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With regards to para 1, so, so, true. We are such an innocent lot over here, all those distasteful things portrayed can not possibly go on in good old Britain.
Jamie's American Food Revolution was absolutely fascinating, came across it by chance and OMG those 'lunch ladies' () were not a welcoming bunch although I am expecting them to be swayed in the forthcoming episodes. How they actually thought that pizza for breakfast followed by fried chicken dippers and some kind of potato powder mix for lunch was OK...... well words failed me. Can't wait to see what happens next......
I thought that was a really good series...I had also seen the one he did in the UK a few years back about school lunches. I didn't feel like he was being patronizing or condescending. And yes, those lunch ladies were rude! I won't spoil future episodes for you but telling you if they warm up or not.
Interesting about how British media likes to stress extreme or unusual things about America but I guess thats what makes them newsworthy the same way media here always stress extremes in foreign countries like what some poeple may eat in China and India.
On the other hand I just saw the movie "Harry Brown" which definitely showed a different side of life in the UK though I'm sure its also exaggerated for entertainment purposes. But it did say they filmed it in actual locations in London and those landscapes certainly were very depressing and foreboding.
Interesting about how British media likes to stress extreme or unusual things about America but I guess thats what makes them newsworthy the same way media here always stress extremes in foreign countries like what some poeple may eat in China and India.
On the other hand I just saw the movie "Harry Brown" which definitely showed a different side of life in the UK though I'm sure its also exaggerated for entertainment purposes. But it did say they filmed it in actual locations in London and those landscapes certainly were very depressing and foreboding.
Don't forget that we exported Jerry Springer around the world. Talk about putting our best foot forward! Gah!
Jerry Springer was actually born in Highgate and lived the first five years of his life in the UK. In fact he describes himself as 'British-American' so I guess the blame is shared on that one. Jerry Springer has in fact spent alot of time working in the UK too and his programmes showed exactly the kind of trashy, sensationalised side of American life that the British media loves to buy into and ingulge in. I think the 'white trash phenomenon' exploded on the Jerry Springer Show here and that culture and legacy culminated in the success of Eminem who tapped into the surly adolescent rage of many young that people in the U.S (and consequently UK), especially in the early-mid 00's when he was at the peak of his success.
What Jerry Springer did here was also give creative birth to the British descendants of the Jerry Springer Show like 'Trisha' and 'Jeremy Kyle' that drew inspiration from Jerry Springer and swapped the 'outrageous' snarling trailer park characters for the British equivalent on the bleak and malnourished council Estates here. The British shows come across as alot more restrained in comparison but the similarities and influences are undeniable. The British media loves to ridicule those considered 'underclass' within its own borders as much as anyone else but would be horrified to think any of these images escaped to give the world an unflattering glimpse of British life that was perceived as anything other than marginal.
Which of course they happened with Harry Brown, a film I discussed in a response to a question on the 'Crime In London' thread some time ago. http://www.city-data.com/forum/londo...-london-3.html I think you're description and realisation of certain themes that were exaggerated are a reasonable reflection of what the film did get right and where it got a little lost in tabloid lunacy Tom. You're right about the foreboding landscapes though which were filmed in the London borough of Southwark. These places do exist and another accuracy was the harsh street vernacular used by the young actors in the film who played the gang terrorising the Estate. It can be very harsh and vitriolic, especially for outsiders not familiar with its loaded references and antagonistic mannerisms. The performances and location were certainly a true reflection. But the film was too heavily slanted in favour of a 'hell in a handcart' style rant from a tabloid commentator. The criminals were all irredeemable scum, the Justice system a joke and the hopeless and juvenile disgust and disdain of human life a depiction that came across as overly simplistic. Which is a shame, because this is where the film lost focus and became a little too unbelievable for me. Michael Caine's measured and contemplative performance was very good of course and redeemed the film for me.
Last edited by Fear&Whiskey; 09-21-2010 at 01:10 PM..
Alot of country and Americana songs I've heard seem to explore feelings of suffocation and ambitions stifled in small town America as well as songs celebrating with vehement pride the small town way of life. Lyrics expressing dissatisfied motions along the lines of "I've gotta get out of here someday" appear to be the prevalent theme of some songs that seem to resonate with an embittered frustration the trials and tribulations of being stuck in a small town where you are likely to live out the rest of your life and watch your dreams mercilessly slip away as reality bites hard. But from what you're saying it is actually becoming more of a rarity these days for people to be born, raised and to live and settle down in a small town in America these days. If anything, the reverse could be increasingly the scenario as people are forced to abandon their small town lives and look for stable employment elsewhere whether they'd like to get away from their small town lives or not.
Occasionally when I've seen under the radar glimpses of American rural, country and small town life away from the country music/Americana genre it has usually come in the form of cinema/television intepretations such as American football movies like 'Friday Night Lights' that seem to portray scintillating but short lived, adrenalin fuelled teenage years that inevitably fade into shattered dreams and obscurity as the pale corridor of routine replaces the excitement of youth and they become prisoners of their enviroment. These dramas ahave alot of stereotypes I know, usually revolving around small towns obsessed with their high school football teams whose support is beyond the realms of the fanatical. I also saw the T.V series and was very impressed even though it came across as a drama that may be more squarely aimed at teenage audiences rather than adult. What I found interesting was the amount of pressure related to those sporting events and the concept that you may as well live these days because it's all downhill from here.
I actually met the lead singer of a well known Texas band called the Old 97's after a gig he was playing in support at London's Barbican and as his band was mentioned on an episode of 'Friday Night Lights' I asked him whether the show was an accurate portrayal of any part of Texas he was familiar with. He was a big fan of the show and told me it was to an extent reflective of a certain way of life still prevalent in some parts of Texas. Is there a real passion around certain events and activities in rural, small town America that you won't find iexpressed as enthusiastically in the big cities? Be that in sports, football, pool halls, churches, bar and grills etc...?
From what little I know of rural America I find the lifestyle intriguing as it's a way of life that is not usually reflected to UK audiences outside the cliched high school footballer marries sensationally beautiful cheerleader (despite the fact a mean spirited wealthy out of town billionaire wants to whisk her away to Hawaii etc...) type melodrama. To be fair, 'Friday Night Lights' appeared to me to be more chellenging than alot of the other sugar coated dramas I've seen from time to time but I would be interested to know to what extent any of these caricatures of small town life ring true.
To answer your questions, I spent most of my life in the small town Midwest (in the states of South Dakota and Nebraska, having just moved to Seattle this year). The lifestyle you mention in those rural areas is alive and well. There are a lot of people in these areas who feel "trapped" as you mention and wish to get out to big cities where life is more exciting, and there are others who love living in these places and feel they could never survive in a fast-paced big city. The local bars and pool halls are popular places in these little towns on the Plains- especially on Friday or Saturday nights- as really the only places to go for people to socialize. Another big one is what you mentioned- the high school. The high school football and basketball games are popular amongst not only the students and their families, but the communities as a whole- because those kids are representing their town, and a potential state championship for their school/team brings a lot of pride to the down.
People living in those areas don't think much of any of this- to them it's just how their world is, and to them the big cities such as LA, New York, Seattle, Chicago, etc. are places that seem so out of the ordinary and crazy.
I have heard it's 25%....A lot of americans wouldn't know what to do with it even if they had one i'm afraid.
I once crossed the border to Washington state, stopped for a coffee. The lady asks where I'm from, I say canada.
She does "Canada? where is that state?" I go, hmm, you mean the whole other COUNTRY in between the lower 48 and Alaska?
Hilariously, she goes "There's a whole 'nother country up there?"
Oh gosh, I hope you don't think that of the other 99% of the population in the state of Washington? You would think that someone from one of the bordering states would have some kind of idea more so than if they were from several distant states away? Maybe there's a chance that person just moved to Washington? At any rate, guess you got a good laugh out of it, while some others cringe from embarrassment of their fellow American. Maybe not. Most probably just shrug it off now.
Oh gosh, I hope you don't think that of the other 99% of the population in the state of Washington? You would think that someone from one of the bordering states would have some kind of idea more so than if they were from several distant states away? Maybe there's a chance that person just moved to Washington? At any rate, guess you got a good laugh out of it, while some others cringe from embarrassment of their fellow American. Maybe not. Most probably just shrug it off now.
I have no idea if she was from somewhere else, but she did have a pretty strong accent. Don't know if an accent is common in Washington state.
She was pretty funny, I have heard all the stories from my buddies about telling Americans we live in igloos, how we don't have running water or electricity etc. A lot of yanks don't fall for it, but a few do. It depends on where you are. I have been to small town Arkansas (outside Fayetteville), and when I said I was born/raised in Saskatoon, he knew where it was. I have also been to New York, and the guy tending the bar I was at in Manhattan had never heard of my current home, Calgary Alberta.
My experience has been that a lot of Americans are with it.
I wouldn't expect the US to know a heck of a lot about Canada, as it isn't your country.
At least knowing it exists is good though.
One thing I found surprising was this: Hanging out with a buddy from BC in a Seattle bar, meet some boys that were shipping off overseas- having a little drink before their tour of duty. Ask where I was coming from, I say Vancouver area. They start into a tirade about how when they went up to Van, how there are so many muslims up there, walking around with those "rags on their heads".
I politely inform them that
A: they're not muslims, but Sikh from India; and
B: those are called turbans.
They continue on about how we're harboring terrorists etc. I politely excused myself and we went to another area of the bar.
It got me thinking about the media, and how certain types of media can shape the way people receive information, and how they could use that to steer an issue in a certain direction.
Those army guys weren't rude to me about being from Canada; they were friendly and polite, it was just their opinion that they had. It was interesting to me how they thought a certain way about things, and about how the media can steer a person thought.
To answer your questions, I spent most of my life in the small town Midwest (in the states of South Dakota and Nebraska, having just moved to Seattle this year). The lifestyle you mention in those rural areas is alive and well. There are a lot of people in these areas who feel "trapped" as you mention and wish to get out to big cities where life is more exciting, and there are others who love living in these places and feel they could never survive in a fast-paced big city. The local bars and pool halls are popular places in these little towns on the Plains- especially on Friday or Saturday nights- as really the only places to go for people to socialize. Another big one is what you mentioned- the high school. The high school football and basketball games are popular amongst not only the students and their families, but the communities as a whole- because those kids are representing their town, and a potential state championship for their school/team brings a lot of pride to the down.
People living in those areas don't think much of any of this- to them it's just how their world is, and to them the big cities such as LA, New York, Seattle, Chicago, etc. are places that seem so out of the ordinary and crazy.
That's interesting. I guess America is such an expansive landscape of colossal variety, range and scope that it is more inevitable that some people will feel constrained by their surroundings. In the UK a major City is never that far though there are parts of the UK that are more cut off and secluded though the small town life just doesn't exist in a comparable sense.
Those isolated feelings of being trapped in a small town were exemplefied to me by this song I found by Steve Earle and when I was thinking of a song that best described the frustrations of being trapped in small town America I found it hard to think of a better song that encapsulated those feelings than this one. The line "I wanna see what's over that rainbow, I wanna get out of here someday" appearing to express the sentiments felt by some people stranded in small town America judging by this comment below the video:-
"I live in a small town myself, and this song makes me wanna just get up and go, you know?"
I wonder whether the competetiveness and high cost of living in the major cities has made breaking away from small town life harder than ever or whether the break from traditional industries of old has led to an influx of people from small town America to major cities like New York, Chicago and L.A. I guess small town America still exists to a large extent but are the major cities a magnet that is increasingly drawing more and more people away from small town America as economic activity becomes ever more concentrated on cities like New York?
Last edited by Fear&Whiskey; 09-26-2010 at 03:01 PM..
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those 'lunch ladies' (
) were not a welcoming bunch although I am expecting them to be swayed in the forthcoming episodes. How they actually thought that pizza for breakfast 
followed by fried chicken dippers and some kind of potato powder mix 
