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

[norton-gale.livejournal.com]

American politics has allowed itself to be controlled to some extent by religious fundamentalists, and that has seeped through to the culture. Who are these people, and how many of them are there? I have never met a single one, though I have only lived on the east and west coasts. Even my brother and his evangelical family, despite being Biblical fundamentalists, are mostly politically liberal, and their religion doesn't allow them to participate in the political process anyway, so they're off the radar. I believe that a small number of people have amassed a great deal of money and are dominating and influencing politics.

That being said, I have seen the statistics, and yes, there are far more religious believers here than atheists/agnostics. I'm just not convinced that most are extremely religious in the way the religious right suggests the majority of this country is.

*Note:probably won't be able to respond to this in real time!*

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I agree with you that the average American is more likely to have a liberal attitude even if they are a strong religious believer, which is one of the reasons I am consistently incensed by the political power wielded by a religious minority in the US.

Things do not look to improve in the next two years, alas.

Religious mysteries

[kestrelsparhawk.livejournal.com]

"Who are these people..." Ah, good question. I have known quite a few. There are enclaves even in Seattle, and many in the rural areas and small towns of Washington, but they're pretty marginal in large cities.

The Bible Belt however has been taken out a few more notches. Evangelicals have learned not to say "Catholics and Christians" in public, but that this is a common phrase will show just how... daunting discussion can be. Because I was active in the peace movement much of my life, I had a positive attitude toward Christians, who tended to make up a large part of peace and pacifist movements and are willing to go to jail for them.

Then I moved to Iowa, and found that I'd been cloistered.Where fundamentalist Christians are in the majority, they're more like Atwood's Handmaid's Tale and a lot less like MLK (who was also an evangelical). It's the second strain: our history is on one side a tale of poor but honest farmers who took their guns and defended their land; on t'other one of waves of immigrants enriching the cities in every way. That struggle exists beneath every surface conflict to this day: Frontier or City of Gold?

Re: Religious mysteries

[norton-gale.livejournal.com]

Well said (and pretty scary that there actually are people like in The Handmaid's Tale!). I think I've been cloistered too - only lived in large cities on the east and west coast. You've given me a lot of food for thought.