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In the UK – and to some extent here in France – people are generally pretty aware of regional/class differences in the US. Thanks to TV and the movies, most of us are aware of the differences between the your preppy Connecticut WASP and the pick-up driving Texan; or the bible-bashing Southerner and the vacuous rich blonde from California. I think probably no other country is so well known: when we think "Brazilian", "Chinese" or "Russian", generally, just one stereotype springs to mind. With "American", it's several.
So are Americans and mass media generally aware of the regional differences in the UK? It seems to me that generally the only stereotype that has crossed the Atlantic is the posh, upper class guy from the southeast (Hugh Grant, Prince William etc). It's as if we thought EVERYONE in the USA was just like the cast of Gossip Girl.
I think you're mistaken and that Americans are aware of a variety of stereotypical British characters - not just upper crust. For one thing, there's at least one, if not more, stereotypes per country: Scotland, Wales, for example. Even if you stick just with England (which probably has the widest range of known UK-based stereotypes across the pond) the least aware American is just as familiar with the cockney bloke as he is with the posh. That doesn't dip into the even more regional stereotypes of class and character.
well i can't speak for all americans , but i'll give it a shot based on my VERY limited window into British culture.
overall I think of there being two distinct areas: One "UK" is urban ... typically close to London, major university cities, and some of the "posh" areas in the countryside. The other UK is Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall.. maybe even throw the Republic of Ireland in there, culturally speaking -- where they share a lot of similar traits, including rural/village living, quite a few industrial cities, a welcoming attitude toward most Americans, and a distaste for "posh Londoners."
southeastern england (london) is known for its elegant accent, well-educated, but snobby. it seems as if londoners in general are resented in the rest of the UK. It also has tons of foreigners.
scottish are known for being miserly, clever, financially acute, and impossible to undertand, as well as politically populist/liberal. lower class Glaswegians, in particular are known for stabbing each other.
welsh are known for fighting and inbreeding/sheep bestiality (jokingly, I assume).
southwest england / cornwall -- i have no idea. i've heard some stereotypes but I forget what they are.
"chavs" are, as i understand it, in every region of the UK -- but I associate them mainly with run-down industrial cities in north england.
i don't know if there's a difference between the "cockney" and "chav," but I assume cockney is what we in america would call "blue collar" or "working class", where as the chav is a very specific type of "white trash" that is like the American version of the 'whigger'.
Bad teeth- thats the stereotype americans have of uk folks.. There was even a british character on "family guy" which perpetuated the stereotype.
Family Guy repeatedly makes jokes about the Brits, such as the women being unattractive (mainly because of bad teeth). I remember one episode in which Meg wishes Death to kill everyone prettier than her, and Death replies, "Then that would just leave England."
Quote:
Originally Posted by le roi
well i can't speak for all americans , but i'll give it a shot based on my VERY limited window into British culture.
overall I think of there being two distinct areas: One "UK" is urban ... typically close to London, major university cities, and some of the "posh" areas in the countryside. The other UK is Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall.. maybe even throw the Republic of Ireland in there, culturally speaking -- where they share a lot of similar traits, including rural/village living, quite a few industrial cities, a welcoming attitude toward most Americans, and a distaste for "posh Londoners."
southeastern england (london) is known for its elegant accent, well-educated, but snobby. it seems as if londoners in general are resented in the rest of the UK. It also has tons of foreigners.
scottish are known for being miserly, clever, financially acute, and impossible to undertand, as well as politically populist/liberal. lower class Glaswegians, in particular are known for stabbing each other.
welsh are known for fighting and inbreeding/sheep bestiality (jokingly, I assume).
southwest england / cornwall -- i have no idea. i've heard some stereotypes but I forget what they are.
"chavs" are, as i understand it, in every region of the UK -- but I associate them mainly with run-down industrial cities in north england.
i don't know if there's a difference between the "cockney" and "chav," but I assume cockney is what we in america would call "blue collar" or "working class", where as the chav is a very specific type of "white trash" that is like the American version of the 'whigger'.
That's how I see it too. There is London, and there is the "cockney" countryside. Regarding chavs, I've heard that the county of Essex is where a lot of them are. Essex is like the UK equivalent to New Jersey. There are even reality shows that depict the people Essex, one called "The Only Way Is Essex"
i have a new family member (by marriage) from essex. i was talking to him recently and that's exactly what he said -- Essex is like London's New Jersey.
i'd consider that the most severe of insults, so i wasn't sure what to say.
As a fan of "The League of Gentlemen," "Doc Martin" and "Little Britain"/"Torchwood" I'm quite familiar with Northern, Western, and Welsh accents/attitudes, respectively.
It doesn't hurt that I lived in Europe for 4 years where I had access to BBC1 and BBC2 on cable tv...
Soccer, Austin Powers; thats about it, in my experience people don't really care about British, they are just people who speak the same language as us but with a funny accent.
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