A case in point ...

[blamebrampton]

So, there we were, having a chat on a friend's LJ about the differences between the US and the UK for purposes of a self-Britpicking list, with participants from both sides of the pond and beyond and frequent diversions into baiting and comedy from all sides, and apparently it has become a source of Flocked Drama.

Consider the argument very carefully: At least one American is very upset that British people prefer to be depicted in accurate ways.

And if you can't see why that's a bit dodgy, replace the word British with any other nationality.

I don't want to overstate the case, because really, it doesn't culturally oppress us the way that some other cultures have been oppressed by this sort of thing, since we don't deeply care and we had an Empire first. And while the original source of the complaint is a preference, it's certainly not a sine qua non, and we read heaps of stuff that gets us wrong, and some of it is good and some is crap, and really, at the end of the day we still pronounce and spell aluminium in ways that are scientifically logical, which in itself is enough. But, honestly ...

Interestingly, one of my points of difference was a tendency to soap-opera-like over-reactions in fiction. Clearly I drew the line too narrowly.

AND I left off the fact that it the entire United States has been the subject of mass-brainwashing to accept caffeinated flavoured beverages as coffee. Though I see Starbucks has dropped the word from their logo, truth in advertising at last!

Comments

[hollyxu.livejournal.com]

I would be '...' except I've seen the same sort of reaction to an attempt to categorize Canadian vs US, so really, not surprised.

But that list would be really useful, especially since I have no framework for British culture outside of Austen/Bronte, and therefore about 200 years off. Fandumb is inhibiting progress! D:

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Do you know how strong the temptation is to say 'Actually, no, that all still stands exactly the same' in the hope that you turn out genius Regency HP fic and I can pretend Temeraire is one of the dragons in the background? It's HUGE!

[hollyxu.livejournal.com]

Haha! I did write a Temeraire fusion, but in the Sherlock BBC-verse. There's also a Mulan in the works, but that one is slooooooow.

Could you imagine Ron as a dragon captain? He'd really be saying 'bloody hell' all the time.

But more seriously, it's funny-ish that both sides are from cultures used to being the dominating influence in media. (As am I, but China in Western media is ... really not something I'm going to get into now.)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Oh we're awful. Even in Australia, where the Chinese are in recorded history from four years after it begins (and were in all probability here for centuries before that), we're still often awful. I will grant that Australian fiction is better on Chinese-Australians, who are not irregularly well-represented.