Ricky Gervais on England vs. America | Big Think
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- Опубліковано 27 лип 2024
- Ricky Gervais on England vs. America
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Comedian Ricky Gervais on the cruelty of bullfighting.
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RICKY GERVAIS
Ricky Gervais is an English comedian, author, actor, director, producer, screenwriter and former pop musician. He achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and collaborator, Stephen Merchant. Besides writing and directing the shows, Gervais also played the lead roles of David Brent in The Office and Andy Millman in Extras. Gervais has also appeared in several Hollywood films, including For Your Consideration, Stardust, Night at the Museum and Ghost Town.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Question: Are you a radical?
Gervais: Yeah, yeah. It’s a tough one. And, of course, you know, there’s a big difference between saving someone’s life and just getting… getting the right mascara. Of course, there’s no doubt about that. There’s a big difference. But… I mean, it’s more fundamental in that. There’re still… There’re still blood spots in the world. Bull fighting… Really? Really? You want to see an animal [stab] to death for your pleasure? You really… You really get off on that, do you? I cheer when a [terrier dog] gets gored to death. I love it. You [should’ve gone] in there, you know. It’s not a fair fight. People shooting for pleasure. There’re people wearing fur of endangered… I don’t know what to do with them. I don’t know what to fucking do with them. Just think, why you’re doing it? Why’d you need that? Crazy. It’s just crazy. I say, I’m going to crack a few heads. But anyway…
Read the full transcript at
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He's so spot on. Over here in the UK you're told "No don't do that, it's not realistic."
We're more down to earth
+pattymiester 123 Much closer to obsequiousness in reality.
I'm an American but I think realism is a good thing, so "maybe I was born English."
David Sosa
I would swap you for my citizenship in a heartbeat.
+TheEloquentEye Fucking same here xD
"We champion the underdog to the point where he's not an underdog anymore...then he annoys us" Nailed it with that one line :)
I'm sure that's everyone in Brittain right? 🤭
@@venture3800 pretty much mate
Everything he said is true here. As a young person in the UK, you are NEVER told you can be whatever you want to be. Our social class structure is so rigid and archaic, yet it still defines the entire nation. We are bound by the shackles of our ancestors. On the occasions that I have visited the US, I have always come away with the impression that the overwhelming majority of Americans feel that they can prosper and make the best of themselves, regardless of ancestry or social predicament.
richie nufc You think it isn't?
richie nufc Marvellous quotation from one of the greatest minds of the 20th Century. How exactly does that answer my question though?
richie nufc I'm not sure it does. I think I'm going to need you to elaborate. Could you please specify which of aspect of history answers my question?
richie nufc Why do you think that it isn't a good thing that Americans are brought up to believe they can achieve anything they set their mind to?
richie nufc I've just realised that you have attempted to validate your argument (whatever that might be) by using Nazi Germany as an example. As per Godwin's Law, this discussion is closed.
'We champion the underdog until he's not the underdog anymore, and then he annoys us' that sums up British humour and attitude absolutely perfectly.
"How did you escape mediocrity?"
By far the best question asked in any interview I've seen.
Brutally honest. I didn't expect that.
+Nebula He just wants to be American.
+The Satanic Santa are you joking?
+lil benzo - You do realise that he wrote and owns the rights to, 'The Office'? lol
I think a British way of laughing at our self is kinda like therapy in a weird way. Life can be hard, the weekly grind. To be able to laugh at yourself is a great thing. Situations that would mortify someone who took everything seriously would be simply laughed off by someone who could see light in our errors. We're all only human, can't laugh at our faults then you're just hiding them.
Reminds me at work as an FLT driver at Ikea, a distribution facility. Sometimes you miss judge the depth of a pallet/product needing your forks to not stick out at the end and the product could tip over, happened to a guy that was really highly strung, sat there with this cold look on his face like he felt like a fool everyone seeing it, mortified. When it happens to me I just have this, embarrass whilst cheeky grin on my face. People just laugh. We make mistakes... laugh, fuck it.
Nice one Ricky.... U make me proud to be a Brit in America! God bless ya!
Plot twist: people in youtube comments respect those from a different country
Logan Ondos sike
El Pacificador I’ll happily search it up once you explain the relevance
as an american, i've had great relations with just about every english person i've met. i have nothing bad to say about the english.
Wow, what an amazing story!
Even about our teeth? Haha
I am an American and I find British comedy far more witty and always way more innovative then ours no need to bring politics into it !
True
"the big two"
I don't know why, but that made me laugh.
probably because it's true...
@@martinet1985 Well it's half true...
I guess he means the two biggest English speaking audiences.
It's not exactly a case of we're told 'that's not realistic'. We're told from birth to manage our expectations. When we dream big we're not told that we can do it, we're asked how we can do it and if we're aware of how many people have tried and failed. As he said we do carry that with us, when a British person comes to a crossroades 9 times out of 10 we pick the safe route, the secure route. I feel Americans are willing to risk it all for success but on a subconsious level we feel we can never achieve it or even that we're slightly afraid of it.
I mean there is positives and negatives to all of that. Americans by and large gamble a ton on everything, from education/career choices to marriages to literal gambling in casinos. You only ever seen those who win the gamble, the successful businessmen, married couples, actors, and musicians, not the broke, the divorced, and the failed. On the flipside, all you see in the UK is the mediocre. Mediocrity: dry, boring, sad, and tame. Would you rather be bored or dead? As an American, its dead. No questions asked. If was told I was doomed to mediocrity, I'd straight up slit my wrists and die. Better dead than bored.
I'm pretty fortunate to have the American dream instilled in me. If I didn't have any hope for a bright and amazing future I would have offed myself by now
That is a very contradictorily depressing sentiment, I personally think facing reality with all its gritty imperfections is the only way to realise oneself and its relationship with the world, and only from that point can I formulate a realistic plan to contribute to the world.
Because in a way I'm not living for myself, egoism can only carry one for so long, dedication to a greater cause brings more fulfilment.
A B I think you’ll find the romance a little one-sided in your scenario. And don’t tell me that’s the point because it’s not. You’re a human who’s evolved just like the rest of us to desire affirmation, comfort, and ease. You can actively try to fight that paradigm by living out whatever life philosophy you choose but at best it’s going to be arbitrarily chosen and haphazardly followed.
this is so true. I'm American and live in the UK and the ways they interview you are amazingly different than the US. I am very ambitious but it comes off as not humble in the UK whereas in the US it's always landed me something.
I'm English and for everyone bagging America or England stfu, we share tech like no other country (creating some of the most advanced technology) and come from the same stock. People just like to complain about America not realising that while America does go to places they perhaps shouldn't be, when the chips are down who do you want backing you. I used to hate America but then I grew up and realised this world is not as I was taught, stick with the strong or lose out because there will always be a war. Even before America everyone was always trying to conquer somewhere.
Ted D Thanks for the kind words. I have a great respect for the UK and special relationship our countries share with one another. We might do some things differently but, when the shit hits the fan we'll have each other's back.
Murphdawg1 gaming Amen. Ignore the trolls. DO NOT FEED THEM.
+Ted D Sorry excuse for a troll, you are. Being open-minded and all that rot.
+Murphdawg1 gaming As a Brit I heartily agree.
Mate Britain isn't England its also Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland as well as England
I don't understand all the American-English hate here. We are literally the only real ally either of us has on this entire planet. We speak the same language, listen to the same music and have an equally ineffective government. We both have fat people (we just have a lot more, most of which reside in the South) and people who make you embarrassed to be from The UK or America. We gave you Gibson and Fender you gave us Marshall and Vox (huge win for both parties). You gave us The Beatles and the Canadians gave everyone Justin Bieber, so lets just blame Canada.
Joe Reilly
Yeah but all that aside you’ve now given us Trump. And Trump trumps Bieber.
nick260682 Trump’s not even that bad.
Sounds like a good plan
@@nick260682 the Russian hackers and the two party system gave us Trump.
Ally is a bit of a stretch
The European countries are spectators on the world stage at this point. Mutual friend of common ancestry is still accurate tho
All these comments saying that "Americans are all ." Such a bizarre statement. There are nearly 320 MILLION people in the US, with greater diversity than you'll find anywhere else in the world. If you honestly believe you can cram 320 million people into one clichéd stereotype, you've got some trouble in Thinkin'land, son.
It was a generalised question so he gave a generalised answer, he wasn't speaking for all Americans or all Brits!
It's actually the Greek that will inherit the earth. Blessed are the cheese makers!
*The Judea Peoples Front has joined the conversation*
Wow, I was happily surprised by this. I figured it'd be that same misconception that "Americans don't understand irony." Shit drives me nuts...
+capn jasbLoG Yeah, the generalities get quite tiresome.
WHen you see that it's always the same things being said, you pick up the clues. I think it's just the thing to do, really. The majority of people that have an opinion usually have insight strictly projected by the media. No first hand experiences with the culture at all. Just this crude, basic, negative caricature of the most mundane areas of the Country.
Gervais, along with guys like Fry, Richard Ayoade, ect, who have worked in/with America, have a very sensible opinion of the differences between the two cultures. And that's really how it should be when you deal with such a huge group of diverse people. Life isn't a fucking cartoon. And like you said, Americans not understanding irony is such a weird thing to assume to me. That perception just reeks of someone who got the idea by cherry picking the entirety of American mainstream entertainment, and following what a bunch of other people say online. Like a snowball.
To say that there is no good comedy here is just biased. There's comedy gold everywhere.
Amen, brotha!
Ricky has said that multiple times to be fair
"I'm not an expert."
Nigga, if you're not an expert on comedy, who is?!
Iv never been a huge Gervais fan, but he honestly seems pretty cool here.
This is a great video. As an American, I feel like every slip up we have is the center of attention, giving other countries this belief that we're a bunch of fools. Ricky puts things in perspective here. I'm extremely patriotic but I cannot stand this rivalry between our nations. For the last 200 years England and the U.S. have been the top two countries globally. However, since the late 1800's, I think that the U.S. has steadily become the more prominent superpower. Similar to the English Empire, it won't last forever. But it's currently our time to be on top.
Well we do still have the common wealth, so there's that. America couldn't really top the commonwealth, also i think america should be classed as a second world country because of the economic disparity and the drain it is causing on the world, no offence, but i see america as a parasite more than a super power.
Very well said, and this is from a Canadian---a fact I mention only because it carries inexplicable weight with some of our overseas brethren. The US (please, "America" includes both Canada and Mexico) has been a mighty and worth force for good for the the last century, and the sole reason we made it through the Atomic Era without nuclear warfare.
"The Sole Reason We Made It Through The Atomic Era Without Nuclear Warfare" --- whatever happens from this day forward, these words deserve to be inscribed on the masthead of the USA.
That's more than Egypt, Rome, Babylon or any other "great empire" has ever achieved---and is deserving of far more respect than it is given.
hoobady doo You're a terrible terrible troll.
Gonzalo Fernández beats Puerto rico and Guam though :)
Higher than what? The cherry picked 3rd world countries? I doubt they are higher than Australia and Canada for instance.
He's a very funny guy, but in this video he looks like Hitler without the mustache.
+Brainbuster 0_o can't unsee
+Brainbuster your comment contains a redundant 'but'.
+Brainbuster best razz I've heard in a long time.
ImJustDead Adolph had a pretty smart look. Nobody could doubt his fashion sense.
Yes, like an overweight Hitler indeed. Funny, as he likes to say.
I was expecting more anti US talk from him. But that was very kind of him. I love the Brits by and large and I have a new found respect for him
Americans cheer for the underdog as well, historically. If you think about the history of America and how it has grown so rapidly into the world's largest superpower from being a mere colony, it is truly the story of the ultimate underdog. You look at the Hockey match of USA vs the USSR in which the movie "Miracle" was based on, and you really (although extremely anecdotal and somewhat cheesy) see the attitudes Americans have about these sort of things, that they love the underdog with almost universal optimism. I think that America and the United Kingdom are really, in the fullest sense of the word, like a family. Our nations have gone through so much to help each other in the 20th century and I am optimistic that we will have each other's backs despite our almost family-like bickering of silly idiosyncrasies that each nation's people have.
yeah a big superpower with $113 trillion of debt. It must be great living there, to paraphrase a youtube song I just watched "I know America aint the best, but compared to a lot of the rest of the world America sucks less" pretty much sums up the whole thing.
Poo McPoo Perhaps you're just envious that the United States has developed the most dynamic and innovative economy in human history. I agree, the debt is a big problem. BTW, it's $18 trillion and not 113 trillion. But nonetheless, America can easily be criticized simply because it's big. It's easy to criticize whoever is the best overall because, well, they're the best.
***** Yes, it never ceases to amaze me how much better looking everyone becomes after six pints of Stella on a Friday night.
xxCCBBxx I've yet to meet an American that does not have a deluded view of their country. You are not the best country in the world. How would you measure such a thing?
The same argument could be applied to the UK as well. They somehow went from an assortment of tiny kingdoms on a miniscule island harrassed by Scandinavians, Saxons, Normans, into a world power that directly held one quarter of the entire globe.
I love listening to this guy speak. It feels like i can have a conversation with this guy.
That feeling, that everything will be fine, I think that's what it is to truly believe in yourself. We constantly tell people to believe in themselves, some even condemn others for not doing so but interesting to realise that this is what we're asking of them --- to cultivate an abstract, and really rather unjust feeling that they'll be absolutely fine.
I always thought I'd be, through every facet of my life and, so far, somehow, I appear to be correct.
I think the main difference between the British and the Americans is that we British have a very dark sense of humor.
Im Australian so I have no reason to be biased in who is better/contributed more Britain or USA, but seriously Britain I would say has punched pound for pound waaaaaayyy above its weight in what it's given the world. In fact, what language are we speaking right now? English. People from the USA tend to be quite ignorant about the world they try to run and are so self-absorbed that they think that the rest of the world is inferior.
No you are just mad many Americans love Britain and love the rest of the world and we don't say countries haven't done anything but for the time being we are the most powerful
im an american and i dont think like you say i do, nor does anyone i know.
+mitch mclean The whole "Americans are ignorant" thing is nothing more than a stereotype of Americans.
yeah no
Love this!
"We champion the underdog. We champion the underdog, to the point where he's not an underdog anymore, and he annoys us." This resonated with me. It just made me feel something, and I think that's possibly the best sign of how true it is.
The basic problem is that people don't understand is that when Americans say America is the greatest country in the world, it isn't meant as a slight on any other country. It's like saying my kid is the best kid in the world. Is that actually true? Probably not, but it feels true to you personally.
I have nothing against Brits, what I find most annoying is that online all they want to do is rag on the US, like that will some way make their country better, which it won't. I went to the UK before and it was a very beautiful country, full of people who are totally foreign. The two nations separated by a common language is totally true and the Brits seem angry we aren't more British just because we speak English while they wouldn't expect Brazil to necessarily agree with them in all things, yet the English seem to still have this proprietary feeling about the US that they don't have for other countries, they sound like they are scolding a naughty teenager who grew up and rebelled.
The US still thinks of the UK as something out of either Room with a View or Dickens. With everyone drinking high tea and being very refined. The real cause of the American revolution is that the people in America were bending over backwards to be considered good enough to be accepted by the English and when they realized that England was a home country who didn't love them back and viewed them as the proverbial red headed step child, they got angry. IMO most Americans care about how Brits view them and their country but after all these diatribes both here and just about anywhere the topic comes up it just gets people angry.
To answer the question of which county is better is to say whatever country you think it better, being we can't turn to the back of the book and check the answers.
I'm British mate and that was a good read because your right.
great video thumbs up
wow: simple observations, but super profound
I'd like to say that as an American, born and reared, that I am proud of my country -- until lately that is. But, as England is the base of my ancestral roots, I feel a kinship to England. Indeed, I feel that Britain is my homeland even more so than America. It's difficult to form any sort of cohesive comment because I can't see what I've already written, but my point is that we ought not be bickering over which country is "better" because with myself & millions, Britain & America r 1 & the same
Honestly, he is right.
anyone who dreams of freedom and hopes that tomorrow will be better than today is already an american at heart
Christ I hope not
i`m an american who is at the very bottom of the food chain, meaning i`m poor and flat busted broke,,but i do believe tomorrow is another day and anything is possible and i`m not giving up until i get where i want to be. probably more than half of americans feel this way but we wont give up because we know that its possible to have a better life even if it didnt happen today
Out of all our allies I like Britain the most seems like we have the closest relations with them
I have the union flag hanging near my desk at home, with a poppy on the top. I wouldn't entirely call myself a patriot but If someone did call me or anyone else one I wouldn't feel any displeasure's to it. As I am proud of my country, for what we and my family have achieved.
There's a lot of political correctness and Far left groups who seem to think anyone who has a flag of their country on show immediately makes them racist or any show of pride makes them a close-minded bigot, it's a judgement I find so ignorant.
+Martin Eggman Seems like an odd comment for this video.
+YourPalHDee I think what Martin is interpreting from this video- is the positive attitude in Americans- in which they can find liberty to 'profess Patriotism'. Nothing wrong with that- That's exactly the point that Ricky was making. Martin here is passionate about his patriotism and YourPalHDee has kinda said 'nope- no match'. Welcome to the New Britain where pessimistic reality overtakes any passionate sentiment- EVEN if it doesn't really match the 'expected' situation.
+SIlly Squirrel I just found it interesting that he was expressing his patriotism with no context.
even still I don't fully see the connection to this video.
I saw comments about the subject on this video. ''If I see anyone with a flag outside their home, or being shown through a window, I immediately think they're a bigot''. This was the reasoning to my comment, not some blind patriotism rant or anything about a ''New Britain''. There's no mystery In my comment at all so stop trying to look for one.
I acquired the flag at a racing event at Silverstone a long time ago and instead of throwing It away or leaving it to dust, I stood It up on a shelf near my desk and placed a poppy on top. There Is nothing else to It, that's that.
Yes Upon further reflection I do agree with your sentiment. I had a 'read more' section which I failed to observe initially (about the 'far left' groups)... Do apologize for not reading it properly first time around. Do have a good day! :-)
Well said.
"The geek shall inherit the earth", I've been saying that like forever xD
I think our British cousins developed the more pessimistic life view after the horrific losses and experience of WW1. America arrived late in WW1 and helped shift the balance against the Axis, so we were fortunate to not suffer the terrible losses of the British Commonwealth nations. But I think the British life view has not always been pessimistic. Our British cousins colonized much of the world and built an empire the sun never set on, and a pessimistic life view cannot do that. I like to remind our cousins that there is a cultural line, originating in the British Isles(England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales). that is common to Australia, Canada, all other Commonwealth nations and the U.S. that gives us all a common culture (not identical, yet common). I have heard it unfairly said for example that our Aussie and Canadian cousins are copying American music, when in truth they are simply using that common cultural line from the British Isles, as we Americans also do, to put an Aussie, Canadian or American twist on that cultural line through music. So if Aussie, British, Canadian and American music sound similar to each other, it's because of the common cultural line, not because we are copying each other. Hollywood may be in America, yet some of the greatest names there came from the British Isles, Australia and Canada. The common cultural line remains strong and powerful to this day. So I would remind our British cousins to look with pride on the way the world is today, because a major part of the world as it exists today evolved from that common cultural line originating in the British Isles.
America "shifted the balance in WW1"? Shut the fuck up did they. The Germans had suffered major defeats prior to the US getting involved. All the US did was give a bit of respite to the British and French who had been fighting for the best part of 3 years.
Britain is a grouchy, cynical old man
America is a bright-eyed, optimistic child entering it's teen years, hence the comedy getting gradually more cynical
Wait americans smarter? Does he lose his job if he says anythink bad about america wtf
It sounds like he was just talking about the characters in the different Office shows. I wouldn't know if that's true, I barely watched either of them.
He doesn't mean "more intelligent", he means "better dressed".
Yes, he means the characters are more intelligent. You should watch Stephen Fry on this subject, he explains it more fully. British humor is often quite sarcastic and negative, seeing humor in the underdog failing. But in America, they don't like to acknowledge the bad things, but are more optimistic. So American humor is based on being clever and succesful and being able to cleverly talk your way out of everything. They are people with funny and clever one liners, they don't like to see failure. So that's why the British version of the show likes to see characters that are underdogs, not too bright and succesful that often make a fool of themselves, whereas the American version likes to see more intelligent, smart talking people who are more succesful in life. Basically, America is optimistic to the point of foolishness, and Britain is realistic to the point of pessimism.
Dion7
Ricky's from Reading, Dion7. Trust me, when he says "smarter", he means "better dressed".
he was talking about the characters in The Office
I love his attitude...
I like Ricky at this exact weight. Any slimmer or any more podge and the funny declines. It's quantifiable.
Proud To Be American, have you tried, y'know, NOT being a run-of-the-mill troll?
I mean, if you're going to do something, at least do it right. Trolling is one of the finest thing a man can do, IF he's good at it.
Has anyone ever seen RGervais and Melissa McCarthy in the same room at the same time? Is it possible they are the same person?
What?! ROFL xDD
I like it how de does not insult others and rather just resort to criticizing their own ways..
I like Ricky more than ever now.
British humor is better... No doubt.
Yes.....That Benny Hill is "genius"...…..And the Simpsons need to work harder. The Simpsons movie was only translated into 45 languages.
Note: This is an example of British sarcasm from an American.
No doubt? What’s the band got to do with it?
As an American I agree with you
you should not compare one country vs one whole continent
Michael Black America actually is a continent but no offence to any one but the USA is the main country in the Americas and the only country with America in its name so
England is not a continent its one country but the uk is more than one country
Michael Black In many places this is demonstrably true, however, the Olympic rings still account 5 o their flag and one is reserved for the original nomenclature of America and it includes both North and South as one America. Also note that Australia is sometimes also called Oceania in many places to account for the peoples in the vicinity. Different strokes for different folks.
***** LOL England a continent?....thats hilarious
***** I am dumb because you think "England" is a continent?
That's some real unique logic you have.
This is the truest thing I've heard for a while
I was raised on Brit humour. I watched Are You Being Served, Keeping Up Appreances and Monty Python alot as a kid. But I see your point. US humour is rather direct. Setup/Turn/Punchline thats about it, and it can be a tad vapid at times compared to the UK. UK humour is very good at the Double Entendre, but it can become clouded & delayed at times and miss out on some of the belly laughs US homour is aimed at. It's really a give and take. At least we're not the French awash in puns :p.
i can't figure out was he being sarcastic??
crimson gate32 I guess it's up for interpretation.
This "Proud To Be American" guy is the reason we can't have nice things in America...
I'm American! Canadian, to be precise. But you hurt my feelings, so I'm going to go to a hospital for free to get my feelings fixed.
Ryan West America is a continent not a single nation ;)
Exactly. And what else would we be called? United Statesians? We kind of have to be Americans. There's no other possible word for us.
***** "Canada has no culture distinct from that of the USA"? Try telling that to... uhm... just about anyone in the world outside of the USA.
Very profound.
Having grown up with British comedy in Canada, British humour is more dry, sarcastic and intelligent, while US comedy is more straight-forward and simplistic. The former isn't necessarily for someone who just wants to mindlessly veg out. There are exceptions, of course. Like the comedy of George Carlin, Bill Hicks and Lenny Bruce. One type requires that you know something, and with the other, well, anyone living in a cave can enjoy. Britcoms also tend to emphasize storylines and characterization over simplistic one-liners of American sitcoms. US humour is more dumbed down than in the UK that I've noticed. That's not a criticism, just an observation. Both have their advantages and disadvantages depending on your point of view and personal preference. I prefer to be entertained and enlightened. Others just want to see people they don't know anything about and probably don't want to know anything about doing silly things for no apparent reason.
when ricky said americans are a little bit smarter i think he was clearly joking
I think he meant in rerms of appearance, lol.
Looking at Trump, Americans are a lot more gullible. (and dumber too)
"I was brought up on fairytales"
I guarantee he's talking about religion, even though he'd deny that if you asked him.
He wouldn’t deny it, he’s an atheist.
This got deep...
Ricky now we are all enlightened
I couldn't be bothered watching him mumble through his dreary opinions ... I read the script in the description.
He didn't say Americans are smarter he said they like the characters to be a little smarter. British people find dumb people funnier i guess.
By smarter he's means the way they dress' not their intellect.
he meant they dress smarter not more intelligent
Gervais is a proud Englishman but if you can take one thing away from this video it's that whether you are American or English whining about your country is FUCKING RETARDED. Grow up.
First American film star was the British Charlie Chaplin and many other great USA comedy stars were British like Stan Laurel, Bob Hope.
I really like his accent.. Where's it from?
Reading, Berkshire. South East England
Why do people say America, when they clearly mean the United States? America is 3 freakin continents and tons of countries.
The full name of the UK is "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Norther Ireland," but most people simply call it Britain. So why can't we call the United States of America just America?
Brandon
Because UK isn't the name of your continent. So instead of saying Great Britain or UK, would it be ok to just say Europe, when talking about the UK? I think not.
kdw75 The name of the continent is "North America"
And without "North" you may be talking about Central America or South America. So when people talk about Americans are they talking about Brazilians, Mexicans, Canadians?
kdw75 Your confusion is in the translation. It means different things in English. Americans is just short for United States of America. In English it just does not sound correct to say United States citizens. We do not call someone from lets say Brazil, Brazil citizens, they are called Brazilians. In short it has nothing to do with the continent..
i newer understood why english people have bad denture , its true ,but why?
It`s true of older generations, the younger generations have braces and good teeth, mainly from the American media influences.
Timis Vladimir : It's kind of obvious - inferior dentistry. My teeth had that problem where the enamel is very thin in the middle and as each adult back tooth erupted I would have a cavity by the next visit to the dentist. The problem was never addressed, so I came to this country with a mouthful of amalgam and I bite so uneven that I had TMJ. After two years of American dentistry my bite was fixed and I no longer have cavities. I would hope that British dentistry has caught up somewhat now.
small island, small gene pool.
DaN M : I think that's unlikely to be a factor among the general population. Tens of million is not a small gene pool and an individual's degree of in-breeding would be more strongly influenced by mobility and social custom regarding marriage. It does explain the Royal Family, though.
for the record it was a joke. im sure the US south east is more or less the capitol of the world for "keepin' it in the family".
omg Turps!
Also remember that the Hundred Years War was not a single war, it was many different smaller battles and wars collected together during a certain era.
France was just defend there land from England, we conquered lots of it but France won it all back apart from one small area which was Pale of Calais
he said Americans are smarter?! what is wrong with him?
He meant on the Office. The show. The Americans were slightly smarter.
It's a joke mate.
America Rocks Bitches!
America is a perverted and tasteless country, which along with Britain, should be called the United States of Fuck Up.
Bassyswing1 "America is a perverted and tasteless country...."
I'm waiting for you to say something negative about us.
***** shut up that unreasonable
Bassyswing1 shut up
All of America, or just the United States?
Gervais knows how to play to the bigger market.
One is not better than the other. We need to stick together in this day and age.
Normandy was a french-speaking VASSAL since Rollo. Saying Normandy isn't french is like saying welsh aren't british; and that's an understatement. They probably have more in common with the rest of france than Bretons do; yet I don't hear you claiming Bretons, Corsicans or whatever aren't french.
There is no way in hell Britain could beat France on it's own; the 7 years war was the only war the British could have won without allies. In the Napoleonic wars the Brits needed allies.
because of his clever humor i cant tell if hes taking the piss or not
Having worked in Amerca for a few years I'd say most differences are relatively small and tend to get over-exaggerated when people make comparisons like this, the actual one glaring big difference is religion.
I see you are making a case for another difference - a lower average IQ in the US...
We have tall poppy syndrome in the UK, we want others to do well but not too well
As the aphorism goes: "In the USA life is full of hope, but serious. In the UK life is hopeless, but not serious"
All there is to it, really
basically introversion vs extroversion
how have people managed to get so worked up over this video? He didnt insult anyone in any sense of the word, If anything he was rather complimentary of the US.
yeah thats a fair evaluation and i can agree, british comedy shows can sometimes get a little boring as there are extensive periods of conversation with little comical effects, however we are mixing with american humour now to create good shows, Gavin and Stacey is a good example of a British show with implied British witty and satiracal humour mixed with American direct humour. Aha yeah but english have their fair share of puns in reality to be honest,not in tv tho, probably from the normans :L
I think TAxi,the American comedy was imo the funniest American show/comedy.Some cheese not funny characters in it but the bloke who played the guy who survived the drugs at Woodstock was brilliant.
Same thing in Georgia, they try to plant fears and doubt in your mind only in America you can be truly free and know that you can be anything you want to be.
What's the difference between England and Britain I am just curious
I'm British and I'm a huge fan on both. My favourite programmes of all time are Mr Bean (classic British comedy) and The Office US (classic US comedy).
Oddly, I'm pretty sure I prefer the US version of the office to the UK version, although I haven't watched much of the UK version. The humour of Michael Scott appeals to me much more than David Brent.
P.S Rowan Atkinson and Steve Carell are my favourite ever people. I hope they make a baby.
The British comedy style that you see in shows like Peep Show focuses on painfully awkward situations and drags them out to the point of absurdity. Comare it to something like 30 Rock, which is more of the slapstick comedy style. Personally I find the show "New Girl" very refreshing in its nod to a more British style of humor, but still with plenty of slapstick for the American audience.
It doesn't work like, modern Normans are French, the Normans who came to Britain were not French but a separate identity.
If somewhere becomes part of your country, you can't class there history as your own as it didn't involve you nation during that time.
The UK doesn't count Irish, Welsh, Scottish and Cornish history as its own or any of its colonies as they were not part of a single identity.
You can only claim the history of something since the era of it being your nation, not pre-era.
Think big! Why digging diversity!❤️
America.... the land of Entertainment & celebrity!
True Dat
banter
But back during the era of 1066, Normandy was not part of France, it was a separate nation until 1204, just because they spoke a type of French doesn't make them French.
There was two one hundred years war which France lost, 1689AD - 1815AD.
They lost when Napoleons Empire collapsed.
There's a difference between saying the words on a radio station and saying the words on a late night show.
Hmm, interesting how so many people can pick which country is "better" than the other, which is a pretty stupid thing. I think each country may handle some things better than the other, such as the second amendment... As a red blooded American I can't understand why England or Britain would disarm their people, as I love my semi-automatic rifles... But I don't think either country is "better". I'm an American, but if Britain or England ever need help in a war or any other problem, I'd support them 100% and like to think they would have our backs too. As different as we are, our countries are like cousins... We may annoy each other at times, be we will help each other if the chips are down..
from my experience as a brit, joking to an american about flag burning is a good way to kill a convo
Actually we do, all accomplishments made during the unification then we are all bunched together as British or the UK.
Prior to vassals and unification it is split into separate ethnic groups, the Cornish, Welsh, Scottish, Irish and English wills till be given there separate achievements for specific things.
Yes you have better weather and food and our women are rather large, but that makes us a more hardy people and rich land and have always been the goal for conquerors of Europe.
don't get it?