America I Love You

OK, I have been accused of USA bashing on this blog. And it’s true, sometimes I have done.

No country is without its problems and issues. I’m from the England, and whilst it may have a reputation for rolling green hillsides and country gentlemen, in the main that’s not England at all. Our inner cities are as bad as anywhere else; gun and knife crime is rising, our teenagers are little shits that only a right good hiding would remedy, drug crimes are a problem, and we have some of the worst rates for violence in Europe, if not the worst. (Can’t be bothered to look it up, you have Google, you go do it).

But I love the UK. I’m proud to be British.

There are many things I like that are American, so it’s time to balance the scales a little.

Firstly, I’ve been, retrospectively, a ‘60s and ‘ 70s Soul fan for a long time! And whilst (it’s fair to say) that that type of Soul is more popular in the UK than it the USA, the music itself 99.99% American. Pretty much all the music I listen to is American. So there’s one thing.

If you ask anyone their all-time top 10 movies, how many people would not have at least one American movie in there? I certainly would. Several in fact.

My favourite TV show has to be The Simpsons. Classic satire that still makes me laugh. And American. Curb Your Enthusiam? Brilliant. Family Guy? Awesome. South Park? Love it. The recent Breaking Bad? Fantastic. I love UK TV too, and our comedy has to be up there with best around, but the USA can certainly churn out some masterpieces too.

I have many American friends over here in Korea. They are nice people. They use some strange phrases! But they are nice people. They are friendly. Really. They are. Are they ‘dumb’ (stupid) as per the American stereotype? Nope. Really, they aren’t. And we have more than our fair share of low IQ in the UK.

Um, what else? I suppose that will do for now. If you look through my blog most anti-American things I’ve said are spelling/grammar/pronunciation related – and as a British English teacher teaching American English to foreigners I have a right, I think, to be bothered by this. It doesn’t mean I hate Americana, I certainly don’t.

Might even visit the place one day. I just hope the notoriously strict American airport security people haven’t read my previous blog entries.