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Do you feel Americans are....?

A little overbearing, bad with personal boundaries, cloying etc/brash/ judgemental?

They make me a bit uncomfortable. I know we English are ultra reserved but we are 'negatively polite' which is a noble thing in my eyes.

And yes, it is a 'generalisation'.

Not just Americans, but do you feel that about any other cultures? Iwas used to reserve in the South-east and dont really like the way, eg Scotland is.

Reply 1

Cultivated

2

Yes, this is a 'generalisation'.

Reply 2

russianroullette

2

Sometimes I feel some of them are so patriotic it's irritating. I've lived out there, I would know.

Reply 3

Chillaxer

OP

15

russianroullette

Sometimes I feel some of them are so patriotic it's irritating. I've lived out there, I would know.

It's not really that. It's just I find it rude not to keep to yourself, especially if theyre going to impose judgement, cloyingness etc on you.

Reply 4

TheSownRose

16

I think a lot of nations are more emotionally expressive than the British stereotype, and I think a lot of British people are more emotionally expressive than I.

For my own answer to your question specifying Americans, no I don't find that. However, most of the Americans I know are descendants of my grandmother's sister who emigrated and, as such, grew up with more of a British culture concerning reservation.

Reply 5

Spanghew

11

Yes! And my partner is a perfect example of the overbearing American you speak of! :smile:

Reply 6

Chillaxer

OP

15

TheSownRose

I think a lot of nations are more emotionally expressive than the British stereotype, and I think a lot of British people are more emotionally expressive than I.

For my own answer to your question specifying Americans, no I don't find that. However, most of the Americans I know are descendants of my grandmother's sister who emigrated and, as such, grew up with more of a British culture concerning reservation.

Yeah predictably British of me but I just really distrust surface emotion given a lot. I think it's manipulative and can...well, Stalin was a charmer put it that way to express how I mean. I dont like cloying, or no distance, i like people being tough on me and reserved to some extent--thats manners to me, who wants the communty looking over you, thats the falseness of concern, you get me, thats why i hate people who say were uncaring

Whats percieved as our distance and misery etc...well, i think we try and be authentic.

Reply 7

ourlastmemory

15

I love the way they don't have this whole personal social boundaries thing going on. I went out there a couple of years back, and in one trip to a pasta bar with a friend we'd chatted with about 5 lovely people about england and pasta and so forth. It was really nice! :smile:

they were just friendly, everywhere you went there was someone willing to talk to you. Something us Brits lack hugely IMO.

"Stereotypical" Americans can be irritating, but I'm under no illusion that they're all like that.

Reply 8

Cyclone33

LOl I love this thread.

Reply 9

Athena Gray

1

This thread is amusing. XD

Chillaxer

bad with personal boundaries

LOL, I guess it's how you look at it. I'm pretty sure I agree with you on some level. Emotional recall in drama class got on my nerves because I hate sharing anything personal with anybody, even my best friend, but nobody else in my class had a problem with sharing their Deep, Dark Secrets. -_- I'm a quiet, private person. The Mind Your Own Business Club has my lifelong membership. Then again, I don't have much of a problem sharing most details about my life. Most of it isn't important, so why not? It's just conversation.

Chillaxer

Yeah predictably British of me but I just really distrust surface emotion given a lot. I think it's manipulative

Don't give us so much credit. It's kind of an instinct we tend to have - just because we're nice to strangers doesn't make us BFFs. People know where they stand with others (unless they're just dense in general), and no one is pulling a Stalin on you, no worries. :biggrin:

Reply 10

StressedDesserts

4

A lot of them are so over religious it's unreal.

Reply 11

NoHands

17

russianroullette

Sometimes I feel some of them are so patriotic it's irritating. I've lived out there, I would know.

This and their stupid over-religiousness.

Then again, everything else, is probably pretty good. Theres a lot of things I would like them to be more british at, but there are equally as many things id like british people to be more american at.

Reply 12

286049

I hate how THEIR politics has become OUR politics

Reply 13

Aphotic Cosmos

17

The only American I know is really nice and is nothing like what Americans are portrayed to be in the media [i.e. brash, overconfident, materialistic, etc.]

So on that basis, I soundly reject your generalisation of 300 million Americans.

Reply 14

a.posteriori

Hi, I'm brash, overconfident, and materialistic.

Reply 15

Spinnerette

16

A little overbearing, bad with personal boundaries, cloying etc/brash/ judgemental?

No, no and no.

Mainly it's because my dad is an american citizen and all that side of the family are American and live in America, but I've never encountered that kind of personality.