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Not sure if I would call it an anglo "custom", but where I live in Quebec most people would confess to being somewhat perplexed by the fact that for "anglo" people (loosely defined) the sole purpose of drinking alcoholic beverages seems to be for getting pissed drunk.
I have travelled extensively and know that this is a view also shared by many in places like France, Italy, Spain, etc.
Same here, although 'Mr' is used in professional situations and often to address older people one is not familiar with. It's a generational thing.
Calling people of any age 'mate' is acceptable, and it cuts across social class.etc here. Still a bit strange to call an older lady 'mate', but not uncommon among the young.
Would this be unacceptable/frowned upon in England? Is 'sir' and 'mam' used a lot more there? Sir is occasionally used by service people, but seems to be dying out. The idea that wealthy people be addressed as 'sir' would be rightly met with revulsion here.
We don't really use the word mate, but then I don't live in a city so I can't really say for those areas. You are only allowed to have the title 'Sir' if you are knighted and Male, which doesn't always correlate to wealth. (don't worry females get 'Dame instead) The only context that I have used 'Sir' is when I'm trying to get the attention of a teacher in class!
An iron fist in a velvet glove. That's the impression one get's of the British and Anglo-Saxon society. A society hung up on law and order, punishment, judgement and responsibility, hierarchy, decorum, and 'manners', but only in the sense to keep society in order and everyone in their proper places.
their hypocrosy might be tollerable were they not so self rightous
Not at all. Modern British comedy is anything but PC. Go and watch "Come Fly With Me" - it's about as anti-PC as you can get. I find political correctness much more of a big deal over here. People seem to get offended much easier or take themselves too seriously at times. Us Brits like to take the **** out of ourselves and one another. Big, big cultural difference within the English-speaking countries of the UK & USA.
To be honest, language aside, the UK is far more like non-English speaking northern Europe than it is say the US or Canada. The sports we watch, our drinking cultures, reservedness (til we've had a few) and governments of low corruption & mostly constitutional monarchies (except for Germany).
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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Originally Posted by annika08
In Russia/parts of Eastern Europe, it's considered rude to smile at strangers. In the U.S., you're expected to have a big fake smile at all times.
Customer service workers (clerks, etc) are polite, but somber and serious and impersonal. From what I understand it's like this in many parts of the world. In the U.S., it's the exact opposite (expected to "be the customers best friend").
I wish the government workers in the US had more of that customer service. I found many of them surly and frankly downright rude. To take one example, I had a very 'warm' welcome into LAX when the customs official basically scolded me for not knowing how to use the very complex finger-scanner machine on my first go. Or at the very least told me off like a teacher telling off a naughty child in a cross tone.
I hope the contrast between the cold, unfriendly postal workers, bus drivers and the overly saccharine sales people is not redolent of the fact that friendliness is simply 'put on' for the sake of selling to the customer.
I still feel more comfortable with customer service here, although you get more service people who aren't as attentive as in the US. Overall they're friendly, but not overly so, and that includes those who don't get any direct benefit from being friendly, but just exude a natural friendliness. I suspect to find this in Britain too outside the large cities, but I fear this isn't so much the case in most of Western Europe either.
Russians are an interesting bunch. No, not a lot of smiles, but they can be very blunt and un-PC, but will quite openly talk to you and treat you quite familiar. Well some at least.
To be honest, language aside, the UK is far more like non-English speaking northern Europe than it is say the US or Canada. The sports we watch, our drinking cultures, reservedness (til we've had a few) and governments of low corruption & mostly constitutional monarchies (except for Germany).
Are you saying that the Canadian and American govts. have HIGH levels of corruption? That is the first time I've heard that, aside from the FACT that big business pretty much has the US, Canada, and much of western Europe (like you UK) by the balls.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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Originally Posted by dragonborn
To be honest, language aside, the UK is far more like non-English speaking northern Europe than it is say the US or Canada. The sports we watch, our drinking cultures, reservedness (til we've had a few) and governments of low corruption & mostly constitutional monarchies (except for Germany).
When you take away the now almost global collective body of English-speaking culture, that may be true, but that cannot be underestimated. London-New York is still the most travelled air route in the world, and even though Briton's have a greater familiarity with the Continent than Americans, they still, I would suspect, feel a greater affinity to Americans than say the French or Germans, if only for having a similar common language and popular culture. Many cultural tomes are shared between the two nations, while France or Germany have their own thing going.
This may begin to change as more Europeans learn English, particularly Scandinavians, Dutch.etc.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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Originally Posted by irish_bob
their hypocrosy might be tollerable were they not so self rightous
While the days of Rule Britannia and the glories of Britain's worldwide Empire may have passed into that realm of romanticised past, the British legacy has left a far deeper stamp than any of the other colonial legacies. Once upon a time Napoleon might've dreamnt of everybody from Paris to Peking conversing in French...I wonder if, King Alfred ever imagined that it would be the language of the Angles that would begin to dominate the world.
Now many Brits affect an almost self-conscious humility, shrinking away from displays of unrestrained national pride except when it comes to sporting events, lest they be accused of being western Imperialists. Only Scots and the Welsh are permitted the public display of pride in their nation, as they too are sometimes considered as being 'oppressed' by England.
Russians are an interesting bunch. No, not a lot of smiles, but they can be very blunt and un-PC, but will quite openly talk to you and treat you quite familiar. Well some at least.
Somehow I have hard time putting "Russians" and PC in one sentence...
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