Re: Americans... a new and vulgar people

On Fri, 11 Aug 2006 22:15:31 GMT 'DVH'
posted this onto uk.politics.misc:

As we took off from London for New York a few days ago, our three
over-excited children asked if there was any chance of the plane being blown
up. I explained that the likelihood of that happening was virtually zero,
and wondered how we were going to maintain some semblance of order during
the flight. One did not wish the sedate American passengers by whom we were
surrounded to form the impression that British parents are unable or
unwilling to impart the rudiments of good manners.

One of the problems for Brits in assessing American attitudes and
culture is that those we usually meet are almost exclusively employed
in the tourism and service industries. That creates a false impression
since these people depend upon giving courtesy to earn their living -
airline staff - hotel staff - restaurant staff etc etc. They are bound
to make a special effort to be polite, especially to the English.

But I could easily describe many Americans I have worked with and
known who are definitely not like this - the word arrogant comes to
mind. I might also point you towards the TV series CSI which is not
only a lesson in semi-fake forensics but also a good example of how
many Americans work together - or plot against each other to crawl
up the career ladder and get one-up on their colleagues. If you study
closely the interaction between CSI staff you might see what I mean.

--
"I prefer liberty with danger than peace with slavery"
"We may acquire liberty, but it is never recovered if it is once lost"
"Man is born free, and everywhere he is in shackles"
....Jean-Jacques Rousseau 1712-1778
.

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