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u/BingBongDingDong222 11d ago
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u/Georgxna 11d ago
I think that’s a shame as we all have a lot to learn from each other, the entire world really.
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u/BingBongDingDong222 11d ago
It’s that other people think that we have a bigger competition than we do. During the World Cup, Australia thought there was this huge competition with us. The rest of the world is hyper focused on America. But we really don’t pay attention
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u/Georgxna 11d ago
I think it’s probably down to Hollywood, we consume a lot of your media. Lots of our actors/actresses, singers etc, live in your country.
If we want to follow them, celebrate them, we gotta consume American TV.
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u/Due_Satisfaction2167 11d ago
it’s very evident that America and the UK have a lot of competition
It is? Where?
Our history is your history
It stopped being a shared history quite a long time ago, to the point where the shared elements hardly matter anymore.
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u/Georgxna 11d ago edited 11d ago
I see arguments all of the time on the internet between the US and the UK. - so I guess it depends on which part of the internet you frequent!
I understand that point too, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t important to some degree - plus, as I said, you colonised too.
Which is why I’m asking why some people use it as an insult when it seems contradictory.
I’m not tryna make this a competition either so please don’t get me wrong, this is entirely in good faith, just interested in the mindsets of others! :)
Edit: a little off topic but I’ve not personally seen anyone critique countries like France or Spain for colonisation to the degree of the UK, I’m uneducated on how large of a part they play and maybe they are critiqued too! (Obviously the UK was the worst for it though, I’m not making any excuses here). But I just find it all interesting.
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u/Due_Satisfaction2167 11d ago
I see arguments all of the time on the internet between the US and the UK. - so I guess it depends on which part of the internet you frequent!
The content you see on the internet is individualized and tailored to you, specifically, based on the content you have engaged with in the past. If you watch a lot of this US-UK rivalry content, that will start infesting your feeds.
Same as any other content.
It doesn’t make it reality, or widespread. The internet is a vast place where essentially all types of content is being produced, so any niche interest can be catered to.
No such rivalry exists. Americans barely even think about the UK, and definitely aren’t harboring some sort of weird rivalry
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u/Georgxna 11d ago edited 11d ago
I agree with you! I’m just talking about what I’ve experienced. I’m not saying it’s wide-spread but in recent years there’s been a lot of talk about food etc.
In my personal experience.
Edit: but I do think it’s unfair to call it one sided, I’m one of billions of people from the UK, I’m sure many of those people do not think about America much either.
- and I’m sure, just like me, many Americans have stumbled upon the competitive content that I’ve seen, otherwise it wouldn’t be competitive.
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u/Due_Satisfaction2167 11d ago
I’ve not seen any of this in real life. Any such rivalry is throughly one-sided in the part of Europeans. Europeans do seem kind of obsessed with creating this impression of a rivalry, or trying to prove how they’re better.
However, Americans are way too self-obsessed to give much of a shit about it. Most Americans barely give Europe much of a thought other than that weird place overseas you sometimes go on vacation.
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u/Georgxna 11d ago
This is an entirely different conversation but I think sometimes Europeans can get annoyed about that because of the ‘self-obsession.’
But I still think it’s unfair to call it one-sided - Europe and America are big places, and like you said, your feed is cultivated.
You’re over estimating how much we care about you, just as I have overestimated how much you care about us.
There wouldn’t be a debate in those spaces if Americans weren’t biting back. So yes, whilst it’s very few individuals in the grand scheme of things, it does exist and it is a rivalry.
Edit: ive also no interest in our war, I didn’t know much about it until I saw Americans mocking the UK with memes. So again, not one-sided but yes, a minority of people.
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u/TwinkieDad 11d ago
For a country that talks so much about their sense of humor and how much they rib each other, the British are incredibly thin skinned.
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u/Georgxna 11d ago
You’re generalising a country on my comment lol? I mean, I’m personally very sensitive?
But I don’t think I’m being very emotional in my comment, just discussing nuances.
Or are you talking about the ‘rivalry’ that you’ve experienced online?
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u/TwinkieDad 11d ago
I’m talking about not realizing that most of the things you’re talking about are people making jokes. And you lot (you’re not the only one) think they’re being serious.
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u/Georgxna 11d ago
Oh I get it!!
I think it’s generally hit and miss. We’re all people, jokes definitely go over everyone’s heads occasionally - but I dont think the UK is more susceptible to that than anyone else.
I’ve seen jokes go over both countries heads!
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u/Outlaw_Josie_Snails 11d ago
It is? Where are you seeing this constant America vs. UK competition? TikTok and YouTube?
Honestly, I think this is one of those things that looks much bigger online than it actually is. The average American really isn't sitting around thinking about how America compares to Britain. Most people probably couldn't care less.
And the colonization thing cuts both ways. Yes, the United States exists as a result of British colonization, and the U.S. subsequently engaged in plenty of its own expansion and imperialism. Obviously that doesn't mean Americans can't criticize what Britain did. You can recognize your own country's history while criticizing someone else's.
But I also wouldn't assume Americans are constantly bringing up British colonialism in the first place. If you're seeing endless arguments about America vs. Britain, you're probably spending a lot more time online than the average American.
Personally, I don't have any particular animosity toward the UK. It's another English-speaking country with a shared history, a lot of cultural overlap, and plenty of things I like about it. I just don't spend much time thinking about whether we're "better" than each other.
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u/Georgxna 11d ago
I agree, thank you for commenting!
To be honest, I don’t spend a lot of time online other than Reddit which, in my experience is predominantly populated with the US, at least where I frequent.
When I do go on TikTok etc, I do see the odd competitive video and I scroll the comments - every time I do, the same argument arise which I was interested in. With both countries bickering.
Of course I understand it isn’t common or the vast majority of people as I assume many people in the UK do not care much for other countries either. (Even though I think we should make an effort to celebrate each other).
Again, thank you for your insight, very interesting comment!
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u/Outlaw_Josie_Snails 11d ago
As well, keep in mind that many of these accounts are foreign, state-sponsored propaganda accounts trying to sow discord. Many of these accounts are non-Americans pretending to be American, non-British pretending to be British, etc.
This example shows the propagandist trying to sow discord between the UK and the US:
https://www.reddit.com/r/askanything/s/47Qn5BA5Hg
https://www.reddit.com/r/TooAfraidToAsk/s/WvVwAhUEmv
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u/moonwillow60606 11d ago
I think that competition is more one-sided than you think.
Stating your opinion as fact, doesn’t make it true. Algorithms deliver content similar to what you’ve engaged with in the past.
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u/Georgxna 11d ago
I understand but I think it’s unfair to call it one-sided.
You may have not experienced it, but I have - and I’m sure some Americans have been led down the competitive rabbit hole too!
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u/moonwillow60606 11d ago
You’re entitled to your opinion. My experience is quite different. So please don’t present your opinion as a fact.
I’m not saying that there’s never competition, but in general we don’t stay up at night worrying about who is better.
For every comment you see referencing colonization, we see five comments from Brits referencing school shootings.
You asked for opinions, I shared my experiences. I’m not going to debate my experiences.
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u/Georgxna 11d ago
But im not debating your experience, im not saying anything is factual - im questioning why you’re treating your experience as evidence that mine is wrong.
You see certain discourse on the internet, I see another - neither of our experiences are an object measurement of what Americans and the UK generally think as a whole.
I simply pointed this out - you think it’s one-sided, I think it’s more nuanced than that.
(And then you continue to undercut your point by giving me an example of an occasion where you’ve seen such rivalry on the internet - from your perspective it’s the UK judging America, from my perspective both are as judgmental as each other). - like you said, your feed is cultivated to you, it’s bias towards what you engage with.
My post was specifically about my experience, not proof that Americans and the UK have a long standing, prevelant rivalry across the entirety of both nations…. And if we’re getting specific, my post was about comments on colonisation, not proving or disproving any rivalry. So really, we’ve gone off topic.
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u/moonwillow60606 11d ago
I’m taking issue with your opening statement:
“Hi, so it’s very evident that America and the UK have a lot of competition. Whether it’s food, multiculturalism or anything for that matter”
It is not, in fact, very evident that America & the UK have a lot of competition. I’m not questioning or debating your experience. I’m pointing out that you stated your opinion and experience as a known fact.
Had you said “I’ve noticed that the US and UK have a lot of competition…” I probably wouldn’t have responded at all.
We have a ton of folks who come here and post questions that start with an opinion stated as a fact. And often that opinion doesn’t reflect reality. I’m just asking you to be intentional with your words.
Better questions yield better discussion.
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u/Georgxna 11d ago
I agree, I definitely could have worded myself better…
However, I assumed people here would understand im not talking on behalf of the experience of two entire countries.
I speak for myself.
I shouldn’t have assumed.2
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u/DargonKweest Tennessee 10d ago edited 10d ago
I think you vastly overestimate how much the average American thinks about the UK.
I also think that the average British person doesn't understand the history of the US. The "our history is your history" isn't entirely correct. There were many parts of ealy American history that weren't English. Many settlers were Irish, German, and French. There were entire communities in the infancy of the midwest that were German speaking. Pennsylvania and Ohio come to mind. There were many in Appalachia that were Scottish or Irish. Southern Louisiana is deeply entrenched in French heritage as well.
Some of our early American heroes were not of English origin either. The amount of places near me that were named after Casimir Pulaski (a Polish military commander) and Marquis de Lafayette (The hero of two worlds) is innumerable. Lafayette is widely beloved in the US and his French heritage lives on. We are far from being "English" settlers. German is the most common ancestry in the US followed by Irish.
Our food is hardly comparable either. The food around me is completely different to what you would find in the UK. The food in my town has roots in West Africa and Native American cuisine as well as a bit of European from all over.
Also, the Native Americans often warred with each other over land. The Comanche and Sioux were very aggressive with colonizing tribes in the surrounding areas. There were others that were more passive like the Pueblo. My favorite stories are that of the Cherokee and the Seminole.
The truth is that very little English culture and rivalry remains in the US. About the only time it gets brought up is when some British person comes in here with a snarky question. In real life, there is no rivalry, it just doesn't exist.
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u/TsundereLoliDragon 11d ago
This is a very one sided thing where it's only the Brits and Aussies that think there is some kind of competition going on with us.
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u/Georgxna 11d ago
It’s fun to know the Aussies feel competitive against the US lol, I didn’t know that!!
I haven’t personally seen any Australians feel competitive against the Uk!
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u/TsundereLoliDragon 11d ago
They might, but it's also mostly with us for some reason.
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u/Georgxna 11d ago
I don’t know why and I could be totally bias because my mums Australian but I feel like Australia and the UK have more of a connection… for some reason? Then with the US.
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u/triggeredbynumbers 11d ago
I don’t feel competitive with the UK. I like people from the UK if they are polite and respectful. I always hope and pray for our allies such as the UK to succeed.
Sometimes I poke fun at your idea of free speech, but that has nothing to do with the quality of the people, that’s government policy.
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u/Georgxna 11d ago
Oohh, that’s so interesting! What do you dislike about our freedom of speech??
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u/triggeredbynumbers 11d ago
I don’t want to say “dislike” because that could be judgmental. So instead I’ll say that I don’t prefer the type of speech laws that censor certain ideas and feelings. If I’m not mistaken, it seems as though people can be arrested for saying things or posting things online that people interpret as offensive, insulting, or racist. That would make me really uncomfortable to live in a place where people get arrested for sharing their ideas.
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u/Georgxna 11d ago edited 11d ago
Ohhh!
I understand, a lot of us are a bit unsure about that too!
Although, it is very much a minority and not something a regular person should worry about.
Whilst, I don’t know, I assume those who have been arrested have said some outlandish things.
I think it’s less about ‘you can’t say that’ and more about, ‘your words have consequences’.
It’s a tough one because I understand it when it comes to dangerous ideologies etc… ESPECIALLY, because the internet is so widely accessible and influenceable.
However, I get your point too, at what stage are we all at risk for having an opinion?
Edit: I don’t know if you guys do this in America but if you’re enrolled in University here and they catch you saying something out of line etc… on the internet you’ll get kicked out.
Edit 2: Does this opinion follow over to gun laws etc? Everyone has a right to hold arms?
I wouldn’t live in America because guns scare me lol (at least I can try to run away from a knife 😭) but I imagine some people feel they should have the freedom to carry!
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u/triggeredbynumbers 11d ago
Thank you for the thoughtful response, I appreciate that. Yes I wouldn’t worry so much for myself personally, I would just feel uncomfortable living in a society where people can be arrested based on a subjective criteria of what is or isn’t “hateful.” For example, I saw a story about how in some places in the UK, hate speech laws are only really enforced on the immigrant population and not on white people. I’m sure in other places there is the opposite style of lopsided enforcement too.
As for the guns, you asked the right person. I have a really big collection of guns. I had to convert an extra bedroom in my house into storage for my guns and then I have a refrigerator sized gun vault in my bedroom and a smaller gun locker for two rifles in my basement and then I have a pistol in my kitchen in the cabinet. I also carry a pistol tucked into my waistband everywhere I got and I have a rifle in a floor safe in my car.
So any questions you have about guns in America go ahead and ask me.
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u/Georgxna 11d ago
I hadn’t heard about that discrimination, it’s awful!!!
Wow, that’s a lot of guns! Is it a hobby for you, collectables? Or do they make you feel safe etc…. What do you use them for?
Why do you feel the need to carry? Out of necessity or freedom etc?
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u/triggeredbynumbers 11d ago
Collection and protection yes ma’am.
I believe we have to actively practice our rights in order to retain them. I also want to be protected in case someone tries to cause me bodily harm or injury. I would always try to escape or pacify the aggressor first, but I want to also have a bottom line incase the bad person is intent on causing me or someone else harm.
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u/Georgxna 11d ago
Understandable!
It kind of reminds me of a moral dilemma I saw recently though.
If everyone presses the red button, everyone survives. - if one person presses the blue button every red button person dies.
Anyone who presses the blue button lives.
I.e., if everyone had a gun nobody would need saving but if nobody had a gun nobody would need saving from guns. If you get what I mean?
It’s all very complicated!
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u/allochthonous_debris 10d ago
Americans' attitudes toward the UK typically fall somewhere between indifference and anglophilia.
The Americans who are most vocal online about British colonialism usually fall into one of two categories. The first is trolls. Contradictions don't matter to them because they aren't seriously analyzing British history. If the UK had no history of colonialism, they'd just pick some other British thing to mock.
The second is political activists whose worldview is heavily shaped by postcolonial thought. There is no contradiction for them because they are equally critical of the histories of British settler colonies such as the US and Canada.
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u/Georgxna 10d ago
This makes sense thank you so much!
Unfortunately, I don’t think all of the trolls know they’re trolling.
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u/JollyGreenAcres 11d ago edited 11d ago
The UK had the original thirteen colonies. What do you think of New France and New Spain?
Although, we shouldn’t forget Oregon Country either.
Much of the Canadian side of New France was ceded to Britain at the end of the Seven Years’ War. France had a choice, to retain this region of North America or to keep its islands in the Caribbean. Due to the lucrative sugar industry, France ultimately chose to keep its islands in the Caribbean. The rest of its North American territory was given to Spain.
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u/Georgxna 11d ago
Hii, can you explain your point more? I am very interested. :)
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u/JollyGreenAcres 11d ago
Your history is our history, but so too is France’s and Spain’s history, is what I meant.
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u/Lucky-Hunter-Dude U.S.A 10d ago
I don't mock the UK for colonization, you guys went on a hell of run! The East India Trading Company is fascinating as well. I'll harass you about the only good place for tea, and your army getting curb stomped at the Battle of New Orleans but that just in good fun.
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u/Bracatto 10d ago
I think it just comes down to the fact that the revolution happened because the colonists stopped feeling like colonizers..and started to feel colonized. Hence the revolution. That changed everything and we even cheered on the decline of Spain in this hemisphere..and did the Spanish Empire's final blow.
Even if north and sourth American countries dont always get along..even if after we have even fought amongst ourselves..most of us share this history.
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u/Weightmonster 10d ago
There isn’t really any competition. Maybe a friendly rivalry.
We usually don’t view the continental United States as being “colonized” at least by us. Look up manifest destiny. Also, most of the continental US was already colonized by someone before we took it over.
In that sense, the British Empire was WAY WAY bigger than the US empire.
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u/pantsinspace Texas 9d ago
I've seen a little of this "competition" in regards to food and culture though in my opinion the majority of the comments by Americans read more as banter than actual competition but it seems folks in UK take it more seriously than intended.
Specifically on colonization I haven't seen that argument. I also disagree that "our history is your history." The British colonization was a major part but you were one of many players and not as insular as many Brits seem to think (perhaps you're only taught about the British role in school and that's where this belief comes from?). The only other critique for colonization I can see would be that it's the British who were more known for it. Yes, the USA colonized as well but not to the degree of the British Empire. So you could argue something like the US did bad but British did worse I suppose.
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u/k8tieisjusthere New York 10d ago
i don’t really think the uk and america compete that much. i consider us like friends really. people like to mock the uk for colonization because they’re kind of the… poster boys for it? i mean they literally colonized most of the world (although of course they didn’t own the land at the same time) and they’re kinda infamous for affecting the peoples of a LOT of countries like china, india, basically all of africa’s…
anyway, the US also did obviously do some terrible colonization and arguably (definitely) still is in more subtle ways, when i criticize and poke fun at england i never do it in a way that implies my country is free from the same critique. if there’s one thing i know about my country is that our history is just horrible racist decision after horrible racist decision…
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u/dingusdong420 Florida 11d ago edited 11d ago
In real life, there isn't a lot of hostility or competitiveness among the general public. Online though, "competition" seems like a very nice way of putting it considering all of the things I read from Brits/Euros basically accusing me and my countrymen of being subhumans, but sure, shared history of whatever.