8. Unique characteristics of anglo-american culture

8. Unique Characteristics of Anglo-American Culture

Profile: Some phenomena of British Life

State: American life

British exceptionalism – your country is special – way of life is special, everyone except me

= believe that we have unique path, we are special

= belief that a species, country, society, institution, movement, individual, or time period is "exceptional" (i.e., unusual or extraordinary)

- classes system – remanence of strong class system – reinforcing traditional beliefs

- how can you tell from which class they are? Region/ area, access to education, accent/dialect – vow sound, north – poorer/working class, also in the names

- Katie Hopkins – far right, she wouldn’t let her children play with someone with different name

- reality tv star, seeking attention, anti Muslim, pro Trum

- working class name – Ryan, Bob (now not that much – London, middle classes reclaimed), Jack (same as Bob), Mike, Bill (same as Bob), Ricky, Mark, Ashley, Victoria (?),

- posh - William, Edward, Oliver, Kristofer, Maty, Mia

- John, Alice, Victoria, Nikola – could be anywhere

- classes are everywhere, contemporary situation – working class to work, middle class stay at home

- people look more at the classes in Britain than in US – Trump couldn’t be president/minister

- in sports, names, where we live, what we choose to study – working class – business, in all aspects of life

- British cuisine – Shepperd’s pie, Full English breakfast, stereotype – that its bad – plain/bland/fatty/everything fried – when? Puritanism – 40 years’ war – interruption of spices, enjoyment of life became sinful – unchristian, strong protestant mentality – denial of pressure/protestant work ethic/life is about work and business – 17th century, strict morality in Victorian period

- stereotype of English gentleman – reserved, cold, honourable (čestný), unemotional – showing emotion wrong for man, to keep a stiff upper lip – udržet se, James Bond, comes from the days of Empire, controlled

- after II.WW – generation of English women cooking without spices

- 1948 – multicultural country – types of Indian cuisine, meat – traditional, Sunday roasts – gravy, roasted potatoes, boiled vegetables, beef

- Chicken tikka masala – most popular, then fish and chips

- multicultural cuisine

- believers of understatement = we never exaggerate, irony, upper class women – captured by Japanese soldiers, talking calmly, you say “it´s not very good” don’t say “terrible”

- what could be learn from eastern Europe? – coronavirus pandemic, never mention Czech Rep.

- face mask – they didn’t believe would operate them properly – general public is too stupid

- restrictions of personal freedom – we are freedom loving nation

- enforcing with the police, one extreme to other

- exceptional about virus – vyhne se nám

- London riots 2010 – steeling flat tvs – podávali si to, cuing

- order – part of British culture