shoot does not mean it will happen. Also don't drink and carry as that is a good way for stupid shit to happen.
@@brianbozo2447 to be attacked and defending yourself or to be attacked and being killed? I think it would be more cowardly to die in a ditch somewhere because you are not willing to kill a criminal. Early Americans agree as we have guns that are protected by our constitution.
We do say something like "that's so American" in Czechia, but it's usually reserved for things that are overly emotionally expressive to us. Which is a lot of things :D. It's not necessarily used just for bad things, but it usually implies that the person who said it is not comfortable with said display of emotion or just thinks it's too much. For example, my mom used it to discribe a Pentatonix video where they are all singing very passionately and with a lot of movement :D :D :D. Also, military and politics are a free topic in Czechia. Military is not discussed that often, unless the president employs them for something in Czechia, like helping with the floods or right now with the coronavirus. In those cases, it will be either positive, or people will joke about it, because a Czech motto is: "If it doesn't kill you, joke about it", so jokes come out with force everytime something bad happens here. Politics are generally a topic to complain about. Just remember, before engaging with someone in a discussion that every Czech person is an Olympic champion in complaining about politics. It does not matter where they stand or who they vote for or whether they agree with you, they WILL complain.
I imagine "that's so American" makes you feel the same as a lot of Brits hearing Americans say "that's so cute/quaint" even if the intentions are different.
Living in a tourist area that (normally outside of a pandemic) has lots of American tourists saying "that's so quaint" I know the correct answer is, "Quaint? That's quite a modern church - it's only four or five hundred years old."
During the Watts riots, I had to laugh when one news commentator was sympathizing with the residents. One of their handicaps/burdens was that the homes in one of the areas affected were--wait for it--an average of 17 years old. Can you imagine? Oh the poor people. They had to live in seventeen-year old houses. Oh, the horror.
The country is very divided right now. Do you want to get into a heated political debate everywhere you go? No? Then its best to just leave certain topics alone because one person might agree, but another might have very strong opinions against your views. Its just a hassle thats not worth delving into publically.
7:10 The idea of a British person walking up to a stranger and engaging in conversation beyond "Excuse me, do you know the way to xxxxxxx?" is baffling.
I'm a Scot that lives in Texas. I have always considered cultural identity as being something that transcends geographical location. Oddly, not that you should be surprised, I got that perspective from Americans. Whenever I encountered Americans in Scotland or other parts of the UK, something that always occurred, there was never a time when these people didn't behave the same as they would when they were back home. Americans take their cultural identity with them everywhere they go. By my maintaining my own cultural identity, I'm just doing the same thing. By the way, whenever someone says "That's so British," we typically take that as a complement. You of course know the difference between an insult and a complement is the perspective of the person receiving it.
I greatly dislike that talking to strangers on public transport or in town is seen as a faux pas in the UK! My Grandfather would speak to anyone and everyone when he was alive because "You never know who might be lonely." I love it when I'm out and about and a stranger says "Good morning" or "Good afternoon" when I walk past them. It really does brighten my mood and I wish more people, especially the younger generation would take up the habit.
Saying a Social faux pas is bad manners in the US and sometimes can pariah one in US society if it's considered something very offensive. However, no jail time or fines for hate speech are given out like they are in England and other European countries.
@@ms4911 That's true, yet this is a very recent thing, really only since the UK Tony Blair administration and the rise of diversity politics that followed a decade or so later. So it is not part of UK culture and the diversity gender stuff actually came from America.
@@galinor7 And many Americans are ready to boycott the Universities that promulgated that and help along that faultline in California over the divisiveness that has been enforced against the will of many states
WATCH PART 2 ➡️ Mistakes that Americans make in the UK ruclips.net/video/zkqU13hZsUU/видео.html Thank you to all the subscribers who suggested faux pas for part 2 💕
I think i have two mistakes. 1. depending on who your talking to and what county you are in, some brits do not like being called a brit. Instesd they would prefer to be called english, a scott, welsh or northan Irish. Not all countries get along either. Id say its mainly the lower class areas which would be offended by this. 2. Is Americans assuming everyone here is friendly. With all the gang and knife crimes its probaly not a good idea.
@@peterian588 These are both good to be aware of! By and large, most Americans do believe that all Brits are charming, friendly folk, but as our "lighter cad" incident in Soho taught us, not all Brits are the friendly type 😂
@@WanderingRavens oh i remember that story, i saw someone on drugs the other day screaming about needles of gold and the police controlling his brain 😂😂😂 sorry that happened to you guys :)
It's more to do with politeness than sensitivity. Like we said in the video, you can talk about all these things. It's just not considered polite to confront waitstaff and strangers with your opinions and if you want to get into a political or religious discussion with someone, the common courtesy is to ask the other person if they'd be okay talking about the topic with you. We mentioned these because while we were in the UK we had many strangers confront us at first meeting about their religious and political opinions (for example, we encountered the following sentence more times than we could count: "Hi, nice to meet you, shame about Trump"). While we didn't mind talking politics with the Brits we met, this abrupt "Hi, here's my political opinion" wouldn't go over well in the States, so we thought we should warn visiting Brits about this potential faux pas ;)
@@WanderingRavens This is quite a new thing in the UK - it's always been seen as rude to discuss money, religion or politics, but nowadays people are way more judgemental and intolerant, even when they say they support tolerance for all. Personally I prefer the don't discuss those topics as they're a private matter. In France, this is still super rude to ask someone.
Guys...I know this vid is a little old now so you might not see this comment, but I just want to say that this is an absolutely spot-on guide and all Brits should take note. In my interactions with American both in and outside Europe I’ve found many of these things to be true. 1. The ‘alright’ greeting elicited a response from Americans that indicated I was being overly familiar with them. They did not like it. 2. Being indirect/ ironic also did not go down well. Either what I said was taken literally or when they did realise it was ironic they looked at me sideways, like I wasn’t to be trusted or was being sly in some way. Some of my own observations: Americans seem more serious than Brits...they don’t seem to tolerate foolish/clownish behaviour. Also, although Americans value free speech, they also seem more easily offended on a range of issues than British people and rather than holding their tongue, they will ’correct’ you in a way that can seem overly confrontational to a Brit. I mean, even if it’s a conversation they overhear, rather than one they’re directly involved in, they might give you their ‘two cents’. Just what I’ve noticed. I love Americans though- at least you know where you stand!
It's a bit complicated here in the States, but basically, most restaurants make servers share tips with the kitchen staff and the government also taxes servers based on "estimated tips." So if you tip $0 the server still has to pay the kitchen and the government taxes and both of these are based on sales, not the actual tips received. So in short, if you don't tip at least 8-10%, then you actually make the server lose money - which, I guess you may be fine with if they were particularly horrid 😂
@@CoquetFleur Problem is when that exists in an economy where everyone is the same, no owner will unilaterally stick their food prices up 20% so they can run a better system, when people will perceive the food as overpriced because they are so used to service not being included, so its not really about what the owner 'wants'
This one really confused me too. You go to a restaurant and the service is bad which probably ruins the whole experience. Is it alright to ask how it came to a consensus to pay 10% extra for having a bad experience, see what I did there? Imagine you took Grace for a romantic meal and the food arrived late and cold, would it really be normal in the states to pay the full bill let alone tip? I have watched several episodes of Gordon Ramsey's kitchen nightmares and if it isn't staged for TV it looked as if the customers just walked out .
@@peterwesson7324 I guess it's all about perception, right? If you've never experienced anything other than paying a 10% tip for bad service / food, then it'll likely sit in your mind as part of the base cost of something. Whereas if you see a tip as optional then perhaps it's always seen as an additional loss you're incurring, so you're less encouraged to do it unless it's warranted? I.e. To an American, a 10% tip could be processed by the brain the same way no-tip is by a Brit: that it's invisible. Or I'm talking bollocks.
When I was younger back in the 80's we used to drink at mid day if we went out with work colleagues, but nowadays it is not something we would do. It kind of gradually died off after the millennium I feel.
And you could go out with your team after work and get pissed enough that you could barely stand the next morning at work and it was still considered ok. Americans, while there can be plenty of lazy people in any occupation, definitely seem to subscribe to more of a "this is work time" attitude. Maybe not so much the individual people, but certainly the corporate culture. You would almost never hear an American corporation encourage an employee to take their vacation. That might be changing now, but the corporate world in America still seems to be much more stringent.
You can have great fun when visiting the US by introducing yourself in the following manner: "Hi, I'm an atheist how about you?" In response to your question about talking about religion in the UK. The thing about religion in the UK is that it isn't really an interesting subject and doesn't tend o come up in conversation much if ever. It's not that there's any taboo around the subject, it's just that it doesn't crop up in conversation - if you did embark on the subject out of the blue most of us would probably be rather amused and, or a bit puzzled by it. In my experience Americans take the whole subject of religion and religious belief an awful lot more seriously.
aktolman I’d not agree with that. I’ve never been encouraged to drink all day. But it’s totally fine if you want to. Which is why some pubs are allowed to serve alcohol from 9am (I think)
It's more to do with politeness than sensitivity. Like we said in the video, you can talk about all these things. It's just not considered polite to confront waitstaff and strangers with your opinions and if you want to get into a political or religious discussion with someone, the common courtesy is to ask the other person if they'd be okay talking about the topic with you. We mentioned these because while we were in the UK we had many strangers confront us at first meeting about their religious and political opinions (for example, we encountered the following sentence more times than we could count: "Hi, nice to meet you, shame about Trump"). While we didn't mind talking politics with the Brits we met, this abrupt "Hi, here's my political opinion" wouldn't go over well in the States, so we thought we should warn visiting Brits about this potential faux pas ;)
It is very sad that we've come to this point, the country that listed speech as our first freedom in our founding documents. But instead of open dialogue, taking offense has become our new favorite past time. To the point where cancel culture means that you may be put out of business or worse if someone disagrees with you.
America may be the last country that really has freedom of speech. It's only a memory in Britain or Canada. New Zealand and Australia? I really don't know, but that's something I will look up.
Religion in UK, always get talked abou even if we arent supposed to, but England is a christian country deemed by the Queen and state, but people slag off religion anyway, people here dont care, and we know we are opinionated, and this is why we have open discussions about politics and religion, because we automatially know people dont agree, so if people in the US automatically think poeple have the same opinions about politics and religion is stupid. Tipping: I only ever tip for excellent service, usually when i get my hair cut, other wise i dont tip, its expected to have good service, its part of the job, but if you go above and beyond people tip. Why is your health service so terrible and expensive, when many places have an NHS of their own. 'Thats so British' use it, cause honestly certain things are true, but all things you said, are british querks at all. Its more like saying " They are very sarcastic" "Thats so British" like sarcasm is a bad thing, but here you can say it and if its true, we are usually like "Yeah, so? Who cares" We brits are up to date with your politics inlcuding the Pro and Anti Trump poeple and all the fights that break out between them, its funny AF. If im on hoilday, Ill drink during the day, and we brits generally love our alcohol, doesnt mean we are alcoholics, we just generally drink more.
I dont understand the tipping thing, I've only been in the US for connection flights, in these ocasions I went to drink something and paid with my international credit card. Should I have had tiped the sturbucks barista or the pub waiter? If so, how? since I am paying by card, how do you tip with your credit card if you are not carying cash?
Via tipping most servers earn more that minimum wage. They earn more that $15 an hour. Talk to any server who doesn't suck. They don't want tips to change.
It's a bit complicated, but basically, most restaurants make servers share tips with the kitchen staff and the government also taxes servers based on "estimated tips." So if you tip $0 the server still has to pay the kitchen and the government taxes and both of these are based on sales, not the actual tips received. So in short, if you don't tip at least 8-10%, then you actually make the server lose money - which, I guess you may be fine with if they were particularly horrid 😂
@@WanderingRavens blame the system, not those in it. Blaming the end user for not paying additional money they aren't legally obliged to pay is just plain daft. The bill payer doesn't make them lose money, the moronic system does.
I do find it interesting the term "Free speech" being said but in the same conversation having to skirt around the issue of criticising the military, health care and religion.
It took the virus for me to learn the real problem with crime in America: we have Mayors, Governors, City Councils, Academics, Media, etc. ON THE SIDE OF THE CRIMINALS. I hadn't realized the problem was so severe until I started seeing cities burning without support and the concept of police being attacked. America is now circling the drain; We have freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly, etc. and etc. but we have no security. The elected officials won't protect us.THIS IS NOT A GOOD TIME TO SPEAK OF GUN CONTROL. The authorities won't protect us, so we have to protect ourselves. Self-protection comes first.
Think of the UK like this... Every Welshman is a Brit, but not every Brit is a Welshman. Every Scotsman is a Brit, but not every Brit is a Scotsman. Every Englishman is a Brit, but not every Brit is a Englishman.
The public day drinking issue really messed me up when I went to the states. Walking around town with a beer at 3pm is normal British culture. In America, I got spoken to by the police :(
@@vicfleming1814 Yeah that’s exactly what I’m implying for you read my comment at all? I said we get hit by cars and we cause crashes we start fights etc
I agree totally I think a lot of brits are quite open to discussions on religion as long as the other person is not forcing beliefs onto the other. I also think that we have a lot less extremes with religion (of course they’re always exceptions) but in this generation I don’t think they’re are many who particularly care about religion and if they do, don’t try to force it into people or overly criticise opposing views
Have to say I didn't hate it as much as my ex-wife did. British accent and the waitresses came fluttering their eyes. I loved it personally.....she. Far less so!
Dude... Both countries have subtle things like this that would make a foreigner uncomfortable. It's just cultural differences. If you went to the Philippines or Japan it'd be even harder to adapt. Oh but when it's America it just cant be tolerated. Quit being a hypocrite.
DAY DRINKING: I have to call you out on this one. I’m a Brit living in Michigan, and day drinking here is almost a rite of passage, well at least in the southeast corner/Detroit metro area. On Sunday’s groups of friends/family meet for brunch either prior to a sports event or as a start to a day drinking binge with friends. Brunch usually begins at 10:30 whereupon you are given access to the Bloody Mary bar. Michigan also has an amazing micro brew scene, which gives an additional reason to go out early and sample plenty of local produce 😜
Thank you for the advice, I’m the sort of person that loves to talk about politics so I just won’t when I visit the states in October (that is if I can). I will add one thing that annoys Brits that Americans do say in the UK. It’s referring to things as “quaint” these are our homes, our public transport, our shops, our system of government. All things I’ve heard Americans refer to as quaint. It implies small, old fashion, cute, insignificant. We know everything in the US bigger but it doesn’t make us quaint!
Not form the UK or the US and, right, I understand you do not talk about sensitive topics like weapons and health care. But you cannot begin to understand how shocked I was to see MRI commercials at bus stops - we also have NHS - and a no gun sign at the door of my office (I work for another country branch of the same company) - no one would ever think of going to the office (or pretty much anywhere else unless you are law enforcement, criminal or hunter, and in the last case it wouldn't be a gun) with a weapon. And I love your no smoking and walking rule!
Drinking in the daytime. Hell yeah. Well, I used to. Ive been alcohol free for about 20 years. Friday lunchtime (payday) used to be a popular time for a few pints to finish the week off, go back to work, get nothing done then go home.
Did you mean drinking in the daytime full stop, or drinking while on breaks from work? I think drinking during breaks from work is less acceptable now than it used to be, but I've certainly never sensed any problem with daytime drinking per se. Is that a problem in the States?
@@WanderingRavens Why do you say that it's commendable? I don't drink alcohol, but that's my personal choice and I don't see why it would be considered commendable. 🤔
I don't think I've ever heard another Englishman say "That's so American" Though I've certainly had lots of Americans over here assuming everything is either Queen's English or Cockney and nowhere exists outside of London and that everything in Britain is the same wherever you go. But it does seem limited to just American tourists rather than other nations, same with the bad teeth thing and a lot of stereotypes, it does just seem to be an American stereotype of us (the weird thing being UK dental hygiene usually rates in the top 3 in the world alongside the Danes and Norweigans), though we don't mind being mocked over it or anything really, we mock ourselves as much as we mock other countries. We also like having rivalry with other countries (and even between other counties) like us and France, or Australia constantly being mocked by us, but in turn we get as good as we give by them and it's all good fun. We also don't really have any taboo subjects, most things here are up for debate and like pretty much everything else, joked about extensively. And swearing is definitely massively different, aside from maybe "Cunt" which is frowned upon by a decent number of people, most words things aren't taken as offensive, it's not uncommon to great someone warmly with something like "You alright there, dickhead?" which is quite common in places like Australia and New Zealand as well. Religion and Politics like everything else here is mocked, though for the most part nobody really cares if you do or don't follow a religion. Politics has turned into a pretty sensitiive subject in the past few years, but that does appear to be more of a worldwide thing that just British. We are definitely very critical of the USA over here, but it is often gripes that many other places have with America. First with Americans who visit on holiday, we often find them arrogant and rude, as a whole we are a very polite nation (though due to how we act with other brits it can be hard to tell we're being polite to other Brits) so it's quite jarring for us when Americans are acting brash and loud. I think like a lot of other countries, we see America as quite self absorbed and bully-like (Ironic considering the English had the biggest empire through conquest in history), we also find it strange when Americans start talking about things like World War 2 and how they "Saved us" which feels like a slap in the face to everyone who died and fought in the war who wasn't American and is a particular gripe of mine as someone who studied History, seeing the American viewpoint on things in history just often seems like they only view themselves in a positive light and that they're rewriting history, which in England is really frowned upon, as well as in other European countries. And as for things like Guns and Healthcare in America, we are very very critical of it, but again I don't think it's just a British thing, a lot of other countries view America in the same way as we're used to free healthcare and having restrictions on guns and for us it's really bizarre that a person needs to have to pay thousands in order to get life saving treatment when everyone should have the right to live a good and healthy life. Same with Guns, we're not against people owning guns, it's legal to own guns in England, they're just heavily regulated and like everywhere else we find it odd that because some constitution written in the 18th century says everyone has the right to own a weapon, is considered more important than protecting the lives of people by allowing anyone to own a weapon capable of killing tens of people a minute, and that no amount of mass shootings seems to make the country change that despite some very vocal critics of the lax gun laws in the states (For comparison, England (outside of terrorist related paramilitary groups), and New Zealand both had one mass shooting that led to strict gun laws being implemented, and Australia had two before they introduced theirs, and so far we've had very few mass shootings as a result) I think it's probably just a lot more noticable in Britain due to us speaking English, and often being quite frank about things.
Hey, just a few bits of feedback from a Brit: 1) Brawling - This is seen as anti-social behavior over here and I believe you're probably referring to people who've been binge drinking causing trouble after a 'session' of excessive alcohol consumption - it's certainly just as much frowned upon here when it occurs and nothing I think we're proud of. It will lead to you getting thrown out of whatever establishment you're at and quite often arrested. In closing, it's just as illegal here as it is in the states (though, like you said, probably has less consequences over here because we don't have to consider getting a cap in our butts!). 2) The whole 'if you've not got something nice to say, don't say it at all' holds true over here as much as it does in the US. I think culturally, we tend to understate things rather than celebrate success (praise is some something a lot of us get awkward receiving and don't know how to handle), so there is somewhat of a culture that if someone doesn't tell you that you're doing a bad job, assume you're doing a good job. I guess it's fair to say that this means we accept 'tolerable' levels more than in the US rather than expect excellence & having spent time in the US, my experience is that your table service really is a lot better than ours - perhaps due to receiving better feedback and perhaps the tipping culture goes a long way. Over here as you correctly identify / imply, we don't have the same tipping culture which in itself is probably a reason why service in the US is (at least in my experience), service with a smile. 3) Day drinking while at work - I think this is probably tolerated to some degree but there is definitely a difference between people going to a bar for lunch and a pint than having several drinks and returning to work under the influence. I know that every job i've ever held, being drunk at work is grounds for dismissal. 4) 'That's so American' - I'd never really considered how people might use this to express rudeness - and honestly, I think in the context you used it, it's exactly that, rude. When I think of 'what's so American' I'd think of things like the perceived national pride, service with a smile and sense of self-individuality. Your openness / directness that you spoke about - they certainly differentiate British and American culture but when used as you describe to put people down and belittle them? just rude. 5) Criticising the Military - I think depending on who you talk to, you'll find different opinions but my thoughts have always been it's just as much of a taboo over here as it is over in the US. We might not be as well known for the flag waving over here, but i think in general there is a huge amount of respect for our servicemen and women. Besides, you never know when meeting someone new whether they're an ex-serviceman or have family who are etc, so even if you are of an 'anti-military' mindset, it's not a polite conversation opener when meeting someone new and probably something better off just to avoid. 6) Politics and religion - I'm surprised that this came up as faux pas British people make because over here it's a severe taboo - If anything, it's been my experience (at least that when meeting Americans), it's been Americans who've often asked my stance on politics and what i think about Brexit / US elections etc - I'd always thought Americans far more politically vocal/inclined than us Brits! 7) Smoking - You're pretty spot on about this - over here, we don't have have designated zones like you do over there. We have places you can't smoke, but yeah, that typically means you can just stand outside the door and smoke & that's something which is accepted behaviour. I don't smoke myself but have travelled to San Diego with a friend who does and I had a real laugh with a hotel receptionist who kept winding my friend up about having smoking complaints because he'd been sighted outside a smoking zone.
On the topic of using "alright" as a greeting, this is how it goes: #1: Alright. #2: Yeah, not bad, you? #3: Yeah, not bad thanks. Then you go on to a proper conversation, or keep walking, or whatever. My colleagues and I discussed this in the office a few weeks ago and all agreed that it is a set conversation; it's a script to follow. At most, you can use "pretty good" in place of "not bad", but generally there is very little variation. If anyone actually responds to it as though legitimately asked "are you okay?" then the initiator will be panicking internally and try to avoid that person in the future, or at least downgrade them to a "hi" with a nod without stopping as they walk past. If a Brit actually cares how you feel, they're probably your family / life partner / closest friend and will explicitly ask if you're feeling okay. For example: "What's up? You seem to be a bit down recently. Is everything okay?" Simply saying "alright" to someone as soon as you walk up to them is clearly not the opening of a counselling session. Why would Americans assume that it is? After all, why would a person outside of your closest circle (excluding professionals) attempt to provide counselling to you, and why would you engage with such an unqualified person by telling them about your inner secrets, turmoil, depression, etc.? It just seems mad to us that anyone would make that connection.
I think the 2nd amendment Had been misinterpreted? I think to bear arms was meant for a regulated militias to protect the state not necessarily for individuals imo,.
I just imagined myself sitting in a cafe with you two and Eric loudly saying “Oh look at guy over there his teeth are so bad” and Grace saying “That so British” I think I would spit out my tea that I’m laughing so much!
I think Britain goes for a more natural look and I honesty don’t think it is that bad. Less unrealistic expectations for young people, especially women.
It depends. If you’re getting a cup of tea from the McDonald’s drive thru, then no you are not expected to tip. If you’re sitting down in a diner and the tea is being served to you, you are expected to tip.
I've got at admit, many years ago I did go on holiday to America with some guys I used to work with (New York and Florida to be exact) and we loved it. We did make some mistakes while we were over there. But I understand what you were saying in this video and I did come across a few of these including the one about tipping. We never spoke to the American people that we met about Politics, Religion, your Military and the gun situation. We tried our best to respect the American people and your culture. We were so impressed with how friendly and the hospitality of the American people that we came back for a second visit to your great nation a year later.
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
American parent; "How dare you swear before my children!"
British person; "I'm so sorry, I didn't realise it was their turn!"
😂😂
baylessnow omg yes, sound like something that John Cleese would say
baylessnow omg yes, sound like something that John Cleese would say
Oh my god ‘this quote is so british’
Many years ago I read an autobiography of a guy who was a Mormon chaplain in a US army regiment from Utah fighting in Vietnam. Excellent book, guy was very brave, praying in the foxholes with the grunts, he covered the Mormons, catholics and Jews as army chaplains have to multitask. Anyway, one chapter he tells the story of how they were based with a regiment from NewYork and his boys were so shocked with the bad language of these city soldiers and he had to go and have a word with their commanding officer about the swearing!
Few years later, reading a book about the 1982 Falklands war. A radio message comes in from the 2nd Battalion, The Parachute regiment, passes up to Admiral Sandy Woodward, commander of the task force on HMS Hermes
Admiral Woodward; “Hello Hermes here.”
2Para “Hello Hermes, 2 para here, Where’s our fucking mail?”
AW; “I’m sorry could you repeat that?!?”
2Para “Hello Hermes, 2 Para, We haven’t had our fucking mail issue, the boys are a bit pissed off, where’s our fucking mail?”
AW “This is Admiral Woodward here!”
2Para “Hello sir, sorry, this is the Chaplain of 2 Para, do you know who’s got our fucking mail?”
He was under a lot of stress!
"That's so British" would not offend me at all. Brits a self-deprecating anyway.
Grace Harrington but then when they say “it’s just like Hogwarts/ downton abbey!” when referring to the one stop by the petrol station. 🤣🤣
Grace Harrington Depends if it’s said in a patronising way which is it normally is
Self deprecating doesn't mean you want others to deprecate your country or culture.
Dave W that’s what he’s saying it doesn’t deprecate us
@@billi2182 No, I don't think he's saying that. I think he's saying that we don't mind others insulting us because we are self depreciating. I'm saying that we are self depreciating, but we don't like it if someone else insults us. Who likes to be insulted?
If he thinks that someone saying 'That's so British', is not an insult, and is either a neutral of positive thing to say, then there is no need to talk about self depreciation in the first place.
I have no idea who you hang out with in the UK, but no, a good brawl is not the "perfect way to end a night out". That's just odd.
ToothbrushMan looks like we’ve got a teetotaler over here 👈🏻
That wasn’t the point. They were just trying to say that you might think things are the same there in the pub/ tavern when you’ve been drinking but it’s not, they carry guns.
Maybe watching one but not being in one, I dunno need to get a black eye to end my night
@@syrus3657 I'm a Brit and lived in the States for 6 years. Guns really never bothered me and doubt that'd cross the mind of a pissed up Brit. Brits are not going to back down from a fight because an American has a gun. That's more of a challenge than a threat. I've dealt with guns and Americans and trust me. When they see a pissed up Brit, guns are not relevant at all!
I thought Ireland was no longer part of the UK.
Day drinking in the UK can be described by the words “it’s 5 o’clock somewhere”
5? Don't you mean mid-day
@@Bot23
"somewhere in the world" needn't be added. Aren't they just saying that it's 5 o'clock for them, for now, no matter what the real time is? That' sthe way I've always understood it.
The sun's over the yardarm.
Or "the sun is over the yard arm"
What does “day drinking” mean? It’s just drinking.
We Brits have been to war with just about every nation on earth but strangely don't feel the need to carry a gun.
They didn't really go into much detail in the video, so I can understand why you would say that, but the history of gun culture in America is actually a little bit more nuanced than simply our relationship with the UK pre- and during the American Revolution (1775-1783). Guns are indeed protected under the 2nd Amendment of the US Constitution, which reads: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed". Because so much of the original US states was very rural and spread out across what is now the Northeast of the country, it wasn't possible for a regular Army or modern police force to be present in all communities to protect the US population from wildlife, criminals, and other dangers. So, almost all rural communities formed militia out of eligible men in case such a need arose, and all of these men owned and used their own guns for this purpose. That being said, the technology and culture of the time meant that the guns in question were muskets, rifles, other hunting guns, etc, and not the handguns and machineguns that we see today, as they were mostly actually being used for hunting or chasing off the occasional Canadian (see: the War of 1812).
However, the real catalyst to the modern American gun culture was our own Civil War (1861-1865), in which the Southern-most states (the Confederacy) attempted to secede, fought against the Northern states (the Union), and ultimately lost. A huge majority of the male population in both the North and South fought in the war and were allowed to bring home their guns when the fighting was done. As a result, it was not only farmers and militiamen owning guns, like how the original amendment was intended, but it was almost everyone. In addition, despite the defeat in the South they still harbored a whole lot of bitterness towards both the government in general and the Northern states and the general culture shifted towards it being a point of pride in the South to own and use guns just in case the South decided to "rise again" (in fact, a surprising number of Southern folk who consider themselves to be Confederacy enthusiasts still believe that "the South will rise again" and that they will have to use their guns to make it happen). Thus, we are left with the completely bonkers and out-of-control gun culture in the US which originally actually had a useful, if perhaps not well thought out, purpose.
Just to clarify: I believe there should be much more stringent gun regulations in the US and that nobody has the need to own an AK-47, but I also believe it is important to understand the differences in histories behind two vastly different countries before generalizing between them.
@@valkyriealden4609 Up until the end of WW1 there were few restrictions in UK on owning guns except for concealed weapons, particularly pistols. Until then the right of individuals to bear arms had been allowed by law under the 1689 Bill of Rights; not unlike the US 2nd Amendment. Troops returning from Europe with large amounts of guns and ammunition caused great concern in government and in 1920 a Bill was passed making this right to bear arms conditional upon approval by the police. Since then firearms laws have been progressively tightened, sometimes following serious incidents such as the mass shootings in Hungerford in 1987 and Dunblane in 1997. However, it is still possible for anyone to own a firearm in the UK, provided they can satisfy the police as to the reason for owning one. Airguns and CO2 guns have no such restriction, provided they conform to the legal limits. Semi-automatic and automatic weapons are banned altogether outside the police, security forces and military.
@@daveh9753 Thanks for educating me and providing me with more info on the situation in the UK. It looks like there are still some differences in the history that result in big differences today, but it's more similar than I originally thought. I wonder if those big differences are also a result of different political systems both on the federal and more local levels?
What do you mean? Are you suggesting that there is a country that we've not invaded? Which one is that?
@@alangknowles Finland. We declared war on them in 1940 when the allied with Germany but never went into conflict or invaded them. To date its the only example of two democratic countries going to war. Other than that the list is pretty slim I admit.
Saying "That's so British" would not offend a Brit.
It would be rather cringe to hear tho right
The way to offend a Brit is not thanking them for holding the door open for you.
We all use that’s so British about ourselves we find it funny
I have been to the US many times and I have heard 'that's so British/English' so many times I assumed it was common usage. Most of the time it's inoffensive but I've also heard it used where it was intended to be offensive.
@@kitkatthe1st591 it is also traditional that the person approaching the door is inclined to speed up/run towards the person holding the door open. :D
Getting upset over “that’s so American “ that’s so American 😂
That’s so british to go after something you definitely know will wind someone up, I say this as a british person 😂
@@leea8706 I agree its great fun. It is so American to complain about people having fun.
Rioku yuzuka thank you - that got a chuckle;)
This funny af
@@leea8706 Just remember that next time you use the "If it wasn't for us, you would be speaking German" line has a response: "Well, I suppose you were better late than never".
Many people in the UK are atheist or agnostic, and overtly religious people are seen as rather embarrassing.
I’d say only if they are really forceful with it like, if people keep it to themselves and just go about like everyone else it’s sweet.
Yes, religion is mainly seen as a superstition in the UK.
Not true, most people in the uk believe, they just think it's personal and nothing to do with other people. Not many people shout about their religious beliefs but the vast majority identity as COE or Catholic.
Paul M I would disagree with that. Number of people being religious is declining rapidly. I hardly know anyone religious who is under the age of 65
You're talking about actively religious and you are correct but most people still think of themselves as believers, they just don't go to church. There are a great many people who believe that the churches' recent records are a disgrace so they have moved away from organised religion.
Highest praise ever....my husband looking at me and saying “you’ll do” before we go out.
Sarah Hardy I feel like we down play everything like “oh you don’t scrub up too bad” is a compliment and used when someone’s clearly tried in regards to their appearance. Like when did we decide to stop actually complementing people??
Katiemay Od to be honest, I think it’s a country thing as it’s quite common here in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. They’re parsimonious in most respects.
😂
@@ktmay03 'We' did not decide; it was done for us. It became sexist to do so; much too non PC..
Haha i love how you think a brit would start talking to a stranger lol
i think i've found a southerner
@@aaaa-ov9tc i think your wrong
@@aaaa-ov9tc im from near liverpool so north west. Southerner would be below the midlands
I love this this so me
Now place the situation in a pub and reflect again...
We Brits laugh at ourselves all the time. We couldn’t careless if you say: That’s so British.
We’re adults.
@GABRIEL GREGORY It really isn't.
@GABRIEL GREGORY Oh no it isn't.
@GABRIEL GREGORY It realy isn't over on this side of the pond, sorry. I know it's different over there but I've always thought that I could care less doesn't make much sense. You care more about what they're saying than you should? I never got why you chaps changed this. 'I couldn't care less' means what it says. There is no way you could give less of damn about whatever it is you're discussing. Maybe it's just one of those things that over time, if enough folk say it wrong, ends up getting used more than the original saying. Another one (and it drives me CRACKERS) is 'the proof is in the pudding'. Because it's 'the proof of the pudding is in the eating'. And again, people have the gist of the sentiment, kind of, but the meaning changes. I bloody LOVE language :)
@GABRIEL GREGORY Oh, no it isn't.
It's I couldn't care less. The negative particle was dropped in some later uses but it originated as Couldn't.
Of course the French don't say "that's so American"... They say "c'est tellement américain" 😂
😂 🤣
😂
I came to look for a comment in this vein. Thank you.
The French just say 'Stop calling Belgian fries French!'
😂😂😂😂😂 Oui oui
All of these just seem to be Americans being sensitive. All the “that’s so British” type things don’t bother us because we already make fun of ourself.
That's interesting. In America it's much more acceptable to make fun of yourself than it is someone else. Is it different in Britain? (Honest question)
wolfsnite I guess it just relates to the general sarcastic culture we have. Even within the uk regions and area’s we make fun (banter) of each other.
wolfsnite but it’s very weird because also everyone is polite saying sorry all the time queueing etc hahah
Ambar _ as an Arab living in UK for 4 years, i think the British people are so kind and i was amazed by the overuse of the two words « sorry and thanks » 😆 but i think it’s a good way to show respect to the other
America is confusing when it comes to joking and sarcasm. I guess it also has to do with what part of the US. I was born and raised in New York/New Jersey where sarcasm and making fun of each other (in a friendly manner) was a normal thing growing up.
Maybe it also has to do with the change throughout the years, but Americans have become very touchy and could take a joke as an insult if they don’t have that kind of confidence with another person. I also love sarcasm, I consider it to be like another language..because not a lot of people understand it. While some that understood the sarcasm will laugh, others might just have a confused “Is he joking or serious” look on their faces. 🤷🏻♂️
People assuming “London, England” is the only part of the UK worth seeing. Or even worse, categorising the other nation as England. Boils my blood.
Why are Americans the only people in the world who calls it London England when everyone else knows where it is already?
Tsu 800 London, Canada 🇨🇦
@@Moonshinexmoonshine Ask anyone outside America to name a London and how many would say London Canada? Btw, it's London, Ontario anyway!
Honestly all americans could say about europe is that paris and london are there
@@elliedoesntwanttobehere Nah, all they say about Europe is that they supposedly singlehandedly saved it from Nazi Germany even though they were too cowardly to join in from the start like the rest of the world.
It's weird, for a country that talks so much about freedom of speech it feels like you can't say anything there without someone getting angry.
Just be polite. That's all.
Yes. Just be nice and polite.
@@miriamcohen7657 Sadly a lot won't be polite back .
Well, the First Amendment (Freedom of speech) in America refers to the people being able to say what they want without the government coming in and saying, "No, that's offensive, you can't say that." Freedom of speech doesn't mean that there aren't ever cultural consequences to what you say or do in the states. While all of what was mentioned in the video is fantastic advice for folks just visiting the states, also remember that Americans are, for the most part, very accepting and forgiving so even if you do stumble with some of these cultural mistakes, most Americans, if they know your not from America, will just laugh it off you. But for the love of god, please don't start bar fights. They weren't kidding, you will be shot. 99% of bar owners in America keep a shotgun close at hand.
@@hannahdyson7129 Only if you venture into political talk. America is very divided politically right now and that's where a lot of antagonism stems from. Steer clear of politics, and people are generally polite.
Very few Brits would ask you about your religion, especially the English. Also we tend not to talk to strangers about politics.
We dont talk to strangers in general, making a lot of the points moot XD
Andrea Clyndes’s In fairness, I think all of these are truly generalisations for the UK because we really are a tiny place but we have so many different attitudes/niches don’t we?☺️ I personally am a very forward person, I definitely wouldn’t walk up to a random person and say “you dirty conservative” but I would not hesitate to jump into a conversation that was getting me riled up 😂🤦🏼♂️ I think that may be a Northern thing we have? I’m not sure that would happen in the South 😬
The only time I ever talk to strangers is about politics ha and I'm from the South, but I'm working class
Maybe it's just because we're yanks then, but I swear that nearly every single person we met in England opened the conversation with "Hi, nice to meet you, shame about Trump." Which is why we included the politics faux pas in this video.
@@WanderingRavens I think Trump (you might point out in a future video that that means 'fart' in the UK) is a special case. We tend to assume (obviously incorrectly) that any American who is not actually dragging their knuckles along the ground will appreciate our sympathy about Trump. A lot of us would appreciate your sympathy regarding a certain B Johnson. Also, where the hell ^h^h^heck were you where people were starting brawls? I dare say it does happen, but it's hardly common in all areas of the UK.
we also wouldn't say "that's so American" we'd say "FFS, only in America".
yeah, you say the three actual words of "FFS" and you're probably going to eat a fist. That's way beyond unacceptable in the US.
@@normanrogers6092 in the 12 states I've visited I can say that's never happened to me. And I'm definitely not worried about "a fist", I'm Glaswegian, that's something we're very experienced in.
Norman Rogers You can’t use the F word in the USA but you can carry a gun and shoot people like that’s civilised behaviour.
Norman Rogers can you not cope with the word fuck then, Jesus
Charles Fleming innit fucking tapped
Bottom line:" Don't criticise the U.S.A."
@@Iamcatlady7 But in reality, do any Brits actually do any of these things? I'm not sure where the hosts got their list from but a lot of this just sounds BS.
It's more to do with politeness than sensitivity. Like we said in the video, you can talk about all these things. It's just not considered polite to confront waitstaff and strangers with your opinions and if you want to get into a political or religious discussion with someone, the common courtesy is to ask the other person if they'd be okay talking about the topic with you.
We mentioned these because while we were in the UK we had many strangers confront us at first meeting about their religious and political opinions (for example, we encountered the following sentence more times than we could count: "Hi, nice to meet you, shame about Trump"). While we didn't mind talking politics with the Brits we met, this abrupt "Hi, here's my political opinion" wouldn't go over well in the States, so we thought we should warn visiting Brits about this potential faux pas ;)
@@Iamcatlady7 Exactly :)
@@WanderingRavens Sorry but you need to stop re-posting the same reply to different comments
They seem very thin skinned. If you can’t discuss religion or politics what is there left to discuss, the weather?
Americans abroad, don't adhere to your "if you haven't got anything nice to say..." rule. Most common phrase from Americans abroad is "it so much better in America"
@Rita Roork Yeah, especially better at the civil disorder, crime and at allowing people to get financially ruined by medical bills
@Rita Roork lol. You keep on telling yourself that. By what metic is it the greatest nation now, yet ever in all world history? In your view maybe, but doesn't make it a fact. Not by health. Not by law and order. Not on the happiness spectrum. A great scientific nation, but the UK has invented more, as has ancient Greece, Rome and China. Richest nation, but not per person, massive wealth discrepancy. Military on top, but China rising. Culturally, definitely not.
@Rita Roork you nation is ONLY 244 years old, so no! not the greatest nation in the history of the world !
@Rita Roork lol :D ok !
@Rita Roork
1)English mathematician and inventor Charles Babbage is credited with having conceived the first automatic digital computer.
2)During the mid-1830sBritish computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee in 1989-90 resulted in the World Wide Web
Which British people are “brawling” after a night out? Who have you been hanging out with? Street gangs?
Seriously. I used to go out in Croydon and even there fights weren't just how you end the night, they were a gang problem. :p
I quite like stopping off and having a drink during the day. That's why I got fired as a bus driver!
a nice cup of tea
I was a bus driver and got fired too. I think it’s because one time I got up and gave my seat to a blind man.😐
It's not such a bad idea, might improve some of the London bus drivers driving!!!!....
Hahah that so me
I hate when Brits say “that’s so American”!
I’m English, and I have to admit that I wouldn’t do most of this stuff anyway. I wouldn’t walk around talking about politics, religion or the military with anyone and everyone in the UK. I wouldn’t be critical with people that I don’t know, that’s just polite. I definitely wouldn’t start fights with people after drinking. The only thing I’d struggle with is the sarcasm, but that’s because it’s so ingrained in British culture that most of the time we don’t even have to think about it. I have never said “that’s so American” in my life. If I was to criticise the US, I’d do it behind closed doors, not to an American person. We may be sarcastic, but we’re not impolite, and most of us don’t lack common sense. I think that most of us are well aware of the cultural differences and would try to adhere to them.
I want to say that’s true but I can’t because as I hear it a lot when travelling for me if someone try’s to get me talking I just I don’t have time as I have my own problems
This is the best comment here. Wish I could upvote more than once.
Very interesting to imply that you'd never be behind closed doors with an American person.
The one thing that gets me from American is when your News media and senators say the NHS is a third rated Health service when a American health services is rated one of the worst and the NHS is rated in the top 3
America’s healthcare is not rated the worst. The worlds richest people go there to have procedures done. The accessibility to that care is the problem not the actual care itself.
That's why everybody wants to come to England to get free medical treatment, then bugger off back home leaving us tax payers to pick up their bill. Our government are to lazy or bothered to chase them for the money, were owed millions s by foreign tourists that had treatment.
Now now cap tango foreigners do pay as when you get a Visa they have to pay into a pot before they can come into the country so they do pay their bills my original point is that a Americans call our social health services so bad that it is no better then says the Congo
mark hope most Americans don’t think that. Most just don’t care or know anything about another countries healthcare system.
Casey Matto yes most Americans don’t no or care but I have seen footage from Fox News and from some of your sentences and one from Trump calling our health service worse then any country if we were close allies then why do you constantly call our health service like the worst in the world
“If you throw a punch they can shoot you” but don’t swear in public that’s rude 😂
I don't like swearing, and I have long thought that there is much too much public swearing these days, even women. Anyway, it doesn't make me feel better to learn that Europeans swear even more.The whole world is going to hell.%$^&^&%#$$!!!
@@quabledistocficklepo3597 people have always sworn. Anyone that disagrees is probably just remembering being a child.
@@sgl0d10n
You're not being honest. People did not swear in the past to the extent they do today. Sure, there has always been swearing but NOT LIKE TODAY. I remember when women did not swear. I remember when children did not swear. I remember when no white man would ever say, MF. Yes, it was a better world then, a much better world. I think it's fair to say that the soul is corrupted by using such language. You can't use such language without being affected by it, FOR THE WORSE. It's dehumanizing.
The only one stopping a bad guy with a swearword is a good guy with a swearword.
@Nyle Haywood
I'd call that a false dilemma. Since when is it guns or swearing? What an extremely limited view of the possibilities.
Why do I feel like someone has told them a lot of these things as a joke... especially about the fight at the end of a good night out!
If there’s one thing that pretty much anyone out with London that lives in the UK hates, it’s when Americans erroneously refer to Britain as England.
Say that to a Scottish, Welsh or Irish person, and you’re not gonna have a good time.
Indeed, as a general rule of thumb, we more strongly identify with our local nationality (remember, the UK is a political union of nations, not a nation state in and of itself). Not entirely unlike, say, a Texan more strongly associating with Texas than the US as a whole.
Correct, different to the Texas comparison though as The countries of the UK all have significantly different foundings.
TheJambo51 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I just found out that the queen doesn’t actually make any laws in England. Wtf is she there for.
Being a very patriotic Welshman I do get incredibly angry with anyone who thinks that UK=England and just think that England is the only country in the U.K. I still think getting ‘lectured’ by a country of such a huge population yet the best you could offer is either Donald or Hillary.... I mean please!
Enoch's Ghost good shit.
My favourite one of the ways we Brits tend to beat around the bush is when we say someone was 'tired and emotional', meaning they were off their tits (drunk)
😂😂
"Don't call an ambulance for anyone unless they're actually in risk of dying, you might unintentionally bankrupt them."
At least that's the impression I get when hearing about the American system.
This is completely true. If they are conscious, please ask them if they want an ambulance called before you do so. Even with health insurance it can cost thousands of dollars just for a short ride in an ambulance, let alone the hospital bills just for walking in the door.
Only if there poor, most people would be fine
@@TheRockkickass Most people can't afford an ambulance.
Brock Samson if they don’t have insurance
Brock Samson and that’s also not true
Uk day drinking is almost mandatory. If it’s sunny people will ditch any work and head to a beer garden
It is here too. Seriously
I think who ever said a brawl is the perfect way to end a night might have been sarcastic
We don’t say “you alright”...it’s half of alright....it sounds like “origh” with an inflection at the end.
Almost like we're saying "you're right" but with a little bit in the middle and maybe drop the "t" or not. yor-uh-righ? Something like that.
I'm glad u said that coz I was thinking what are they talking about, I've never heard anyone say you alright as a greeting lol 😂
Then I read ur comment and realised they were talking about alright "origh" or where I'm from in Scotland "alreet" lol 😂
@@LongdownConker Where in Scotland are you from? Newcastle?
@@ProcolHarum1967 lol the Highlands. Its slightly different lol, we roll the r wen we say it lol
ProcolHarum1967 I’m from Teesside and the word “bairn” is used. We are nowhere near Scotland, (although very north) there are other words but I can’t think of them off the top of my head.
10% for Bad service??? Shouldn’t it be 0% for bad service? Lol
Ha ha ha. That's what I thought. 10% for bad service? No chance. If you need tips for living then do a good job. This just encourages bad service. The fact Americans don't like it yet still do it seems a stupid argument. No pay with bad service and see those bad waiters/waitresses sort their service out.
Kermis Nomo The problem in the US is that waiting staff are poorly paid and are reliant on tips. The Federal government only requires a wage of $2.13 per hour
Urbanimage that's my point. If it's so vital to your wages, you shouldn't tip bad service.
@@markpotter1292 I agree, but even if someone a bit hopeless at waiting you can't help but feel sorry for them when you understand the rubbish pay and conditions that they are employed under.
I've heard on another of these type of videos that, tipping a penny is the way to show that the service was bad.
Everything you say makes me realise that I'm best staying away from the USA. I couldn't manage 5 minutes without being sarcastic and probably about the current president or about "religious" people who seem to hate everyone who is not like them.
Americans don't do/get/understand sarcasm. They are triggered and think you're a meaniepooface.
Part of the reason why we don't live there 😂
@@orcaflotta7867 Oh boy, that one takes the biscuit
@@orcaflotta7867 Oh I am one of those as well, but asking a Brit to not be ironic, which is what it is, rather than sarcastic, is like asking them to stop breathing.
Damn, I understand sarcasm, and have been told I'm very sarcastic. I just don't appreciate someone who doesn't know me think they have have the right to make snide comments about me, my country, president, military, my apparent religion or my guns! If you do, get ready to get it back in kind. 😘
"Guns are protected just as much as free speech and freedom of religion."
Here is a list of things you shouldn't talk about in America. It includes religion.
After the equivalents of "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", they all go downhill. You can't logically talk people out of believing something they didn't logically talk themselves into, and most of religion is based on "faith" instead of logic, so unless you want to focus on what ethical values different religions agree on, then debates around religion heads for a dead end. Americans practice a very wide assortment of religions, so we pretty much tend to let each other go their own way without differences needing to be debated.
I use sarcasm a lot, and it's something we don't even think about in conversation, unfortunately cos I don't think about it, I've learned the hard way several times that you can't really detect sarcasm in a text message. I find the 'not bad' discussion really funny, cos despite it seeming like an insult in the US, it's actually quite a good compliment here (although this REALLY depends on the tone of voice etc. putting stress, emphasis, a downward-ish inflection and lengthening the 'bad' means that it's in a grey area between bad and good, however a lot of the time 'not bad' with a different tone, maybe a more upward inflection on the bad at the end, really is much better than just saying 'good')
with the military, I've always found it fascinating the way Americans treat veterans, I don't know if Idolising is the right word, but it just seems like there's a culture created where veterans can't be perceived as doing anything wrong. Obviously I have high general respect for people willing to go into the military but it just seems very different in america. whether this is to do with much higher patriotism, or America's position in the world, or people believing the USA is some sort of symbol of freedom and democracy. Anyway I just think it's interesting.
A *lot* of military people secretly hate “thank you for your service” but they’re far too polite to say anything IRL. I’m an essential worker so I’ve recently been on the receiving end of “thank you for your service” and it *is* awkward.
Also re: “not bad” over here basically means “this is ok, not good, not bad, just ok”, so it’s definitely not a compliment. It’s not an insult either, but it does imply to us that the speaker isn’t 100% content with what they have.
I don't think I've ever heard a single British person use the term 'that's so american'.
Right! They just spit out a short "fukn yanks".
@@orcaflotta7867 I've occasionally said "how American" and usually on the context they describe. But like people said before if it were reversed, we probably just agree. We understand and accept our flaws.
Right? I'd mostly just say " 'Murica" or " 'Murica, fuck yeah" ironically
I hear a British person say that so British
No wait that was me
In the UK criticising the military is seen more as a condemnation of the government rather than the actual soldiers.
We have people who voted to dumb down the education their children receive. These same people take everything personally.
Your comments describing issues in Ireland as “Northern Ireland” vs “Southern Ireland” was ignorant. There isn’t a “Southern Ireland” but rather the Republic of Ireland and for some people Northern Ireland is synonymous with the phrase “occupied Ireland”. It’s best for Americans to simply avoid this subject as most Americans are far removed from the issues, the history, and the pain associated with the issue. Neither the Brits nor the Irish care to hear what you think about the issue and it could result in offending someone or even a fight.
That's the point....
@Wandering Ravens
Yeah, that's because we were demonstrating what an ignorant tourist would look like ;)
Yor comment makes my head hurt. Constantly
I'm not going to lie, we Brits love daytime drinking. Love it!
jsmally83 sure do
We walk around smoking because it was banned in pubs, parks, shops etc so technically unless your in your own home the only place you can legitimately smoke is whilst walking around.
Such a strange culture that everyone’s so sensitive you can only talk about important issues such as healthcare and politics in private
Herman Sanchez and religion and "tip" bad service 10%.
You might want to consider that, much like the human body, sensitivity usually has to do with injury. America is only about 160 years away from having had a civil war and has a great deal of violence and trauma in its past - everything from slavery to the western expansion to jim crow. It also is a Nation of immigrants, most of whom did not arrive through happy circumstances. The issues that divide Americans are deeply emotionally charged because citizens are living with the legacy of these wounds at any given moment. It does not hurt when you probe scar tissue, but an open wound is another story. People, regardless of nationality don't really enjoy having those wounds proded by a stranger.
Think of how excessively patriotic many Americans are.
It's more to do with politeness than sensitivity. Like we said in the video, you can talk about all these things. It's just not considered polite to confront waitstaff and strangers with your opinions and if you want to get into a political or religious discussion with someone, the common courtesy is to ask the other person if they'd be okay talking about the topic with you.
We mentioned these because while we were in the UK we had many strangers confront us at first meeting about their religious and political opinions (for example, we encountered the following sentence more times than we could count: "Hi, nice to meet you, shame about Trump"). While we didn't mind talking politics with the Brits we met, this abrupt "Hi, here's my political opinion" wouldn't go over well in the States, so we thought we should warn visiting Brits about this potential faux pas ;)
Wandering Ravens this makes more sense, I would never start a political conversation with waitstaff, although as a bartender many folk start political conversations with me. On the trump comments I think that is something that is inherently British to look over at Americans and see someone who would never be elected using an American voting system in the uk but I do not think many would travel America openly skating trump to strangers
You can shot someone because they punched you, W.T.F. yes that really is, so American.
If someone is going to beat you to death then you have the right to kill them in self defense. You can do that in the UK as far as I am aware, the only difference is that we don't hold the method you use against you.
W.T.F. you had to let a physically superior person kill you because you could not legally draw and fire?
@@themajormagers I think the difference is with intent. The video suggests that if I punched you once, you could draw a pistol and kill me. Brawls in the UK, while rare, very rarely end with serious injuries. Normally its just a few bruises.
@@scottdodds246 The laws work in such a way that you should have a situation where you fear for your life before you shoot.
the problem with brawls is that there are plenty of cases where someone dies after one punch. don't go punching people unless you are trying to kill them, you might just do so.
Brawls in America happen and typically no one is shot. just because we have the right to shoot does not mean it will happen. Also don't drink and carry as that is a good way for stupid shit to happen.
To me its just cowardly.
@@brianbozo2447 to be attacked and defending yourself or to be attacked and being killed?
I think it would be more cowardly to die in a ditch somewhere because you are not willing to kill a criminal. Early Americans agree as we have guns that are protected by our constitution.
We do say something like "that's so American" in Czechia, but it's usually reserved for things that are overly emotionally expressive to us. Which is a lot of things :D. It's not necessarily used just for bad things, but it usually implies that the person who said it is not comfortable with said display of emotion or just thinks it's too much. For example, my mom used it to discribe a Pentatonix video where they are all singing very passionately and with a lot of movement :D :D :D.
Also, military and politics are a free topic in Czechia. Military is not discussed that often, unless the president employs them for something in Czechia, like helping with the floods or right now with the coronavirus. In those cases, it will be either positive, or people will joke about it, because a Czech motto is: "If it doesn't kill you, joke about it", so jokes come out with force everytime something bad happens here. Politics are generally a topic to complain about. Just remember, before engaging with someone in a discussion that every Czech person is an Olympic champion in complaining about politics. It does not matter where they stand or who they vote for or whether they agree with you, they WILL complain.
I imagine "that's so American" makes you feel the same as a lot of Brits hearing Americans say "that's so cute/quaint" even if the intentions are different.
Living in a tourist area that (normally outside of a pandemic) has lots of American tourists saying "that's so quaint" I know the correct answer is, "Quaint? That's quite a modern church - it's only four or five hundred years old."
5th Don't laugh when a Yank proudly proclaims that a house is 100 years old:p haha . The TABLE in my house is older than the USA :)
During the Watts riots, I had to laugh when one news commentator was sympathizing with the residents. One of their handicaps/burdens was that the homes in one of the areas affected were--wait for it--an average of 17 years old. Can you imagine? Oh the poor people. They had to live in seventeen-year old houses. Oh, the horror.
5th well we wont laugh when you proclaim that a distance of 100 miles is far. One u s state is bigger than England
I find it really odd in a place where its land of the free you can barely talk about any major topics without offending people
And this is the country that won't shut up about freedom of speech.
Freedom of speech= freedom from the government persecuting you, not freedom from social consequences.
The country is very divided right now. Do you want to get into a heated political debate everywhere you go? No? Then its best to just leave certain topics alone because one person might agree, but another might have very strong opinions against your views. Its just a hassle thats not worth delving into publically.
7:10 The idea of a British person walking up to a stranger and engaging in conversation beyond "Excuse me, do you know the way to xxxxxxx?" is baffling.
So true we would try not talk to anyone
If you believe that, then you're in for a surprise if you visit Glasgow.
Americans over here do actually do the “that’s so British” thing literally all the time.
And that would be a faux pas on their part. We're sorry about them :(
Unless it’s intentionally insulting I don’t see the issue?
No tf we dont😭
I'm a Scot that lives in Texas. I have always considered cultural identity as being something that transcends geographical location. Oddly, not that you should be surprised, I got that perspective from Americans. Whenever I encountered Americans in Scotland or other parts of the UK, something that always occurred, there was never a time when these people didn't behave the same as they would when they were back home. Americans take their cultural identity with them everywhere they go.
By my maintaining my own cultural identity, I'm just doing the same thing. By the way, whenever someone says "That's so British," we typically take that as a complement. You of course know the difference between an insult and a complement is the perspective of the person receiving it.
I greatly dislike that talking to strangers on public transport or in town is seen as a faux pas in the UK! My Grandfather would speak to anyone and everyone when he was alive because "You never know who might be lonely." I love it when I'm out and about and a stranger says "Good morning" or "Good afternoon" when I walk past them. It really does brighten my mood and I wish more people, especially the younger generation would take up the habit.
Also seems funny to preach in the video about free speech while listing all the subjects that are taboo. That's so American.
We're just the messengers 😉
Saying a Social faux pas is bad manners in the US and sometimes can pariah one in US society if it's considered something very offensive. However, no jail time or fines for hate speech are given out like they are in England and other European countries.
@@ms4911 Good point! We should have emphasized that distinction in the video
@@ms4911 That's true, yet this is a very recent thing, really only since the UK Tony Blair administration and the rise of diversity politics that followed a decade or so later. So it is not part of UK culture and the diversity gender stuff actually came from America.
@@galinor7
And many Americans are ready to boycott the Universities that promulgated that and help along that faultline in California over the divisiveness that has been enforced against the will of many states
WATCH PART 2 ➡️ Mistakes that Americans make in the UK ruclips.net/video/zkqU13hZsUU/видео.html
Thank you to all the subscribers who suggested faux pas for part 2 💕
I think i have two mistakes.
1. depending on who your talking to and what county you are in, some brits do not like being called a brit. Instesd they would prefer to be called english, a scott, welsh or northan Irish. Not all countries get along either. Id say its mainly the lower class areas which would be offended by this.
2. Is Americans assuming everyone here is friendly. With all the gang and knife crimes its probaly not a good idea.
@@peterian588 These are both good to be aware of! By and large, most Americans do believe that all Brits are charming, friendly folk, but as our "lighter cad" incident in Soho taught us, not all Brits are the friendly type 😂
@@WanderingRavens oh i remember that story, i saw someone on drugs the other day screaming about needles of gold and the police controlling his brain 😂😂😂 sorry that happened to you guys :)
@@peterian588 We'll be more aware of our surroundings next time :D Be safe out there!
“Lower class” ... might want to avoid saying that as well.
Sounds like you are not so free in the land of the free !!
It's more to do with politeness than sensitivity. Like we said in the video, you can talk about all these things. It's just not considered polite to confront waitstaff and strangers with your opinions and if you want to get into a political or religious discussion with someone, the common courtesy is to ask the other person if they'd be okay talking about the topic with you.
We mentioned these because while we were in the UK we had many strangers confront us at first meeting about their religious and political opinions (for example, we encountered the following sentence more times than we could count: "Hi, nice to meet you, shame about Trump"). While we didn't mind talking politics with the Brits we met, this abrupt "Hi, here's my political opinion" wouldn't go over well in the States, so we thought we should warn visiting Brits about this potential faux pas ;)
Its because you look like a pretentious plonked that's why they spoke to you like that..probably winding you up mate
@@WanderingRavens This is quite a new thing in the UK - it's always been seen as rude to discuss money, religion or politics, but nowadays people are way more judgemental and intolerant, even when they say they support tolerance for all. Personally I prefer the don't discuss those topics as they're a private matter. In France, this is still super rude to ask someone.
@@WanderingRavens I think Trump hating is pritty universal in the UK so most people have forgotten that it is talking about politics.
@@camerachica73 I think you'll find they have picked it up from watching American TV and films
Guys...I know this vid is a little old now so you might not see this comment, but I just want to say that this is an absolutely spot-on guide and all Brits should take note. In my interactions with American both in and outside Europe I’ve found many of these things to be true. 1. The ‘alright’ greeting elicited a response from Americans that indicated I was being overly familiar with them. They did not like it. 2. Being indirect/ ironic also did not go down well. Either what I said was taken literally or when they did realise it was ironic they looked at me sideways, like I wasn’t to be trusted or was being sly in some way. Some of my own observations: Americans seem more serious than Brits...they don’t seem to tolerate foolish/clownish behaviour.
Also, although Americans value free speech, they also seem more easily offended on a range of issues than British people and rather than holding their tongue, they will ’correct’ you in a way that can seem overly confrontational to a Brit. I mean, even if it’s a conversation they overhear, rather than one they’re directly involved in, they might give you their ‘two cents’. Just what I’ve noticed. I love Americans though- at least you know where you stand!
The idea of getting shot for having a bit of a scrap with someone is ridiculous!
I'm not tipping for bad service. That won't teach them anything. I like the UK system, tip for excellent service only.
It's a bit complicated here in the States, but basically, most restaurants make servers share tips with the kitchen staff and the government also taxes servers based on "estimated tips." So if you tip $0 the server still has to pay the kitchen and the government taxes and both of these are based on sales, not the actual tips received. So in short, if you don't tip at least 8-10%, then you actually make the server lose money - which, I guess you may be fine with if they were particularly horrid 😂
I mean that is really not problem as a customer when the owner just doesn’t want to pay a living wage.
@@CoquetFleur Problem is when that exists in an economy where everyone is the same, no owner will unilaterally stick their food prices up 20% so they can run a better system, when people will perceive the food as overpriced because they are so used to service not being included, so its not really about what the owner 'wants'
This one really confused me too. You go to a restaurant and the service is bad which probably ruins the whole experience. Is it alright to ask how it came to a consensus to pay 10% extra for having a bad experience, see what I did there? Imagine you took Grace for a romantic meal and the food arrived late and cold, would it really be normal in the states to pay the full bill let alone tip? I have watched several episodes of Gordon Ramsey's kitchen nightmares and if it isn't staged for TV it looked as if the customers just walked out .
@@peterwesson7324 I guess it's all about perception, right? If you've never experienced anything other than paying a 10% tip for bad service / food, then it'll likely sit in your mind as part of the base cost of something. Whereas if you see a tip as optional then perhaps it's always seen as an additional loss you're incurring, so you're less encouraged to do it unless it's warranted? I.e. To an American, a 10% tip could be processed by the brain the same way no-tip is by a Brit: that it's invisible.
Or I'm talking bollocks.
And I thought it was us British that were supposed to be repressed...
When I was younger back in the 80's we used to drink at mid day if we went out with work colleagues, but nowadays it is not something we would do. It kind of gradually died off after the millennium I feel.
Only time that I have done that is when I worked in a carpet yarn mill and it was a Friday afternoon one pint and a game of pool ( I never won).
And you could go out with your team after work and get pissed enough that you could barely stand the next morning at work and it was still considered ok. Americans, while there can be plenty of lazy people in any occupation, definitely seem to subscribe to more of a "this is work time" attitude. Maybe not so much the individual people, but certainly the corporate culture. You would almost never hear an American corporation encourage an employee to take their vacation. That might be changing now, but the corporate world in America still seems to be much more stringent.
Treating the constitution like a sacred document? That's so American 😂
You can have great fun when visiting the US by introducing yourself in the following manner: "Hi, I'm an atheist how about you?" In response to your question about talking about religion in the UK. The thing about religion in the UK is that it isn't really an interesting subject and doesn't tend o come up in conversation much if ever. It's not that there's any taboo around the subject,
it's just that it doesn't crop up in conversation - if you did embark on the subject out of the blue most of us would probably be rather amused and, or a bit puzzled by it. In my experience Americans take the whole subject of religion and religious belief an awful lot more seriously.
Drinking in the day is just something that is acceptable in the UK 😂
not just acceptable - its encouraged ;)
aktolman I’d not agree with that. I’ve never been encouraged to drink all day. But it’s totally fine if you want to. Which is why some pubs are allowed to serve alcohol from 9am (I think)
@@emtabby Yeah... I was joking.... i don't think drinking at any time is really encouraged!
But getting drunk is not
There's an irony in that I never came out of a Business meeting in the UK drunk, but came out of every American one, drunk!
"The land of the free" doesn't seem very free. What happened to the 1st amendment right to free speech? I thought you could say what you like.
You can. You won't go to jail for these. Doesn't mean people won't want to beat that ass.
It's more to do with politeness than sensitivity. Like we said in the video, you can talk about all these things. It's just not considered polite to confront waitstaff and strangers with your opinions and if you want to get into a political or religious discussion with someone, the common courtesy is to ask the other person if they'd be okay talking about the topic with you.
We mentioned these because while we were in the UK we had many strangers confront us at first meeting about their religious and political opinions (for example, we encountered the following sentence more times than we could count: "Hi, nice to meet you, shame about Trump"). While we didn't mind talking politics with the Brits we met, this abrupt "Hi, here's my political opinion" wouldn't go over well in the States, so we thought we should warn visiting Brits about this potential faux pas ;)
It is very sad that we've come to this point, the country that listed speech as our first freedom in our founding documents. But instead of open dialogue, taking offense has become our new favorite past time. To the point where cancel culture means that you may be put out of business or worse if someone disagrees with you.
America may be the last country that really has freedom of speech. It's only a memory in Britain or Canada. New Zealand and Australia? I really don't know, but that's something I will look up.
@@quabledistocficklepo3597 Why do Americans think that they are any more free than Britain or the western world in general?
Religion in UK, always get talked abou even if we arent supposed to, but England is a christian country deemed by the Queen and state, but people slag off religion anyway, people here dont care, and we know we are opinionated, and this is why we have open discussions about politics and religion, because we automatially know people dont agree, so if people in the US automatically think poeple have the same opinions about politics and religion is stupid.
Tipping: I only ever tip for excellent service, usually when i get my hair cut, other wise i dont tip, its expected to have good service, its part of the job, but if you go above and beyond people tip.
Why is your health service so terrible and expensive, when many places have an NHS of their own.
'Thats so British' use it, cause honestly certain things are true, but all things you said, are british querks at all. Its more like saying " They are very sarcastic" "Thats so British" like sarcasm is a bad thing, but here you can say it and if its true, we are usually like "Yeah, so? Who cares"
We brits are up to date with your politics inlcuding the Pro and Anti Trump poeple and all the fights that break out between them, its funny AF.
If im on hoilday, Ill drink during the day, and we brits generally love our alcohol, doesnt mean we are alcoholics, we just generally drink more.
Starting a fight at the end of a night out?? What kind of people were you mixing with in England??
I dont understand the tipping thing, I've only been in the US for connection flights, in these ocasions I went to drink something and paid with my international credit card.
Should I have had tiped the sturbucks barista or the pub waiter?
If so, how? since I am paying by card, how do you tip with your credit card if you are not carying cash?
Please could someone tell me if I should have had to tip the barista and if I had to how so?
It's not the tipping culture I would complain about. The issue is more to do with a lack of works rights and a minimum wage that is way too low.
Via tipping most servers earn more that minimum wage. They earn more that $15 an hour. Talk to any server who doesn't suck. They don't want tips to change.
Natasha Davis they would still make tips on top of their wage tho as long as they provided good service.
What's a server. Someone who's servile?
Natasha Davis
Well fuck that, I’m not tipping them then.
You can't talk about that either. You will offend most Americans if you do.
Why would you tip for bad service?
It's a bit complicated, but basically, most restaurants make servers share tips with the kitchen staff and the government also taxes servers based on "estimated tips." So if you tip $0 the server still has to pay the kitchen and the government taxes and both of these are based on sales, not the actual tips received. So in short, if you don't tip at least 8-10%, then you actually make the server lose money - which, I guess you may be fine with if they were particularly horrid 😂
@@WanderingRavens blame the system, not those in it. Blaming the end user for not paying additional money they aren't legally obliged to pay is just plain daft. The bill payer doesn't make them lose money, the moronic system does.
Tipping for bad service is a coastal thing. In mid America we tip for good service.
I always give the server the benefit of a doubt. They may be having a really bad day. I tip anyway.
@@AG9229 If they gave bad service they were asking not to get tipped.
Having watched both videos, culturally it seems easier for you to come to UK than us to come to the states
If you really like talking about politics, religion, and the military with strangers, then yes xD
The "that's so American" thing probably stems from the fact that we both speak the same language, more or less, but differ in many other ways!
2 countries divided by a common language lol
I do find it interesting the term "Free speech" being said but in the same conversation having to skirt around the issue of criticising the military, health care and religion.
“Freedom of speech” means you can’t get arrested for the things you say, not that there are no social consequences for the things you say.
The only thing I can't understand about guns in the US is why they can be sold to people without any crime checks being made.
I don't think that happens. If it did, it would be an illegal sale.
@@WanderingRavens Can't you buy without a background check at a gun show?
It took the virus for me to learn the real problem with crime in America: we have Mayors, Governors, City Councils, Academics, Media, etc. ON THE SIDE OF THE CRIMINALS. I hadn't realized the problem was so severe until I started seeing cities burning without support and the concept of police being attacked. America is now circling the drain; We have freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly, etc. and etc. but we have no security. The elected officials won't protect us.THIS IS NOT A GOOD TIME TO SPEAK OF GUN CONTROL. The authorities won't protect us, so we have to protect ourselves. Self-protection comes first.
Think of the UK like this...
Every Welshman is a Brit, but not every Brit is a Welshman.
Every Scotsman is a Brit, but not every Brit is a Scotsman.
Every Englishman is a Brit, but not every Brit is a Englishman.
Shouldn't you have said, "Think of BRITAIN like this."? This just proves that even you guys have trouble with UK/Britain/England. Admit it.
i think your friends are having you on - fights really arent that common!
Good to know :D
They are in my home town (Maidstone).
really? walk down prince of wales road in norwich on any given night.
In Leeds they are especially Wakefield fighting every Friday Saturday in taxi que
That's one of things they got right they got a few they're doing (not bad) hahaha
I love how in America there’s this long fucking list of things you cant do whereas in England we say and do whatever we want for the most part
The public day drinking issue really messed me up when I went to the states.
Walking around town with a beer at 3pm is normal British culture.
In America, I got spoken to by the police :(
Lots of people here get themselves hit by cars, start fights, get shot, and make scenes. When Americans drink we DRINK.
@@erenthebombjaeger i dont think you know British drinking culture
@@erenthebombjaeger think it’s more that when Americans drink, you can’t HANDLE IT
@@vicfleming1814 Yeah that’s exactly what I’m implying for you read my comment at all? I said we get hit by cars and we cause crashes we start fights etc
@@Matt-qy7po What do you mean? I wasn’t even talking about British drinking culture I was talking about American drinking
I think talking about religion in the UK is completely fine! As long as you're not being rude, overly aggressive or patronising!
I agree totally I think a lot of brits are quite open to discussions on religion as long as the other person is not forcing beliefs onto the other. I also think that we have a lot less extremes with religion (of course they’re always exceptions) but in this generation I don’t think they’re are many who particularly care about religion and if they do, don’t try to force it into people or overly criticise opposing views
One thing I HATE Americans saying is "omg I love your accent"
I have a southern English accent and I've heard that phrase so many times 🙄🙄🙄
That's a great faux pas! We'll add that to the list of faux pas for the next video :D
You might hate it but I don't. I think its really nice, especially when its a pretty American lady :)
@@Slipstream2009 If your single and ready to mingle, you can basically have your pick of the lot if you have a British accent haha
Have to say I didn't hate it as much as my ex-wife did. British accent and the waitresses came fluttering their eyes. I loved it personally.....she. Far less so!
I would love for a foreigner to say, "I love your accent" Its never happened to me. I speak midwestern English.
The more I here the more relieved I am that I live in Britain.Unfortunately, we seem to adopt some American habits/ways.
America is not without its flaws, however it is also a fantastic place to live. There are a lot of freedoms here that no other countries have.
Dude... Both countries have subtle things like this that would make a foreigner uncomfortable. It's just cultural differences. If you went to the Philippines or Japan it'd be even harder to adapt. Oh but when it's America it just cant be tolerated. Quit being a hypocrite.
Arse is a swear word here 😂 We just don't tend to give a shit 😂
I know, right? Arse is what you say when you're being polite 😄
DAY DRINKING: I have to call you out on this one. I’m a Brit living in Michigan, and day drinking here is almost a rite of passage, well at least in the southeast corner/Detroit metro area. On Sunday’s groups of friends/family meet for brunch either prior to a sports event or as a start to a day drinking binge with friends. Brunch usually begins at 10:30 whereupon you are given access to the Bloody Mary bar. Michigan also has an amazing micro brew scene, which gives an additional reason to go out early and sample plenty of local produce 😜
So what I’ve learned, in the land of the free and the home of free speech...I can’t say anything? Hmmm
That's exactly what I've just said. You go over to America and keep your mouth shut and don't say a word LOL
You may say what you wish. They’re just saying depending on your tone/attitude it may not be well received.
It is in fact freedom of speech but it’s also the right to bear arms. Just be kind is all they’re saying.
You can say anything you want. Politics is probably something you shouldn’t talk about though. Unless you want to start a fight.
Freedom, but not freedom from consequences.
Thank you for the advice, I’m the sort of person that loves to talk about politics so I just won’t when I visit the states in October (that is if I can). I will add one thing that annoys Brits that Americans do say in the UK. It’s referring to things as “quaint” these are our homes, our public transport, our shops, our system of government. All things I’ve heard Americans refer to as quaint. It implies small, old fashion, cute, insignificant. We know everything in the US bigger but it doesn’t make us quaint!
I can appreciate that.
I can't ever see being able to visit the UK, but if I ever do, I'll keep that in mind.
Use "That's so British" all you want. I don't understand how this would upset anyone here.
Not form the UK or the US and, right, I understand you do not talk about sensitive topics like weapons and health care. But you cannot begin to understand how shocked I was to see MRI commercials at bus stops - we also have NHS - and a no gun sign at the door of my office (I work for another country branch of the same company) - no one would ever think of going to the office (or pretty much anywhere else unless you are law enforcement, criminal or hunter, and in the last case it wouldn't be a gun) with a weapon.
And I love your no smoking and walking rule!
Hey ! I know a British guy who lives in Texas. He’s called John Smith. Do you know him ? 🤣
@tinylilmatt I've met the Queen and I've also met John Smith!
@@tsu8003 I live in California, have seen the Queen from a distance, and, I, too am called John Smith...Small world...
@@johnsmith4335 I've seen Queen in concert and have drunk John Smith beer before (that's proper beer and not what you drink which is lager)!
Drinking in the daytime. Hell yeah. Well, I used to. Ive been alcohol free for about 20 years. Friday lunchtime (payday) used to be a popular time for a few pints to finish the week off, go back to work, get nothing done then go home.
Thank you for taking the time to answer our question 😄 And wow! Congratulations on 20 years! That's commendable X
Did you mean drinking in the daytime full stop, or drinking while on breaks from work? I think drinking during breaks from work is less acceptable now than it used to be, but I've certainly never sensed any problem with daytime drinking per se. Is that a problem in the States?
Yeah if no one in America drinks during day why are bars open all day
@@WanderingRavens Why do you say that it's commendable? I don't drink alcohol, but that's my personal choice and I don't see why it would be considered commendable. 🤔
I don't think I've ever heard another Englishman say "That's so American" Though I've certainly had lots of Americans over here assuming everything is either Queen's English or Cockney and nowhere exists outside of London and that everything in Britain is the same wherever you go. But it does seem limited to just American tourists rather than other nations, same with the bad teeth thing and a lot of stereotypes, it does just seem to be an American stereotype of us (the weird thing being UK dental hygiene usually rates in the top 3 in the world alongside the Danes and Norweigans), though we don't mind being mocked over it or anything really, we mock ourselves as much as we mock other countries. We also like having rivalry with other countries (and even between other counties) like us and France, or Australia constantly being mocked by us, but in turn we get as good as we give by them and it's all good fun.
We also don't really have any taboo subjects, most things here are up for debate and like pretty much everything else, joked about extensively. And swearing is definitely massively different, aside from maybe "Cunt" which is frowned upon by a decent number of people, most words things aren't taken as offensive, it's not uncommon to great someone warmly with something like "You alright there, dickhead?" which is quite common in places like Australia and New Zealand as well.
Religion and Politics like everything else here is mocked, though for the most part nobody really cares if you do or don't follow a religion. Politics has turned into a pretty sensitiive subject in the past few years, but that does appear to be more of a worldwide thing that just British.
We are definitely very critical of the USA over here, but it is often gripes that many other places have with America. First with Americans who visit on holiday, we often find them arrogant and rude, as a whole we are a very polite nation (though due to how we act with other brits it can be hard to tell we're being polite to other Brits) so it's quite jarring for us when Americans are acting brash and loud. I think like a lot of other countries, we see America as quite self absorbed and bully-like (Ironic considering the English had the biggest empire through conquest in history), we also find it strange when Americans start talking about things like World War 2 and how they "Saved us" which feels like a slap in the face to everyone who died and fought in the war who wasn't American and is a particular gripe of mine as someone who studied History, seeing the American viewpoint on things in history just often seems like they only view themselves in a positive light and that they're rewriting history, which in England is really frowned upon, as well as in other European countries.
And as for things like Guns and Healthcare in America, we are very very critical of it, but again I don't think it's just a British thing, a lot of other countries view America in the same way as we're used to free healthcare and having restrictions on guns and for us it's really bizarre that a person needs to have to pay thousands in order to get life saving treatment when everyone should have the right to live a good and healthy life. Same with Guns, we're not against people owning guns, it's legal to own guns in England, they're just heavily regulated and like everywhere else we find it odd that because some constitution written in the 18th century says everyone has the right to own a weapon, is considered more important than protecting the lives of people by allowing anyone to own a weapon capable of killing tens of people a minute, and that no amount of mass shootings seems to make the country change that despite some very vocal critics of the lax gun laws in the states (For comparison, England (outside of terrorist related paramilitary groups), and New Zealand both had one mass shooting that led to strict gun laws being implemented, and Australia had two before they introduced theirs, and so far we've had very few mass shootings as a result)
I think it's probably just a lot more noticable in Britain due to us speaking English, and often being quite frank about things.
We can smoke where we like outside.. Because Britain is truly the land of the free 😏🤭
Loved the video, super helpful. Thank you.
the tipping system is so confusing. who should i tip other than servers?
Hey, just a few bits of feedback from a Brit:
1) Brawling - This is seen as anti-social behavior over here and I believe you're probably referring to people who've been binge drinking causing trouble after a 'session' of excessive alcohol consumption - it's certainly just as much frowned upon here when it occurs and nothing I think we're proud of. It will lead to you getting thrown out of whatever establishment you're at and quite often arrested. In closing, it's just as illegal here as it is in the states (though, like you said, probably has less consequences over here because we don't have to consider getting a cap in our butts!).
2) The whole 'if you've not got something nice to say, don't say it at all' holds true over here as much as it does in the US. I think culturally, we tend to understate things rather than celebrate success (praise is some something a lot of us get awkward receiving and don't know how to handle), so there is somewhat of a culture that if someone doesn't tell you that you're doing a bad job, assume you're doing a good job.
I guess it's fair to say that this means we accept 'tolerable' levels more than in the US rather than expect excellence & having spent time in the US, my experience is that your table service really is a lot better than ours - perhaps due to receiving better feedback and perhaps the tipping culture goes a long way. Over here as you correctly identify / imply, we don't have the same tipping culture which in itself is probably a reason why service in the US is (at least in my experience), service with a smile.
3) Day drinking while at work - I think this is probably tolerated to some degree but there is definitely a difference between people going to a bar for lunch and a pint than having several drinks and returning to work under the influence. I know that every job i've ever held, being drunk at work is grounds for dismissal.
4) 'That's so American' - I'd never really considered how people might use this to express rudeness - and honestly, I think in the context you used it, it's exactly that, rude. When I think of 'what's so American' I'd think of things like the perceived national pride, service with a smile and sense of self-individuality. Your openness / directness that you spoke about - they certainly differentiate British and American culture but when used as you describe to put people down and belittle them? just rude.
5) Criticising the Military - I think depending on who you talk to, you'll find different opinions but my thoughts have always been it's just as much of a taboo over here as it is over in the US. We might not be as well known for the flag waving over here, but i think in general there is a huge amount of respect for our servicemen and women. Besides, you never know when meeting someone new whether they're an ex-serviceman or have family who are etc, so even if you are of an 'anti-military' mindset, it's not a polite conversation opener when meeting someone new and probably something better off just to avoid.
6) Politics and religion - I'm surprised that this came up as faux pas British people make because over here it's a severe taboo - If anything, it's been my experience (at least that when meeting Americans), it's been Americans who've often asked my stance on politics and what i think about Brexit / US elections etc - I'd always thought Americans far more politically vocal/inclined than us Brits!
7) Smoking - You're pretty spot on about this - over here, we don't have have designated zones like you do over there. We have places you can't smoke, but yeah, that typically means you can just stand outside the door and smoke & that's something which is accepted behaviour. I don't smoke myself but have travelled to San Diego with a friend who does and I had a real laugh with a hotel receptionist who kept winding my friend up about having smoking complaints because he'd been sighted outside a smoking zone.
On the topic of using "alright" as a greeting, this is how it goes:
#1: Alright.
#2: Yeah, not bad, you?
#3: Yeah, not bad thanks.
Then you go on to a proper conversation, or keep walking, or whatever.
My colleagues and I discussed this in the office a few weeks ago and all agreed that it is a set conversation; it's a script to follow. At most, you can use "pretty good" in place of "not bad", but generally there is very little variation. If anyone actually responds to it as though legitimately asked "are you okay?" then the initiator will be panicking internally and try to avoid that person in the future, or at least downgrade them to a "hi" with a nod without stopping as they walk past.
If a Brit actually cares how you feel, they're probably your family / life partner / closest friend and will explicitly ask if you're feeling okay. For example: "What's up? You seem to be a bit down recently. Is everything okay?" Simply saying "alright" to someone as soon as you walk up to them is clearly not the opening of a counselling session. Why would Americans assume that it is? After all, why would a person outside of your closest circle (excluding professionals) attempt to provide counselling to you, and why would you engage with such an unqualified person by telling them about your inner secrets, turmoil, depression, etc.? It just seems mad to us that anyone would make that connection.
Day drinking is largely acceptable in the UK
Are bars in America only open in the evening?
I think the 2nd amendment
Had been misinterpreted? I think to bear arms was meant for a regulated militias to protect the state not necessarily for individuals imo,.
Considering the point being raised, read: religion, 5:40 ‘probe before going in’ is a particularly apt sentiment
Robin Barayuga why hasn’t this got more likes
TravelChild95
😀
I just imagined myself sitting in a cafe with you two and Eric loudly saying “Oh look at guy over there his teeth are so bad” and Grace saying “That so British” I think I would spit out my tea that I’m laughing so much!
😂😂
You need to remember we laugh at Yanks' over white-teeth/veneers.
We laugh at the fact that we actually have better teeth than Americans!
@@tsu8003
I’m dead 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I think Britain goes for a more natural look and I honesty don’t think it is that bad. Less unrealistic expectations for young people, especially women.
You two are quite good at this!
That’s a big compliment by the way haha
Do Americans tip on everything? Like if you just ordered a cup of tea would you be expected to tip or is it just for meals/ certain situations.
It depends. If you’re getting a cup of tea from the McDonald’s drive thru, then no you are not expected to tip. If you’re sitting down in a diner and the tea is being served to you, you are expected to tip.
I've got at admit, many years ago I did go on holiday to America with some guys I used to work with (New York and Florida to be exact) and we loved it. We did make some mistakes while we were over there. But I understand what you were saying in this video and I did come across a few of these including the one about tipping.
We never spoke to the American people that we met about Politics, Religion, your Military and the gun situation. We tried our best to respect the American people and your culture.
We were so impressed with how friendly and the hospitality of the American people that we came back for a second visit to your great nation a year later.
Most people who call Americans don't know any