Sadly, not all of the ridiculous stereotypes you hear about England are true. Take the United States, for example, I can bet not everyone reading this LOVES cheeseburgers or wears a cowboy hat and watches football. Just like these assumptions, not all you hear about England is correct. Despite what people may think, we do not always order a spot of tea or text Queenie when we want to rant about our lives. So, I wanted to figure out just how inaccurate the country of England was represented over here. I went around and asked 15 people who grew up in the United States a simple question: "What is one stereotype about England you have heard?"
These are the responses I got:
1. “Tea and crumpets are a delicacy.”
Us Brits do love a good “cuppa,” so 50 percent of this statement is true. But, I would love to know who came back to the United States after visiting England and said “THEY ALL EAT CRUMPETS,” because this is extremely false.
2. “Bad teeth.”
I never noticed this until I left England, but I understand where tourists are coming from. In America, perfectly white and straight teeth are valued much more than in England. Here, you just have higher expectations, mainly due to the way the media influences everyone.
3. “They hate Trump.”
I can vouch for this. If I got a pound every time I was asked, "Why did you let Trump become president?" while I visited this summer, I could've bought another round-trip ticket.
4. “Don’t they all drive MINI Coopers?”
No. Do you all drive Ford trucks?
5. “They put gravy on everything.”
False. I can only name three dishes that always have gravy on them. Also, the gravy we use is brown, not the grey liquid that is put on biscuits over here.
6. “The telephone booths are all red.”
Not true. My house used to be close to a dark blue, graffiti-filled telephone booth. You were considered "off your rocker" if you called someone from it.
7. “All the guys are hot.”
Just like in the United States, Brits are made up of many wonderful people in all shapes and sizes.
8. “The word 'shag.'”
Yes, we do use this word. Your point?
9. "Everyone has tea with the Queen at some point."
This is just as hard as grabbing a cheeseburger with the president. Do you really think the Queen has time for all of us?
10. "Hogwarts is just like high schools over there."
You're not completely wrong. I've explained this thoroughly.
11. "Downton Abbey is how you all live."
It would be pretty nice to live in a castle/mansion with a fresh pot of tea made whenever I rang a bell. But, alas, my house was nowhere close to the homes on the set of this show.
12. "The Brits are all snobs."
There are a handful of people I can place into this description but this is nowhere near true.
13. "English people aren't as open or obnoxious as Americans."
I honestly believe this is true. I found that in America people are a lot more open about their lives than in the UK. After going to school in Washington state for a few months, I became louder and more outgoing.
14. "Fish and chips is the only good dish in England."
Fish and chips are actually incredible, but England does have a lot more to offer in the food department than the rest of the world makes out.
15. "They think American accents are hot."
I personally do, but I cannot speak for a number of my friends from England who think the exact opposite.