# American man's hilarious take on Irish and English lifestyle



## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

I read your copied post, and I am not impressed. This is a biased liberal impression of GB. "There are no guns" is repeated, therefore admired. Criminals don't seem to have much trouble finding them in GB, and when there is a shooter in GB, there is a bloody massacre. Too many British police are NOT armed, but that wasn't on this list. I follow the news, not the tourist hype. The description of the pubs is charming. The description of old, worn out household appliances and hardware indicates a depressed economy, and it is sad. When the Berlin Wall came down, East Germany looked like the late 1940's, because nobody had money to buy new things and fix the old.
According to British TV/movies everybody smokes. According to British TV/movies, black people were in GB at the time of the Romans there. It is painful how their entertainment is so obsessed over this, such as casting a black british actress as a futuristic Queen Elizabeth (Dr. Who,) and the Lesbian love of a main character (Last Tango in Halifax). I'm not sure that the race problem is That settled there.
_"Obama is considered a hero",_ but he wasn't invited to Prince William's and Kate's wedding, so I guess he ISN'T a hero to THEM.
My family is originally from GB, France and, on the other side, Croatia. I think it's interesting to study the cultures, but I'm not interested in living there. I'm happy to tour, then happy to come home again.
To the original writer, don't put people and cultures on a pedestal because they will lose their balance and fall off.


----------



## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

From a British perspective the guy is very perceptive (obviously I can only judge the comments which as a Brit I know about),


----------



## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Corporal said:


> I read your copied post, and I am not impressed. This is a biased liberal impression of GB. "There are no guns" is repeated, therefore admired.
> 
> shouldnt it be admire that there are no guns?
> 
> ...


I don't think he is setting th Brits on a pedestal, I think some of our humour rubbed off on him.


----------



## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

Corporal said:


> I read your copied post, and I am not impressed. This is a biased liberal impression of GB. "There are no guns" is repeated, therefore admired. Criminals don't seem to have much trouble finding them in GB, and when there is a shooter in GB, there is a bloody massacre. Too many British police are NOT armed, but that wasn't on this list. I follow the news, not the tourist hype. The description of the pubs is charming. .


When there is a shooter there is a bloody massacre? When since Dunblane and the banning of hand guns?

If many criminals were getting their hands on guns then you would expect there to be some fear of this....there really isn't and no-one I know lives with any concern about ever meeting or being in fear of anyone with a gun. When he says "there are no guns" he means that guns do not feature in the average person's life at all they are just not an issue or ever mentioned. In my area the noise of the shoot is the only annoyance.

Police are unarmed, not "too many British police are NOT armed". The only armed police are armed gun squads or those in special situations. The people living in this country do not want armed police and the police apparently also do not want to be armed.




> The description of old, worn out household appliances and hardware indicates a depressed economy, and it is sad.


I think he said appliances were small and for some reason televisions appeared better? Switches not working maybe is a national trait.




> According to British TV/movies everybody smokes. According to British TV/movies, black people were in GB at the time of the Romans there. It is painful how their entertainment is so obsessed over this, such as casting a black british actress as a futuristic Queen Elizabeth (Dr. Who,) and the Lesbian love of a main character (Last Tango in Halifax). I'm not sure that the race problem is That settled there.


I honestly do not understand your point here, what do you mean painful how our entertainment is obsessed about this? casting a black queen shows how 
unbothered we are - I have no doubt there are race issues here, but we are a tiny multi cultural country and generally rub along fine considering we are practically living in each other's pockets compared to big land rich countries.



> _"Obama is considered a hero",_ but he wasn't invited to Prince William's and Kate's wedding, so I guess he ISN'T a hero to THEM.


No he probably isn't a hero to them, and also probably not to many Brits, but Bush is largely considered to be an idiot over here.


----------



## Reiningcatsanddogs (Oct 9, 2014)

I do remember sitting on The Tube one time with my then 6 mo old son, there was a Sikh man sitting catty-corner to us and a Muslim man two people to my left. They were staring at each other and if looks could kill......it was highly uncomfortable and I took the opportunity to change cars when it presented itself; this was prior to 9-11. 

While in Poland a few years back I had another uncomfortable situation where while waiting outside a shop with my daughter. A man approached and in a middle eastern accent asked me if I was an American, while standing inches from my face. We were about the same size so I did not step back (there was a wall behind and to one side so I was pretty well cornered, my bad) My daughter got the creeps and moved behind me. I said yes I was and then he asked if I was from Boston, this was about six months after the bombing there. I said "No,Texas". He said "Chuck Norris?". I said, "Yes, Chuck Norris." with a bit of edge to my voice and my daughter ran into the shop to get my mother, brother (who is a rather big dude) and the guide. He abruptly turned and left taking his gang of friends with him. What the purpose of this was is still beyond me. Perhaps he was trying to intimidate me or rob me? Perhaps where he was from, it was routine to get in someone's face when talking casually...perhaps he was simply looking to strike up a conversation, I don't know other than it felt very ominous. 

Each country has their problems, good points, culture and ways of doing things. None is perfect, if there was such a place, everyone would move there.


----------



## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

I think this was just a fun, cute little read <3 No need to get political over it. Thanks for posting, Foxhunter!


----------



## HombresArablegacy (Oct 12, 2013)

I loved reading it, thanks for sharing it !!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## karliejaye (Nov 19, 2011)

Ha, love it! I especially love the idea of signs with nice typography and proper grammar (though the author then, repeatedly used then instead of than, oops!!).


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

It's just an American guys lighthearted view on the parts of Britain and Ireland that he saw, I can relate to a lot of it but not all of it because even in a small country like the UK things differ from one part to another
Obama was not invited to the wedding of William and Kate because it wasn't a 'State Occasion' that demanded all the heads of foreign countries to be asked to attend unless they were considered to be close friends of the family
It doesn't mean the man isn't admired by many Brits
He doesn't say 'old or worn out - the opposite with cars in fact as the strict UK laws keep old cars off the roads as they won't pass the rigorous MOT. Brits are as obsessed as anyone with new appliances, gadgets, techie stuff
The comment about guns was just his observation - if you live in a US state where its commonplace to see people walking round with guns then it would make a real impact on you if you went to a country where you only see them on display at organized shoots or maybe some farmer shooting vermin


----------



## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

I enjoyed it. Someone recently posted elsewhere that in the US there were almost 10,000 gun related deaths in the US last year. 47 in Canada. If I recall, Japan was the lowest.


----------



## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Two things still shock me when I visit the US, one is the armed police especially at the airport and the other, small children on horses and not ponies. 

As Jaydee says, each area of the U.K. varies. 

Another thing the author forgot was that every village pub has its local village idiot!


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

And supermarkets certainly don't close early


----------



## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

There will be things that surprise to a different country no matter where you go and where you're from~ Different cultures are funny that way!


----------



## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

I think the repetitive statement of "no guns" removed any "light hearted" edge that the "list" might have otherwise appeared to have had. I don't think it was repeated by accident or meant to be "missed". And the Obama vs Bush statement made it political. Of course someone that worships Obama and dislikes guns is more likely to find and associate with politically like minded people in the UK. The "black" thing? Yeah, the UK really has the moral high ground on slavery - um? omg, no wonder he felt they were, in general, better educated.


----------



## michaelvanessa (Apr 25, 2012)

*great briton.*

i have had such a laugh reading the post.
and its great to see another persons perspctive and minds eye on the observations on whats going on.

and finding out the names of things and i think it makes a good guide lol.

well all the psockets have swiches here and light swiches to ill ad this the tv of to days broadcasts are crummy may be its me.

i dont think its worth the licence fee to watch it so i have no tv lol.

as to kids and ponys thats true.

my italian neighbour got hacked to death in her own back yard and the police used fire arms then.

road signs it depends were you are some areas are better than others.

and that post is quite true to life here i still can not stop laughing.


----------



## Bondre (Jun 14, 2013)

I enjoyed it and all I can say about the author is that he's extremely observant. I am from the UK and it all rings true, yet if I had to identify what makes the UK different to Spain (where I live) I would be hard put to make such a concise and amusing list. I especially agree that in Britain everything looks old and well-used. There is less preoccupation about keeping things shiny and modern, which is the opposite to Spain.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Missy May said:


> I think the repetitive statement of "no guns" removed any "light hearted" edge that the "list" might have otherwise appeared to have had. I don't think it was repeated by accident or meant to be "missed". And the Obama vs Bush statement made it political. Of course someone that worships Obama and dislikes guns is more likely to find and associate with politically like minded people in the UK. The "black" thing? Yeah, the UK really has the moral high ground on slavery - um? omg, no wonder he felt they were, in general, better educated.


Actually I think you are wrong here over the 'no guns' 

When visiting the US, on many occasions, the thing that stands out for me is the availability and sight of so many guns, not only on the police but in rural areas where I was mostly, it seemed everyone had a gun in their vehicle.

So swapping shoes I can see that a US visitor would be surprised at the lack of guns.


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

There is racism in the UK just as there is anywhere else but black people kept as slaves and slavery as in people in Britain wasn't that common, the vast majority of British owned slaves were in the Colonies 
Work in the big British houses was done by white people 'in service' who worked for their keep, their lives were often no better than those of a black slave but they were free to go if they could find somewhere to go too. Farm work was the same - the domain of low paid 'peasant class' rural people.
As a result people in Britain are far less likely to think of black people as slaves and there was never the legally forced segregation there that continued in the US into recent times


----------



## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

I live in Virginia in a very rural area, and rarely see guns unless it's hunting season. Virginia has an open carry law, so it's not like people can't carry them.

I have guns, but I don't carry. They were acquired for the purposes of varmint disposal and home protection. 

Trust me, if I see someone carrying a weapon I'll be alerting the police. It's simply not normal in Virginia to see folks openly carting around their guns. Even in my rural, ******* little backwater.

I've heard it's normal for Texans to carry. Don't know as I've never been to Texas, but contrary to non-American perceptions, it's NOT like the wild west all over this country.


----------



## beverleyy (Oct 26, 2011)

I love this, thanks for posting! My family is of Irish/British decent and we still have numerous family living over there and I don't find anything offensive about it, it's lighthearted humor not meant to offend


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Speed Racer said:


> I live in Virginia in a very rural area, and rarely see guns unless it's hunting season. Virginia has an open carry law, so it's not like people can't carry them.
> 
> I have guns, but I don't carry. They were acquired for the purposes of varmint disposal and home protection.
> 
> ...


It isn't the general public that you notice - I don't know anyone here in CT that ever carries (concealed) guns with them but I do know a British couple who never leave their house without them!!
Its the police that we noticed here in CT - firstly way more police presence, we were at a horse show a few weeks ago that is admittedly attended by some high end names but there were 4 armed State Troopers manning the crossing over a fairly quiet rural road from the car park on the opposite side to the show grounds all day long and 2 armed troopers wandering round the grounds. You'd be lucky to see one policeman at something like that in the UK
Every policeman you see here is visibly armed, you never see that in the UK so yes you do notice it.


----------



## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

The police in the US have always been armed so to me, a native Yank, that's not even something I notice. 

It's interesting how different cultures have different 'normals'.


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

We don't notice it (armed police) any more - its all about what you get used too. Like driving on the other side of the road, traffic signs, speed restrictions, the width of the roads. for us here so many trees with few open landscapes seemed almost claustrophobic the first year but now we see it as normal


----------



## michaelvanessa (Apr 25, 2012)

*each side of the pond.*

each side of the pond its great to see different phrases for differnt items.
although our common bobby is not armed there are units that are to deal with situations.
as in the us carrying guns is common place you except that as its your way of life and tradition eather for protection or for hunting.
if i visited the us to see some frends on horse forum i would not bat an eyelid and i except that as what we learn and know.
dear frends i hold a toast to both sides of the pond and that was a great string to read.
speed racer thanks for the insite to were you are.
jd i cant stop laughing i keep reading it over and over.
have a nice day from every one from england.


----------



## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

The language can also get you some funny looks! 

I was trying to buy a roast. I wanted what we call a sirloin. 
I walk to the butcher counter and ask for a Sirloin joint. The woman I was with, am American, just walked away laughing, another woman at the counter looked shocked and a man immediately stopped and openly stated. 
The butcher was flabbergasted and didn't know what to say so he just looked and finally said, after a long pause, "Excuse me?" 

I repeated, "I would like a sirloin joint please." 

At this point Phullis, my friend came back and said, "She wants a roast." 

Saying that you are going outside for a *** (cigarette) also gets stares.


----------



## michaelvanessa (Apr 25, 2012)

*i love it lol.*

i have just cannot stop laughing.
great humor from both sides here.
well i herd that some one wanted a rubber for a pencle and all sorts of trouble with that in proper terms an erasor lol im sure i herd right on that one when it was said.


----------



## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Yep, we say 'fanny' and mean backside, and to native Brits it's a naughty word that means female genitalia.

Rubbers are to the Brits what galoshes are to us Yanks, and we say trunk, hood and truck instead of boot, bonnet and lorry. 

I love how the same language has such national diversity.


----------



## michaelvanessa (Apr 25, 2012)

*dear speed racer.*



Speed Racer said:


> Yep, we say 'fanny' and mean backside, and to native Brits it's a naughty word that means female genitalia.
> 
> Rubbers are to the Brits what galoshes are to us Yanks, and we say trunk, hood and truck instead of boot, bonnet and lorry.
> 
> I love how the same language has such national diversity.


i have a stool here and i have nearley fell off of it laughing.

thank you so much for a great a great laugh well i think we should all head for the pub for a pint lol i for got the john and go for a wizz lol


----------



## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

jaydee said:


> There is racism in the UK just as there is anywhere else but black people kept as slaves and slavery as in people in Britain wasn't that common, the vast majority of British owned slaves were in the Colonies
> Work in the big British houses was done by white people 'in service' who worked for their keep, their lives were often no better than those of a black slave but they were free to go if they could find somewhere to go too. Farm work was the same - the domain of low paid 'peasant class' rural people.
> As a result people in Britain are far less likely to think of black people as slaves and there was never the legally forced segregation there that continued in the US into recent times


A moral high ground can't be found, whether the slaves were living on a British slave owner's in country property, or on their property out of country. To say, "they didn't quite do slavery here [UK]" implies the UK didn't "do" slavery.


----------



## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

I expected _*more*_ differences than I found in western Ireland. 

But, most of what I saw and heard would fit in well in ranching country of the US. And several said until I spoke they thought I was a rural Co. Kerry person.

People from the east coast of the US found a lot of differences. They do when they drive through my part of the West, too.


----------



## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

Foxhunter--Honestly, I'm a little surprised at your experience. I VERY rarely _see _anyone with a gun, save for law enforcement. 
I am a little curious about the car comment--were you peeking into people's vehicles? How else would you have known? xD


----------



## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Missy May said:


> A moral high ground can't be found, whether the slaves were living on a British slave owner's in country property, or on their property out of country. To say, "they didn't quite do slavery here [UK]" implies the UK didn't "do" slavery.



Considering that most African countries were British Colonies, the Brits were responsible for capturing and taking the slaves to America though not the highest slave traders by a long way.
There was little use for slaves in the UK as the 'peasants' were there first. Slavery was banned in the UK 1619 though not until 1633 was it stopped in British Colonies. 
Importation wasn't stopped in the US until 1808 though smuggling still took place. 
1860s saw the end of slavery in the US. 





Zexious said:


> Foxhunter--Honestly, I'm a little surprised at your experience. I VERY rarely _see _anyone with a gun, save for law enforcement.
> I am a little curious about the car comment--were you peeking into people's vehicles? How else would you have known? xD


I am not in the habit of eyeballing people's vehicles! I think that A) I am a very observant people watcher, B) it is so strange to me to see people with any sort of gun that I probably notice them more than people for whom it is the norm would. 

*Speed* Galoshes here are Wellies. An abbreviation for Wellington boots. Rubbers are contraceptives! 
Would love to see you walk into a shoe shop and ask for rubbers! :icon_rolleyes:


----------



## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

Foxhunter said:


> Considering that most African countries were British Colonies, the Brits were responsible for capturing and taking the slaves to America though not the highest slave traders by a long way.
> There was little use for slaves in the UK as the 'peasants' were there first. Slavery was banned in the UK 1619 though not until 1633 was it stopped in British Colonies.Importation wasn't stopped in the US until 1808 though smuggling still took place.
> 1860s saw the end of slavery in the US.


What position Britain can claim in the slave trade by way of the number of slaves traded is not the issue. Slave ownership is. 

The problem is that slaves were property and - as such - open to taxation. Hence, records were kept. Like I said,_ in country_ or _out of country_, slave ownership is what it is.

There have been multiple books written on the subject by historians, and of course - the records still exists. 


http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/12/british-history-slavery-buried-scale-revealed


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

MissyMay you're still confusing slavery in the British colonies (the US was one of them) which no one who studied history in school could deny and slave ownership on the homeland which wasn't very common at all. 
The majority of British people don't trace their ancestry back to the wealthy upper classes who owned plantations and black slaves so had little knowledge of it. Neither did they live in the colonies so never experienced slave ownership first hand. We didn't have the type of plantations in Britain to need slave workers in vast numbers so there simply wasn't the need for them
In fact most of us trace our ancestry back to people who were so poor they were little better than white slaves
Black people in the US even after slavery was abolished still had to use separate facilities to white people for many years - that didn't happen in the UK
It has nothing to do with moral high ground - its yet another case of things being done differently


----------



## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

No, I don't think I have confused it at all, Jaydee. Unless you aren't familiar with the self explanatory sayings, "in country", and "out of country" - I don't see how you confused my meaning. 

It may not have anything to do with the moral high ground in _your_ book. However, that was the basis of my original statement - and I have never deviated.


----------



## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

I'm still pretty appalled by your experiences, Foxhunter haha! As I mentioned in my previous post, guns really aren't as common place as you seem to think. It's not a matter of not noticing them, it's a matter of them either A) not being there or B) being completely out of sight. 
Maybe there was a gun convention going on where you were xD


----------



## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Most British plantations with their slaves became Americans with the war of Independence so, we're they British or American? 

In the 1950s in a population of 40 million in the UK only 20,000 were people of colour and that included people from India. 

Had there been a large slave population there surely would have been many more? 

Estimates were that there were around 10,000 slaves in the UK in the early 1600s most employed in household duties.

As Jaydee and I have both said, feudalism and serfdom was they way things went and both those were forms of slavery.


----------



## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

From link, 
"The [UK] Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 formally freed 800,000 Africans who were then the legal property of Britain’s slave owners. What is less well known is that the same act contained a provision for the financial compensation of the owners of those slaves, by the British taxpayer, for the loss of their “property”. The compensation commission was the government body established to evaluate the claims of the slave owners and administer the distribution of the £20m the government had set aside to pay them off. That sum represented 40% of the total government expenditure for 1834."

This is _necessarily_ documented. The slaves were owned by British. If you feel the acceptability of slavery depends on geographic location of the "property", then you do. It appears to be a common perspective.


----------



## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Majority of those slaves were in the colonies such as the West Indoes.

No one is saying the Brits didn't have slaves, only that there were not many in the British Isles.

Missy, you are making a mountain out of a mole hill with this. The piece was written by an American who has a sense of humour so I take it as tongue in cheek. 

Unfortunately you seem to lack an ability to see the fun side of such an article.


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Missy you are completely missing the point that we are trying to make so its probably a waste of time trying to explain it too you again.
We know that the British owned slaves, the slaves in the US were originally brought here by wealthy British plantation owners and property owners, we also know that they were taken by the British to other British owned Colonies by the same class of people
What we are trying (and failing) to explain is that because the vast majority of the people living in Britain weren't used to seeing slaves working on the fields or even to any great extent in the homes of the wealthy 'first hand' they think about the black population that live in Britain more as the free immigrants who moved there to work in low paid jobs from the 50's onwards that have always had the same rights as white people
I can't make it any simpler than that so if you still don't get it - I give up!!!


----------



## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

I think it is you that is making a mountain out of a molehill. I merely pointed out that the British could hardly claim moral high ground on the subject of slavery, which is lost in that "fun loving" itemization on this "tongue in cheek" piece, when it includes, 
"Black people are just people: they didn't quite do slavery here". 

Yeah - I do see the humor. hilarious!!!!


----------



## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Perhaps what he means is that when slavery was abolished in the UK the country did not have a civil,war over the matter, nor did it have gangs of white men dressed in funny clothes, going after coloured people as some still do today, could well be that is why he thought the Brits didn't quite do slavery.


----------



## Tihannah (Apr 7, 2015)

I thoroughly enjoyed the write up and don't see why it had to turn into another comparison debate on countries. I was born in Germany and then moved back for several years during my childhood and miss it SOOO much. We also visited France and Switzerland, but am DYING to visit the UK!!


----------



## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

Idk what he meant, foxhunter, I don't read minds. I took it at face value.

But, obviously Britain's undeniable and large involvement in slave ownership enjoys being obscured by the images you mentioned. In fact, the effectiveness of the manner in which it is obscured is hilarious to some. 

And, it is pretty laughable to think that the brits would have gone to war to free slaves - so banish the thought of that nasty business even ever having surfaced as a consideration Bully for them!!!


----------



## Tihannah (Apr 7, 2015)

Missy May said:


> Idk what he meant, foxhunter, I don't read minds. I took it at face value.
> 
> But, obviously Britain's undeniable and large involvement in slave ownership enjoys being obscured by the images you mentioned. In fact, the effectiveness of the manner in which it is obscured is hilarious to some.
> 
> And, it is pretty laughable to think that the brits would have gone to war to free slaves - so banish the thought of that nasty business even ever having surfaced as a consideration Bully for them!!!


----------



## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

I have seen more than a few gun racks in the back windows of pickup trucks, with and without shotguns in them.

May have been a long time ago though.


----------



## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

Missy May said:


> "Black people are just people: they didn't quite do slavery here".
> 
> Yeah - I do see the humor. hilarious!!!!


Black people are just people simply means they are not "labelled" as anything other than people, no requirement for them to fight for rights or repressed by a language that may have been used during the slave trade such as "Boy" (and I doubt that is used any more but was in past times). Also as Foxhunter says we also do not have open KKK groups!

Yes racism exists here but we have not been exposed to the direct relationship of treating humans so appallingly as slaves on our doorstep (it was done at a distance which is disgraceful but the majority of the public at the time knew little of it, slaves in this country were very rare and kept by the wealthy as talking points ), we also then banned slave trading some 50 years before the US did.

So "we didn't do slavery here" is a geographical reference, not a responsibility reference (we are responsible for that crime). Slavery didn't really take place here and as a consequence we do not have the scars on views of people that may have developed from using people directly as slaves.


----------



## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

anndankev said:


> I have seen more than a few gun racks in the back windows of pickup trucks, with and without shotguns in them.
> 
> May have been a long time ago though.


We have guns, lots of them, but you will only see (more likely "hear" them) on shoot days. Game shooting is common, but you will not see any other guns unless you travel to an army base or a high security area (often in London).


----------



## DuffyDuck (Sep 27, 2011)

I don't see guns in Germany (save for our gate guards and some military when we have a bomb threat or there is an exercise) or in the UK.
I haven't (yet) been to America, but seeing the Indian police and military carrying them around definitely stood out it my mind, so wouldn't the lack of them also stand out?

As someone who is British, but born and raised in Germany, I definitely see the humour this guy has. I lived on a NATO camp, and the Americans were amazing. They had these fridges with double doors bigger than my wardrobe, with an ice dispenser on the front, and washing machines that opened up at the top and you could probably fold a small adult in to! But we laughed at the cutural differences, not argue over them.


----------



## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Missy May said:


> Idk what he meant, foxhunter, I don't read minds. I took it at face value.


You seem to lack an ability to see the other side of the coin or the ability to see the lighter side of things.



> But, obviously Britain's undeniable and large involvement in slave ownership enjoys being obscured by the images you mentioned. In fact, the effectiveness of the manner in which it is obscured is hilarious to some.


I have never denied the Brits were involved in the slave trade. What you are not understanding is that in the British Isles there were few slaves. 
Majority of slavery was in the colonies this is why there is a different attitude towards other nationalities regardless of colour in the UK. 

I am not saying there aren't people who are prejudice against anyone 'different' - you are always going to get that.



> And, it is pretty laughable to think that the brits would have gone to war to free slaves - so banish the thought of that nasty business even ever having surfaced as a consideration Bully for them!!!


They didn't have to go to war, laws were passed to stop slavery and adhered to not only in GB itself but also in the colonies.
There were exceptions where slavery was still allowed but that to was stopped a few years after and still well before America passed laws to stop it.


----------



## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

Foxhunter, quote,
"I have never denied the Brits were involved in the slave trade. What you are not understanding is that in the British Isles there were few slaves. "


I am rather surprised that so many people do not understand the meaning of the terms "in country" and "out of country". I never implied, inferred or otherwise that UK slave ownership was predominantly "in country". That was your misunderstanding, please don't try to now make it mine.

My initial statement, if you would like to check, was that the UK did not have the moral high ground when it came to the subject of slavery. The "moral high ground" is not a place in the UK, nor does it refer to a geographical location.


----------



## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

Foxhunter said:


> They didn't have to go to war, laws were passed to stop slavery and adhered to not only in GB itself but also in the colonies.
> There were exceptions where slavery was still allowed but that to was stopped a few years after and still well before America passed laws to stop it.


UK Slave owners had nothing to go to war over, they were paid in 1834 for their "property loss".


----------



## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Yes, the Brits have a way of trying to be fair which is why a lot of money is paid out to various businesses as a subsidy. 

Perhaps I have not made my self clear or you are failing to understand.

The quote is _Black people are just people, they didn't quite do slavery here._

By the 'here' I take it to mean in the UK itself. 


If you want to be pedantic about the matter, on freedom in the West Indies, freed slaves were treated a lot better than those getting freedom several years later in the US. 


I think most others are bored of the petty points. It seems that your humour is lacking when something is written tongue in cheek. 


There are several things that he hasn't got right - have any of us Brits taken offence, no, we just think it is amusing. 

I am walking away from this as it is getting tedious to try and get you to understand a simple statement.


----------



## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

Missy May said:


> UK Slave owners had nothing to go to war over, they were paid in 1834 for their "property loss".


They probably did, they could have continued to make ridiculous immoral amounts of money, but no point when the public feeling was against it and parliament changed the law making it illegal. Had Parliament not done so (had we approved of continued slave trade rather than ending it) then they could have tried (fought) to maintain it - but that didn't happen. 

Being paid for property loss was not the incentive for ceasing slavery, the change in the law was.


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

If anyone can't understand why black people living in Britain are able to feel like 'just' people even where there is racism - and racism isn't a one way thing - then consider the fact that they haven't had to grow up with racial laws like those in the US that prevailed long after slavery was abolished, or grow up with family members who grew up in times when they were still treated like a lessor species because the law insisted on it 
QUOTE from 
Examples of Jim Crow laws - October 1960 - Civil Rights - A Jackson Sun Special Report 
_From the 1880s into the 1960s, a majority of American states enforced segregation through "Jim Crow" laws (so called after a black character in minstrel shows). From Delaware to California, and from North Dakota to Texas, many states (and cities, too) could impose legal punishments on people for consorting with members of another race. The most common types of laws forbade intermarriage and ordered business owners and public institutions to keep their black and white clientele separated. Here is a sampling of laws from various states. _ 
*Alabama* 
_*Nurses*: No person or corporation shall require any white female nurse to nurse in wards or rooms in hospitals, either public or private, in which ***** men are placed. Alabama _ 
_*Buses*: All passenger stations in this state operated by any motor transportation company shall have separate waiting rooms or space and separate ticket windows for the white and colored races. Alabama _ 
_*Railroads*: The conductor of each passenger train is authorized and required to assign each passenger to the car or the division of the car, when it is divided by a partition, designated for the race to which such passenger belongs. Alabama _ _*Restaurants*: It shall be unlawful to conduct a restaurant or other place for the serving of food in the city, at which white and colored people are served in the same room, unless such white and colored persons are effectually separated by a solid partition extending from the floor upward to a distance of seven feet or higher, and unless a separate entrance from the street is provided for each compartment._


----------



## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

Of course, the were a lot of "free states/territories" in the US before the civil war. Blacks in those many states aren't "just people"?


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

It was written from the perspective of an American travelling around the UK so I suppose you'd have to ask him why he thought that there was a difference. Maybe he'd lived all his life in one of the States where segregation had been mandatory in which case perhaps he'd also see a difference if he travelled to another part of the US


----------



## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

It is difficult to tell what he meant - other than what he stated. It is possible that he felt that the perspective of blacks that he encountered in the UK really benefited from the fact that past British slave owners, for the most part, owned and sold black slaves somewhere other than the British isles themselves. It is just as possible that he believes the British didn't "do" slavery - anywhere, at any time. 

Either way, and as I originally said, and have maintained - the British have no moral high ground on the issue, although one could easily interpret the meaning of the statement (on list) to mean - they do have said ground. It isn't "hilarious" to me. What is or isn't "hilarious" is very subjective.


----------



## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

Missy May said:


> It is difficult to tell what he meant - other than what he stated. It is possible that he felt that the perspective of blacks that he encountered in the UK really benefited from the fact that past British slave owners, for the most part, owned and sold black slaves somewhere other than the British isles themselves. It is just as possible that he believes the British didn't "do" slavery - anywhere, at any time.
> 
> Either way, and as I originally said, and have maintained - the British have no moral high ground on the issue, although one could easily interpret the meaning of the statement (on list) to mean - they do have said ground. It isn't "hilarious" to me. What is or isn't "hilarious" is very subjective.


I found it amusing.

I don't think there was any intention of one up manship or higher moral ground by our UK member(s).


----------



## RegalCharm (Jul 24, 2008)

'My cat miaowed during the two-minute silence.'

'People who don’t leave one step empty between people when going up the escalator.'

'The police in Dartford are driving around in Smart cars and I now cannot take them seriously.'

'The email from the National Lottery gets my hopes up too much.'

'I live outside the UK so when I say 'With all due respect' nobody realises I’m insulting them

'I asked if anyone wanted the last biscuit. Someone did.'

'I accidentally rang the bell on the bus at the wrong stop, and instead of explaining my predicament to the driver, got off and walked the rest of the way home.'

'I picked out something that wasn’t in the meal deal so I had to pay full price for everything as I didn’t want to go and change it.'

'I said ‘thank you’ as a warden handed me a parking ticket.'

'There’s no etiquette for using an umbrella in crowded areas during wet weather.'

'I never know whether to say thanks to people that stop at a zebra crossing.'

'I accidentally touched another commuter’s hand on the handrails on the tube today.'

'I was looking forward to a nature documentary I recorded but when I sat down to watch it the narrator wasn’t David Attenborough.'

'My girlfriend claims to be 'neither here nor there' on Marmite. Now I can’t trust anything she says or does.'

'My housemate finished the Heinz ketchup, and replaced it with Tesco own-brand.'

'I can't help but think of people who take sugar as intellectually inferior.'

Read more 'British People Problems' at reddit.com/r/britishproblems


British People Problems, a web post poking fun at our excruciating politeness, goes viral | Daily Mail Online


----------



## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

I had to google what is 'marmite'. LOL


----------



## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Marmite is well, Marmite! it is similar to Vegimate but very different and being neither here nor there on liking Marmite is an oddity - you either love it or hate it. 

Personally I love the stuff.


----------



## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

I love Marmite, but when I buy some I eat too much toast.


----------



## DuffyDuck (Sep 27, 2011)

Marmite.

Ugh.

Yuck.

The stuff gives me shivers.


----------



## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

A few years ago Marmite announced that they were changing the jar it comes in, black glass with a yellow lid, for black plastic with the same lid. 

People took this hard lots of moans and groans I think because it is one of those things that when the jar appears empty you can always get another scrape or two out of it, wouldn't seem the same with plastic.

So, when someone in CA asked about Marmite I sent her a jar. She didn't like it but one daughter who is autistic loved it. I sent her a second jar, this time, being lighter, sent a plastic mar. 

DON'T EVER DO THIS! The pressure in the hold of a plane causes it to explode. Messy!


----------



## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

I like the second list of English problems as I can identify with most of them, but don't offer the same alternative cultural insight that comes from an outsider.

I had no real idea what a Twinkie was, but it always sounded vaguely rude. Obviously Google solves most such issues these days.


----------



## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

I understand about the black jar with yellow lid, my Mom collected Jumbo Peanut Butter jars and eventually sold them for a pretty penny. 

I would like a Marmite jar, but will heed Duffy's advice and not eat any of it.

Recently I got a little round clear jar of lime marmalade just to get the jar. 
Don't like marmalade. Mom said she would eat it but I don't think she'd give me the jar back. LOL.


----------



## DuffyDuck (Sep 27, 2011)

anndankev, my mother loves the stuff! But I also hate liqurice or anything that tastes of aniseed. Gross.

Apparently, if you do have it, on toast is the way to go. 

-shudder-


----------



## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

anndankev said:


> I understand about the black jar with yellow lid, my Mom collected Jumbo Peanut Butter jars and eventually sold them for a pretty penny.
> 
> I would like a Marmite jar, but will heed Duffy's advice and not eat any of it.
> 
> ...



No, you must try the Marmite! but there is skill in spreading it - you only use a tiny bit and mix it with the hot butter on the toast (or blend it with butter on bread), on it's own or spread thickly it is too strong for most people to eat!. I think this is why many are put off it.


----------



## RegalCharm (Jul 24, 2008)

Foxhunter said:


> Marmite is well, Marmite! it is similar to Vegimate but very different and being neither here nor there on liking Marmite is an oddity - you either love it or hate it.
> 
> Personally I love the stuff.


My first experience with Vegemite was in Australia and I liked it, so I might like Marmite also. Like marmite, you use only a small portion.



Vegemite (/ˈvɛdʒɨmaɪt/ VEJ-ə-myt)[2][3] is a dark brown Australian food paste made from leftover brewers' yeast extract with various vegetable and spice additives


----------



## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

How about some haggis?
Haggis Recipe : Alton Brown : Food Network


----------



## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

Corporal said:


> How about some haggis?
> Haggis Recipe : Alton Brown : Food Network


Haggis is not to my taste, it is not delicious.


Black pudding is though. A sausage made of blood BBC - Food - Black pudding recipes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_pudding


----------



## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Sadly a lot of people will not eat offal, I love liver, heart, kidneys but do not like haggis. 

Haggis, for me is on a par with grits, I would hold it in slightly higher esteem than grits but not by much!

As Clava says Marmite needs to be spread very thinly. It had a strong taste. It can be eaten in sandwiches with cheese or anything else savoury, a teaspoon of it in hot water is a good winter warming drink or it can be added to casseroles or stews. 

Very versatile.


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I have to have a cup of 'builders tea' and a slice of toast and marmite every morning before I go out to do the barn/horses
I put marmite in casseroles and soups too
Love it
You can keep the haggis and black pudding
My father in law still can't get out of his head that the biscuits he bought over here aren't 'cookies' but more like what we call scones in the UK
When DH goes back to the UK driving on the roads there now terrifies him, especially around the rural areas


----------



## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

I'm afraid to ask what builders tea is.


----------



## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

anndankev said:


> I'm afraid to ask what builders tea is.


Strong dark tea (ordinary Tetleys, PG tips or similar) and usually made is a good solid mug (one you don't mind the builder breaking when taking it literally!)


----------



## SwissMiss (Aug 1, 2014)

Clava said:


> No, you must try the Marmite! but there is skill in spreading it - you only use a tiny bit and mix it with the hot butter on the toast (or blend it with butter on bread), on it's own or spread thickly it is too strong for most people to eat!. I think this is why many are put off it.


Yeah, and then there is the unfortunate incident when you are busy chatting, not really paying attention to your food prep while spreading a generous amount of Nutella on your toast :eek_color:

I think very rarely expectation and reality have been THAT FAR apart, lol!


----------



## Clava (Nov 9, 2010)

SwissMiss said:


> Yeah, and then there is the unfortunate incident when you are busy chatting, not really paying attention to your food prep while spreading a generous amount of Nutella on your toast :eek_color:
> 
> I think very rarely expectation and reality have been THAT FAR apart, lol!


Especially when I really don't like Nutella!


----------



## SwissMiss (Aug 1, 2014)

Clava said:


> Especially when I really don't like Nutella!


 Lol, for me it is the other way around. But in the end the effect is the same!


----------



## Bondre (Jun 14, 2013)

Marmite is one of those items I always pick up in the UK when I go over to visit family. It's not available in our part of rural Spain :-( . My sons also love it and occasionally take cheese and marmite sandwiches to school.... much to the horror of their friends! I find marmite on toast (with butter of course) is great if you're feeling a bit low. Real comfort food.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I'm lucky that I can buy Marmite here in the UK.
I can get McVities chocolate digestive biscuits too, now if they'll just stock instant custard..................


----------



## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

I grew up on blood sausage, which is mixed with rice, which my mother's family loved. I can now buy it from the local Amish (one hour away from me.) They call it "rice sausage", and people pretend it is something it is not. =b


----------



## michaelvanessa (Apr 25, 2012)

*marmite.*



anndankev said:


> I had to google what is 'marmite'. LOL


its like gravy or malt you spread it on toast or bread or can be used in a hot drink.
yuck i dont like it lol.


----------



## michaelvanessa (Apr 25, 2012)

*pg tips.*



Clava said:


> Strong dark tea (ordinary Tetleys, PG tips or similar) and usually made is a good solid mug (one you don't mind the builder breaking when taking it literally!)


now thats a great cup of tea.


----------



## michaelvanessa (Apr 25, 2012)

*ill pass on.*

ill have to pass on.

the marmite yuck.

the black sausage-pudding queezy lol

as for the haggis i think the vomit bowl lol.


----------



## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

Handed down for generations on my Mother's side is dish for those who are sick, or have a queasy stomach.

Brew very strong tea, I use Red Rose or Tetley, break Ritz crackers in a shallow bowl and pour the tea over, then the sick one gets to put as much sugar on top as they like. Tea and Crackers.

Very easy on the stomach, nice and warm and sweet. Gets something in a sick child who refuses to eat.

Also warm Jello mixture as a drink, before you put it in the fridge to set up. My son discovered that now days, in the age of microwaves, it can be remelted into a drink again.


----------



## DuffyDuck (Sep 27, 2011)

Anyone who is missing their marmite fix or anything else, please feel free to PM me and I can look at posting stuff to you! We have an English shop here, and I'm more than happy to send over a parcel!

michaelvanessa I LOVE haggis. Every Burns night we have a thing in the mess (think gentleman's club for the military!) and I can't get enough of it!


----------

