|
UK goon here. I lived in the US (in the middle of nowhere) for two years. My family has mixed thoughts on the country and its politics. My dad is quite left wing and says the Democrats are like our Conservatives, which is pretty much a common meme when trying to relate the politics of each country to each other. My mum is apolitical but hates Trump based on his appearance and actions. Because of this and the fact I had a poo poo time in the states, their opinion of it has gone down quite a bit in the last year. Everyone I know here thinks Donald Trump is a loving moron. The inauguration got broadcast in the break room at work and people made jokes about how he should be assassinated. This isn't a super left-wing workplace, although it's a bit more sensible than the last place (where there were Princess Diana truthers and the like). They don't uniformly think he is an actual fascist, some just think he's stupid and tasteless. In general, British people thought more highly of the US during the Obama presidency than before and after. I am from a Brexit heartland area (and currently work there in a low-status job), but went to a prestigious university in the South. I generally find that the above is true of both upper and working class British people. Occasionally you meet some nutjob, but even though some people can be quite racist and right wing in their own way, they generally think American right wingers are dumb and crazy. In fact the educated upper middle class people are usually more restrained in their condemnation, because they try to overthink everything, I guess. On the other hand, lots of aspects of US culture are beloved in the UK. People love US tv shows, for example, it's generally thought that they are better than UK programming. People love to take vacations there if they have the money, and show everyone pics of them in front of the empire state building or grand canyon. My supervisor was talking about how his dream is to live in New York City a while ago. My dad still wants to visit the Southern states because of his love of jazz and soul music. Some people apparently think that US confectionary isn't complete bullshit (they are wrong)- there are even specialty stores that sell American candy for an insane markup. There is sometimes a slight resentment about American culture becoming more dominant in the UK, mostly from old people though. Americans who come over here are usually received well, and seen as friendly and nice. The only thing is that sometimes people challenge them on poo poo like healthcare, religion*, and gun laws, which are virtually impossible to have the same emotional perspective on as a British person, and get surprised when the argument gets a bit heated. The gun thing is seen as a weird brain problem that otherwise normal Americans have. TL;DR: US politics is seen as insane (even by conservatives), but the culture and people are well-liked. *Obviously it's a Christian-majority country as well, but the specific type of evangelical Christianity that bred things like megachurches, Christian rock and fundamentalist pro-life stuff is seen as uniquely American.
|
#
¿
Mar 3, 2017 19:34
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 7, 2024 22:46 |
|