Things you like about the Yanks

[whitelion]

You could try the Library of Congress in the US, they may be able to help. Do you know what tribe (if that's the right term) your grandmother was?

It was Sioux.

 

[jakarta]

I think a lot of truth in them having been critical in the Pacific and Asia but I reckon the Russians were the key factor in Europe. The US involvement shortened the war considerably but then so did Alan Turing.

My understanding of WW2 is basically:

The British & Commonwealth gave the Time (six years worth)

The Russians gave the Blood (although it has to be remembered that Stalin was in bed with the Nazis until 1941)

The Yanks gave the Equipment (no actually they sold it & made a lot of money out of the whole thing whilst bankrupting us)

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

NFL
NHL
MLB
NBA

Hooters

 

[Surrey_Albion]

Bob dylan, that's probably it

 

[highflyer]

Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Larry Page have all made a bit of a difference to our lives too.

Lots to like and admire about the US. With many of the provisos already highlighted. But all those self-important silicon valley twats that think they are saving the world through the sheer size of their genius can f*ck right off.

When I was there in my much younger and considerably more attractive days it was the effect of an English accent (in places where people rarely met anyone from out of state) on female Americans that I liked most.

Also Family Guy. Stewie and Brian are the greatest double act in sitcom history.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

 

[severnside gull]

I like the Americans. My son-in-law and 2 of my grandkids are American.

 

[pearl]

It was Sioux.

I was presuming the book was written in the US, but if it was written here maybe the British Library could help. Don't suppose you know when it was written do you?

 

[whitelion]

I was presuming the book was written in the US, but if it was written here maybe the British Library could help. Don't suppose you know when it was written do you?

It was written in the USA but no idea of the date of publication - my thinking was early 20th century.

 

[seagully]

I like the fact that there are buildings in my town almost 700 years older than the US of A

To be fair, there are probably some residents in your town about 700 years older than the US of A

 

[pearl]

It was written in the USA but no idea the the date of publication - my thinking was early 20th century.

ah, that could be difficult, but it's amazing what a bit of research on the internet brings up. Hope your sister kept it

 

[whitelion]

ah, that could be difficult, but it's amazing what a bit of research on the internet brings up. Hope your sister kept it

Oh it's there somewhere - 20 or so years ago my eldest sister spent £100+ having it leather bound as a gift for my mother.

 

[aftershavedave]

To be fair, there are probably some residents in your town about 700 years older than the US of A

to be fairer, there are a couple of prodigious posters on this site older than the US of A it would seem.....

 

[pearl]

Oh it's there somewhere - 20 or so years ago my eldest sister spent £100+ having it leather bound as a gift for my mother.

how was it bound before? Is this a printed book or a hand written manuscript, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[whitelion]

how was it bound before? Is this a printed book or a hand written manuscript, if you don't mind me asking?

It's printed and IIRC the book had a regular hardback cover - I really should know more of its history tbf but will endeavour to get to read it - it's on my bucket list.

 

[pearl]

It's printed and IIRC the book had a regular hardback cover - I really should know more if its history tbf but will endeavour to get to read it - it's on my bucket list.

OK , thanks and good luck

 

[Shirty]

Notwithstanding the fact that America is a country full of all sorts of different people with different attitudes, with lots not to like and an equal amount to admire, I like the fact that, on the whole, they have genuine appreciation of people who succeed in life and do well for themselves. In Britain it feels like we begrudge people their success, and no soon as someone does well for themselves we find reasons to put them down and belittle their achievements. In the US people look up to those who are successful and take inspiration from them. In the UK we just take the piss.

 

[BNthree]

Yes, their contribution to obesity should not be overlooked........

Well as we all know it's the stuff that's bad for you that's tastiest.

 

[SIMMO SAYS]

How they saved us in WW2

While I agree they were late to the party a lot of Yanks didn't get to see the Statue of Liberty again

 

[Perkino]

There are plenty of T.V shows that have used up many an hour of my life. Add to that the huge number of films they produce each year.

 

[Stato]

I'd only ever read 'Catcher In The Rye' by JD Salinger and hated it, thinking him seriously over-rated but after reading some of his short stories, I completely changed my mind. There's one titled "The Laughing Man" with this paragraph in it:

"Over on third base, Mary Hudson waved to me. I waved back. I couldn't have stopped myself, even if I'd wanted to. Her stickwork aside, she happened to be a girl who knew how to wave to somebody from third base."

That there is unadulterated genius.

Good call on Salinger. I liked CITR, but I can see why a lot of people find Holden Caulfield irritating. I think, like Kerouac's 'On The Road', you have to be quite young when you read it to get the best out of it. However his short stories sustain and 'The Laughing Man' is one of his best.

There are a lot of good short story writers from the US. Flannery O'Connor's were excellent, Raymond Carver's good, as are Joseph Mitchell, Ring Lardner and my absolute favourite Damon Runyan. Some of Stephen King's best work is his short fiction. His collection of four novellas 'Different Seasons' has the stories that became 'Stand By Me' and 'The Shawshank Redemption'.

In answer to the wider question it's impossible to underestimate their contribution to culture in the last 100 years. Putting aside the invention of Jazz, Soul, Hip Hop, Rock'n'Roll, Blues, Country, Disco, Punk and many offshoots of all of these, there is also stand up comedy, the sitcom, animation, all that social media stuff my kids like. Thanks to them also for the work of: (in no particular order)

Carson McCullers, Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, Buddy Holly, Edward Hopper, David Simon, Martin Scorcese, William Faulkner, Holland, Dozier & Holland, John Coltrane, Garry Shandling, Jerry Seinfeld & Larry David, Gillian Welch, Joseph Heller, John Irving, Frank Capra, Walt Disney, Robert Frost, Randy Newman, Harold Arlen & Yip Harburg, Bill Hicks, Trey Parker & Matt Stone, Jackson Pollock, Chuck Berry, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Andy Warhol, The Carter Family, Matt Groening, Herman Melville, Lou Reed, Brian Wilson, Leiber & Stoller, Sam Cooke, Woody Guthrie, Ethan & Joel Coen, Terry Gilliam, Leonard Bernstein, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, David Byrne, Captain Beefheart, Richard Pryor, Ken Kesey, Henry Ford, Hunter S Thompson, Tom Wolfe, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Tex Avery, Dr Seuss, Aretha Franklin, Chuck D, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley Walt Whitman, Roy Lichtenstein, Joan Didion, Roy Orbison, Quentin Tarantino, Rodney Dangerfield and a thousand others.

And then there is of course Heinz Tomato Ketchup.