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Can't we all just get along?

This article was sent to me by a fellow Jersey girl that reads my blog (thanks to her for sending it).  She sent it to give me a laugh.  I have to admit that I did laugh out loud (especially at the bit about asking a Brit what part of Australia they are from).  I really wanted to read the article and think - Finally, someone is picking on them for a change and part of me did, but I found myself thinking that although what the author describes is mainly true - does it make them any better than the British that have made me feel so unwelcome here? I mean can't we all just get along?  Why do we have to pass judgement and pick on each other for our cultural differences?  Why can't we accept that the British will never become 'warm' types of people and we'll always remain super friendly and slightly loud in comparison?  The British are reserved and appear to be snobby to us and we appear larger than life and obnoxious to them.  For the most part I don't believe either scenario is true, it's all just cultural differences.  I mean let's face it, there are going to be unlikable
people no matter where we go, but I really think it's unfair to judge a book by it's cultural cover.


People have met Wayne and thought he was aloof, but the truth is that he's shy and quite around people he doesn't know (especially when he feels everyone in the room is observing him as the Englishman that married the American).  Wayne is far from aloof.  He's an attentive and caring man who takes very good care of me, but outsiders have no way of knowing that any more than the people here know anything about me.
As Americans, are we any better than the British pick on us?  How many times have we heard someone say - 'If you can't speak the language, get out of the country.  If you're gonna live here, than speak English' or 'Damn foreigners, they're taking over'?  We all know someone that's guilty of this sort of behavior and it's sad that it's how the world works, but an outsider is always judged - no matter how good their intentions may be.

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Comments

NJ Girl said…
I think you missed the irony of the article... The author IS British. It's not someone else picking on them. He's making fun of his own kind :) If everyone could lighten up make fun of themselves once is a while, the world would be a happier place.
5:54 PM
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