I like Brits so much I married one. 
The idea that the British have good television programs is a myth. Check out the BBC listings for the prime time schedule and unless you really like 50s movies, gardening shows, or cricket, you’ll see what I mean. There have been quite a few good BBC shows, of course, but the average evening’s line-up is pretty grim.
The bad teeth thing is just a stereotype, too. The British have plenty of access to dental care.
I’d say the British reputation for reserve is exagerated, too. The English, at least, strike me as likely to be whiners.
One thing I’ve noticed is that the British often are their own harshest critics. I can think of a lot of books or movies from the UK that make life there look pretty bad, and there’s sometimes a flat-out rant dismissing the whole place as a shit heap. This may contribute to British people wondering what Americans really, really, deep down think about the UK.
Not that there’s anything to worry about. Anglophilia is common in the American middle class.
Unfortunately he seems to be having a pretty good try at it though.
When was the last time BBC1 showed a 1950s movie in anything like prime time? Or cricket? And gardening shows are mainly on BBC2, their “special interest” network… other than that, good point.
DMark, I am always mystified by the food assertion. Unless you were visiting the UK during the 1970s, you’d have found a wealth of astonishingly good restaurants - albeit most of them cooking foreign styles, but to an incredibly high standard. Maybe you just weren’t paying enough?
D’MARK: Chips drippin’ wi’ grease? by 'eck lad thas nivver bin darn t’corner chippie on’t Manchister Rd 'as thee, nay lad tha dusni now thas born 'til thas 'ad some fish’n chips from 'arrys.
Si thi lad, get thissen some 'o them scratchins annawl and whilst thas at it git thissen a bluddy great wedge 'o Cumb’land sossidge wi some proper mustard onnit, non 'o that pissy weak American stuff or that French crap.
Now then to be serious, I’d like to thank all those that took the trouble to post onto this thread, it seems that you Yanks do like us after all…thanks lads and lassies and God Bless America and The UK of course.
In general the American’s I have met seem to like/love Britain.
Example: I was on a tour of the Tower of London on a day out with my mum (not “mom” sorry) and probably half of the people there were Americans. They seem to love the history; the fact that the tower is 1000 years old is almost incomprehensible to them. I don’t mean this in a patronising way, it is just that American history only really dates from 1776 (ish). It really is a case of quirky old England. Things like the monarchy, house of commons/lords and how the Prime Minister is in the Executive and the Legislative etc etc.
In general we have a very strong relationship and it can be seen as nothing but a good thing. There is some things between us that I like to think of as friendly banter, e.g. In the UK it is impossible to say “have a nice day” without putting on an American accent, I’m sorry we just find it funny, the same way you find things like “bloody hell” funny.
I don’t think many American’s sit round at the dinner table and regularly discuss their views on the UK but if you did ask an American for their views I am sure 99% of the time the answer would be positive. Esp. since things like Tony Blair addressing Congress and getting something like 17 standing ovations.
You’re right, kris.
I remember when I returned from my first visit to London (the greatest city in the world, by the way.) One of the things I was most awed by was to actually see things that dated from way before 1600.
By the way, a lot of Americans say “mum”, too. That’s the way I was brought up. Maybe its only families with Brit ancestry.
Here are the general rules:
We like the Brits, Aussies, and Kiwis. In general, they seem to like us.
We like the Canadians, but they don’t seem to like us anymore. Sometimes I think its partly because of, you know, that French thing. For the most part, though, its the big brother-little brother thing. Sometimes we ignore them, which seems to hurt their feelings;)
I hate to point this out SNEEZE but you misspelt London, it is M-A-N-C-H-E-S-T-E-R
Oh no that can’t be right. On the first page Brutus let us know that Yanks never ever think of Kiwis and he is never wrong. Is he? 
kris, you need to work on your apostrophes.
Reminds me of the Mancunian who rang up the BBC to complain about the beeb saying Birmingham was the England’s second city, “Everyone knows it’s London”, said the Manc.
“That’s never rain! we 'ave picnics in that oop North”
That’s a point, why is Brummigham Englands 2nd city?
I mean it aint nearly as big as Greater Manchester, innit:D
i love brits. 
WIth respect to the class system, a difference between the British and Americans which Americans readily recognize is that the British class system is obvious, well-defined, and easy to comprehend.
It also seems to involve less shame and self-loathing.
As I understand it, there are people in Great Britain who are content, and even proud to be called “working class”.
By contrast, I don’t recall ever hearing the ter “working class” applied to an American until I was about 16. In America practically everyone defines themself as “middle class” no matter how rich or how poor they are. Then again, this is a nation where Ted Turner can describe himself in magazine interviews with complete seriousness as “wiped out” because he has lost roughly seven billion dollars–and now has only a billion left.
In Great Britian–or so it seems to Americans–class has more to do with birth, income, and accent. In America class is much more elusive to define, although nonetheless real. It has largely to do with habits and attitudes, with grammar, and with vocabulary.
Sometimes small customs are very revealing; for instance, there is a chasm between the sort of middle class person who would display a college diploma on a wall in their home, and the middle class person of greater status who would consider that gauche, if it ever entered into his or her head that this could be done.
Another example: in law school I had a classmate who went to an exclusive prep school, and then to a very expensive private college for women, facts she continually mentioned whether they were appropriate to a conversation or not. Her father was a very wealthy entrepeneur and, I surmised, had not started out rich. That is because one evening as she and I were sitting with friends at a local tavern she told us the price for which her father had recently sold their summer home.
As person with the thoroughly middle class sort of upbringing where one attended the local state university as an undergraduate and worked in the summers because one needed the money, I found that shockingly gauche. It was then I realized that she wasn’t really very upper class at all.
The South! ~grins~
Of course, being a Southern gal myself, I could be a bit biased. I would say specifically “Houston” as that’s where I am, but truthfully, I wouldn’t say the “best” gals overall are in this town, current company excluded.
I am one of those Americans who quite enjoys to hear a British accent, although I actually like quite a few accents from all over the world.
I like the way British people use words.
I like that British people tend to be more reserved than Americans.
I don’t care much for British humor. Though occasionally I don’t understand it, it’s more that what I have seen of it, even when I understood it, wasn’t amusing to me.
On the other hand, I have an English friend who makes me laugh quite frequently…we seem to share the same sense of humor…
I’ve heard that British food is awful (native food) but I’ve never had it myself. Steak and kidney pie does not sound appealing.
~J
My primary impression of Brits is that they have a better sense of what is appropriate in formal situations. Perhaps it’s left over from the Revolution, but us Americans seem to have a real problem sometimes with paying an important occasion the respect it is due.
I saw “My Fair Lady” in the West End a few weeks back, and Queen Lizzie & Co. arrived halfway through. The respect, warmth, and politeness with which the majority of the audience responded made me quite embarassed to be sharing an accent with the shrill Americans who were whining about ice cream vendors, British accents, the service in London, and the country in general. I know that 99% of the Americans in the audience that night were behaving appropriately, but it certainly did sting that the only troublemakers had American accents.
On the other hand, that was the same day that the streaker tore through the queen’s tea party, so I suppose inappropriate behavior comes in all accents.
Ah, and I also hold the (possibly mistaken) notion that the English in general have a healthier attitude toward alcohol. Pub culture fascinates me.
JAADE: Believe me British food WAS bloody awful…then something happened!!
Suddenly we realised that fish 'n chips wasn’t the be all and end all of culinary delights, same goes for tripe and onions.
So what happened was a whole new breed sprang up out of nowhere, people that could actually cook and cook damn well.
That opened the floodgates, cookery programmes became prime time viewing, books best sellers. Chefs came from mainland Europe to show us what we had been missing, Indian/Chinese restaurants appeared as did pizza places. People who had never tasted either of the dishes these latter people produced waxed poetic about them…we were REBORN …hallelujah!!!
Then came Mc Donalds and we were nearly back to square one :C
All that being taken on board I can assure you that fish 'n chips from a decent ENGLISH chippie are great, from and Indian or Chinese takeaway they are bloody awful.
Steak and Kidney pie or pudding!! try my friend, you’ll like it, if you don’t I’ll pay for it.
CADBURY: Queen LIZZIE?..behave yourself, we still have the chopping block y’know
Aww Lizzie Chips doesn’t mind the odd nickname.
Y’know something KIWI I can not somehow imagine Liz sat there watching the TV, cutting her toenails and saying to Phil “Fancy a curry”.
I can’t imagine her having a poo either but she must, probably comes out wrapped in gold foil with ER2 stamped on it