I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but there’s a movement of citizens inspired by the presidential campaign who are now submitting ideas for how they think the Obama Administration should change America. It’s called “Ideas for Change in America.”
This is from an email from a friend this morning, asking me to act in a group to help rally support for new ideas in America, some of which stand a shot through change.org to become real policy in the upcoming administration. I think it’s a bit american-idol-esque, albeit well-meaning.
The thing is, though, I got this email from a british friend. A british friend who is writing to their contacts to ask them to help change America. And again - they are well meaning, incredibly smart and have good ideas, and I’m not offended by it. After all, I live on the internet, more than anywhere else, and better worlds are better for everyone.
Still, I can’t help but wonder what the reaction from the average UK citizen would be if they found out I was gathering all my american friends to pressure the local MP into implementing policies we felt were best for britain… particularly if none of us had ever even lived there.
"It’s almost as if they don’t want the world to know they have any emotion at all, and the heart on my sleeve is very out of fashion."
— From a letter to a friend, regarding English mannerisms
English people eat with their left hand.
This is tricky to explain in text, so bear with me. As a right-handed American, when I am presented with a steak, I put the fork in my left hand and the knife in my right, and do the cutting with my dominant hand. But AFTER I cut the meat, I will place my knife on the edge of my plate, put the fork back into my right hand and use that to eat.
An English person would cut the meat the same way, but they would never lay down their knife. Instead, they hold it for the entire meal and eat with their fork in their left hand. When they go to take a bite, they kind of put the food on the underside of their fork. It looks upside down to me, and is absolutely something my parents would have scolded me for as being bad table manners.
I’m sure the way I eat looks funny to them, too. I’m pretty sure I’ve gotten some odd looks for putting my knife on the plate before and felt kind of on the spot without knowing why. Of course, English people, being English, won’t ever just come out and ASK YOU why you eat that way. They’d prefer to just watch you, make you feel awkward and wonder if you were raised by wolves or something. (Or worse - by *gasp* AMERICANS! *gasp*)
"In the US, when you bump into a person, you typically say, “excuse me.” In the UK, this implies it was the other person’s fault and is very rude. Say “sorry” instead."
Dezeen » Blog Archive » Olympic viewing platform by Office for Subversive Architecture
Seriously, how English is this? People walking through a field were sad that they couldn’t peek over a wall, so the company built them some steps to allow them to do so. And this photo! With all the little britons lining up in an orderly queue to take their turn! I have never laughed so hard in my life.
Whereas in American, calling someone a Spaz usually just means that they are obnoxiously hyper and unable to focus, calling someone a Spaz in British is much more offensive, as it literally refers to a person with cerebral palsy. Good to know!
went to graham’s office christmas get-together tonight. (that’s a bit of an overstatement. remember in shaun of the dead when they go to the winchester all the time? it was more like that than a party. it was people, in a pub, drinking beer like they do every night.) still, it was fun. i was a bit surprised nobody said anything about us getting married, since a bunch of them know, but i suppose english people are polite that way and figure it’s YOUR business to tell people. my family should take a lesson in that. one email to my mom about it got me two from other relatives within 12 hours.
