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

[groolover.livejournal.com]

I didn't see the original argument. But I found your post very thought-provoking. I have been told - by more than one person - that I am the *only* person who notices Americanisms, so they don't see it as a big deal. However, all of those people were American, and I have also had several conversations with fellow Brits in which we have commiserated with each other over the prevalence of "off of" and, yes, "date", amongst many others.

It's true that not even all Brits agree with each other over what constitutes an Americanism, particularly in the past few years, when quite a few things that I think of as American have become commonly used by British people, due (no doubt) to the amount of American TV we watch.

I don't blame American HP fanfic writers for not knowing every single little difference between the languages. I do blame them if they know the differences and pay no attention to them: if a story says in the HEADER that the author has chosen to ignore (e.g.) the fact that most cookies are called biscuits in the UK, I hope the author will forgive me for choosing to ignore her story.

Apart from glaring examples such as that one, though, I certainly won't refuse to read a story just because I suspect (or know) it contains Americanisms. Some of my very favourite writers use them all the time. And the Americanisms won't stop me enjoying the story, if it's really good. However, I *will* notice them, and every time I notice one, it briefly breaks the spell of the story for me, so I'd much prefer it if they weren't there. (The same goes with spellings, but I find those easier to overlook.)

(If it's a story that's so good that I expect to read it again, I'll save it to disk, and in that case I always edit the Americanisms out, so that the NEXT time I read the story, my experience of it will be even better.)

I have an incredibly long list of things that are American enough to pull me out of a story, albeit briefly. Someday I'll publish it :-)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Oh you're definitely not the only one who notices ... Though they rarely make me backbutton out -- unless in conjunction with something else that already has my finger hovering. I'd probably even give the cookies one a go if I had time, but with little hope. I love your sneaky fix method! I recently read a story that was really enjoyable but had one odd writerly tic that was incredibly distracting -- next time I come across something similar, I will try it!

Do write up the list if you have time, I know it's something that many people would find useful.

[groolover.livejournal.com]

It *is* written up - that's how I know how long it is! I didn't do it all in one go - I can't actually remember what made me start it, but I add to it every time I encounter a new thing that I think should be on it (i.e. I know I've seen it more than once).

I do intend to post it sometime, but I feel it needs a little explanation - particularly if there are flame wars going on elsewhere on related topics!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I'd not be too worried if I were you, it's a personal thing not a generalised one. There are a lot of people in this fandom who enjoy reading and using Britpicking tips, and I think they would be pleased. (Maybe leave it a couple of days until the drama has moved on if you're nervous ;-))

[groolover.livejournal.com]

I will. (And if they come after me with pitchforks, I will blame you!)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I will say something about public healthcare and distract them all away from you!