Two Nations separated by the same Language
The English language.
Sometimes described as 'two countries separated by the same language', the US and UK have what can only be described as a special relationship.
The strange fixations and obsessions between the two- be it the American tendency to melt at the mere mention of Hugh Grant's accent, or the British fascination to the immense size of the States....
After having lived here, stereotypes are being crushed at an alarming rate, and sometimes in an unflattering way. The typical snooty Brit, donning a tophat and smoking a pipe while simultaneously beer-bonging tea and reciting Shakespeare is something of a misnomer.
A quick tour of Nottingham is a great way to categorize and classify the modern Brit. In the same way that a 'typical' American would be impossible to describe or categorize, the same holds true for anyone from the UK. However, there are a few groups that exist.
First, it's important to sadly accept the death of the British accent as aphrodisiac. Admittedly awesome, smart sounding at times, and clearly distinct from Americanized English, the novelty has officially worn off.
Two days at the Cob shop, and already I've come to accept the regionalized, slack jawed accent as gross. Hilary brought it up a few days ago, and I've been wondering how I could ever approach the topic, and here it is. Don't get me wrong, it's the same way some people in the states sound like idiots by using slang, terrible grammar, or profanity- but for some reason, and maybe it's because of the expectation of intelligent speech always being associated with the Enlgish accent, nothing is more repulsive than a thick, trashy English accent.
I can't understand a word that the girls in the kitchen say. Seriously, it's like a foreign language. Not even the words used- those i can get used to, accustomed to- but the sheer laziness it seems- slang, bad usage, and slurred speech.... I'm not offended, just a little turned off maybe?
Enter: chav culture and the death of the monacled Brit.
One of the first things I told the group I met at the airport from America while working for admissions was to delete any conception of what Englishness or Britishness meant in terms of looks or behavior. Walking around downtown during the day, when people should be at work or classes, and you'd be overwhelmed with pregnant mothers, shabbily dressed middle aged wanderers, be-hooded and be-gloved (yeah, they wear batting gloves...i don't get it) teenagers- usually all in black.
The chav culture, however, sharply contrasts the highculture and super trendy culture that radiates from campus. It sounds egotistical, terrible even to call the city crap without well dressed snotty college kids, but it's hard to imagine just how Chavish and Brittrashy this place would be without the working professionals and students that seem to keep it classy.
Classy is a strong word.
The rambling and accusatory fashion of this post is maybe unwarranted, but the contrast in expected stereotype and actual persona of the British landscape is something that has fascinated me since our arrival here, and every day seems to be another brick in the wall, so to speak.
I'm sure i'm not exclusive in my feelings, and i'd be more accurate to say that i'm sure the English feel the same way about Americans (although slightly different, considering we're the smart ass rebels who have now taken over the world)...
Perhaps it's the culture difference, or maybe even more simply, a more diverse environment than i'm used to- Urbandale and Decorah aren't exactly gems of diversity, and neither are Iowa or the Midwest in general- but my interest remains, and it will be interesting to see if my view of Americans is in any way skewed by this new found awareness of stereotypes as real or harmfully fabricated.....
posted by Kevin @ 11:53 AM
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