That phrase is one that is almost cliche in the U.S. because you here it all over the place. I have heard kids on the playground use it as a witty retort and I have heard it used in political commentary.
Do people in other countries say something similar? I would imagine that people in North Korea probably don’t say it very often but what about Canada, Mexico, England, or France?
I’ve heard the exact same phrase used here in Australia, especially as a kid.
We also have the mildly xenophobic stuff like, “if you don’t like it, I’ll drive you to the airport”, which I guess is our version of “well, go back to Russia!”.
I still hear it every now and again, usually in situations where it’s patently untrue e.g.
work colleague asserting that he will build anything he likes in his backyard. After all, “it’s a free country”. Never mind about the zoning laws, local council regulations on noise control, environmental protection laws regarding pollution control etc etc.
I’ve not heard that one before.
Yep, it’s common in Britain.
And “If you don’t like it” (or “if they don’t like it”), with any follow-up merely implied, can be heard as a racist putdown all too often.
Yes in Canada.
In China when I asked if a certain activity that I observed was illegal they would sometimes smile and answer “Beijing is a long way away.” It was never anything that I would consider criminal, but sometimes fishermen would dry shrimp on the roads or farmers would do the same for peanuts. It’s not a free country exactly, but it’s their equivalent I guess.
When people in China, especially Fujien Province, Gateway to the West and Capital of the People-Smuggling Industry, say “It’s a free country”. they’re usually referring to the US.
For Norway the answer is, as far as my experience goes, ‘no’.
Or our version of “America: Love it or leave it.”
Actually, like Cunctator, i hadn’t heard that one either.
Another somewhat similar turn of phrase that Australia shares with the United States is the “un-” word: “unAmerican” and “unAustralian.”
It’s interesting that two countries whose cultures spend so much time lauding their own tolerance and freedom also make such frequent use of a word that implies a very narrow range of what it means to be a citizen. These words, in these countries, are often used to describe people or ideas that deviate from mainstream orthodoxy.
In Europe, if you told a dissenting Frenchman or Italian that they were being “unFrench” or “unItalian,” you’d probably get laughed out of the room.
I’ve heard American college students in Israel say “I’m an American” with a (possibly implied) “they can’t do anything to me” tacked on.
Now granted, they were American college students visiting Israel for 3 weeks- as I know because I was a member of their tour group- and so maybe don’t count. But since the question is about what people, I think they count as people in another country.
At the time I heard each of them, my instincts were to say “Shut up! Yes, the police (or whoever) may not do anything to you because you are an American- but there is no need to put this theory to the test.”
One of my favorite lines from TV’s MAS*H
Radar: Can I do that?
Hawkeye: It’s a semi-free country!
We Americans say it here in English. Usually it is just a laugh line.
Diplomatic immunity!!
Usually, when I hear “it’s a free country”, it’s in the context of “what the fuck do I care what you do?” not “I can do whatever I want”.
Example:
“Dare me to drink this bottle of SoCo and climb to the top of that cell phone tower?”
“meh…it’s a free country”
I wonder if Chinese parents say, “It’s a totalitarian country” as they send their misbehaving kids to their rooms.
I asked a Chinese friend about that. She said that they don’t say that, though they feel that they are more or less free.
I opened this thread to make this exact post. Dang you, CalMeacham! I do use this all the time when students ask my permission to do things when they really don’t need to ask. They rarely get the joke.
I haven’t said it since I was a kid, and when I did used to say it, it was followed by something like ‘and you’re not the boss of ME-EE!’. Normally followed by a time-out in my room.
I haven’t heard anyone say that in years, and I wouldn’t think that New Zealanders consider themselves un-free. Maybe we just don’t care.
I’d like to see them put it to the test, actually. The Israeli police wouldn’t hesitate to arrest US citizens, although if it wasn’t something serious they’d probably just deport them. Saying “but I’m an American!” would probably just piss them off.
Just a clarification: Both times that I heard an American College Student say “I’m an American” (I can do whatever I want) all the person really wanted to do was talk in a louder voice than seemed appropriate for the situation. In one case, police were in the area trying to get a bunch of protestors (near the Knesset) to move along, and so most of us felt that it was not in our best interest to draw attention to ourselves- even though the police would probably have just urged us to get back on our bus and go somewhere else. The other time the person was drunk-- and we just didn’t feel the need to be the center of attention–any would be theives didn’t need to know that we were Americans and possibly more likely to have money or cameras or something else worth stealing on us.