My updated signature box is my disclaimer and grants me immunity.
I hope your friend sent the Limey a nice box of tea !
Oh, crap! Was there an addendum in the notice requiring this? I'll get right on it. Hope he doesn't mind 'cactus' flavor....
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British XS650'ers
- Thread starter xjwmx
- Start date
My updated signature box is my disclaimer and grants me immunity.
Oh, crap! Was there an addendum in the notice requiring this? I'll get right on it. Hope he doesn't mind 'cactus' flavor....
I meant the sender was rude not you
The tea joke was a bit tongue-in-cheek but I thought it would be one-in-the eye for the Limey who sent it (Boston tea party etc)
Ahhh, you caught me. Odd-numbered friday brain fog....
damn its Friday today you say !.......I thought it was Thursday all day.
I have a question for the Brits and actually for anybody not from the U.S.A. I'm not sure I want to know the answer!
I noticed that in films here when they want to portray some sophistication they use a British accent. When they want to portray scheming intelligence they use a German accent. When they want to portray a he-man they give him a Russian accent. When they want to portray suave they give him a French accent. Australian accent means alligator wrestler.
So my question is this - what associations do they have in film for an American accent?
I noticed that in films here when they want to portray some sophistication they use a British accent. When they want to portray scheming intelligence they use a German accent. When they want to portray a he-man they give him a Russian accent. When they want to portray suave they give him a French accent. Australian accent means alligator wrestler.
So my question is this - what associations do they have in film for an American accent?
At first I struggled to answer that question ,perhaps because of the diverse genre of modern movies. To attempt to answer the question I began wondering traditionally what it was that made us Brits... Brits and I think it has to be the Heritage of our armed forces.
I think the legendary British 'stiff upper lip' came from the exceptional discipline instilled in our Army and Navy .
That discipline together with all the best virtues like honour, loyalty, courage, valour, steadfastness,fortitude etc filtered down into general society and into the family unit where once upon a time these virtues became something everyone admired and aspired to from an early age and was how our movie industry traditionally depicted us Brits.
I think up until this Millennium the movie industry has been responsible for depicting Americans as Romantic,brave,brash, forward, gung-ho, etc and the fact that in the past 50 years most war movies depict the USA as having won WWll single- handledly with the Brits just tagging along for the ride didn't exactly endear the Yanks to the Limeys of my generation ,especially as you always seemed to have too much of everything and we endured crippling austerity and rationing up until 1955.
International travel in the last 30-40 years and a more balanced media presentation has long since eradicated that view and frankly most of that generation are now dead!
I would say in answer to your question I think modern movies depict the Americans as they are , a warm, friendly , good hearted ,generous, industrious and innovative nation prepared to stand up and be counted where there is injustice or oppression.
I think the legendary British 'stiff upper lip' came from the exceptional discipline instilled in our Army and Navy .
That discipline together with all the best virtues like honour, loyalty, courage, valour, steadfastness,fortitude etc filtered down into general society and into the family unit where once upon a time these virtues became something everyone admired and aspired to from an early age and was how our movie industry traditionally depicted us Brits.
I think up until this Millennium the movie industry has been responsible for depicting Americans as Romantic,brave,brash, forward, gung-ho, etc and the fact that in the past 50 years most war movies depict the USA as having won WWll single- handledly with the Brits just tagging along for the ride didn't exactly endear the Yanks to the Limeys of my generation ,especially as you always seemed to have too much of everything and we endured crippling austerity and rationing up until 1955.
International travel in the last 30-40 years and a more balanced media presentation has long since eradicated that view and frankly most of that generation are now dead!
I would say in answer to your question I think modern movies depict the Americans as they are , a warm, friendly , good hearted ,generous, industrious and innovative nation prepared to stand up and be counted where there is injustice or oppression.
acebars
XS650 Addict
Have to agree and disagree with this! Stiff upper lip came from Imperial Britain post 1815, a combination of democracy, free trade, naval trade, navy, gentlemen values, keeping ones word in an agreement etc. which developed from this, our military (other than the navy) was tiny compared to this.
Britain's army has been historically tiny compared to others, our Navy was massive. Exceptional discipline was something the Prussian army had, it was the best and most disciplined army in the 19th Century, and they were a pretty nasty bunch of people on the whole with a hierarchy ending with the King (no ideas of personal freedom or democracy etc.). No gentlemanly values in the Prussian army, no coincidence that most of their ideals such as "lebensraum" were the core of Nazi ideology.
It depends who is making the film! In todays Hollywood centric cinema all Americans are heroes facing total injustice and trying to transplant and export American style values to the bad guys. Brits are usually the villains
I prefer to take a "Team America" view on Hollywood
But suppose there's a modern British movie or TV show, and a character pops up who has an American accent. Why does he have it and what does it subconsciously convey? If it's a comedy then what's the stereotype they're playing with like?
acebars
XS650 Addict
I don't think Americans get stereotyped or boxed into a certain box in modern British series or films, like Brits do as villains in Hollywood.
Same goes with British comedy there are Americans who are quite popular over here (and forgive me for saying British humour is for sure on a higher level than North America!)
Check this guy out for example:
Same goes with British comedy there are Americans who are quite popular over here (and forgive me for saying British humour is for sure on a higher level than North America!)
Check this guy out for example:
There's an essay by Mark Twain called "How to Tell a Story" where he goes into the difference between American and Euro humor. The American is supposedly about how you tell the story and the Euro is more about the content of the story. I think it's still true. But it's also said we have the best and the worst here, both
The reason I'm asking this question is just pure curiosity about how we're thought of. How we're stereotyped in movies would reflect the real subconscious thought. I'm also curious about how an American accent sounds to a Brit
Have to add I don't think Brits get stereotyped as villains. Unless the movie is about the Revolutionary War... But if they needed a sophisticated villain they might give him a Brit accent because it implies sophistication. There are a lot of Brit salesmen here on TV and I think the reason is to imply sophistication about the product. Probably has roots in the time we were all backwoodsmen here and the lords and ladies were over there.
The reason I'm asking this question is just pure curiosity about how we're thought of. How we're stereotyped in movies would reflect the real subconscious thought. I'm also curious about how an American accent sounds to a Brit
Have to add I don't think Brits get stereotyped as villains. Unless the movie is about the Revolutionary War... But if they needed a sophisticated villain they might give him a Brit accent because it implies sophistication. There are a lot of Brit salesmen here on TV and I think the reason is to imply sophistication about the product. Probably has roots in the time we were all backwoodsmen here and the lords and ladies were over there.
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acebars
XS650 Addict
I was at a traditional boarding school and we occasionally had guys who would be sent over from the States to get a British education, I always remember there was about a 6-12 month break in period for them to start understanding all but the lowest forms of our humour. It was longer or never for the Germans..
I've been in the states for long periods and I found all the talk comedy shows and everyday humour etc. etc. to be basic, I understand it, but it's usually poor humour at best witty...
That said and it's been said before that although American humour is poor when spontaneous, Americans are very good at scripted comedies, films like Tropic Thunder, Macgruber and Anchorman literally had me in stitches.
There are some very funny people in the States don't get me wrong, but it depends on the gearing of a society, something Ricky Gervais highlighted at the Oscars!
I've been in the states for long periods and I found all the talk comedy shows and everyday humour etc. etc. to be basic, I understand it, but it's usually poor humour at best witty...
That said and it's been said before that although American humour is poor when spontaneous, Americans are very good at scripted comedies, films like Tropic Thunder, Macgruber and Anchorman literally had me in stitches.
There are some very funny people in the States don't get me wrong, but it depends on the gearing of a society, something Ricky Gervais highlighted at the Oscars!
From what I've been readin Piers might go back at any time. In shackles.
Purplezinger
XS650 Addict
I happen to like Piers Morgan, he gave that gun nut hell the other night when no one else would. On the other hand, Simon Cowell who gives a f**k.
acebars
XS650 Addict
Yea I watched that recently and must say I have u-turned on Piers Morgan, he makes for a good interviewer.
Simon Cowell is still another matter...
Piers, and Anderson Cooper Vanderbilt, and the rest of the Cocktail Party elite don't mind their gun nut bodyguards! Elitist hypocrites. What gall.
Purplezinger
XS650 Addict
Celebrities having a bodyguard, elitist? Really, how is that an issue? Having a bodyguard is light years removed from a fanatic ranting about purchasing AK47's.
^The Cocktail Partiers don't want to allow you to defend yourself with firearms. But they would never think of giving up their packing bodyguards. Equivalent things. That's elitism.
Regarding AKs, Piers doesn't know which end the round comes out of. You will understand when he goes after fanatics ranting about purchasing xs650s
Regarding AKs, Piers doesn't know which end the round comes out of. You will understand when he goes after fanatics ranting about purchasing xs650s
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30 years ago I found info on 'hoplophobia' in psychiatry magazines. Explains it well enuff for me...
http://www.ammoland.com/2013/04/is-hoplophobia-real-gun-fear-the-most-dangerous-of-all-phobias
http://www.ammoland.com/2013/04/is-hoplophobia-real-gun-fear-the-most-dangerous-of-all-phobias
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