American Reacts to UK vs USA Culture
Вставка
- Опубліковано 24 сер 2024
- The UK and USA are similar in many ways, but very different in some specific ways that can be traced back hundreds of years. Remember to hit that like button if you learn something new, subscribe to our channel for more thought-provoking content, and hit the notification bell so you never miss an update.
#CulturalCrossroads #UKvsUSA #CultureShockers
Original Video: • UK vs USA Culture, Exp...
Grab a mug! jjlareacts.cre...
Support the channel! patreon.com/jjlareacts
I think you'd be welcomed over here with open arms. Unlike a few of your fellow USA you tubers, you are quiet and thoughtful, obviously very intelligent and open to ideas and (most importantly) you love dogs!
Yes we are known as a nation of animal lovers ❤
I've never felt more British than when that kid was yelling "believe in yourself" and your expression was 😍 and mine was 🤢 😂😂😂
I enjoy talking to Americans, but I do find that they are very self-assured and not always in a good way. I find it very difficult to have differing discussions with Americans because they always assume they are right, even if all evidence contradicts that.
After that clip of the kid telling everybody to believe in themself -
JT, an American: Aw!
Me, a Brit: Ugh, brat!
I constantly have to correct my children with the English version rather than the American version of what they're saying. I fear for my language.
I have to argue with my computer on a daily basis because my Dictionary in Word/Office reverts to US English
Same, my lad has grown up with the internet and drives me mad when he uses American words 😂..and he argues with me that I'm wrong and he is correct ,he's 5 lol
British version I think you mean. Because I’m in Scotland and we use the same words as the English. Bin, trousers, crisps etc.
my nieces have started using American vocabulary. Trash, pants, chips etc. it irritates the hell out of me.
@@neilhunter5893 Don't worry! I believe American kids are now learning English, as spoken by Peppa Pig!
Change is inevitable, and has been constant since the Romans then the Anglo-Saxons Vikings and French came here to change the language, it's a long term business that will probably never end, don't fear for your language, you will adjust!
loving your content! UK guy here - when I saw that kid that you liked so much at 8:06 - my reaction was Uuuggghhhh! (kinda proving the point of British attitude to that kind of thing) :-)
Most US Americans seem to still think that the Monarchy rules the UK, when this has not been the case for hundreds of years. Even when the British colonies in America, were asking about independence, the King of the time had no power to grant it. That was solely down to the Government of the time.
From Wikipedia (it is broadly correct here): While Murphy's law says that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong (eventually), Sod's law requires that it always go wrong with the worst possible outcome or at the worst time
We absolutely do NOT have an Empire. That ship sailed many moons ago. It is a Commonwealth which any country are free to leave if they want to. The trade works for all of us and it”s economically sound for each country to stay in it. Including the United Kingdom.
I love Steve Fry!
He is super intelligent but he is not condescending in any way!!😊
I believe Stephen Fry is a dual US / UK national
I disagree with the upper class (ruling class, aristocracy), and working class hating each other. I don't think they do because both were born to their particular class and are comfortable knowing. I've always found the upper and working classes get on perfectly well because they both know where they stand, are confident in their role and don't have to pretend. The fly in the ointment is the middle class, for a couple of reasons. Firstly because the middle class is a social construct originally born from the industrial revolution when worker were able to earn loads of money, buy big houses and have staff and curated much later by the government in the 1980s who encouraged the fallacy of social mobility. However the painful truth is the middle class is neither fish nor fowl, has no natural home and is looked down on by both the upper and working class. The upper class because they have no ancestry, and the working class because the middle class give themselves airs.
It's definitely not 'hate' but there's a friction between the classes that is still there today but less obvious.
I think the friction is because neither the upper classes or working classes like the middle class, but are ok with each other.
@@tamielizabethallaway2413 ... Princess Anne is not the eldest, Charles is.
The clip of the Aged Americans was a sketch by Harry Enfield, this is on UA-cam, as American Tourists
Highly recommend Evan Edinger’s two videos: British vs American TV and that segues into British vs American Adverts. Good cultural insights in both of those and they’re funny and would make a good reaction
The American sayings are also used here. I don't think our history has made us cautious, its made us aggressive, that's why good manners are so important. Don't forget to say thankyou, and don't be rude in any other way. And yet, having said all this, the Americans allow themselves to be worked to death, not having holidays or maternal leave. The service industry being paid ludicrously low wages so that they rely on tips is criminal.
That's what annoys me about america. They have fewer rights than most of the developed and developing world. Instead of fighting for better rights, they hoard guns 😂.
The elderly American couple is a sketch from Harry & Paul. I would love to see your reaction to "Harry & Paul - American Tourists Go For Breakfast" It's hilarious!
Especially as they are British comedians.
I wouldn't say us folk from the UK are pessimistic, I'd say we're pragmatic.
I grew up in Queensland with a British dad and Australian mum and I honestly feel the culture there sits between the UK and America. Or at least that's what I noticed when I moved to the UK and worked with Americans :) Super interesting video and great to hear your thoughts on it.
Military parades in most countries are about showing how great their latest military technology is. British military parades like to scream " look how nice we have kept this old stuff "
Britain doesn't need to show off the big guns etc - our military history shows our mettle and the ceremonial uniforms show how long we have had an unbeaten force.
Or as our joint US/UK citizen Bill Bryson pointed out years ago re parades such as Trooping the Colour, our large parades look as though we are preparing for a small war somewhere around 1860.
16:11 “I feel like the head of the government works for me”… well, I have never in my life, not for one second, had that feeling
The King does work for the public. It was the " commons " which introduced the constitutional monarchy , the commons which passed the Australia and Canada Acts giving them ( on both sides ) the Queen of Canada and Australia " approved "this as did the Queen of the UK.
It is said that the United States is a monarchy with an elected King and the United Kingdom is a republic with a hereditary president.
That last sentence makes a lot of sense to me, I think what you say is very close to the reality of both countries. Brit here, by the way.
I also like the last comment about a monarchy with an elected president vs republic with a hereditary president.
I love my country and I'm proud to be british❤and I love the American people too❤
Best example of Cultural homogenization is American kids during Covid 19 lockdown started speaking with British accents due to watching Peppa Pig lol
So, I recently got into a debate with a friend in a Wetherspoons where we discussed America, made a few jokes and briefly touched on guns. A lady sat behind us came over as she was leaving and told us she was an American amd agreed mostly with what we said. However, being British, immediately felt crippling apologetic and polite for saying the things.
Americans and Brits aren't all that different and, realistically, we could learn a lot from one another. (Maybe not from the politicians though. That leads to all manner of troubles). Americans are very friendly, polite and welcoming (American hospitality is great) but Brits are great in a crisis because of that "everything could and definitely will get worse" outlook.
JJLA, I adore your channel and your attitude to Britain. You should definitely come over here to visit. May I recommend reacting to a video about England's Prettiest Towns? There are some real rural gems here.
Your attitude reminds me of Phil Rosenthal in Somebody Feed Phil. That infectious desire to learn and experience. Keep up the great work, sir!
Our King and indeed Royal Family work for us. Service and continuity is what they bring to the table.
You say you wouldn’t like a king/queen totally get that and if I was American I wouldn’t want that either, but in the uk it’s 100s of year old tradition and the royal family serve the country and military and it’s not like they put them self to be king or queen they are born into it and expected to serve
Great reaction JJ, thoroughly enjoyed that one.
British? Polite? This blokes never been on a 6am flight to turkey in the summer with a bunch of scruffs who have had 8 pints of Stella before breakfast
Sods law is kind of like Murphys law but more extreme.
Brits are generally quiet and respectful, until they go abroad on holiday…
That's just the alcohol lovers of the UK, though that's probably 50% of them.
I'm English but I always say when life gives you lemons make lemonade. 😂 Nothing wrong with that I find making a whole new life a buzz
Americans are definitely more interested in the Royal Family and the all the pageantry than we are, it’s like you don’t really visit the tourists sites in New York say, they’re just there
8:54 I avoided the "work late" problem by getting in before anyone else. So a 5 pm, I'd just say, "been here since 6, I'm off now for some quality time with the kids".
For an American, your English accent is actually bloody decent 😊
More realistic too than the English mans ! Also, New Y ork gets more rain than London and the UK as a whole
only comes 17 th in the world for rain !
@@marycarver1542 that is true in volume, but Britain it rains far more often in average than almost anywhere, London gets less rain and less rainy days on average due to it's location but it is still a very wet city, just a bit less than the rest
@@Benedictus-tl5uz As i said, it rains here more often, not necessarily more in volume but more in frequency.
Btw, Brit here, and Waitrose is the supermarket which is the most expensive and high quality of the kind of standard range of supermarkets, not nearly at the level of insane prices at places like erewhon.
I really can’t imagine you ever being loud and obnoxious. You will be loved here. I also love when you mimic our accents. You do the estuary accent (the main one in this video) and the Glasgow accent very well indeed, a real asset for an actor.
Its funny how you said if you had a king you would hate him, and in the 18th century, americans rejected the British king. Yet, why is it, that millions of Americans visit the UK, and the first place they go, is Buckingham palace, and the first thing they ask a Brit is "do you know the king/queen? 😂
The guy was incorrect saying 'The formation of America was escaping the church of England'. American independence came about because British subjects in the 13 colonies wanted to only pay tax to British Parliament, if they were represented by their own mp's (members of parliament) in that Parliament. Although some in Parliament were onside with that notion, most were against, therefore the colonists standing for independence & their own government. 🇬🇧❤🇺🇸
Also, the original settlers were Puritans often depicted by Americans as fleeing religious persecution. Whereas they were, in fact, bigots who left so they could persecute those who didn’t agree with their interpretation of Christianity.
@@StanBEverett-fd7yk That's right, the Puritans left because they weren't allowed to practice their religious extremism in Britain. The fallout of this for the US is still there today, with their religious extremes now shown in TV evangelism, 'The Bible Belt' and of course adding 'God' into most of their laws.
@@StanBEverett-fd7yk Agree with that being the earliest settlers in the 'new world'. However, i answered to why America (the nation) was created & that was due to taxation without representation in British Parliament. The religious issue was much earlier, with the first settlers. You mention a great & correct point however & one that i believe modern Americans believe incorrectly on the reasons people left our isles long ago.
lol yeah when I saw that “believe in yourself” kid I was like “oh P*** off”. lol 😂
“All right, I've been thinking, when life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade! Make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don't want your damn lemons! What am I supposed to do with these? Demand to see life's manager. Make life rue the day it thought it could give Cave Johnson lemons! Do you know who I am? I'm the man whose gonna burn your house down - with the lemons!” - Cave Johnson
If you know, you know.
We get some really nice weather here in the UK🌞 I think people overkill with there comments that it rains here all the time ???it really doesn't
199 of rain in the UK but we still have a hole’s pipe ban every year.
Well, in the South of England mostly, where the water companies put profits over fixing and improving infrastructure.
"A hole's pipe" That made me smile. 😀 See?
Some Americans have genuinely baffled me with how their brains work.
I had some have a go at me when I worked at a castle, that when they built it all those hundred years ago, they didn’t consider the size of our car park.
Others said we were really stupid building it under such a busy flight path.
We thought they were joking - they weren’t.
Regarding class: Working class men didn’t have the vote until 1918, professionals class men in the 1840s, most men were not free. Much is made of the suffragettes, but little is said of male emancipation. So In UK, most men were subjects or serfs until relatively recently. No wonder there was a negative, pessimistic world view. There was a 20th centaur y escape route, namely education. But this has now been removed by both main political parties, effectively reinstating the pre- 19th Century class order. 😢
I think British class divisions stifled the economy in many ways.
The top jobs in most industries were reserved for privately educated , upper class, who were not necessarily qualified for that role, but told all the workers what to do, even though the workers had more experience.
The aristocracy held the top jobs in governments, just because they were landed gentry.
The generals in WW1 were usually from the aristocracy as well.
So there wasn't the social.mobility that the USA had.
Britain was a very stuffy society in the 1950s, and everyone was expected to know their place.
What's funny for me is the guy who made the original video was one of my best friends growing up
Problem with the video you're reacting to is the speaker is in several instances forgetting that British history is American history from a certain point in time backwards. It only really makes sense to point out divergences in the populations since they split off from each other. So the idea that British medieval history, for example, uniquely affected modern British culture doesn't make sense since that history is shared by both nations.
I disagree on the innovation side, we’re a nation of tinkerers but we’re rubbish at marketing ourselves because that would be unseemly - so American companies come in, buy the invention and make millions. I also think the US is much slower to adopt newer technologies than Europe in general. I think he’s broadly right on most things but there’s always a bit more complexity to what he’s saying
They don't have the right to holiday or maternity leave. They're well behind and its sad.
FYI - the bus scene 'Peter !' was a Harry Enfield sketch called 'Americans and Gays in Britain' on YT; part of a series; v funny and cleverly constructed.
We don't have " a dream" in the UK......because...we are AWAKE !!
You should watch Al Murray ( the Pub Landlord ) comedy sketch about the difference between the USA and Britain.
Hilarious.
Harry Enfield made the bus clip with the American old couple. Watch him!!!
You should check more of his videos 👍🏻
You should check out Harry Enfield. Some of his characters are brilliant. Of particular note are: Lee and Lance (the fishmongers sketch with Paul Whitehouse), the dad meeting his gay son's boyfriend for the first time, and the South African pharmacist. You will die laughing, believe me.
Clip of American tourists is Harry Enfield.
15:53 Read the headline. 75% are _against_ the direction the govt is heading.
The fact you went back to hear a child say "Everybody I know you can believe in yourself" demonstrates the UK/USA difference, we go "ar, kids", you go "I've got to go see that again"... There's a sentimentality there from you, a strange wish to hear it as if it has meaning.
For some reason this puts me in mind of the most cloyingly cringeworthy US sentence of all time - ‘I love you, Mom’.
You got the approval rating statistic backwards. It said 75% were dissatisfied.
The most stable democracies in the world are constitutional monarchies - the monarch is a figurehead that is beyond party politics as they are only head of state, whereas the US combines head of state and head of government under one person. Where you have the flag and anthem we have a living, breathing human being
I disagree with optimism vs pessimism, a pessimist expects the worst, planning or preparing for the worst does NOT necessarily mean you expect it, it just means you're prepared for it. That's the very basis of insurance, and everyone insures house, car, health etc, if it's valuable you ensure you have plans in place to protect it.
Re the 'typical sayings' - I don't think the guy is sayiing that we each never use the other, but that in Britain the negative is more prominant, and in the US it's the positive ones that dominate. Which ties in with what you said at the start.
That was a pretty good analysis there.
Fucks sake. 08:16 says it all. _That's_ the difference between Brits and Yanks. _And he had to watch it twice!!_ I'm just glad I managed to keep my food down.
Americans wake up living “the American dream”. British wake up thinking “FFS another day, can’t I just die”.
So true 😂
The reality is that the majority of working US Americans wake up, thinking the same way we do, or worse. We just get to see the 'Hollywood' version most of the time.
Speak for yourself
@@Thurgosh_OGThey do not have the right to holiday like we do.
The "American tourists" on the bus that you showed in your video are from the comedy sketch show "Harry and Paul" from about 10-15 years ago starring famous British comedians Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse. The characters you saw in the clip were "Ronald" (played by Harry Enfield) and "Pam" (played by Alice Lowe) from "Padiddlyboing, Idaho". It was an absolutely hilarious comedy show with many episodes and several different characters (not all of them American, mostly from different walks of life from around England). There were lots of different clips of Ronald and Pam throughout the series, it was so funny. You should check it out, I would love to see your reaction.
on Americans liking our traditions more than us I have lived in London for 50 years and never once watched the changing of the guard. anyone watching that will be an American or Japanese tourist.
I don’t think people are as hung up on class as YTs like to say. I think it’s more about wealth than class now. It started in the 1960s. Now that’s not to say that there aren’t some people who care about class, but like the US it’s not that people want to be upper class but rather they want to be rich. I think like most stereotypes about the UK it’s more a reality in the minds of Hollywood writers than in actual reality.
Definitely dont get 199 days of rain. Probably more like 50 maybe less than that, at least where i am. Overcast, yes, rain, no.
Depends on location 🤷
We do not have anywhere near that much rain. We have less rain than Hawaii apparently.
Depends on local 🤷
Studys have shown in nations where the weather changes often, i.e the uk and the northern nations, people plan for the future, because the future is uncertain, where as in the med nations have the same sun day in and out so live in the moment.
The American dream well you have to be asleep just to DREAM of it hence the dream
Ah, that’s why we Brits accept Generational Trauma so easily, we’ve been living with it for centuries.
Hey bro hows it going, hope you had a great xmas and new year, loved your reaction to this, followed you from the beginning simply love your level headed reactions and opinions, keep up the great work my american cousin 😀
My friends call me Eeyore, after the pessimistic donkey in Winnie the Pooh. I myself see it s realism and not pessimism.
Harry and Paul made that sketch with couple on the bus, highly recommend checking out Harry and Paul American Tourists go for Breakfast
Kudos to your grandad..and an amazing beard!
The ultimate example of British pessimism must surely be Tony Hancock, specifically in his series "Hancock's Half Hour" from 1954 to 1961, in which the titular character cast a jaundiced, world weary eye over daily British life. His friends, played by Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Hugh Lloyd and Bill Kerr were more upbeat and attempted to jolly poor Tony along, but to limited success.
I've found a lot of British comedy seems to bounce between "kitchen sink" depression and surreal absurdism; shows such as Steptoe and Son, Only Fools and Horses, Porridge, Open All Hours and Last of the Summer Wine, although very funny also showed up the hopelessness or drab banality of the characters lives. At the other end of this there is The Goon Show (radio), Monty Python, The Young Ones, and Q., which show something not brought up in this video: the British tendency towards (or capacity for) eccentricity to an almost anarchic level.
Maybe the cultural differences are less black and white and more nuanced, though I do agree broadly with the examples given here.
Not so much hundreds of years of war, more like thousands. We were putting up with the Romans in BC. It’s the reason allot of the British don’t like the mainland, 90% of our wars prior to the empire were us getting invaded by another bloody continental power, Romans, vikings, French, Spanish, Germans, Saxons, etc, etc… there’s allot. Most the native English population centres are in the north now as the south is much more diverse due to subsequent invasions and immigration in the last century.
His quote about the number of rainy days is misleading and unrepresetative as a rainy day is counted as 0ne which has at least 1mm of rain, just about enought to dampen the ground after a short shower the rest of the day could be bright sunshine but it would be officially a rainy day, context is needed., also the Norh West and West Scotland which faces Atlantic winds has many more rainy days than the South East or even the Midlands where I live. He quotes over 190 rainy days, in my area we have 120 and 667mm (about 26")of rain annually, that equals about 5.5 mm a day on rainy days, that'r less than 1/4". Most days it's dry and mostly sunny. Not all of the UK is wet.
The over bearing guy on the bus who introduced himself to Peter, was in fact Harry Enfield, an English comedian.
As for opions where our govt is concerned, a great deal of trust has gone now. Our eyes were opened since the pande.ic, so called. We were betrayed big time with a dud vax, coercive tactics to bend us to their rule and lots of other mandates; when we look back, we can hardly believe we fell for it.
Lastly, you have the most pleasant voice - quiet and calm; a brilliant combination.
Thank you for the video ✨
As ever, you need to understand the differences in English dialect.
When a British battlefield commander calls his command post, the recipient needs to understand understatement.
This is difficult in NATO.
'Our chaps are having a pretty challenging time here' - British.
'Naughty word, naughty word, f-me' - American.
I really enjoyed this. That's as much optimism as you're gonna get haha x
I would like to say the monarch has no powers in UK politics like making laws or administration it’s more of a ceremonial role
These expert guys chat some shit... Over the last 30 years the a average day's of rainfall is 106. This idea that its always raining is utter bollox
I'm a brit and I say when life gives you lemons make lemon bleach
You read the headline wrong. It's not saying 75% of people trust the government, it says 75% feel the country is going the wrong way - so only 25% trust the government. It's really not hard, my guy.
late comment but 15:52 is saying 75% of polled people believe UK is heading the wrong way, aka 25% trust in the government. Not a super massive difference than in USA.
Seems you might have misread the headline to be 75% trust.
That headline on UK trust in government was saying 75% DON'T trust them. I disagree with the original video on this. I don't think we do have a strong trust in authority, certainly not in the last 40 years or so. We have a strong history of rebellion (hello, we birthed punk!).
Classism is the 1st form of racism
im english and i think the frence had the right idea when it comes to royalty
It is Murphy's law but we just call it sods law, as on sod it
Americans see a glass as half full & the British see the glass as half empty perhaps 🇬🇧❤🇺🇸
Final thought....wouldn't it he great if we united as a race of humans globally?
He's not wrong in some ways but he's terribly wrong in others. No, we don't trust our government, and haven't for a long time, and yes we do complain, a great deal. We just don't necessarilly do something about it! But then a lot of major reforms have come from us that many don't acknowledge, so maybe we do more than we think.
It’s quite common for people in the UK to take vitamin D supplements.
This is a vitamin your body produces as a result of sun exposure.
Naturally you would expect less sunlight in the winter and more sunlight in the summer.
But unfortunately the UK is often covered by clouds all year round.
So people can’t naturally top up their vitamin D levels.
Resulting in a large amount of people taking vitamin D supplements all year round.
‘Quite common’ is a gross exaggeration
That was a very American bit of nonsense you put there. Congratulations.
Us brithish have a different confidence and more a confidence of we don’t like something with be honest and it’s kinda straight up if it upsets your or don’t
You keep awakening....
... and now you're Woke!! >XD
The monarch works for the people, remember that Charles I was executed for treason against the people essentially in 1649 and that is where the notion that the power of the crown comes from the people really begins
I think the British person needs to do some more homework
Blue blooded refers exclusively to royalty not upper class
As an American who has lived most of my life in the UK, the guy you are reacting to is very annoying. Although I agree with most of his broader points, I don't get the sense that he really has any accurate understanding of Americans nor necessarily the motivations and underlying beliefs in either culture.
Have you done bonfire night reaction yet?
As an English man I'd ask Americans aren't you indoctrinated with the pledge of alliance?