Brits wrong about some of the stuff they hate Americans for

[Undertoad]

Kinda knew this:

The survey showed that a majority agreed with the false statement that since the Second World War the US had more often sided with non-Muslims when they had come into conflict with Muslims. In fact in 11 out of 12 major conflicts between Muslims and non-Muslims, Muslims and secular forces, or Arabs and non-Arabs, the US has sided with the former group. Those conflicts included Turkey and Greece, Bosnia and Yugoslavia, and and Kosovo and Yugoslavia.

Asked if it was true that "from 1973 to 1990 the United States sold Saddam Hussein more than a quarter of his weapons," 80 per cent of British respondents said yes. However the US sold just 0.46 per cent of Saddam's arsenal to him, compared to Russia's 57 per cent, France's 13 per cent and China's 12 per cent.
...
Almost a third of Britons believe that "Americans who have not paid their hospitals fees or insurance premiums are not entitled to emergency medical care"; by law such treatment must be provided.

More than half the respondents believed that polygamy is legal in some US states, while it is illegal in all US states.

The second item is also a point of confusion for Americans. We've dealt with it here before. That last one is just weird. There are so many more legitimate reasons to hate us.

[lookout123]

It would be interesting to find out how the polling was done on this. I had an extreme anti-Brit bias for years after my time in the middle east. I spent a good deal of time working inside the British embassy and also within their living compounds. I was just a young airman at the time but it infuriated me the amount of condescension directed at me and the other US military types. I'm not exaggerating when I say there was a large group of the Brits who refused to call us anything but "the colonists". WTF?!? It was 1994, not 1774.

[BrianR]

They have never quite forgiven us for the Revolution, or, as they call it, the American Rebellion.

It's really only a different point of view.

[regular.joe]

The majority of the population in Kosovo are of Albanian descent and are Muslim. I challenge you to walk into a Kosovo business run by a Muslim Albanian and NOT find a picture of President Clinton on the wall.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by regular.joe

The majority of the population in Kosovo are of Albanian descent and are Muslim. I challenge you to walk into a Kosovo business run by a Muslim Albanian and NOT find a picture of President Clinton on the wall.

Now that is a sad statement. He was the ultimate cock as a President.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Yeah, the cock didn't get us into a war, and the bastard left that huge surplus for bush to deal with... terrible.

[piercehawkeye45]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

That last one is just weird.

Utah.

[Sundae]

This is an extremely biased article. The poll simply revelealed that the Brits asked did not know certain facts. "Hatred" does not come into it, just ognorance. Some people polled also did not know some positive aspects about Amercia - so? How many Americans know about the British environmental movement or social justice?

The implication is that the poll was - why do you hate America SO MUCH?
a) they like fighting Muslims
b) they sold Saddam Hussain most of his guns
c) they let people die if they're ill
d) they are polygamous
e) they win all the gold medals

Apart from US-bashing being a favourite topic around European dinner tables, it has serious affects on national policy.

Bwahahahahahahaha!
The only Amercian bashing I would do around a dinner table would be banging down a bottle of Jim Beam and saying, "There you go, help yourselves!"

Seriously - I have never EVER heard anything more than occasional joking remarks about Americans. And for the Torygraph to imply hatred from this poll - and reiterate it as something that is discussed every day in every home is ridiculous.

'Scuse me, I'f off to hang an effigy of Will Lewis and set light to him.

[Shawnee123]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Yeah, the cock didn't get us into a war, and the bastard left that huge surplus for bush to deal with... terrible.

That rat bastard!

[DanaC]

I don't recognise the picture they're painting of Britain. Polls can show damn near anything you want them to show.

Lookout, you were dealing with embassy staff and ex-pats. They are generally more likely to be of a certain economic and class background. They may as well be a different nationality to the rest of us. Seriously, your average Brit has far more in common with your average American, German or Spaniard than with the ruling elite of Britain. Class may be of much less importance in modern Britain than it used to be but it hasn't gone away. There is still a good deal of mutual disdain between the classes.

[lookout123]

I get that now, but that was 15 years ago and my first extended exposure to brits. i realized quite awhile ago that the embassy folks were probably a pretty inbred community of assholes.

but you know the worst thing about that time? the food. we had been travelling for 54 straight hours. they took us straight from the plane to a banquet and all the food was nasty. room temp prime rib? there was one really awesome family though. they were brits... but from Goa. and their daughter was married to the biggest, loudest alabama redneck you could ever imagine. They hid their sid (moonshine) next to their crucifix, inside a disguised cutout in the wall.