Culture - American / England

[Steven A]

I live int he North eat of england and am only 16 years old. Therefore I love my television. Last eyar I began to watch t.v. programs such as Desperate Housewives And One Tree Hill. I have to say I find these programs amazing and cant wait to see the new series. 8). I know that this isnt obviously what every ones life is like in the USA, but it is in some ways a big culture shock to see how we live different in so many ways and yet so similar in others.

P.S. I LOVE these programs to bits.

 

[RogerMcAllen]

Well I, as an American, love your BBC. I can't wait until they finally release Look Around You in an American coded DVD. And from our neighbors to the north, I can't stop watching Trailer Park Boys.

 

[BrianNY]

I'm with you Roger. I thought Fawlty Towers was the funniest thing ever on TV. Are You Being Served should be a classic as well.

 

[rubysoho]

you know what is funny is a lot of our tv program ideas aren't origional. There is a list of hit shows in the US that were copies of shows from other countries.

 

[Guest]

Last eyar I began to watch t.v. programs such as Desperate Housewives And One Tree Hill..... I know that this isnt obviously what every ones life is like in the USA, but it is in some ways a big culture shock to see how we live different in so many ways and yet so similar in others.

Well, I've never seen One Tree Hill, but I can tell you with no doubts, NO tv show is much like real life! Please don't think any Americans live like they do on TV (esp. Desperate Housewives!)

I'd be interested in what aspects of the shows you think are "real," or even "somewhat real." 8)

 

[Steven A]

I was only joking LOL. . I know that life isnt obviously like desperate housewives lol . But it is a great T.V show. 8). I mean In One tree Hill is that what Americans chool is like it sounds so much better than ours lol 8)

 

[talloulou]

One Tree Hill is ridiculous in my opinion. Kids getting married in high school. Girl living by herself with no parents and occasional sleep overs with boyfriend who already has baby by another girl. Total tv garbage. And I refuse to give in and even watch a show called Desparate Housewives. And reality tv sucks, imo. I want to be entertained by high quality actors and writers not regular joe shmo morons.

Now Buffy the Vampire Slayer, that was a high quality show! LOL (I'm totally serious by the way.) Joss Whedon is a genius. And Spike is the best character ever written for tv. Hmmm speaking of desparate housewives.....LOL

oh and battlestar gallatica is a good show too.

 

[Steven A]

Wooo I love buffy the vampire slayer. I use to collect stuff for it

LOL

Its asaim it is not on any more, well new episodes.

 

[fishyrican]

I'm with you Roger. I thought Fawlty Towers was the funniest thing ever on TV. Are You Being Served should be a classic as well.

True!

I also really like Keeping Up Appearances.

Comedies aside, the BBC also has some wonderful documentaries.

 

[tracygh]

You mean Coronation Street isn't an accurate depiction of british life? 8O

I am amazed whenever I have travelled to visit my family in England how often people will say "oh you are nothing like the people on the telly"... LOL or worse yet, "you're from Canada? Do you know so and so?"

 

[Toirtis]

"Trailer Park Boys" is nothing like Canada, but "Little Britain" is exactly like England.

 

[Steven A]

Hahahahaha it isnt really LOL

 

[QTOFFER]

I love "Are You Being Served", Mr. Bean, Monty Python's Flying Circus - and the Guy Richie films, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and Snatch. Sometimes it's hard to understand the dialogue through the the Cockney accents, but that's what closed captioning is for! I'm also amused by British colloqialisms and slang - words like lorry (truck) and nick (steal), as well as the peculiar British spelling of words that end in 'or'. They still DO speak English in England, don't they?. As George Bernard Shaw once said, "England and America are two countries separated by a common language. "

On that note, I'll never forget when a postdoc in my former lab, matter-of-factly told us that he was going out for a f.a.g and asked if anyone wished to join him! We were shocked, then ROFL when he told us what he meant. Thereafter, he started "going out for a smoke"!

 

[poppab02]

My Fiance's family is all British on her mother's side. The differences are very interesting. Her Grandmother is very much like Mrs. Bucket from Keeping up Appearances and her grandfather is a Welsh gypsy. It's very entertaining to see them.

As for the tv shows. I've seen Desperate Housewives once, didn't really care for it. I grew up in basically the neighborhood they are trying to recreate. A few things are somewhat accurate such as conniving, better than everyone else, affluent housewives. Also out of control kids whose parents think they are angels. Other than that, it was just too overly dramatic. I would say the beginning of the movie American Beauty, before Kevin Spacey flips out and decides to change his life, is a much more accurate representation of American life.

One Tree Hill is nothing like real life high school. Real Life High School is dominated by "clicks"--don't know how you spell it. About 10 people in the school are considered popular and everybody in the school tries to be one of those 10 people. Basically everyone trying to be like everyone else. Nothing like One Tree Hill. I would say Dawson's Creek is more like High School in the US than any HS show I can think of, except that obviously that isn't the vocabulary kids use. Kids just don't talk that way. Kids thinking that every moment of their life in HS is way more important that it actually is.

Don't mean to sound bitter or anything. I'm really not. It's just that so much of life is much more mundane than tv makes it out to be, much less dramatic.

 

[tracygh]

I am first generation Canadian. My parents were born and raised near Brighton, then got married and jumped on a boat for Canada, so I am used to the 'terms'. I apparently had a strong accent which faded by first/second grade, but my husband swears it comes out when I'm angry. He says he knows when to surrender and hide when I start "sounding British" LOL There are alot of terms I used growing up, and still use now that I have to consciously stop and think 'hey, your average canadian/american won't have a clue what you're talking about'. And of course these same colloquialisms are being passed on to a whole new generation in my children

 

[Toirtis]

There are alot of terms I used growing up, and still use now that I have to consciously stop and think 'hey, your average canadian/american won't have a clue what you're talking about'.

Sort of like Newfies....