It would seem logical that if American writing is overly influenced by American soap operas, than the Americans who are doing the writing are overly influenced.
I can only describe my personal experience regarding the difference in the ways Christianity influences our different cultures. I am a coastal American, east and west, and not from the areas you broadcast on the news and in documentaries where it's all about Jesus and damnation, etc. I moved from Los Angeles -- where the companies I worked for sent out "Seasons Greetings" cards, to London, where not only did the companies I worked for send out "Happy Christmas" cards, but where I was unable to make anyone see how this was offensive to me as a non-Christian. I receive cards with Mary and Jesus on them every year from my husband's relatives. I have to defend my children against my MIL's constant attempts to talk to them about Jesus. My daughter is forcefed Christianity in school as if it's a given that she's Christian despite the large number of Muslim and non-Christian people in her school. She has to say prayers and attend Church and listen to the pastor tell her that Christmas is all about Jesus.
The only time I had to deal with that sort of thing when I was living in America was when I attended a small, private school. The public institution in which I participated in the States seemed to try quite hard to be diverse and inclusive. Whenever I try to suggest that perhaps some people aren't of Christian origin to Brits over here, I'm met with outrage and accused of being narrow minded and a killjoy.
My current take is that some British people of British decent are so immersed in their Christian culture that they take it as "normal". They don't even see the influence that religion has on their thoughts and behaviour, because they don't know any different. They've never been the odd one out or the outsider, so they don't know how irritating it is when people assume you're going to have your children Christened and try to get them into St. Mary's on the Field because they have the best OFSTED reports. :/
Of course there are plenty of Americans who have the same attitude and some who express it in much more toxic ways. I'm not one of them, however, and I know as many non-religious Americans as I do Brits and many more overtly religious Brits than I do Americans. It all depends on your personal experiences. It's the generalisations that make me itchy, especially when they don't match up to what I observe in my life.
no subject
I can only describe my personal experience regarding the difference in the ways Christianity influences our different cultures. I am a coastal American, east and west, and not from the areas you broadcast on the news and in documentaries where it's all about Jesus and damnation, etc. I moved from Los Angeles -- where the companies I worked for sent out "Seasons Greetings" cards, to London, where not only did the companies I worked for send out "Happy Christmas" cards, but where I was unable to make anyone see how this was offensive to me as a non-Christian. I receive cards with Mary and Jesus on them every year from my husband's relatives. I have to defend my children against my MIL's constant attempts to talk to them about Jesus. My daughter is forcefed Christianity in school as if it's a given that she's Christian despite the large number of Muslim and non-Christian people in her school. She has to say prayers and attend Church and listen to the pastor tell her that Christmas is all about Jesus.
The only time I had to deal with that sort of thing when I was living in America was when I attended a small, private school. The public institution in which I participated in the States seemed to try quite hard to be diverse and inclusive. Whenever I try to suggest that perhaps some people aren't of Christian origin to Brits over here, I'm met with outrage and accused of being narrow minded and a killjoy.
My current take is that some British people of British decent are so immersed in their Christian culture that they take it as "normal". They don't even see the influence that religion has on their thoughts and behaviour, because they don't know any different. They've never been the odd one out or the outsider, so they don't know how irritating it is when people assume you're going to have your children Christened and try to get them into St. Mary's on the Field because they have the best OFSTED reports. :/
Of course there are plenty of Americans who have the same attitude and some who express it in much more toxic ways. I'm not one of them, however, and I know as many non-religious Americans as I do Brits and many more overtly religious Brits than I do Americans. It all depends on your personal experiences. It's the generalisations that make me itchy, especially when they don't match up to what I observe in my life.