American Kid in the V&A

[Lord Bracknell]

We can ridicule the US, but WHY should they know what our currency is at that age?

Do you English all know every currency in Europe, and every sign?? Why not, you think the large country of USA ought to know our secluded little island group - why should you not know Greenland's currency, Iceland's, even Gibralta's?
What was the currency of Lichtenstein? The language perhaps?
I'm only taking about Europe there, what about other continents, should you know all about them?

It's too easy to talk about dumb Americans, but they have a lot to know about a country the size of our continent - while they might be closer to the truth if they said we were pompous about our nowadays far-less-significant kingdom.
Of course there are under-educated there who think "America's the biggest country in the World" and have no clue that one island in the World is about the same size as the contiguous USA.
Yes we are speaking English - but how many speak it well, or know more than how to grunt in this language? No, it's not ARE language or THERE language, as I have often read on HEAR

Do you expect all Americans to come fully educated about a little country half the size as California? Isn't THAT in itself a bit DUMB?

$ should actually have two lines through it - which is originally a combination of 'U' and 'S', and was endorsed in the late 1700's by congressman Robert Morris with simply 2 lines through the 'S'.
Now, why doesn't my stupid keyboard show two lines through it? Which stupid mofo endorsed ONE line through the 'S'??

When I was a lad ... we had STAMP COLLECTING.

Of course we knew all about foreign currencies.


What surprised me when I lived it Italy, was that Italian history students were unable to add up in £sd. Working in a local museum with a lot of old documents, I was able to AMAZE fellow scholars with my aptitude in this speciality. This was despite the fact that the Grand Duchy of Tuscany (which was where I was) had previously been a nation that had used exactly this currency.

 

[NMH]

Overheard by CM in the Victoria and Albert yesterday.

American boy, who must have been eleven or twelve pointing at a donation box by the entrance that read: Please Pay £3

"Mom, what does this mean? It says 'please pay' then some weird letter."

Btw, it obviously means that you were a WITNESS to the first education of a preteen, in our monetary symbol.
Later, that person might ask why we use sterling and not Euros, what it means to us internationally, in the EU particularly, politically, socially, and if it has any bearing on (or influence from) the royal family - or they have a bearing on it.

 

[bhaexpress]

Think you'll find Americans tend to use # when referring to the pound and not £, although I could obviously be wrong.

That's because there's no '£' key on a US keyboard.

 

[bhaexpress]

Okay so you can slice two puddings made by different companies and see different ingredients, and either will be judged by the eater.
Victoria and Albert, Guggenheim, Tate, Met The World is a whole lot of puddings, tasted by a whole lot of eaters!

Look at yourself - how much do you KEEP UP with the news of the World? Is it even all truth and can you assess an opinion from truth?
Is the WORLD even made up of countries..... or are those just lines on a map on a planet?
Great, if you watch Al Jazeera, read the Chicago Tribune, discuss many topics among your associates from Argentina, Tunisia, Fiji, Australia, Russia, Somalia.....

We have an easier time examining an American because we *almost* have a common language.
Certainly I have felt like I didn't share a language with some when walking along London Road!
It's tougher to criticize anyone speaking a different language of course - especially when in their country where they know the ropes and you don't.

'Just putting forward the alternative way to look at fer'ners before you all get get carried away thinking "they're all stupid".

Americanisms have more than 'crept' into the English language too, incidentally. You should check it out while the getting's good.

Have a nice day

Like you I lived there, I tend to get my news from the BBC so I would say I have a fairly good grip of what's going on (something I wouldn't get so much of if I stuck to CNN). As for the rest of it, what are you on about ?

 

[NMH]

Like you I lived there, I tend to get my news from the BBC so I would say I have a fairly good grip of what's going on (something I wouldn't get so much of if I stuck to CNN). As for the rest of it, what are you on about ?

That the beeb has a sweep of World news may be right - I caught up with it while there too. I found the LA Times, Chicago Tribune and NY Times had quite a good world news content, and in excellent English.

I listened to NPR too (public funded radio), and that certainly had better content and better educated media which gave a superior assessment of politics, and less 'influenced'

As for "what am I on about" - sorry, if you don't understand then I'm not going to explain it more. I also wrote in English.

 

[8ace]

Think you'll find Americans tend to use # when referring to the pound and not £, although I could obviously be wrong.

That refers to the unit of weight not currency.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

That's because there's no '£' key on a US keyboard.

I know, and that's why, or at least the people I know from the States use it as a £ sign for UK currency, and not just (if at all) weight, cos I haven't seen that one.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

Which Americans - South or North or Central, and if North - does that refer to English speaking Canadians, or include French Canadians too?
:whatever happened to the wink smiley?:

Most everyone (sic) knows that the # sign is aka 'the pound sign' on a keyboard or telephone - and any confusion might be caused by the lack of a £ sign on a US keyboard!
# prefixes a number, and is usually used in place of the very word; "number".

Good one though LB

Used to live there fella, can absolutely guarantee they use it as a £ sign.

(Found the notifications thing to quotes!)

 

[NMH]

Used to live there fella, can absolutely guarantee they use it as a £ sign.

(Found the notifications thing to quotes!)

I'm not saying none of them ever use # as a £ sign, but I'm confident in saying 'they use it' is a sweeping generalization that would not be true - as not all do, and I doubt most do, in fact.
Just some might.

 

[Billy Mays]

Was on the point of getting defensive about the initial anti-American sentiment originally expressed here since I count myself very fortunate to live in the USA and one of my kids is , by birth , a dumb Yank (I realise that's not a direct quote by anyone on here). Pleasantly surprised to see more balanced comments later on. Some American kids are a pain. Most in my experience are very polite , respectful and a pleasure to know. Some English kids are ignorant chav pieces of shit. Happily most are not. What did we learn here? Beats me.

 

[ryeseagull]

One of the students I taught in a first year university course didn't know the pound symbol.

 

[Seagull on the wing]

Was on the point of getting defensive about the initial anti-American sentiment originally expressed here since I count myself very fortunate to live in the USA and one of my kids is , by birth , a dumb Yank (I realise that's not a direct quote by anyone on here). Pleasantly surprised to see more balanced comments later on. Some American kids are a pain. Most in my experience are very polite , respectful and a pleasure to know. Some English kids are ignorant chav pieces of shit. Happily most are not. What did we learn here? Beats me.

I think we have learnt what I always thought that the whole world is a mixture,not just internationally,not just in the country,not even in one single street,we are all different in outlook,thoughts and ways. As my late Grandmother used to say,"There are good and bad amongst all people.
Mind how yer go now,take care....now lets get the "Hell Outa Here!"

 

[Sussex Nomad]

I'm not saying none of them ever use # as a £ sign, but I'm confident in saying 'they use it' is a sweeping generalization that would not be true - as not all do, and I doubt most do, in fact.
Just some might.

Apologies, I wasn't aware how picky you were being on my wording.

 

[BadFish]

All generalisations are shit!

 

[Seagull on the wing]

What's wrong with General Lisations,did'nt he win the war?....sorree....

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Can't believe this thread is still knocking about. Why are certain people assuming it was an anti-American thread? It wasn't at all. Maybe I should have 'made him' Canadian to avoid offending people's sensibilities, a New Zealander or an Aussie.

 

[Kumquat]

I was once at Euston station in London and heard an american kid and his mum have the following exchange. "Hey mom, what country are we in?" She replied "London". The kid was about 12.

 

[BadFish]

Can't believe this thread is still knocking about. Why are certain people assuming it was an anti-American thread? It wasn't at all. Maybe I should have 'made him' Canadian to avoid offending people's sensibilities, a New Zealander or an Aussie.

Or if it wasn't important you could have left out his nationality.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Or if it wasn't important you could have left out his nationality.

Really?

 

[NMH]

Really?

Yes, really.
And if the kid was kiwi, S.African or any other nationality - the same would apply
Personally - I'd still be looking at British kids with the same issues.