with all their 'high fives', 'dudes', 'awesome', 'cool', 'sweet' load of ********. But then again I loathe this thing in cricket where the batsmen touch gloves all the fkin time. "Well done, you've just hit the ball with your bat... let's hug and kiss and show the world how at one we are." Also in football, this 'thumbs up' when a player passes a ball to another and it flies twenty yards over/beyond/behind the intended recipient. I just used to get abuse. 'Thumbs up... good attempt for your fifty thousand pounds a week'. But Americans.... ye gods... not a nation, just a recent abhoration.
Americans tend to be full on, very confident and noisy. That's a generalisation, I'm sure there are many quiet, introspective Americans too, but there are enough of the loud ones to give the impression they're all like that. However, go to their country and they're some of the nicest people you could hope to meet, who will go out of there way to help you.
Going off topic slightly but I remember reading a pol once of top 100 Americans voted for by fellow americans and Jesus Christ was in the top 20.
On a similar note, I remember hearing a story on the radio about someone on a train journey, ended up chatting to an American tourist. They got talking about where they were from, and the English person said they were from Bristol. "Oh my God, my Aunt lives in Bristol. Do you know her? She's called Margaret."
I worked on a Summer camp in the US 1989. The differences between American kids, and how they are brought up, and British kids is staggering. First of all, kids as young as 8 packed off to camp for the entire 8 weeks. Just very odd. I don't know anyone who would want to be away from their kids at that age, for that length of time, let alone pay an extortionate amount of money for the privilege.... and to be looked after British teenagers who are by and large on a cheap travel ticket to the USA. In that time those kids were allowed one call home every 2 weeks, and one visit midway through. The kids were from rich, Jewish backgrounds. They were packed off to camp with brand new everything, whilst Mums & Dads went to the Bahamas, on cruises etc. The other obviously noticeable thing was the overly competitive nature of them. The entire camp was split into two teams for "Colour War". Red vs Grey. Every last thing became a competition. Singing, Basketball, swimming, getting out of bed quickly, tidying up. It was extreme. They were whipped up into a frenzy at every opportunity After a few days, the scores were added up and the winners announced. My team lost. In typical British fashion, I shrugged it off. The kids? Tears, tantrums and heartbreak which went on for days on end. No wonder they all had psychologists. Just a bizarre experience.
I get your point but isn't that just the same as the English posh kids packed off to boarding school? Minus the competitive nature of course. I quite like the team element to it if I'm honest, though maybe the extent it goes to is a bit extreme. On an unrelated note I'll tell you what annoys me these days. The idea of having different 'colleges' within schools British schools or as is the case in at least one Barnsley school now different continents. Piss off. If anyone really think an that telling a kid they are part of Asia within their school will make any difference at all to their education then they are so far off the mark its unbelievable.
Is it because you are stereotyping? I invite you to the No 7 next Tuesday and you can tell it to a couple. Then again, as it's just after my wife's UK citizenship ceremony maybe that'll completely change her personality!
The old song by Allan Sherman comes to mind: Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah. Here I am at Camp Granada. Camp is very entertaining. And they say we'll have some fun if it stops raining.
went to the good old usa on holiday many moons ago and without doubt they were some of the friendliest people i've ever met.We were constantly served with a smile. not been to many countries where i can honestly say i'd like to live but america was certainly one.
One of the main reasons for summer camp popularity is the fact that most US workers get about 15 days holiday a year. Kids being off school for a couple of months in summer soon eats into that.
