NationStates Jolt Archive

Okay now that I got your attention :p

http://www.warrenellis.com/index.php?p=971

I found this amusing and it points out a big difference between American and British mentality. Try and spot what it is.

Very amusing. :D

EDIT

And go here and explore the comments made by Londoners

http://www.livejournal.com/community/london_hurts/

I found this amusing and it points out a big difference between American and British mentality. Try and spot what it is.

Very amusing. :D
It's on the tip of my tongue... really...

that was a dirty trick

I love Warren Ellis and everything he stands for. Especially Transmetropolitan.

Check out Edison Hate Future (http://www.warrenellis.com/index.php?cat=32).

Okay now that I got your attention :p

http://www.warrenellis.com/index.php?p=971

I found this amusing and it points out a big difference between American and British mentality. Try and spot what it is.

Very amusing. :D

EDIT

And go here and explore the comments made by Londoners

http://www.livejournal.com/community/london_hurts/
Oh, yes. I'm definitely moving to Britain now.

Of course there's a difference. The whole "getting bombed" thing is entirely new to Americans. They're more sensitive.

Hahaha, good stuff.

Okay now that I got your attention :p

http://www.warrenellis.com/index.php?p=971

I found this amusing and it points out a big difference between American and British mentality. Try and spot what it is.

Very amusing. :D

EDIT

And go here and explore the comments made by Londoners

http://www.livejournal.com/community/london_hurts/

This "old fart" does not find the death of about 50 people and the maiming of almost 1,000 other people the least bit amusing. Did I miss something here?

This "old fart" does not find the death of about 50 people and the maiming of almost 1,000 other people the least bit amusing. Did I miss something here?

You didn't see the difference in mentalities? How the...

...I mean, of course you didn't. That's to be expected, then, isn't it?

You didn't see the difference in mentalities? How the...

...I mean, of course you didn't. That's to be expected, then, isn't it?

The mentality is not what should be focused on nor should it be a point of contention or sick humor. What is important is what the countries that have been the victims of terrorism are going to do to resolve the problem.

The mentality is not what should be focused on nor should it be a point of contention or sick humor. What is important is what the countries that have been the victims of terrorism are going to do to resolve the problem.

This contradicts your previous statement, does it not?

This "old fart" does not find the death of about 50 people and the maiming of almost 1,000 other people the least bit amusing. Did I miss something here?

The whole point is that you CAN'T do anything about it. Worrying about things you can do nothing about is pointless. It displays a weak character to be in constant fear of the unknown.

This "old fart" does not find the death of about 50 people and the maiming of almost 1,000 other people the least bit amusing. Did I miss something here?

Yeah. You missed the IRA.

Moreover, if you spend all your time focussing on what to do about terrorism you'll end alone in a cabin in the mountains polishing your shiny guns and rocking back and forth. There's a war on. Get used to it, and be glad it's not you lying on the Piccadilly line, capisce?

Mmhmm, bet the people saying this didn't get a chance to talk the the New Yorkers that shrugged off 9/11.

Media. They show the good stuff. People shrugging off 9/11 ARE NOT going to be on the news. Thus people think EVERYONE in New York fear planes and falling sky scrapers and pissed their pants after 9/11.

Shocked, yes. Surprised, quite. But they have lives. They're fucking NEW YORKERS goddammit.

I'm not diminishing the 9/11 attacks, but seriously, there''s more than meets the eye. Oh yeah.

As a wise man once said: "God, I love this town!".

This contradicts your previous statement, does it not?

No.

Of course there's a difference. The whole "getting bombed" thing is entirely new to Americans. They're more sensitive.

I followed the links on the website and found these 3 comments that sorta sum it up

I had an interesting comment from an american friend - something along the lines of here we wail and go on and make commemorative items, there you just get on with it. That's not to say that many people will take a long time to get over this, its just that they will do so quietly privately and with dignity.

too right.

50-odd people dead, with grieving families. 60-odd people still in hospital, with concerned relatives. A few hundred people with what they're probably describing as "a bit of a scratch". And a couple of thousand who are just damn pissed off that the tube was disrupted *again*...

From what I've gathered things are already more or less back to normal for the majority.

A friend of mine in the US (a brit) phoned to see if I was ok. Being in Hemel Hempstead at the time I was....

He also said that the networks were blathering on about the "Dunkerque Spirit - no doubt the Blitz came into it at some point too.

A much more accurate comment I heard on the UK news was that decades of IRA attacks and the odd tube and bus strike had prepared Londoners equally well for travel "chaos".

It is asinine for WHOLE COUNTRY to mourn and wail in the excessive namby-pamby way we saw in the US. I'll give them credit that their attack was HUGE in scale but...GEEZ enough already! So much hand holding...and from the conservative part of the country no less! The ones usually against 'bleeding heart' stuff.

Terrorist action occurs in 0.000000001% of the country and they act like the whole place is on fire. Lacks perspective.

Hey, no doubt there are plenty of Yankees who shrugged off 9/11, but there are fundamental differences in the way Americans and Brits think, one of which is that Brits loathe anyone who takes themselves too seriously. To be able to mock oneself, especially in the face of adversity, is considered a high form of dignity here.

"Today I'm a Londoner and I shed a tear for London" is taking yourself far too seriously. Yeah, 52 (?) people died, but the more we mourn the more impact the bastards who did this have had. We will NOT be changed by this. We will respond, yes, but we will NOT be changed. We will NOT become more militaristic in response. Instead, what we will do is joke about it, because in doing so we show that we are coping far better than some tossers wailing "Oh, I mourn you, city I only have a romantically Victorian idea of!"

These tossers have created a straw London; a beautiful, delicate place shattered emotionally and societally by Thursday's events. We mock their ridiculous image, and the attitude that created it: if it's attacked it must be great.

My God, this site is HILARIOUS!

"London drinks tea in your general direction."

"Today I am still hugely phallic. Life goes on."

These tossers have created a straw London; a beautiful, delicate place shattered emotionally and societally by Thursday's events. We mock their ridiculous image, and the attitude that created it: if it's attacked it must be great.
I couldn't agree more.

Mmhmm, bet the people saying this didn't get a chance to talk the the New Yorkers that shrugged off 9/11.

Media. They show the good stuff. People shrugging off 9/11 ARE NOT going to be on the news. Thus people think EVERYONE in New York fear planes and falling sky scrapers and pissed their pants after 9/11.

Shocked, yes. Surprised, quite. But they have lives. They're fucking NEW YORKERS goddammit.

I'm not diminishing the 9/11 attacks, but seriously, there''s more than meets the eye. Oh yeah.

Good point but it's not just the news outlets that are to blame. EVERYONE was on the freak out that followed the attacks. There were plenty of people that exploited it. I think it is safe to say that damn near every group imaginable exploited it in some way. Some jackals even tried to profit from it by selling commemorative coins and shit. Disgusting.

Not to mention how defensive and suspicious Americans got of damn near anything that wasn't American. I remember the reactions of the late night talk show hosts well. Especially when the UN said no to the Iraq invasion plan.

Remember, Britons: If you create infantile poetry, cliché websites, strap a Union Jack to the back of your Mini, or any other rubbish, you let the terrorists win. Just lift up your mug or cup of tea, say, "God save the Queen," and get on with it.

Hey, no doubt there are plenty of Yankees who shrugged off 9/11
Not really. There were no real jokes about. The first I'd seen was, over a year later, someone created a music video called, "I Like To Watch", of a man masturbating to news reports of 9\11.

Hey, no doubt there are plenty of Yankees who shrugged off 9/11, but there are fundamental differences in the way Americans and Brits think, one of which is that Brits loathe anyone who takes themselves too seriously. To be able to mock oneself, especially in the face of adversity, is considered a high form of dignity here.

"Today I'm a Londoner and I shed a tear for London" is taking yourself far too seriously. Yeah, 52 (?) people died, but the more we mourn the more impact the bastards who did this have had. We will NOT be changed by this. We will respond, yes, but we will NOT be changed. We will NOT become more militaristic in response. Instead, what we will do is joke about it, because in doing so we show that we are coping far better than some tossers wailing "Oh, I mourn you, city I only have a romantically Victorian idea of!"

These tossers have created a straw London; a beautiful, delicate place shattered emotionally and societally by Thursday's events. We mock their ridiculous image, and the attitude that created it: if it's attacked it must be great.


Well put. Stiff upper lip! :D

Remember, Britons: If you create infantile poetry, cliché websites, strap a Union Jack to the back of your Mini, or any other rubbish, you let the terrorists win. Just lift up your mug or cup of tea, say, "God save the Queen," and get on with it.

Following that statement I'm changing my entry in the "Who is your idol?" thread.

Ha! I would be, if it weren't for the fact that to declare the Shrub as my idol would cause massive internal haemorrhaging.

In reference to the music video: Oh my.

Remember, Britons: If you create infantile poetry, cliché websites, strap a Union Jack to the back of your Mini, or any other rubbish, you let the terrorists win. Just lift up your mug or cup of tea, say, "God save the Queen," and get on with it.
Seriously, tea solves everything.

My God, this site is HILARIOUS!

"London drinks tea in your general direction."

"Today I am still hugely phallic. Life goes on."

I had a good laff with the Team Rocket comment.


This group has now claimed responsibility for the London bombings:-

http://chez.mana.pf/~babin/images_persos/teamrocket1.jpg

Some eyewitnesses claim to have seen a large cat-shaped balloon floating away from the city and claim also to have heard the words, "Prepare for trouble...." as well.

Playing a game of follow the links and i found these. Too funny.

I would like to leave you with a sentiment I feel very strongly about. Someone please kill that bloody crazy frog.

Coping with emergencies the British way: The nearest branch of Pret has sold out of chocolate cake.


Photo of the statue of Edith Cavell, British nurse who was killed in the first world war:
"Patriotism is not enough: I must have no hatred or bitterness for anyone".

These terrorists are rubbish.

They'll be caught next week, having successfully demonstrated that the British react to terrorism with indifference. We grew up with it, you see. What with this being a civilised country, they will not receive the death penalty, but be locked up for the rest of their lives, to be regularly sodomised by other inmates while they slowly realise that their interpretation of their religion is a pile of old hokum. Whoops. Meanwhile, I'll be out in London, partying.

On days like this, the music radio stations play sad music - if they play any music at all. I turned on the radio in the bathroom when I was taking my shower just now, and they were playing "One" by U2.
HAVEN'T WE SUFFERED ENOUGH?

All these explosions are rather scary.
Don't suppose the French are that sore at losing the Olympics, are they?

This doesn't look good, does it?

God, I wish I'd brought my decent camera.

"Speaking on behalf of the people of Essex, we are standing by you the peoples of Londonia in these trying times. Mainly because Suffolk won't swap places with us."

BBC Parliament internal email: NEWSFLASH:
There has been a widespread outbreak of grumbling and tutting today in London, along with a large number of people going home instead of to work, with a certain amount of guilty pleasure.
Sorry, bad guys. We've been bombed before, and we just adjust our day to account for it. This is London calling.

"No, really, we're not scared. You can try and kill as many people as you want, you're still going to lose because we're just that damn British. Also? Notice those docks and airports? Still open to the freedom loving folk. Suck it, bitch."

From the BBC website: statement from Al Qaeda:
"Britain is now burning with fear, terror and panic in its northern, southern, eastern, and western quarters".
Erm really... where? I think you will find that's a reaction to the winning the Olympics bid or perhaps just the effect Bush has on us when he visits?!

Okay: it's fucking INCREDIBLE what a medium Farmhouse Pizza can do to lift one's mood at a time like this.

When the news reporter said "Shopkeepers are opening their doors bringing out blankets and cups of tea" I just smiled. It's like yes. That's Britain for you. Tea solves everything.
You're a bit cold?
Tea.
Your boyfriend has just left you?
Tea.
You've just been told you've got cancer?
Tea.
Coordinated terrorist attack on the transport network bringing the city to a grinding halt?
TEA DAMMIT!
And if it's really serious, they may bring out the coffee. The Americans have their alert raised to red, we break out the coffee. That's for situations more serious than this of course. Like another England penalty shoot-out [in soccer].

I really REALLY would like to go on but you can see them all right here:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/tyrell/154027.html

When the news reporter said "Shopkeepers are opening their doors bringing out blankets and cups of tea" I just smiled. It's like yes. That's Britain for you. Tea solves everything.
You're a bit cold?
Tea.
Your boyfriend has just left you?
Tea.
You've just been told you've got cancer?
Tea.
Coordinated terrorist attack on the transport network bringing the city to a grinding halt?
TEA DAMMIT!
And if it's really serious, they may bring out the coffee. The Americans have their alert raised to red, we break out the coffee. That's for situations more serious than this of course. Like another England penalty shoot-out [in soccer].

This is not true. The coffee is not a British thing. It's the Earl Grey when it gets serious. After all, it's more expensive.

Hmm...this was interesting:

The actual statement talks about how Britain is trembling in fear 'to the North, South, East and West'. Well, having heard from people who have a bus in mangled bits RIGHT OUTSIDE THEIR FECKING WINDOW, they've failed in that one. Everyone is just pissed off they've got several miles to walk home, because there's no public transport.

We did terrorism for years, thanks to the IRA (funded by certain Americans, but we don't care as we can tell the difference between individuals and states, unlike Al "smash the Infidel by blowing up a bunch of random people" Qaeda). We got bored and went back to work before these little wankers even started.

Not really. There were no real jokes about. The first I'd seen was, over a year later, someone created a music video called, "I Like To Watch", of a man masturbating to news reports of 9\11.
There were plenty of jokes about it back in the day. Probably not on the massive scale that people are digging up and passing around these kinds of things, but then again, consider this: part of the apparent popularity of these images is in that they're also mocking the actions of American reactionaries. When NYC was attacked, who was there for us to mock?

Only ourselves. And THAT doesn't fly well with a good many over-somber "patriots" who seem to think that tragedies like this DESERVE to be actively mourned for years to come. And they're pretty much the ones we were making fun of anyway.

Love the one about winning the Olympic bid. :D

http://www.warrenellis.com/index.php?p=971




Nice to see they have Stella Artois in London as the popular beer, strange to see that they sell it as a luxury beer while in its country of origin, Belgium, it is just a 1.50€ beer on drought in bars.

Well it will surely pump up the moral, certainly after a dozen

Good old rich American Irish backers with grudges. If they could see what their funding has led to. Oh wait, they have. Oh wait, they regret everything. How nice. Gonna fund the Garda and the Police to help wipe what's left of the IRA, now little more than a racketeering operation? No? Didn't think so. Fuckers.

Via Ferrata: Stella is so popular here that it's known as "wife-beater." I think I need say nothing more.

Simonist']There were plenty of jokes about it back in the day. Probably not on the massive scale that people are digging up and passing around these kinds of things, but then again, consider this: part of the apparent popularity of these images is in that they're also mocking the actions of American reactionaries. When NYC was attacked, who was there for us to mock?

Only ourselves. And THAT doesn't fly well with a good many over-somber "patriots" who seem to think that tragedies like this DESERVE to be actively mourned for years to come. And they're pretty much the ones we were making fun of anyway.

I didn't notice any jokes in the US media. Certainly, there were OBL and French jokes but generally it was a paranoid patriotic love fest, even on late night tv. Jokes about violent beatings to ensue but no self-depreciative humour like we are seeing with the Brits.

I wouldn't be surprised if the internet 9/11 humour at the time was done by Londoners. :)

I didn't notice any jokes in the US media. Certainly, there were OBL and French jokes but generally it was a paranoid patriotic love fest, even on late night tv.

I wouldn't be surprised if the internet 9/11 humour at the time was done by Londoners. :)
You'll never find it on the media. Unless said media wanted to fall into bankruptcy that very night.

It's everywhere. Just yesterday I found this funny 9/11 GIF animation that showed the entire War on Terror story with "AYOB" scripts.

Rumsfeld: We got signal!
OBL: Ahahaha! All your base are belong to us!

Good old rich American Irish backers with grudges. If they could see what their funding has led to. Oh wait, they have. Oh wait, they regret everything. How nice. Gonna fund the Garda and the Police to help wipe what's left of the IRA, now little more than a racketeering operation? No? Didn't think so. Fuckers.

Via Ferrata: Stella is so popular here that it's known as "wife-beater." I think I need say nothing more.

I've got a better idea. Blame the people who actually shot people and blew them up. I know I blame the IRA for killing my cousins.

Ah, good old England. Completely incapable of empathy, of accepting care, and of generally not being dicks.

I hate this place sometimes.

I've got a better idea. Blame the people who actually shot people and blew them up. I know I blame the IRA for killing my cousins.

Ah, good old England. Completely incapable of empathy, of accepting care, and of generally not being dicks.

I hate this place sometimes.

Hey, hey, do you see me supporting the IRA? You think you're the only person who lost family to them? You think you're the only person HERE who lost family to those cunts? You think you're the only person here who HATES THEM?!

Of COURSE they're to blame, but what might have been a lot NICER for EVERYONE involved would have been if they hadn't had MILLIONS of pounds poured ENDLESSLY upon them by arrogant BASTARDS with no idea of what they were doing, because it was nothing to them but a PATHETIC CRUSADE, the "liberation" of a motherland they'd never been to, the oppression of which lived on in hundred-year-old songs.

You'll never find it on the media. Unless said media wanted to fall into bankruptcy that very night.

It's everywhere. Just yesterday I found this funny 9/11 GIF animation that showed the entire War on Terror story with "AYOB" scripts.

Rumsfeld: We got signal!
OBL: Ahahaha! All your base are belong to us!

Yeah, YESTERDAY you found it and the nationality of the creator is unknown as well. No to mention it's the internet and nobody gives a rats ass about someone's opinion on the internet.

If the US media outlets did anything mocking the actions of Americans soon after the attacks occurred it would have been the bankruptcy scenario you stated. There would be outrage. People would petition advertizers to not sponsor that station/program anymore. Aggressive attacks on a perfectly necessary coping mechanism.

Not only would the effect of it being "too soon" be in play but the rabid nationalism would be in effect as well. Patriotism was the order of the day. "With us or against us". Anyone not on the bandwagon would have been demonized and be labelled as someone who "hated America".

In London the reaction was much more admirable.

I've got a better idea. Blame the people who actually shot people and blew them up. I know I blame the IRA for killing my cousins.

Ah, good old England. Completely incapable of empathy, of accepting care, and of generally not being dicks.

I hate this place sometimes.

Hate/and terrorisme are going hand in hand, also for Brittons, remember the Guilford five? I recomand a obligate lecture of the movie "In the name of the father" for every Uk kid in schools. By jailing and torturing innocant people that had nothing to do with terrorism, lots of Brittons died with later attacks of the IRA as a revenge for innocent countrymen in UK jails.

That is just one example, there are so many..(Bloody Sunday, and many other unknown days..), Omagh (with all those death Brits in the streets) aso aso aso aso aso aso aso aso...

Truly the nations have different mentalities. They each have strengths and weakness, but this just seems to be someone patting themselves on the back while saying see I am better than you. This thread seems to take something very strong in the British character, something to be admired, and makes it look weak. Why compare your mentality to Americans? Be proud of who you are and what you are about....not the juvenile sing song chant of I am better than you are.

Truly the nations have different mentalities. They each have strengths and weakness, but this just seems to be someone patting themselves on the back while saying see I am better than you. This thread seems to take something very strong in the British character, something to be admired, and makes it look weak. Why compare your mentality to Americans? Be proud of who you are and what you are about....not the juvenile sing song chant of I am better than you are.

Well put!

Truly the nations have different mentalities. They each have strengths and weakness, but this just seems to be someone patting themselves on the back while saying see I am better than you. This thread seems to take something very strong in the British character, something to be admired, and makes it look weak. Why compare your mentality to Americans? Be proud of who you are and what you are about....not the juvenile sing song chant of I am better than you are.

*shrug* Hey, you guys started it, with this daft LJ community ;)

*shrug* Hey, you guys started it, with this daft LJ community ;)
LJ?? I am excessively ignorant of Online abbreviations. Please enlighten my ever feeble mind :)

Yeah, YESTERDAY you found it and the nationality of the creator is unknown as well. No to mention it's the internet and nobody gives a rats ass about someone's opinion on the internet.

If the US media outlets did anything mocking the actions of Americans soon after the attacks occurred it would have been the bankruptcy scenario you stated. There would be outrage. People would petition advertizers to not sponsor that station/program anymore. Aggressive attacks on a perfectly necessary coping mechanism.

Not only would the effect of it being "too soon" be in play but the rabid nationalism would be in effect as well. Patriotism was the order of the day. "With us or against us". Anyone not on the bandwagon would have been demonized and be labelled as someone who "hated America".

In London the reaction was much more admirable.
Okay. You need a flashback time to remember how chaotic 9/11 was.

http://web.archive.org/web/20010911200318/http://www.cnn.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/20010911203051/http://www2.cnn.com/index.html
^ 1,500 'walking wounded' in New York City
http://web.archive.org/web/20010912165914rn_2/www.cnn.com/?
^ 1,400 feared dead: Toll will climb
http://web.archive.org/web/20010911205511/http://a388.g.akamai.net/f/388/21/1d/www.cnn.com/2001/US/09/11/worldtrade.crash/story.crash.sequence.jpg

• In the first-ever national ground stop of aircraft, all flights nationwide are stopped at their departure airports.

• International flights are initially diverted to Canada; FAA says later, however, that 22 U.S.-bound international flights will be allowed to land.

• In New York, more than 10,000 rescue personnel rush to the scene. Evacuation of lower Manhattan begins.

• Israel evacuates all of its missions around the world.

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta is evacuated. CDC prepares emergency response teams in case they become necessary.

• Philadelphia landmarks are evacuated.

• In Chicago, the Sears Tower is evacuated; United Nations in New York is evacuated.

• Two aircraft carriers and five other ships are deployed along the East Coast of the United States, and two aircraft carriers go to New York area, all from Norfolk, Virginia.

• The New York Port Authority closes all bridges and tunnels into the city.

• U.S. stock markets close after the New York attacks.

• NATO sends home all non-essential personnel from its Brussels, Belgium, headquarters.

• The Immigration and Naturalization Service puts the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada on highest state of alert.

• Los Angeles International Airport is evacuated.

• Disney closes its parks in Orlando, Florida, and Disneyland in Anaheim, California.

• FEMA implements plan established for such events: FBI leads investigation, and Justice Department heads crisis management.

• Three Palestinian groups -- Hamas, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Islamic Jihad -- deny responsibility for the attacks, but blame U.S. policies in the Mideast.

• Washington, D.C. and San Francisco declare states of emergency.

• A Delta flight makes emergency landing in Cleveland and all passengers are safely evacuated. Federal officials search the plane for a possible bomb.


You tell me the fucking difference between that and Thursday. You tell me we don't have the right to be a tad mournful? You tell me our emotions have no place in the aftermath of 9/11?

I DON'T THINK you were there when people jumped off the damn buildings.

I can't believe your comparing reactions. Like slapping a little girl for being traumatized after witnessing a murder and shaking the hands of a man who's seen a thousand murders and wasn't phased.

When I heard terrorists had attacked London, I didn’t shed a tear. I didn’t suddenly start spouting clichéd, soppy rubbish like “today, London and our entire nation is in pain”. No, I actually laughed out loud. Not at the fact that people had died – that (obviously) wasn’t funny at all, and it only pissed me off. I laughed at the terrorists, as did several people in my office at the time. Indeed, the first thought that came into my head was something like, “these terrorists have absolutely no clue whatsoever as to whom they’re trying to ‘fuck with’, do they?”

Because if they did understand the British, they just wouldn’t have bothered. They seriously don’t have bombs big enough to ‘terrorise’ us. It’s particularly ironic that they're ‘punishing’ people for the War on Iraq when a massive number of people (probably a good number of those killed and injured) were against the Iraq War. Talk about stupid tactics. People will just get on with their lives, as they are doing, and won’t let anything get in their way.

All they managed to accomplish on Thursday was pissing us off a little. Sure, people will be a little worried over the next few days. Sure, we will feel sorry for the relatives of those people lost in the explosions – but that would be the same for anything. But you can't ‘terrorise’ Londoners, or the British in general, with a few explosions. Even the Americans, with all their immense military muscle, couldn’t even do that – fortunately, they are decent people who don’t needlessly slaughter civilians, unlike ‘some’ people in this world, and thus they’re our strongest allies. Nope, you can only piss us off. So congratulate yourselves, any terrorists who might be reading this - for you’ve just earned yourself another angry population! Yay! Just what you needed!



Morons... :rolleyes:

You tell me the fucking difference between that and Thursday. You tell me we don't have the right to be a tad mournful? You tell me our emotions have no place in the aftermath of 9/11?

More like an unhealthy mix of fear and panic rather than mourning. I admit the attacks were grand and pretty unique but since there was no way that the whole country would have been brought down by such acts there was a great deal of overreaction. Blame the media and/or politicians for that. Certainly plenty to go around.


I DON'T THINK you were there when people jumped off the damn buildings.

I'm willing to bet 99.999999% of the people in the US never saw footage of people jump from the towers or even saw anyone die that day.


I can't believe your comparing reactions. Like slapping a little girl for being traumatized after witnessing a murder and shaking the hands of a man who's seen a thousand murders and wasn't phased.

And yet the scared little girl will have enough sense to listen to the more experienced adults in their time of need.

So you guys blame us for being insensitive and unthinking, but when the same shit that's happened to us happens to you and we're showing our sorrow for our closest ally and friend, you rub it in our face. Maybe the USA should just ignore Europe completely, that way when the next Adolf Hitler or Joseph Stalin comes to invade Europe, Europe will be all like,
"Oi, blimey, maybe we shouldn't have been so shitty to those bloody Americans!"
When we don't respond to your call for help.

So you guys blame us for being insensitive and unthinking, but when the same shit that's happened to us happens to you and we're showing our sorrow for our closest ally and friend, you rub it in our face. Maybe the USA should just ignore Europe completely, that way when the next Adolf Hitler or Joseph Stalin comes to invade Europe, Europe will be all like,
"Oi, blimey, maybe we shouldn't have been so shitty to those bloody Americans!"
When we don't respond to your call for help.

...no, actually, we laugh at you for overreacting to the point of Godwinisation. "Today I'm a Londoner" - no you aren't. It's as simple as that.

You know, I'd much rather deal with this bout of explosive diahhriaa I;m having than to continue on. So excuse me.

More like an unhealthy mix of fear and panic rather than mourning. I admit the attacks were grand and pretty unique but since there was no way that the whole country would have been brought down by such acts there was a great deal of overreaction. Blame the media and/or politicians for that. Certainly plenty to go around.



I'm willing to bet 99.999999% of the people in the US never saw footage of people jump from the towers or even saw anyone die that day.



And yet the scared little girl will have enough sense to listen to the more experienced adults in their time of need.


Why are you so intent on creating division? You are arguing to the point of patheticness.... we are so better than you ... but I have no confidence unless I keep stating in over and over again ad nauseaum. Grow up. I am sorry that London was hit. I am glad that Londoners have kept thier respective chins up, as it should be. This thread is turning into nothing but flame and flame bait. It needs to stop.

More like an unhealthy mix of fear and panic rather than mourning.

Do you even fucking live here? If not, I suggest you shut the fuck up, because chances are you've got no clue what you're talking about. Was there fear and panic the day of the attacks? Of course. We didn't know how many more planes would be hijacked, how many more targets there were. The fear and panic weren't unhealthy, they were justified. And believe me, there was much more mourning than there was fear.

I admit the attacks were grand and pretty unique but since there was no way that the whole country would have been brought down by such acts there was a great deal of overreaction. Blame the media and/or politicians for that. Certainly plenty to go around.

Actually, there was a pretty good chance a good portion of America's government could've gone down. The whole of the Pentagon could've been destroyed. What if there were planes full of civilians headed towards the white house? What if the president had been assassinated? There were massive security breaches, and we weren't sure how far they'd gone. There was no over-reaction. We could've lost a lot.

I'm willing to bet 99.999999% of the people in the US never saw footage of people jump from the towers or even saw anyone die that day.

Wrong. I definitely remember seeing footage of people jumping from the burning towers on television. And I remember crying. Because of all the people in the towers, and in the planes, and the people on the streets, and the dying firemen. Is that wrong? Is it wrong to be sad because I know as they roll the footage of the towers people are dying inside of them? Yeah, fuck emotions. 50 lives mean nothing...what the fuck is wrong with you people? "We're used to it, it's no big deal". I guess your proud of having no sympathy and such a lack of sensitivity. Good for you; the Americans were blathering babies, but you Brits...you're used to having people die, right? No big deal. Unless it's your brother or your sister, or maybe a friend of yours. Than it's something. You people make me sick.

And yet the scared little girl will have enough sense to listen to the more experienced adults in their time of need.

What the fuck are you on about? Just stop, please.

Hey, hey, do you see me supporting the IRA? You think you're the only person who lost family to them? You think you're the only person HERE who lost family to those cunts? You think you're the only person here who HATES THEM?!

Of COURSE they're to blame, but what might have been a lot NICER for EVERYONE involved would have been if they hadn't had MILLIONS of pounds poured ENDLESSLY upon them by arrogant BASTARDS with no idea of what they were doing, because it was nothing to them but a PATHETIC CRUSADE, the "liberation" of a motherland they'd never been to, the oppression of which lived on in hundred-year-old songs.

Sorry I don't share your opinion, but I don't blame 'enablers', I blame the people who commited the crime. The people who took up arms, or decided to kill people, or whatever. Yeah, it'd have been nice if they hadn't had funding, but they'd have found other sources of revenue. I'm not even saying the people who fund(ed) them are blameless, but I place the massive majority of the blame at the IRA's door.



Wrong. I definitely remember seeing footage of people jumping from the burning towers on television. And I remember crying. Because of all the people in the towers, and in the planes, and the people on the streets, and the dying firemen. Is that wrong? Is it wrong to be sad because I know as they roll the footage of the towers people are dying inside of them? Yeah, fuck emotions. 50 lives mean nothing...what the fuck is wrong with you people? "We're used to it, it's no big deal". I guess your proud of having no sympathy and such a lack of sensitivity. Good for you; the Americans were blathering babies, but you Brits...you're used to having people die, right? No big deal. Unless it's your brother or your sister, or maybe a friend of yours. Than it's something. You people make me sick.

We're not ALL like that. Some of us do actually have notions of compassion and appreciation for that compassion when we get it.

America: "America will never forget the Stars and Stripes being flown the world over, or the National Anthem being played at Buckingham Palace."

Britain: "Fuck you and fuck your sympathy."

If anyone knows any judges in the US or people in the immigration service, now'd be a great time to help me move over there.

The most telling thing I think is not what happened on the day, but how people reacted in the following months. Airplanes were nearly empty, in many ways the terrorists accomplished what they wanted- people were afraid.

As soon as the tube was reopened (or is, I don't know if they have yet) I'm sure people had no qualms about using it.

As a wise man once said: "God, I love this town!".

Peter Venkman, right?

Wrong. I definitely remember seeing footage of people jumping from the burning towers on television. And I remember crying. Because of all the people in the towers, and in the planes, and the people on the streets, and the dying firemen. Is that wrong? Is it wrong to be sad because I know as they roll the footage of the towers people are dying inside of them? Yeah, fuck emotions. 50 lives mean nothing...what the fuck is wrong with you people? "We're used to it, it's no big deal". I guess your proud of having no sympathy and such a lack of sensitivity. Good for you; the Americans were blathering babies, but you Brits...you're used to having people die, right? No big deal. Unless it's your brother or your sister, or maybe a friend of yours. Than it's something. You people make me sick.

Read much, ever-so profane child? Nobody here is saying 'I don't give a shit about those 50 people, they can burn in hell for all I care!'. People are saying the terrorists FAILED. The fact that people don't burst into tears over the 50-odd souls lost that day it is probably because millions of people die every day all over the world and nobody seems to even notice, let alone cry about it. Cry over every single person that dies in this world for unnatural causes and you'd be dehydrated to the point of death within a matter of seconds. That doesn't mean people don't care.

If you want to call something disgusting, call this thread disgusting, not the people of Britain. Do that again and I'll be over in the Moderation forum.

Peter Venkman, right?
Dude! Winston Zeddmore.

OK, this thread has gone spectacularly wrong. The comments on the LJ (Live Journal) were great and exactly what we Londoners (not so much Britian at large, I suspect) needed. I do think, however, that Upi went too far trying to pin certain feelings to the Americans after 9/11 and I fully understand why people have been upset by this.

I will not apologise for laughing at crude, black humour relating to these events. Such reactions are admirable and perform a great service: they help us deal with events almost beyond our capacity to endure.

Remember, the overwhelming majority of Brits didn't mock Americans after 9/11, because that would have been inappropriate. This time around, Brits don't want sympathy, we want defiance and humour. We're different, is all.

Not really. There were no real jokes about. The first I'd seen was, over a year later, someone created a music video called, "I Like To Watch", of a man masturbating to news reports of 9\11.

I don't know. I can recall plenty of jokes around here in the weeks following 9/11 that were saying that 9/11 was co-ordinated by the Red Sox to get back at the Yankees for leading the division (the planes coming from Logan Airport and all). But maybe that was just here in Boston.

This is not true. The coffee is not a British thing. It's the Earl Grey when it gets serious. After all, it's more expensive.

You're plainly not Londoners, or even English.

Tea is the order of the day for all problems, when things REALLY get tough we break out the Biscuits. These work in a sliding scale, starting with Bourbons or Custard Creams moving through Chocolate Digestives and then for real disasters we release the ultimate biscuit. The Milk Chocolate Hob Nob, The biscuit of Champions.

It is rumoured that there is a stage beyond Hob Nobs, wherein the individually wrapped Chocolate Penguin biscuit is used, but this has never been experienced as nothing that bad has happened since the Great Fire of London in 1666. ;)

Wrong. I definitely remember seeing footage of people jumping from the burning towers on television. And I remember crying. Because of all the people in the towers, and in the planes, and the people on the streets, and the dying firemen. Is that wrong? Is it wrong to be sad because I know as they roll the footage of the towers people are dying inside of them? Yeah, fuck emotions. 50 lives mean nothing...what the fuck is wrong with you people? "We're used to it, it's no big deal". I guess your proud of having no sympathy and such a lack of sensitivity. Good for you; the Americans were blathering babies, but you Brits...you're used to having people die, right? No big deal. Unless it's your brother or your sister, or maybe a friend of yours. Than it's something. You people make me sick.
"Holier Than Thou" (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=holier-than-thou)

Disregard what I said before, Brits.

Unless you're blubbering into a vat of ice cream, while watching the BBC and listening to cheesy country music and\or gospel about it, you let the terrorists win. Unless you purchase a "7-7" cap and T-shirt, and strap five Union Jacks to the back of your Humvee while watching documentaries on your built-in DVD player about how Jesus's face was in the blast of smoke, you let the terrorists win. And unless you support the most incompetent, wacko, right-wing, warmongering party in your country (aka "The Tories") and beat every fool who disagrees with you to death, while insulting everyone who was affected by the event but does not share in your agonizing misery the terrorists would want you to feel, you let the terrorists win.

Really, don't be so ridiculous, Florida Oranges. It's because of your ancestors that the British Army said, "Eh.. Fuck this. I'm going home."

They called it English English because they're Stupid Stupid. They call Canada a "backwards" country while not even using the metric system. Shit happens, Florida Orange.

I'm sorry for all the family that YOU lost in the London bombings. But if you've got an issue, here's a tissue.
http://www.realisticdrawing.com/loyalist/art_supplies/kleenex.jpg

Now move on. I think their "lack of humanity" is rather noble, as it is the ability to maintain sanity and rationality, something Americans have never been known for (further demonstrated in this post). The fact that, even during an attack, they don't lose their sense of humor, dignity and reason is a quality that should be admired, not deplored. We're sorry that they're not the gun-toting, Bible-thumping rabid dogs that you seem to identify with.

You're plainly not Londoners, or even English.

Tea is the order of the day for all problems, when things REALLY get tough we break out the Biscuits. These work in a sliding scale, starting with Bourbons or Custard Creams moving through Chocolate Digestives and then for real disasters we release the ultimate biscuit. The Milk Chocolate Hob Nob, The biscuit of Champions.

It is rumoured that there is a stage beyond Hob Nobs, wherein the individually wrapped Chocolate Penguin biscuit is used, but this has never been experienced as nothing that bad has happened since the Great Fire of London in 1666. ;)
I must confess that my Englishness is somewhat compromised: I drink coffee, not tea, plus I prefer dark chocolate Hob Nobs.

I'm so very, very sorry.

I think to fully understand the different reactions, you haveto take the different attitudes and cultures into account.

I think that 9/11 was a bigger shock for the Americans simply because to many Americans, war is something you "go to", not something that might blow up big targets in your city.
Americans send troups to all corners of the globe and war, to them, means that some of them will not come home. It never meant that somebody could actually bomb your back yard while you drive to work.

Londoners, and Europeans on the whole, have experienced that time and again. They lived with the IRA, the Spanish lived with the ETA, and even the Germans and French have their own terrorist groups that will blow a bomb or two every now and again. They are used to it. They are far from happy about it, but experience taught them that terrorism can't be fought in a war, that nothing will change if you get emotional about it, that live on the whole will go on after every attack.
It's just not nearly as new an experience to them as it was to the US.

So, of course, the reaction is different.

I think to fully understand the different reactions, you haveto take the different attitudes and cultures into account.

I think that 9/11 was a bigger shock for the Americans simply because to many Americans, war is something you "go to", not something that might blow up big targets in your city.
Americans send troups to all corners of the globe and war, to them, means that some of them will not come home. It never meant that somebody could actually bomb your back yard while you drive to work.

Londoners, and Europeans on the whole, have experienced that time and again. They lived with the IRA, the Spanish lived with the ETA, and even the Germans and French have their own terrorist groups that will blow a bomb or two every now and again. They are used to it. They are far from happy about it, but experience taught them that terrorism can't be fought in a war, that nothing will change if you get emotional about it, that live on the whole will go on after every attack.
It's just not nearly as new an experience to them as it was to the US.

So, of course, the reaction is different.
No, no. They're just "bad people"!

I think "black humour" is always in evidence come these sorts of incidents. I'm lead to believe that soldiers tend to react the same way when one of their own is killed. I myself have said to friends who have been seriously ill or about to undertake any kind of dangerous activity "If anything happens can I have your CD collection?"

It is just the way we Brits deal with it. There is a line of thought that argues that dwelling on things beyond your control, be they future bombings, or past incidents is unhealthy. This is probably why "therapy" is less prevalent over here than in different cultures that believe you can only get over something if you get it out in the open.

Personally, the stiffer the upper lip the better I think. I have lost members of my family to cancer and to drunken drivers. It has happened. Fact. Move on. No amount of talking, sharing, or wailing will undo what has been done. Accept it and occasionally raise a pint (or a cup of tea :) ) in their memory.

No, no. They're just "bad people"!

Who? The Americans? No, they're just new to the club, that's all. No need to have a go at them for overreacting, they'll learn. ;)

I think to fully understand the different reactions, you haveto take the different attitudes and cultures into account.

I think that 9/11 was a bigger shock for the Americans simply because to many Americans, war is something you "go to", not something that might blow up big targets in your city.
Americans send troups to all corners of the globe and war, to them, means that some of them will not come home. It never meant that somebody could actually bomb your back yard while you drive to work.

Londoners, and Europeans on the whole, have experienced that time and again. They lived with the IRA, the Spanish lived with the ETA, and even the Germans and French have their own terrorist groups that will blow a bomb or two every now and again. They are used to it. They are far from happy about it, but experience taught them that terrorism can't be fought in a war, that nothing will change if you get emotional about it, that live on the whole will go on after every attack.
It's just not nearly as new an experience to them as it was to the US.

So, of course, the reaction is different.

Our terrorists are usually sole weirdos from out in the woods who want sovereignty for their shack. We don't have many coordinated terrorist organizations.

Who? The Americans? No, they're just new to the club, that's all. No need to have a go at them for overreacting, they'll learn. ;)
No, Britons. And I was being sarcastic.

Hey, if Britons are from Great Britain, does that mean Croutons are from Great Croutain?

Oh, and I figured out the "stiff upper-lip" thing. Because, whenever something bad happens, the English just smirk.

The British are no strangers to terrorism, we were putting up with the Vikings more than 1000 years ago! The English have had the Welsh to deal with (Griffyd ap Cluwein a good example), the Irish on and off for hundreds of years and occationally the Scots get a bit drunk and decided to slaughter a lot of Englishmen. The Roman had trouble here almost 2000 years ago!
London had the IRA for YEARS attacking places. I guess the British are just more resiliant..... either that or we still stick to our morals and refuse to be threatend.

I must confess that my Englishness is somewhat compromised: I drink coffee, not tea, plus I prefer dark chocolate Hob Nobs.

I'm so very, very sorry.

Be not afraid. I, too, have been seduced by the Dark Side of the Hob Nob.

But on the other hand, my Englishness is already compromised by my being half Scot, so make of that what you will.

Incidentally, on the subject of the thread in general and some of the petty bickering that's arisen from it, can I just say that most of the posters in here seem to have missed the point:

It was nice of the American in question to post a compassionate LJ entry extending sympathy towards London following the bombings. There's absolutely no reason to criticise Americans for being friendly to us. And the entries posted in response were not, as far as I can see, intended to mock that gesture, but to express Britain's determination not to be moved by terrorism. It's inevitable that the point of IRA bombings in the past will be raised, but while it can be said that Britain has had more experience with terrorism than America, there's absolutely no point in trying to compete with each other over who's had it worse, and who's going to weather it better.

America and Britain are allies. Since the US claimed their independence we have, thankfully, been friends. I don't say 'thankfully' out of fear of America's undoubted military might (we all know Britain could give them a run for their money!), but because I LIKE America, and I like the American people (well, most of them). What happened on 9/11 was a tragedy, as was the recent bombing in London (which I refuse to refer to as '7/7, if that's okay).

This whole LJ thing was just a bit of light-hearted fun to demonstrate that bloody 'stiff upper lip old boy'. It wasn't supposed to be derogatory, and it wasn't supposed to be a challenge to Americans, who are entitled to deal with 9/11 and with the London attacks in whatever way they wish. As are we. That some idiots can't go two minutes without leaping back into that old argument about whether America 'saved our asses' in World War II or whether we would have won anyway is unfortunate - but though it may come as a shock to some people on both sides of the Atlantic: World War II is over now.

So to America, I say this: I disagree with some of the things you do and say (and some of the people you elect), but I respect you greatly, and I appreciate that, by and large, you seem to respect my country as well. I thank you on behalf of Britain (whether they agree with me or not) for your kind thoughts and support. :)

No, Britons. And I was being sarcastic.

Hey, if Britons are from Great Britain, does that mean Croutons are from Great Croutain?

Oh, and I figured out the "stiff upper-lip" thing. Because, whenever something bad happens, the English just smirk.
That or roast a small child alive and carry on oppressing the Irish/Indians/Africans/[insert colonial victim here].

EDIT: Nice commentary, Orcadia Tertius.

Oh, and I figured out the "stiff upper-lip" thing. Because, whenever something bad happens, the English just smirk.

Actually, it's a little known fact that there is no Chap Stick in England.

Well, I'd say it was a damn inconvienence, I had my self all excited to watching a day of BBC World, with my Dilma tea pot in one hand, and a packet of Ginger Nuts in the other, expecting to catch up on news.

Well, atleast its not as bad as the damn bombing in Australia; the crying and moaning was out of control; I swear that there was more panting and whining than at the local brothel down the road.

Then every other bastard jumping on the 'flag waving, sholder crying, "waltz sing ma tilda' bandwagon - it was almost enough to make me puke - when over there, when asked my reaction, "it was a damn incovienent event, now I'll have to put up with weeks of back patting, crying and other bullshit rather than enjoying some quality shows".

Actually, it's a little known fact that there is no Chap Stick in England.
Or toothpaste. The lips are held stiff to keep in the bad breath.

http://fapfap.org/londoner.jpg

Well, I'd say it was a damn inconvienence, I had my self all excited to watching a day of BBC World, with my Dilma tea pot in one hand, and a packet of Ginger Nuts in the other, expecting to catch up on news.

Well, atleast its not as bad as the damn bombing in Australia; the crying and moaning was out of control; I swear that there was more panting and whining than at the local brothel down the road.

Then every other bastard jumping on the 'flag waving, sholder crying, "waltz sing ma tilda' bandwagon - it was almost enough to make me puke - when over there, when asked my reaction, "it was a damn incovienent event, now I'll have to put up with weeks of back patting, crying and other bullshit rather than enjoying some quality shows".

Bet you can't wait for the commemorative coin set.

Bet you can't wait for the commemorative coin set.

Dear lord no, and probably idiots trying to sell off t-shirts with union jacks on, with the words under it, "I was there!" - the ironic part, only the American tourists would buy such a cheap (both style and price) and shockingly piece of garbage.

As I was asked by my doctor, after getting hit by a car whilst on my bike, riding to the gym, how I felt - "a bloody inconvienence, now I'll have to get a new pair of pants and I've wasted atleast 6 weeks of my gym membership".

Talk about apathy...whats next a " My terrorist are better than yours " thread ? ;) Well since Iraq has a bunch of your soldiers in it and there seems to be a surfeit of target terrorist and small game animals ..feel free to indulge in .... :mp5: :sniper: : :sniper: :sniper: :mp5: :mp5: :gundge: :mp5: :mp5: and if you run out of ammo we have a few 24 hr Ammo centers at your local Uncle sams !
Nothing says " bite me bitch " like a hellfire missle up the ass .

Of course there's a difference. The whole "getting bombed" thing is entirely new to Americans. They're more sensitive.

I guess you forgot you folks burned our capitol and white house. This nation has suffered worse events in its history.

I guess you forgot you folks burned our capitol and white house. This nation has suffered worse events in its history.

"You folk"? The Irish invading and burning down Washington? Now, that would be a sight....

There is a little difference between the Canadian-US war and a modern war. While both are devastating to the civilian population, the destruction and indirect violence of a modern war is difficult to compare to anything before.
To remain with the example of the Canadian-US war of 1812, people had a good notion of what was going to happen. They had time to gather their valuables and flee if they were not ready to fight, as the Canadians took a whil to actually reach Washington.
In a modern war, there's no telling when the building, car, bus, person next to you is going to be hit by a bomb or go off themselves. It's sudden, an attack can happen anywhere, without warning, coming from all directions, even from above. You can't go hide in the cellar because you don't know when it's going to hit. There is no security.

Europe lived through wars like that, and in the post-war era through terrorism and attacks from within.
I guess so far, America was just very lucky.

You're plainly not Londoners, or even English.

Tea is the order of the day for all problems, when things REALLY get tough we break out the Biscuits. These work in a sliding scale, starting with Bourbons or Custard Creams moving through Chocolate Digestives and then for real disasters we release the ultimate biscuit. The Milk Chocolate Hob Nob, The biscuit of Champions.

It is rumoured that there is a stage beyond Hob Nobs, wherein the individually wrapped Chocolate Penguin biscuit is used, but this has never been experienced as nothing that bad has happened since the Great Fire of London in 1666. ;)


LOL!


excellent:)

now wheres meh rich tea biccies and yorkshire tea bags!

I guess you forgot you folks burned our capitol and white house. This nation has suffered worse events in its history.

not really because your history wouldn't go as far back now would it?

The Civil war we fought was the worst event in our history ..also one of the best events .

God... I love those brits :)

The Civil war we fought was the worst event in our history ..also one of the best events .
my point is that its not easy to compare really and opinion to say "which is worst?"

God... I love those brits :)

hey you yanks arn't that bad either. :)

not really because your history wouldn't go as far back now would it?

Hey man.. in its few 300 years, america has gone through hell like it or not.. Massive Immigration, Civil War, 40 something wars, two depressions, terrorist attacks, Carnegie and Rockafeler... I mean honestly, the U.S has to have one of the most fucked up histories on earth

Hey man.. in its few 300 years, america has gone through hell like it or not.. Massive Immigration, Civil War, 40 something wars, two depressions, terrorist attacks, Carnegie and Rockafeler... I mean honestly, the U.S has to have one of the most fucked up histories on earth

Like i say you can't compare with "who had it worst?" Nobody has it easy

you are forgetting WW1/2.... that was on europaen/asian ground
thats why the "old europe" is so chilled out
the explosion resistance is in our genes

"mortar explosions in the neighbours house?... no problem"
for the brits
"V2 Explosion 60metres away, just turn the music louder"

its all a thing about immunisation

When I heard terrorists had attacked London, I didn’t shed a tear. I didn’t suddenly start spouting clichéd, soppy rubbish like “today, London and our entire nation is in pain”. No, I actually laughed out loud. Not at the fact that people had died

I also laughed when I heard the news, it was not the news I was laughing at, but the mode of delivery to my family. We were in Spain, and we couldnt understand the Catalan News Radio and TV stations.

So my brother got a text from a girl who 'isn't his girfriend anymore the bitch' (Yeah right! But thats not for here) and it went a little something like this:

omg!omg! theres been seven bombs on the London in like tubes and loads of people are dead and stuff! omg!

I was later to enjoy even more hilarity when i found out that there were four bombs and that the preliminary reports statements that there were 'several' she mistook this for meaning 'seven'. Stupid Bitch.

Hey man.. in its few 300 years, america has gone through hell like it or not.. Massive Immigration, Civil War, 40 something wars, two depressions, terrorist attacks, Carnegie and Rockafeler... I mean honestly, the U.S has to have one of the most fucked up histories on earth

When was the second one (or the first) I mean, the one that wasnt the 1929 stock market crash?

This is highly lolworthy:

"I went to Euston: went to the tube and there was a loud bang. and we were sent out! Then we were sent out of the station so I half ran to Tavistock Place to catch a bus to Victoria. And then it went bang, so I thought "b****r that"."

"They did their worst, and they managed to disrupt our transport network and get fatalities in the low double figures. That happens on a fairly regular basis anyway, you twits. What's your next trick - a fiendish weather control device which makes it rain on a bank holiday weekend?"

This is true. There were less delays on tubes today than on several days I have been on the tube.

"You folk"? The Irish invading and burning down Washington? Now, that would be a sight....

Correct me if I'm wrong here... (which I'm not) ... but Ireland had been part of the UK for 11 years by the time that the British troops marched into Washington and burnt down the White House, no?

Now that you have been attacked by Al Queda you can go liberate a country or two . We still have some left in need of a severe liberation or even a new election .

Correct me if I'm wrong here... (which I'm not) ... but Ireland had been part of the UK for 11 years by the time that the British troops marched into Washington and burnt down the White House, no?


OK, you're wrong, but it is really only semantics, as the UK didn't exist then, and the UK is short for "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".

The War of 1812 was really just a little side battle in the Napoleonic Wars between France and Britain. Because the United States had been providing a certain amount of support for the French, the British attempted to blockade American shipping and had, on occasion, impressed American seamen into the Royal Navy. The US finally became fed up and declared war on Britain on 18 June, 1812.

On 19 August, a British force landed at the mouth of the Patuxent River. By 24 August they had marched north and captured Washington, almost without a fight. The British sat down at a captured White House banquet and, after a pleasant dinner, set fire to the White House and much of the city in retaliation for the American burning of a number of small villages in Upper Canada, contrary to an earlier agreement. The burning of Washington was done at the specific request of Sir George Prevost, the Governor of Canada.

So, it was your own fault really! :rolleyes:

OK, you're wrong, but it is really only semantics, as the UK didn't exist then, and the UK is short for "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".

...
Between 1801 and some point in the 1920s (the exact date is debatable) it was 'The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland'.

Very True, I stand corrected.