Questions for Americans...

by highdose 18 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  chickpea

  cheers!

  just had a month long visit with a mate
  from UK; crystal palace (SE london) is
  where she resides.....

  when i told people around here that
  she was coming, i swear to OMG that
  every single one of them asked this:
  does she have an accent?

  i finally started to say: not in london

  i dont know what the fascination is

  btw: flannels are not facecloths/washcloths,
  they are warm shirts we wear in the fall

  we take out the trash/garbage, not the rubbish
  and we collect in in garbage cans not bins

  crisps are chips and chips are fries

  i never was taking the p!ss, sunshine
  just busting your chops

  not only is europe spoken of as a
  monolithic entity, but so is africa...
  americans are notorious for being
  geographically challenged...
  which is why i keep a 2 x 3 foot
  (peters' projection) map on the counter
  when i am listening to the news hour...
  geographical context is crucial to understanding
  the hows and whys of world politics
• 

  bluecanary

  I haven't read the other responses, so apologies if I'm repeating things:

  WHY?...

  Do you call it "Fall" rather than "authum" ( spelt that wrong) It makes remembering which way to turn the clock for daylight savings time easier. "Fall back, spring ahead."

  "Dipers" instead of "nappies"?

  "earaser" instead of "rubber"

  "sidewalk" instead of "pavement" Because that's what everyone else calls it. I don't know who started it, but the rest of us just repeat what we're told. BTW, "rubber" is a euphemism for condom.

  Why do so many of you demonise alcohol? You are obviously unfamilar with Wisconsin. I'm pretty sure drinking is a state sport. Versus the deep south, where it's a religion.

  Why do you refer to Europe as if it was one big country? Because big countries are what we're familiar with. We can't wrap our minds around a bunch of small countries that you can cross as easily as crossing states. It's like a magic fairy land.

  why do so many of you have to start a sentence with "OMG!" Because our lame public education system can't keep up with technology as a learning experience.

  why do you love british accents? Because they're almost as sexy as Austrailian accents.

  why oh why... did you vote george bush in...twice!??? That's one thing you can't blame on many of us ex-Dubs. We didn't vote!
• 

  Phee

  WHY?...

  "sidewalk" instead of "pavement"....depends on where you're from in the USA...Ashphalt, sidewalk, pavement, walkway, boardwalk, macadam, concrete, cement, blacktop, tar, path....etc...

  Why do so many of you demonise alcohol? ....We do?? Everything in moderation dear.

  why do you love british accents?...I love them because they make everything sound so damn clever! LOL...Like saying "Brilliant" or "Bloody hell"...even "Rubbish in the bin" sounds more clever than "Trash in the can".

  -Phee
• 

  AdaMakawee

  I think the British accent thing was helped along by the James Bond movies, not only by the so called "British invasion" in rock & roll in the 60s. The type of accent in the movies came to mean sexy, intelligent, suave, and slightly dangerous. All of those things are pretty intoxicating to American women.

  Ada
• 

  Big Tex

  Blondie coveredd it pretty well. The only thing I'd like to add is the U.S. is made up of regions that are very distinct and different. At times, almost different countries. The South has very little in common with the northeastern U.S. Not just accent, but outloook on life, diet, income, schooling and so on. The Midwest has little in common with California, or the Pacific Northwest. Again not just accent but attitudes and values.

  The other thing you've got to realize is America started off as the dumping ground for religious, sometimes fanatical, fundamnentalists. That religious strain is still here.

  I live in Texas, but did not vote for Bush, nor would I ever. No he's not one of our best Presidents, but then I've always wondered by you folks tossed out Winston Churchill in favour of Clement Atlee while the war was still going on.
• 

  SixofNine

  rubber is latex
• 

  highdose

  well that told me didnt it?:)

  thanks for clearing all that up:)

  i have no idea about churchill , as i wasn't alive at the time, neither were my parents...neither were my grandparents...
• 

  FlyingHighNow

  WHY?...

  Do you call it "Fall" rather than "authum" ( spelt that wrong) --- We call it Fall and Autumn. Remember Autumn leaves must fall.

  "earaser" instead of "rubber"-----rubbers are shoe shaped things you wear over your shoes, like a raincoat or mac, to protect your shoes from the rain. Condoms protect your *Bleep* from the "rain". We call condoms rubbers and galoshes rubbers as well.

  "sidewalk" instead of "pavement" ---- because it's the walk pathway along side the street.

  Why do so many of you demonise alcohol?

  Some Fundamentalists of Christian, Muslim and some other religions ban it. Some of them are very vocal. They make it look like all of us feel that way. We don't.

  Why do you refer to Europe as if it was one big country? Look at a map. Thereare the continents of Aisa, Europe, NOrth America, etc. It would take a lot of time to name every country; so we say Europe instead. And there's Eastern Europe and Western Europe and the British Isles.

  why do so many of you have to start a sentence with "OMG!" We only start some sentences with an exclamation. Like, "Oh wow!" Or "Oh man!" Or many others too numerous to list. we start sentences this way when something has excited, surprised, dismayed or shocked us.

  why do you love british accents? Only some of your British accents, not all of them, are pleasant. I talked to one British person on the phone and could not undertand the person. The words were all blurred together into gibberish. I had to keep saying, "I didn't understand you, I'm sorry."

  why oh why... did you vote george bush in...twice!??? I never voted for the dip. People are very gullible. Bush's campaign strategists knew this. They will believe anything Fox News or Rush Limbaugh says.
• 

  stillajwexelder

  live in Texas, but did not vote for Bush, nor would I ever. No he's not one of our best Presidents, but then I've always wondered by you folks tossed out Winston Churchill in favour of Clement Atlee while the war was still going on.

  And Margaret Thatcher, one of the best Prime Ministers of all time was tossed out by her own party!! That would never happen in the USA