Is the UK worth the change in life style and uprooting from America?

Oi! Me too! Me too! (Also, if I say "Oi Vay" does that make me a proper northern jew?)

You know what Jennie...there isn't one Northern Jew on that Jewish Mum of the year! Ahshonda. You can be an honorary one if you want.

You know what Jennie...there isn't one Northern Jew on that Jewish Mum of the year! Ahshonda. You can be an honorary one if you want.

This will reassure my mother, she is still despairing that we didn't end up having a proper Jewish wedding. (There are four rabbis in my family, so it wasn't for lack of choice of officiant. )

Isn't that Anti-Americanism? I can't think of a situation when Americans would want to boo British athletes even if that person(s) was playing an American. I could be wrong but that example does show the Brits to have a conscious or at the very least a sub-conscious dislike for Americans.Not all Brits of course.Am I off based on this score? I hope my observation is wrong.

It could be classed as "anti-Americanism" but might also be a case of rooting for the underdog. Many Olympics in the past I've rooted for anyone to win the gold BUT the American, purely because the USA were winning so many gold medals. I even recall one quite a few years ago when the American woman who was the overwelming favourite in the hurdles and was in the lead, stumbled on the final hurdle, and I'm ashamed to say I cheered! I wouldn't have done that with DW now though!

It could be classed as "anti-Americanism" but might also be a case of rooting for the underdog. Many Olympics in the past I've rooted for anyone to win the gold BUT the American, purely because the USA were winning so many gold medals. I even recall one quite a few years ago when the American woman who was the overwelming favourite in the hurdles and was in the lead, stumbled on the final hurdle, and I'm ashamed to say I cheered! I wouldn't have done that with DW now though!

I was going to say something similar. Who really knows the motivation of the crowd to start booing. With all due respect to your British wife camoscato, that's just one person's interpretation. She's probably right, but in the end who really knows.

It could be classed as "anti-Americanism" but might also be a case of rooting for the underdog. Many Olympics in the past I've rooted for anyone to win the gold BUT the American, purely because the USA were winning so many gold medals.

Ok, but from the American point of view, you're just booing the US team/athlete.  If I was at the same event, I wouldn't particularly care that you were doing it because you were in favor of the underdog.  It just sounds like booing either way.

I was going to say something similar. Who really knows the motivation of the crowd to start booing. With all due respect to your British wife camoscato, that's just one person's interpretation. She's probably right, but in the end who really knows.

I appreciate what you guys are saying, and obviously I didn't conduct a poll of the crowd to determine everyone's motivation, but I was there, and it looked for all the world like the predominantly UK crowd (Team GB played the game just prior) were booing the US team at the end of the game for winning in such a dominant fashion.

My overall point is the same: I haven't experienced any anti-American sentiment personally, but there is at least some current of anti-American feeling in the UK.  It's not something you hear every day, and it's not even enough that I'd discourage an American from moving to the UK, but it's enough that if someone is overly sensitive to anti-American feelings, they might want to at least prepare themselves for it.

The OP seems to be particularly concerned about it, so it seems like a good idea to let him know what to expect, rather than telling him everyone in Britain loves America unreservedly.

I'd say there are varying levels of anti-American sentiment in pretty much every country in the world, and Britain is probably among the least anti-American of the lot. If someone is hyper-sensitive to that, they're going to suffer by leaving the US at all.

I'd say there are varying levels of anti-American sentiment in pretty much every country in the world, and Britain is probably among the least anti-American of the lot. If someone is hyper-sensitive to that, they're going to suffer by leaving the US at all.

Yeah, I think you're absolutely right.  I didn't meant to single the UK out, it's just that the OP was asking about anti-Americanism in the UK in particular.

My overall point is the same: I haven't experienced any anti-American sentiment personally, but there is at least some current of anti-American feeling in the UK.  

Oh I agree. There is often an undercurrent on the satirical comedy news shows, odd times I've cringed when watching with DW, and I hear/read people making generalisations. Recently, at work, a fairly new starter into our team was making a few remarks about Americans, and I was going to let it go, other members of the team were just looking at me and when it was clear he wasn't going to stop I said...."you might want to know my wife is American before you carry on", at which he tried to make light of it as a joke. He's actually a nice guy and cracks some great jokes, on this occasion he wasn't aware of his audience!

Yeah, I think you're absolutely right.  I didn't meant to single the UK out, it's just that the OP was asking about anti-Americanism in the UK in particular.

Just for some perspective.....I've also encountered anti-British feelings abroad, or at least anti-English (which to many abroad they seem to be the same). I went on holiday to Croatia a few years ago and we took a day trip to Mostar in Bosnia. Whilst our group was walking through the streets a small group of 20-something males across the street just shouted "English, pah" and spat on the floor.
I don't think there's much love for us in parts of the old Yugoslavia for not stopping the genocide soon enough, and I also think a lot of the anti-American and anti-British feelings stem from Iraq.

Oh I agree. There is often an undercurrent on the satirical comedy news shows, odd times I've cringed when watching with DW, and I hear/read people making generalisations.

I'd agree that it exists to some extent, but I'd venture to guess that if your wife were German or Polish or (insert any nationality), you'd find just as much to cringe about. Perhaps you notice it more because she's American.

Yeah, it is anti-Americanism, but I think it just reflects the conflicted feelings many people have about America.  On the one hand, there are things people love about America, so when they meet an individual American, they're positive and want to ask questions about America.

There are also things people dislike about America, and when the US women's basketball team is beating up the Czech Republic, that's what they're reminded of.

At any rate, I wouldn't not move to the UK because of rampant anti-Americanism, even if they boo us when we kick a$$ at basketball.   

Sounds like a out going opinionated person from America might want to change how they enguage conversation with people in the UK unless they know them well. Does that sound fair? Correct me if I'm wrong but that might create an environment where people are guarded and not necessarily authentic? But when in Rome do as....

Sounds like a out going opinionated person from America might want to change how they enguage conversation with people in the UK unless they know them well. Does that sound fair? Correct me if I'm wrong but that might create an environment where people are guarded and not necessarily authentic? But when in Rome do as....

Well, I generally don't go spouting off strongly held opinions in groups of people I don't know well, and that was true when I lived in the US, too.  I don't do it because I'm guarded and inauthentic, but because I don't want people I just met to think I'm a blowhard who lacks empathy.   

Ok, but from the American point of view, you're just booing the US team/athlete.  If I was at the same event, I wouldn't particularly care that you were doing it because you were in favor of the underdog.  It just sounds like booing either way.

I appreciate what you guys are saying, and obviously I didn't conduct a poll of the crowd to determine everyone's motivation, but I was there, and it looked for all the world like the predominantly UK crowd (Team GB played the game just prior) were booing the US team at the end of the game for winning in such a dominant fashion.

My overall point is the same: I haven't experienced any anti-American sentiment personally, but there is at least some current of anti-American feeling in the UK.  It's not something you hear every day, and it's not even enough that I'd discourage an American from moving to the UK, but it's enough that if someone is overly sensitive to anti-American feelings, they might want to at least prepare themselves for it.

The OP seems to be particularly concerned about it, so it seems like a good idea to let him know what to expect, rather than telling him everyone in Britain loves America unreservedly.

I appreciate that you are not sugar coating perspectives about the UK.It is so easy to think mostly good or bad things about a place based soley on how well a individual's life is going in the UK.It helps me to know the good bad and ugly in order to make the best possible informed decision. And moderate levels of anti-Americanism would not stop me from moving there but having a grasp of the British opinion about Americans does provide me the opportunity to deal with it far better.Situations such as these require a good sense of self not to mention a sense of humor.With both in hand my potential time in the UK can be made far more enjoyable.

Situations such as these require a good sense of self not to mention a sense of humor.With both in hand my potential time in the UK can be made far more enjoyable.

Yes, with that attitude you should be ok.

My overall point is the same: I haven't experienced any anti-American sentiment personally, but there is at least some current of anti-American feeling in the UK.

I think you are right, and there are two factors in the rise in anti-US sentiment in the UK:

Firstly, we Brits have also been increasingly targeted with anti-Brit sentiment from other nations over the war in Iraq, and we've noticed it. A clear majority of Brits are against the Iraq war for a number of reasons. However, rather than accepting our country's own responsibility and taking our anger out on Tony Blair & co (where it belongs), we join in with the yank bashing, pretend it was all your idea and that our planes and troops ended up bombing the sh*t out of Iraq through no fault of our own. This 'blame shifting' is not an attractive trait.

This is compounded by...

The BBC (and other media elements, but especially the BBC). The current affairs and documentary programming areas often seem to be gripped by anti-US and anti-Israel sentiment that leads to inherent bias in the way these countries are portrayed. Just watch BBC current affairs (and documentary programmes with any kind of political overtone), and just count how often you see an Israeli or an American who is left wing, moderate, secular, and tolerant. It's pretty rare. This portrayal of the US as a country full of foaming at the mouth uber-patriot warmongers creates a negative sense of 'us and them'.

Just my theory... criticsm / thoughts welcome!

Whilst our group was walking through the streets a small group of 20-something males across the street just shouted "English, pah" and spat on the floor.
I don't think there's much love for us in parts of the old Yugoslavia for not stopping the genocide soon enough,

On the contrary, I'd be willing to bet money that they were Bosnian Serbs, who (as do many Serbs in Serbia and Kosovo), resent NATO, (particularly the UK and USA who did most of the actual bombing) for our role in Kosovo.

I don't think the Kosovan conflict was all we think it to be. The simple fact is, before the conflict, Kosovo was a province of Serbia and had many Serbs living there, and now, it isn't, and there are none. Kosovo is virtually pure Albanian. Now that, to me, sounds like ethnic cleansing, but isn't that what THEY were accused of? Whilst I am certainly not defending Serbs, I feel all is not as at seems there at all.