An Americans view of the British

* The reason they drive on the left is because all their cars are built backwards

Four mentions of no guns, huh?

Sounds quaint.

According to the U.S. State Department, the number of Americans with passports is actually 46%.

Nonetheless, that still speaks volumes about the worldliness of the majority of Americans.

Well, we can travel 2000 miles without needing a passport. Can't do that in England.

I used to get a British science magazine that featured a regular column by a Brit living in the US. Each issue he'd comment on the differences he'd note between British and American culture and social norms. Always quite enlightening and entertaining. One of my favorites was his absolute astonishment at American drug advertisements on the telly, and how they went on and on about possible horrifying side effects, up to and including sudden death.

Canadians can travel even further than that without needing a passport, yet close to 75% of us have one.

Probably because most of you like to travel to the US, to shop if nothing else.

You can tell the author is a southerner because he uses the word "catsup".

Confession: I eat with my fork in my left hand and upside down. My Scottish grandparents taught me that when I was a child.

If you really want to be pedantic about this, Americans can travel up to 5000 miles without needing a passport

Sorry, those two thoughts were separate, FWIW.

I'm not representative of the US since I grew up in a rural area, and now I'm here on GunForge (relax, guys, I'm kidding). Even so, most of my day isn't spent thinking/talking about guns. I think the last time I saw one was over Christmas when I was back home.

Glancing at his Facebook page, it looks like he's pretty into the gun debate to start. He also posts political things on Facebook, which says other things about him perhaps. Your Facebook page is a lot more about photos, science, and something called "greggy tea."

I'm not heading down the road into "no true Scotsman" territory, but do you really think most Americans are this into guns?

Like a toothbrush?

Ever been to Georgia? We don't do the "dress code" thing either, especially in the hot-ass summer.

I guess if you own a gun, you are "into guns." You know, I own a vacuum cleaner, so am I "into" vacuum cleaners? I certainly don't talk about them every day.

I've been meaning to ask Dan what the hell that is. Obviously it's right up there with gardens and meandering, but I don't have a clue, and Google wasn't very helpful.

I think you mistook what I wrote. I meant "as into guns as Dan thinks he is from his post." I don't know if he's pro or anti or mixed gun, he just mentioned that there were no guns four times.

Yeah, I scoffed at that, too.

What it should've said is: the English ran the slave trade but because all the slaves wound up in the New World, there is little cultural legacy from slavery.

Not even a shower?

Must be something in the water, because I've been curious about what greggy tea is too.

I never realized how much some Americans are into guns until I joined WF.

No more than some Americans are into comic books, or quilting, or sudoku, or whatever other hobby people have. Don't overstate.

In America we use elevators and get to our floor much more quickly.

Quiet, you grubby little colonist.