Why Brits are better than Yanks

[DavidH]

But you have no continuity with those cultures, much less even than we have with some of the Neolithic structures over here. But when I see that door, or sit in Jarrow or Deerhurst, about 1,200 years old, I am linked with the men of that time, who were English and spoke an earlier version of my language. I can even read contemporary writings of that time, in English. I only have to stroll a hundred yards down the road to my village church to see parts which are 900 years old in a building which is still performing the rôle it was built for.

That's called having roots.

[Tigger_the_Wing]

Once upon a time, when my older children (now in their thirties) were toddlers, I was taking a bus ride into town.

Seated behind me were a pair of ladies, American tourists.

As we passed a mediocre church, they were all excited "Look at that old church! It's so old…" that sort of thing.

I'm afraid I couldn't resist. I turned around and told them that, on the contrary, it was a modern church; Victorian, only about 150 years old.



Of course, they then asked what on Earth would make a church 'old'.

I told them that modern was less than 200 years old, average was 200 - 800 years old, old was anything older than that. Ancient was over 2000 years old.

[PKMKII]

But you have no continuity with those cultures, much less even than we have with some of the Neolithic structures over here.

Well that's not entirely true. The U.S. Constitution is partially based on the Iroquois government system. Plus that whole "growing a ton of corn" thing? We picked that up from the natives.

But when I see that door, or sit in Jarrow or Deerhurst, about 1,200 years old, I am linked with the men of that time, who were English and spoke an earlier version of my language.

Which is great if you're a white English person whose family hasn't moved out of a 50 mile radius for thousands of years. But what makes American great is that because we have this immigrant tradition, anyone can come here, become a citizen, and bam! they're American, and part of that tradition. Sure, we've got our xenophobes, but they're more marginalized than in Europe, have to hide behind code words. We don't have major political parties built around explicit xenophobia.

[Rainswept]

I think we've stretched the joke as far as it's gonna go lol

[DavidH]

I fear so.

[daftbeaker]

Oooh, we're talking history? Here's some fun 'Murican history from just shy of 238 years ago:

And some more 'murican history from 200 years ago

[PKMKII]

We were meaning to redo the place anyway

[Capt'n Chestbeard]

As my Dad once told me:
'The difference between the Americans and the Brits is that Americans think 200 years is a long time, but the Brits think 200 miles is a long way'

[Cardinal Fang]

As my Dad once told me:
'The difference between the Americans and the Brits is that Americans think 200 years is a long time, but the Brits think 200 miles is a long way'

Too true

CF

[Griffin]

If you take Modern History at Oxford University, it begins around 1066. (actually I think it is earlier like maybe 2,000 BC, but I can't actually remember that far back).

[Cardinal Fang]

If you take Modern History at Oxford University, it begins around 1066. (actually I think it is earlier like maybe 2,000 BC, but I can't actually remember that far back).

Well if you consider that the University was founded in about 1096, (making it 113 years older than Cambridge!), then 1066 would seem fairly contemporary.

CF

[Griffin]

If you take Modern History at Oxford University, it begins around 1066. (actually I think it is earlier like maybe 2,000 BC, but I can't actually remember that far back).

Well if you consider that the University was founded in about 1096, (making it 113 years older than Cambridge!), then 1066 would seem fairly contemporary.

CF

If you consider that Oxford was founded around 1096 and Cambridge 113 years later, then how old they both are is, well, given it's around 1,000 years ago, about the same really. Not that I feel the need to defend Cambridge. After all, it's ahead of Oxford in the league tables.

[fremont]

Though both of them are 1,000 years ago, they are still popular.

[DavidH]

Oxford is the University. Cambridge is a technical college in the Fens. There can be no comparison.

[Griffin]

Oxford is the University. Cambridge is a technical college in the Fens. There can be no comparison.

Do technical colleges have the greatest literary genius's?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University ... Literature