11 Things You Should NEVER Say To British People 🇬🇧❌

[@DruncanUK]

The reason “American” history isn’t included in UK schools is because we have so much history to learn we just get the important bits.

[@WanderingRavens]

Fair enough!

[@slightlyconfused876]

@@WanderingRavens We don't learn about burning down the White House in the War Of 1812 either so it isn't just based on the fact that we lost.

[@NeroPop]

@@slightlyconfused876 we dont learn how britain took over most countries only that at one point we had a big empire

[@slightlyconfused876]

@@NeroPop True, by the way check your spelling.

[@MrJonno85]

@@NeroPop Was the spelling of 'countries' deliberate? 😁😁

[@suemilnthorpe]

While I was in the US, I was asked where I was from. I replied that I was from England. Their response was, “Wow! You speak really good English!” 🙄

[@MeTheRob]

Bill Bryson reports hearing this - Gee, you speak really good English for a foreigner.

[@kaiceecrane3884]

This sounds like some trying to have a laugh with you, the kinda comedy my grandpanters do

[@langdalepaul]

I had that twice while I was living there. Both times prefaced by “where are you from?”, “England”, “what language do they speak there?”, “er, English”, “well you speak it very well”.

[@Lambchop2701]

I’m struggling to believe this, surely no one could be that stupid, clue’s in the name… ENGLISH!

[@MrRolandgent]

I was asked “what language do you speak in England?” So I said “welsh”

[@Zinnia82]

"You`d be speaking German if it wasn`t for us" "The USA wouldn`t exist full stop if it wasn`t for us" gets folk thinking this one.

[@moontrucker8939]

Yes, British colonies.

[@danielstopps]

Nathan Dawson I always used that with my American friends and then it ends

[@angelsfallfirst7348]

I am speaking German anyhow.

[@dobiebloke9311]

Nathan Dawson - First, I would never say that, about speaking German, not that you wouldn't have been defeated without the States and others, just that you are belligerent, which I appreciate. Secondly, please stop with this 'full stop' crap. In the rest of the free world, we just use the punctuation of a '.'. Get over it, pretentious twat. As to WWII, you'd have been dead in the water without the States. Not to say you'd be speaking German, as one assimilates to the higher order, but you never would have won without the States, plain and simple. Not to make too much of it, but if that is not true, explain to me how.

[@dobiebloke9311]

Nathan Dawson - I am interested of your thoughts. By no means, do I diminish what the UK went thru in WWII, but just to say, it wasn't that easy for us in the States, as well. I live on Long Island, NY, and our shores are littered with ships sunken by Nazi U-boats, up close and personal. I wasn't born until '53, as only a gleam in my father's eye till then, but he and his brothers all fought in the War, and my Uncle, who taught me how to sail, had his ship shot out under his ass 3 times, the first time, heading to England. From there, he was sunk in the Mediterranean, off of Greece and eventuallly, off of Japan as well, to complete the story. Then he sailed back to Korea, just before I was born and only then, did he teach me how to sail, once I was about 5 years old, altho we had been working on it for a while.

[@andysutcliffe3915]

There’s no such thing as American English, there’s English and wrong 😃

[@g4viscon]

Hahaha true 👍

[@philb3549]

Thing is, since the 1960's (none English) people have been learning English from American movies and TV and now it's the world's Lingua franca because America speaks it, not because we do?

[@thomasdalby8420]

@@philb3549 not entirely true,the RAF had more to do with it,as did the commonwealth,because the RAF operated in all commonwealth countries all air traffic controllers had to speak English over the airways,thus so did pilots,this was standeredised across the globe because a single universal language for all overseas pilots made the system work,this spread through into the world of commerce because English was becoming the second language of the people transporting their goods,then knowing English became essential to people's careers and the rest is history.

[@philb3549]

​@@thomasdalby8420 Good point but I think it had more to do with civil aviation than the RAF? What with PAN-AM, TWA, QUANTAS and all the 50's and 60's British airlines it was inevitable that English would become the language of air traffic control. But my point remains, after the 1960's ATC's spoke English for the benefit of American an international pilots...not for our benefit?

[@thomasdalby8420]

@@philb3549 the RAF was throughout the commonwealth before civil aviation was a thing,but from there true enough but it was British English that spread throughout the world,the us film industry has influenced the changing language but his came later,mainly by introducing new phraseology to people only semi fluent,but English borrows from many other languages and is a romance lanuage at its core so is easier to learn thàn most

[@danmay7854]

Those Americans who say "you'd be speaking Germany if it wasn't for us!" Obviously don't know the British linguistic skills! There is no way we'd learn German in 70 years 😂😂

[@WanderingRavens]

😂😂

[@annalieff-saxby568]

Indeed, we'd have had them speaking English, with a few German loan words, within a generation (what price schadenfreude, weltanschaung and angst, even today?); same as we did with the Norman French. The thing about English is that it's such a gallimaufrey of languages that it has had to develop a really easy grammar to make it comprehensible. It'll take you a lifetime to master the vocabulary, but you can put a simple sentence together correctly (The brown dog went into the house) after your first lesson. Try any case-based language (like German) on the same sentence if you don't believe me!

[@BenHall289]

Hahaha true

[@juliankaye8143]

Much of our language comes from the Saxons, who came from ...Saxony, Germany.

[@kararosemcnulty7781]

Well, English is a Germanic language.

[@Milvus23]

It’s cute when they think a 1930s semi detached house is really old!

[@RevStickleback]

I recall seeing some Americans outside the Tower of London, and one said "Wow! It must be 150 years old." Only 800 years out.

[@Sergio-zp9fm]

@@RevStickleback I'm portuguese and one time passed an American couple in our capital (Lisbon), complaining about how our city copied San Francisco. Lisbon is literally older than Rome but Americans aren't know for geographical or historical knowledge in any way

[@moontrucker8939]

@@Sergio-zp9fm LOL! That's just some Americans. Now they are totally trying to erase history. That is the Democrats are.

[@vacuumssuck26]

@@RevStickleback I got the opposite, a family of Canadians trying to figure out if part of the tower was built in 1100 AD or BC 😂

[@cutecrochetcreations5245]

Yes! My house was built in the 1500s

[@tonycasey3183]

"You'd be speaking German if it wasn't for us" is something I encounter at least once a month in ONLINE discussions. Those people aren't happy to discover that The Soviets, more than any other army, were the ones tgat defeated Nazi Germany. History is a bummer!

[@NeroPop]

i mean the fact that america only joined when we started winning

[@kevinshort3943]

@@NeroPop Like they did in the previous war?

[@kevinshort3943]

Tony Casey Depends on how you measure it. However you measure it, it definitely wasn't the Septics.

[@tonycasey3183]

@@kevinshort3943 Do you want to explain "septics" to The Wandering Ravens, or shall I?

[@MonkeyButtMovies1]

Correction: If it wasn't for their Great-Grandparents. And we really have the soviets to thank for winning the war. The US have been pretty shit since WW2 because they haven't been on a winning side since. Plus, they act as if the US joined the war because they are awesome and wanted to defend us, when really they only joined because of Pearl Harbour.

[@stevedrake1965]

"You'd be speaking German if it wasn't for us" Considering the USA was 2 yrs late for WW2 but again the USA were 2 yrs late for WW1 also the fact that the USA is a country built from European immigrants

[@moontrucker8939]

I think the US was practicing Isolationism.

[@andrewvalentine6977]

I feel we would have won without the Americans, just would have taken longer.

[@gesu2048]

andrew valentine definitely...Germany wasn’t prepared to fight a war of attrition and he knew it...hence when attempting to taking Russia he aimed for resources rather than the capital...well that’s what many historians believe anyway

[@khalidyusuf7211]

Fun fact, the country who helped America give them their independence are the same country who would've caused them to speak French if they had won the 7 years War.

[@generichuman2044]

I also hate it because Americans say this because they always see Russia as bad. The USSR was the biggest player in WWII and suffered to most military and civilian casualties. They stopped the Germans from taking Russia and were major players in the capturing of Berlin

[@MatgoStyles]

When I was at school I had an American say "You'd be speaking German if it weren't for us", which I followed up with. "And what would YOU be speaking if it weren't for us?"

[@hadrianbuiltawall9531]

If we hadn't won the 7 years war (french-indian war to the Americans) directly before the AWI, they'd be speaking French.

[@kj_usa2987]

Wow ur so cool bro

[@lemsip207]

Spanish in the south and German in the north probably.

[@juliankaye8143]

@@lemsip207 Spanish on the west coast, French down South. And a mix of languages in the North East.

[@AndyFarnham]

Americans: You lost in 1776 British: *Looks at America* Are you sure?

[@isthisjustfantasy7557]

👏🏻👏🏻😂

[@TheYopogo]

They could have been Canada...

[@dobiebloke9311]

Andy Farnham - Judging by the natural resources you left behind, I'm pretty sure you lost.

[@TheYopogo]

@@dobiebloke9311 Yeah, and if history has taught us one thing it's that the British empire went into terminal decline with the loss of those colonies.

[@TheYopogo]

Oh wait, no, it continued its inexorable rise to completely unmatched global domination totally unhindered.

[@paulc8617]

I had a American family group complain to me how bad a wall looked whilst my train was at a station I had to point out that the wall was older then the USA lol

[@GandalfTheGay98]

than

[@Purwapada]

. Yeah lol, my kitchen floor is older than the US. (same age as Mozart actually)

[@JohnRL6240]

How old, what station pal, where are we, down south, up north, I came from one and moved to the other, South to North that is, so wild guess 'London - Roman red brick?'

[@paulc8617]

@@JohnRL6240 no Dewsbury west Yorkshire I work the pennines

[@JohnRL6240]

@@paulc8617 Great stuff, I live in Halifax West Yorkshire I know the train routes well, be interested to see that.. 👍🏼

[@tonycasey3183]

"couldn't care less" goes unnoticed because it's right. "Could care less" sticks out because it's nonsense. It tends to be Americans that say it AND with some frequency. Also, "me mother" is a dialect pronunciation of "my mother", not an error.

[@webhead66]

You are correct on both counts, sir. I notice they have no problem with "mi lud" in shows like Downton. Caveat, I'm only guessing it's in Downton, never actually seen it lol.

[@ricmac954]

I can imagine a New Yorker sarcastically saying "I could care less", thereby implying s/he *couldn't* care less. But it *is* often seen online, used unironically (and incorrectly) -- increasingly by Brits, too 🙁

[@dianeleitch9160]

If you 'could care less ' try harder until you get to 'couldn't'.

[@dianeleitch9160]

@@MagentaOtterTravels lived in the States for 26 years that and 'huh' when they don't hear what you said also drove me bats.

[@dougfile6644]

I was interested that the book they quoted suggested most Americans got it right by a factor of 3:2, which means that 60% got it right but 40% got it wrong - that's a pretty large percentage! I would be shocked if more than 10% of brits are getting it wrong...

[@fractalbroccoli469]

If they think we would have picked up a second language in just 75 years, then they have seriously over estamated our ability with language.

[@WanderingRavens]

😂😂

[@nicholasjones7312]

I am Welsh and bilingual

[@davidbutler7602]

😂😂👍 sad but true 😂😂

[@davidcopplestone6266]

I have heard that Americans are just as bad for learning a 2nd language

[@davidbutler7602]

No, I’m sorry, you can’t be the best and the biggest and then try to join us as we self deprecate our lack of interest or self discipline in developing and learning a new language above I want a beer, where are the toilets!!

[@gooderish]

The Queen was once asked for directions to Balmoral castle, by American tourists, whilst taking a walk near Balmoral with her police bodyguard. They obviously didn't recognise her and proceeded to ask her if she had ever met the Queen. Her reply was classic. She pointed to her bodyguard and said "I haven't, but he has".

[@tsicby]

oh gawd, I so want that to be true. I know that woman, the Queen. I'm from the deep south and the Queen reminds me of the aunts in my family that my grandmother would take me to meet as a little boy. Like my grandmother, they were all fastidious about their money, knew how to work the land with their cows and their vegetable and flower gardens and maintained the local institutions (the Church) and dressed like the Queen on Sunday mornings and Easter services were full of those awesome, floppy hats. They would harangue my grandmother to bring her grandkids around and I always enjoyed the southern lilts in their accents and the snacks they would hand out. If I ever met the Queen I would probably bring her a couple of Ball jars of my grandmother's recipe for muscadine jelly. I bet she would enjoy it, too. I imagine getting a call from the Palace staff..."the Queen is wondering if you could be so kind as to send another jar." lol. There is no mistaking the ancestry in my family. I stayed in a B&B in Scotland and I thought I was in one of my aunt's houses. Really fascinating to see where all those customs and habits came from.

[@gooderish]

@@tsicby Yeah, mate, true story.

[@goldylocks3904]

@@tsicby It is a true story

[@handsoffmycactus2958]

Omg! It’s 100% true www.independent.co.uk/news/people/queen-s-birthday-what-monarch-told-tourist-who-asked-her-if-she-knew-queen-a6990631.html

[@handsoffmycactus2958]

@@goldylocks3904 www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3545513/Tourists-didn-t-recognise-Queen-left-tiara-home.html

[@patrickowen2460]

I think the point is that 'I could care less' as a statement is directly opposite to what you mean. Anyone who could care less is saying that they could dislike something more, which means that they must like it somewhat (it may not be their favourite thing but.....). I only hear Americans say this and whilst you are correct that not all Americans say it, the pervasive and far reaching influence through movies and TV means that is reaches many more people. Whereas 'Me mother' (favoured by some regional accents) does not actually contradict itself, as me is a dative (if oblique) personal pronoun of the first person, and is derived from the word mine (which itself is derived from Old High German ( and picked up as me-self in old English) before it was shortened to mi, so anyone saying 'me mother' is using a form of pre-pronoun Old English and and probably more correct then saying 'my mother'. Yes, our language has evolved, but the key point is that someone saying 'me mother' is still not actually contradicting themselves unlike 'I could care less'.

[@castashadow1525]

Patrick Owen as someone who says ‘me Mam/me Mother’ I’m overjoyed to learn this is correct 😂...could care less drives me INSANE.

[@dobiebloke9311]

Patrick Owen and others - It's all fascinating stuff. I understand the difference in the British English as to, I couldn't care less, or in the US English, I could care less. Make of it what you will, two nations divided by a common language, but here in the States, when we say 'I could care less', basically what is being said is (and granted, it is dropped context) but it is 'As if I could care less' Does that not make sense, my point? Point being, 'I care so little about what you say, that I could care less'. Does that not make sense, even in the UK? If not, I suggest you regurgitate a bit, as apparently when I tell exactly how I feel on this channel, I am edited. Why, I don't know, but it is a pain in my rectum that I suffer willing, to better understand your missing empire. I hope that passes the censors mark.

[@dobiebloke9311]

@rxp56 - No offence, but what and who do you imply?

[@dobiebloke9311]

@rxp56 - What ridiculous reply do you infer?

[@partridge9698]

@@dobiebloke9311 Sorry but that doesn't make sense. As if I cared. I couldn't care less.

[@tomlynch8114]

When people say ‘me mother’ (I do, or more specifically ‘me mam’), it’s not the word ‘me’ that we’re using, it’s just the way we pronounce ‘my’.

[@silviagoi1362]

Most illuminating observation - it opens ys eyes even on Irish form 'me' ( often rewritten me or mee)

[@MeTheRob]

So right. It's just a regional pronunciation of my. Same as mom is just a (mis)pronunciation of of mam or mum.

[@gronakthedestroyer402]

In a lot of areas in the uk it even goes as far as 'mi'

[@anthonyeddiehawman8055]

I suspect the pronunciation may come from it's Nordic root

[@dobiebloke9311]

Tom Lynch - I don't care much of which, but do you spell it 'me', but you pronounce it 'my'? Just asking, as it sounds like that's what you are saying. If so, why so? Is it like 'Ye', or 'Yee', in old English, which as I understand is pronounced 'The', or 'Thee', or I am I just phucked up about it?

[@johnwescott1500]

The main difference between British and American history is that we have one :-)

[@davidarmstrong8710]

🤣🤣🤣

[@WanderingRavens]

**applies ice to my severe burn**

[@andrewtadd4373]

Ouch lol.

[@LongdownConker]

😂 🤣 🤣

[@patrickholt2270]

That's kind of cheap. America has a vastly long history. It's just that European diseases, the conquest and westward expansion erased most of it.

[@ljstudios410]

The David Mitchell and John Cleese “rants” aren’t actually rants rather just a comedic play on stereotypes like when American shows joke on British stereotypes.

[@petersmith4423]

My answer to, "you'd be speaking German." "If we hadn't won the French and Indian War, you'd be speaking French."

[@dobiebloke9311]

Peter Smith - According to logic, yeah. Actually, what is it, about half of what we call the Englsh language, at least here in the States, has French roots anyway. It think your right about that tho, but who'd know the difference, after a while? It's kinda funny, as I just made the same point myself, but I was more or less kidding, but you make a damn fine point.

[@ggregory1511]

I’ve had the “You’d be speaking German“ one a couple of times. My response was to smile politely and say “Yep. And you do speak English because of us.” That usually ends the debate! 😂

[@admiralsquatbar127]

The American War of Independence? Is that the one where you needed Spanish and French help? Right... gotcha. 👍

[@dobiebloke9311]

The Mighty One - Good point, but I'm pretty sure it was the French, being the main players from Europe. If the Spanish were involved, I'm not aware it, but I'm willing to hear it. Something I've come across recently, is that the 'Lousiana Purchase', without which the States wouldn't be States, other for a greater War, was a territory that apparently crossed hands between the French and Spanish, as if a hot potatoe, in that they fought over it, but no one wanted to grab it. It seems, in their various treaties, that they passed it off on each other, as if it was some sort of bounty, hopefully. Finally, the French said to the USA, OK, $40 million and it's yours, which was a bargin, even at the time. Thus, Louis and Clark, and all the rest of it, and if you ever get a chance to, it is a beautiful place to roam, with not a penny being wasted.

[@FatmanWatchesBatman]

You forget the Dutch as well.

[@admiralsquatbar127]

@@FatmanWatchesBatman I didn't know about the Dutch, I'll have to look into this.

[@dobiebloke9311]

@@FatmanWatchesBatman - At first, I thought you were kidding, but reconsidered, of course not. The Dutch were very large in what is now 'Manhattan', Peter Stuyvesant and Peter Minuet, I believe, and many others. I am no expert about it, but the Dutch were serious players, early 1600s.

[@sonararchive6722]

@Ginger do research 🙃

[@chrisdavies9821]

I love the way American's teach history - they completely ignore French involvement in the War of Independence. Also if British schools taught about every war of Independence from the British Empire then there wouldn't be time to teach any other subject!

[@Phoenix-X9Studios]

it really depends on what teacher you have, it's not how all American schools teach history you just need to be lucky enough to not have a teacher obsessed with American pride.

[@stuartmenziesfarrant]

...but they won WW2 by themselves...oh wait...

[@danielkelly166]

Omg so true look at the British empire back then and now XD

[@leedscity6881]

They ignore the French,Spanish and the Dutch involvement lol and that they sued for peace first and the only reason they think they won is due to winning a battle at the end of the war. But I'm glad they got their independence since we treated them like shit

[@georgepantzikis7988]

@@stuartmenziesfarrant America came to war late, and they were by no means the reason that the Axis lost. The real reason was that Hitler got too ambitious and invaded Russia. If it weren't for Russia we'd be speaking German. Also, America sold guns and steel to the Germans before they joined the war, so I wouldn't claim the historical high-ground so readily, considering how the Americans changed sides to best fit their interests. Almost like they didn't care about stopping Nazism and the whole thing was just a way to benefit from the war with minimal involvement.

[@GC-sf7kx]

An American told me once that we were the only nation on earth that drives on the left. He didnt know they also do in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, India, Cyprus, Japan, Malta, Maritius, and most of the continant of Africa and many of the islands of the Caribian.

[@RevStickleback]

plus Thailand, although some drivers there regard lane markings as merely a suggestion.

[@richardhemingway6084]

I spent some time in India. Still not sure which side they drive. :-)

[@moontrucker8939]

I don't recall driving on the left in Ireland. Must have been asleep. No, I was not driving.

[@MeTheRob]

@@RevStickleback This is true in London too innit.

[@robertwilloughby8050]

Interestingly, Sweden used to drive on the left until 1967. There is a very good song about this on KZbin.

[@harveyhall2350]

"You lost the war of independence!" Oh, well, I COULDN'T care less mate, honestly, it was a rebellion, not a war of independence

[@kj_usa2987]

Shut up it's Chewsday lol

[@eugenelubbock5478]

@@kj_usa2987 oh hilarious. there was no good and bad side in that war.

[@eugenelubbock5478]

@Oliver Barker what

[@Mind-your-own-beeswax]

There’s no such thing as ‘British english’ it’s English end of story

[@moontrucker8939]

Americans have their own brand of dialects just like the Brits do.

[@25557813]

How about scouse and black country

[@Snipit1990]

@@moontrucker8939 I am Scottish, and I just call it English. Even though I butcher the English language, it's still English not Scottish-English or American-English ect.

[@steveashworth4615]

??? No Spoken like a true English monolingual person

[@steveashworth4615]

Snipit so regional accents exist in the UK but regional accents supposedly don’t exist in other English speaking countries?

[@baylessnow]

American person: "I'm Irish". Brit: "Really, what part of Ireland are you from?" American: "New Jersey". Brit: "Yeah, that figures".

[@moontrucker8939]

They are just proud of their ancestry. More Irish in America than Ireland. America is so vast with so many cultures. Wisconsin & Minnesota has a large Scandinavian population. Lot of Middle East Muslims now.

[@adamwatson1565]

@@moontrucker8939 yeah you can be proud of it but if your not born there your not irish

[@moontrucker8939]

@@adamwatson1565 Yep. Then you're British or American, Canadian or Australian ,etc. but of Irish descent. Protestants it seems in N.IRE. always consider themselves British & not just bc N.IRE. is part of UK but bc they mostly are of English, Scottish, Welsh or some other descent. Very few Catholics converted to Protestantism bc they associate that with British repression coz the British repressed them.

[@dobiebloke9311]

@@adamwatson1565 - Yes, you are right. Get over it. Can you not smell appeciation?

[@adamwatson1565]

@@dobiebloke9311 get over what i am not trying to be hostile

[@rachelbraund3256]

The reason why American history isn't taught in English history is because we have several century's more history, and allot of it allot more important

[@sirgeraldnabarro5026]

Rachel, i think you mean, a lot ! Not, allot !!

[@notacommie1760]

america's history is britain's history up until the late 19th century lol

[@sophielouise2284]

Don't know about you but at GCSE i had to learn the cold war and the Vietnam war

[@dobiebloke9311]

@ryn mcray - well, if you didn't pay so much attention to the crap we put out, it would be required to teach you, to know of it.

[@dobiebloke9311]

- Agreed, but I would also say, give me a quiz show of fairly intelligent people from the the UK and the US, in terms of the history of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, let alone those pesky Islands around you (what ever that's about), and I'm pretty sure you would win, but you might be surprised, how well the Merkins could run up your money. Reversed, could you do the same? I doubt it, and on that I'd put money. A TL/DR warning, this goes on. All it takes, is one good guess. Now, I'm trying to play within the parameters of this vlog site, but you Brits barely know feces about each other. Witness, Northern Ireland and not Ireland, in the UK. I know you know that, but don't play us for fools. I doubt you even know much about Canada, but it is in your Commonwealth, the remnants of your empire. Canada, is our attic. Just busting chops, so don't take it too harshly, but also, don't underestimate us in the US, or we will have to come and save your buttocks again. If you don't think that is true, let me ask you. Do you, or any other Brit, really think that you could have fended off the Nazis without the help of the USA, either 'lend/lease' or troops? If you do, prove it, which of course is impossible, even theoretically my point, as with out such help, you didn't stand a chance. As the Norse proved, and many others, in that they all assimilated to the higher order, and it would be English spoken in Deutchland and the surrounds, even more so if the Nazis had won, but you never would have won that war, other than eventually, culturally, and things sure would look a lot different today. Not only that, but if the Nazis did conquer Britain, they had their eyes on the US, which is why we eventually entered to War, to save our own butts, but even then, that would have been a hell of a fight (am I allowed to say 'hell'?). We'll see. Better to fight it on your turf, I suppose was our thinking. Other than for the bombings tho, you guys didn't get much. Just ask France, Belgium, Poland and the surrounds. My Uncles fought along side a lot of Brits, but never in the UK. There was never a need to, because of exactly that. I don't mean to denigrate the losses of the UK, in fact, the entire Commonwealth, but I don't want to hear feces about the USA effort in WWII, or WWI, for that matter. I know, you suffered a lot of casualties, both militarily and civilian, compared to ours, but still ..., our losses were pretty significant, particularly if you consider this wasn't near to our homeland (but of course, it eventually would be, I get it). German U boats were torpedoing ships of all sorts, right on the waters I sail on, off of Long Island, New York. Even when they were far away, they were already here, long before we, the USA, ever entered the War. What does it take? There are wrecks all over the place. So much so, that there is an industry of weekend scuba divers, on day trips, to explore them. Even if we cared to be, which most people from the States wished, we were never far from the action. That 'action', was brought to us, by the Nazis. If you doubt it, look it up. One Uncle of mine, long before the War started for the States, was working supply ships (Liberty ships, we called them), on the Lend/Lease program. Eventually, he had three ships sunk beneath him and watched a lot of his friends die. Somehow, he survived, but the point is, we were in the War, long before we were officially in the War. Actually, only one was in the Atlantic. One was in the Mediterranean, about '42 or so, near Greece, and the other was in the Pacific, off Okinawa, or so, towards the end. It was a long War for him. Then, he did the same thing during the Korean War, but in that War, his ships weren't sunk. I was born about 8 years after WWII, just as he was getting back from Korea. I knew him for over 55 years. I helped carry his casket, about 10 years ago. I know, because for the first time in my life, I had broken a bone, an ankle, which was not the difficult part, I figured.

[@scientiautverum]

Being told "knees are overated" by an Irishman is one of the scariest threats ever.

[@WanderingRavens]

Very!!

[@stephenflynn7600]

Explain?

[@Westcountrynordic]

@@stephenflynn7600 Knee capping is/was a punishment shooting carried out in Northern Ireland. I won't go into much detail because you can look it up for yourself

[@scientiautverum]

@@stephenflynn7600 A punishment used by various factions in NI some years ago, was to shoot the offender through the kneecap. Hence the dark humour in the saying "knees are overated" meaning that losing one (or two) wouldn't be a great hardship.

[@georgecampbellvideos3517]

Someone - I'm Irish Me - And I'm the king of Spain

[@CrazyMama75]

"if it weren't for us you would be speaking German" "well if it weren't for us you'd not be American"

[@juliankaye8143]

Ginger Russia had no more desire to continue the war than we or America did. They got Poland and a few other countries to occupy. And like all Empires ultimately they lose control. Building walls to keep there people in as much as others out. Trying to regulate the news media to only report the favourable stories. Just like Russia, China and North Korea do. And indeed the Murdoch controlled media does. Both Faux news and the Scum are his outlets of biased bs.

[@matthewhortop7828]

I was asked if i was Australian all the time when I worked out in the States. When I said i was from England they said I didn't look English!!! Ok then....

[@bobl.1044]

How can you look Australian? Carry a didgeridoo and boomerang? Wear khaki shorts and hat with corks hanging down to keep all the flies off? Perma-ratarsed? 😉

[@matthewhortop7828]

@@bobl.1044 spot on! did you see me? haha. I had shoulder length hair and my clothing lent more towards skate/surf (as I do both!) so obviously didn't resemble that of an Englishman.

[@moontrucker8939]

When I was in England I saw some ppl that looked more Mediterranean than English. (Not the Muslims),descendants of Romans from the Past or rather recent Italian immigrants, perhaps.

[@kevinshort3943]

Technically the British didn't lose the the American war of independence, because it was a Civil war. IE: British vs British, as America was yet to exist.

[@jardon8636]

well...the 13 colonies were british, and its titled the *american war of rebellion*, the northern colonies later *canada* remained british.... american colonies were not the first or last that the *british empire gained or lost*...

[@capitalb5889]

And a large number of the colonialists fought on the loyalist side

[@annalieff-saxby568]

HP Lovecraft contended that the British won, because the opposing troops were drawn from George III's Hessian (ie German) dominions. Just FYI!

[@kevinshort3943]

@@annalieff-saxby568 JFYI George III didn't have any German dominions. They were leased to Great Britain by their own Hesse-Kassel Government. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hessian_(soldier)

[@annalieff-saxby568]

@@kevinshort3943 I bow to your superor knowledge! However, I note that "Hessian" was a term applied by the Rebels to any and all German troops, some of whom must have come (don't you think?) from GIII's German dominions. I'm not a great scholar of the period, but I'm sure he had SOME...

[@cheekychimp8045]

Brits don't just concentrate on victories (Battle of Hastings 1066, Ypres 1914, Dunkirk 1940, etc), Brits concentrate on historic battles. Lunatics taking over the asylum doesn't count ;)

[@michaelscott7166]

Yeah we definitely didn't win at the Battle of Hastings. I think that the 2 Battles at Fulford and Stamford Bridge 3 weeks prior wore us out a bit.

[@kevinshort3943]

Technically that's English rather than British.

[@hadz8671]

@@michaelscott7166 As a person of Norman descent I think "we" did win the Battle of Hastings.

[@MonkeyButtMovies1]

The US think they are special, when really they are only one of many countries to gain independence from the UK.

[@MonkeyButtMovies1]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_that_have_gained_independence_from_the_United_Kingdom

[@MERCYFN-rl5ir]

American: you'd be speaking German if it wasn't for us Me: laughs in Battle of Britain

[@HA-208]

Everyone: *talking about British and American things* Me: *looks at microwave, suspiciously*

[@jumpferjoy1st]

American war of independence. The only war America won without British help. You're welcome.

[@myvids1415]

Well all the Rebel Generals were trained by the British during the French and Indian wars a few years earlier.

[@WanderingRavens]

No, you can take pride in helping us with this one too - the ineptitude of some of the British generals who oversaw the war was close to miraculous. So thanks for that 😂

[@boli2746]

@@WanderingRavens in truth all our best commanders were dealing with more important things - like India, Spain, oh and some short dude named Napoleon ;)

[@WanderingRavens]

@@boli2746 But Napoleon didn't come to power until 20+ years after the revolution ended ;)

[@scientiautverum]

@@myvids1415 Including George Washington - commissioned officer of the Virginia Regiment, British American Army.

[@ffotograffydd]

We do learn about the war of independence, that’s how we know you only won because the French joined in on your side. 😉

[@NeroPop]

also there are many victorious wars that we dont learn about

[@sscorpiun6135]

You left out the part where most of our forces were focused on the much more important wars with Spain and France. America was a side-thought.

[@NeroPop]

@@sscorpiun6135 plus we didnt really care that they left because we still owned the rest of the world

[@lilyliz3071]

Yes I certainly learned about it school and it wasn't glossed over either

[@grandporter01]

The government at the time was going bankrupt, so they were unwilling to send more troops to help Cornwallis, and with the French coming in on the American side we really stand a chance of winning.

[@clairemanning5334]

We learn history from the pre-historic era onwards. There’s a lot to cover.

[@Purwapada]

. but we also have time periods named after places in the UK. Like the Cambian period, Devonian, Triassic and the Jurassic. + we learned about Mary Anning

[@thegreenmanofnorwich]

My best response to "you'd be speaking German if it weren't for us" was "continue, and you won't be able to speak at all"

[@shanehowell3542]

There’s never any mention of the help given to America by France, Spain and the Netherlands during the Revolutionary War by the keyboard warriors from the US that I encounter 😂

[@Paul-hl8yg]

Exactly! 👍🇬🇧

[@dobiebloke9311]

Shane Howell & Paul 222 - Other than the French, who played large, I'm not much aware of the Dutch and Spanish influence, but not to say I deny, but it's just that I don't know much about it. I'm listening. Paul, I know I've mentioned this to you before, and I don't have a hell of a lot of confirmation about it, but the theory goes, that what is known as the Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark and such, as massive a land mass as it is, was apparently handed off between France and Spain, repeatedly, as if a hot potato, that neither one really wanted to own, it seems, or defend, I suppose, by one treaty or the other, between them. I know very little about the treaties between France and Spain, other than that they supposedly happened. I know even less about the economic or political realities of either, at that time. Apparently, they all 'owned us' (off and on), but it was the UK that stood up and defended us, to which a debt is owed, but only to a point. Looked at clearly tho, all three Countries had a large presence in what is now the States, at the time (and please don't forget the Portugeuse and Dutch and others). Any one of them could have made a run for it, to my mind, but the Brits stood up, when no one else did, or by which we might be speaking French or Spanish today, which in my opinion, we very much do anyway, as a blend of languages and cultures. Why neither of the others of them really wanted us, I don't know. Pity us orphans, if that is even true, as I have no true idea. I'm not bashing anyone here, and I know we are a blend of everyone, but I just wonder why France and Spain, didn't really want us. I feel as abandoned as a dog left at the pound. I think we looked pretty cute and lovable, but we were left to euthinasia, but for the UK. I understand. Greed, as well as just the good old excitement of exploration, drove everyone, I get it. What I can say, is that the hornier Europe was for the rape of easy American gold, having been gather in convenient lots, the more of it that was lost at sea, then ever made it back home to port, but still to a profit. I know the last four years have been crude, OK, 70, but maybe we once again might be of a profit, of more than money. Believe me, some of us are trying.

[@keitholding8541]

'The American War of Independence'? Do you mean 'The Rebellion of the 13 Colonies'? A little local difficulty of no great consequence. ;) Love the video.

[@WanderingRavens]

So glad you enjoyed it! 😂

[@thevonya3977]

We dont learn about the American's wars at all at school level (not even Vietnam and hardly Korea) as we are more interested in the history that shaped our country (Roman Invasion/Colonisations, the Viking invasions, Norman conquests, Hundred Years War, the Crusades, rise of the Tudor, the Civil War that ended Tudor rule, Industrial Revolution, WW1+2...)

[@NeroPop]

@@thevonya3977 dont forget the empire, the celts, the war of the roses, the creation of england...

[@joolzessam1824]

@@NeroPop And the Peasants Revolt, Magna Carta, Waterloo and of course every self respecting school child knows the significance of the year 1066. lol

[@grahvis]

There was the small matter of war with France at the time which meant Britain was also fighting in many places all over the world. It was a bit of a distraction.

[@simeon9388]

Just wondering if American schools remind you when you lost a war against Vietnamese peasants .

[@kevinallsop5788]

They also had an away draw with North Korea.

[@annalieff-saxby568]

@@kevinallsop5788 Every American War since WWII has either been a loss or a draw.

[@moontrucker8939]

Yeah, the American Gov't. gave into the pressure of the pacifists. They did not let the Generals, military experts run that war.

[@annalieff-saxby568]

@@moontrucker8939 Another "Lost Cause" myth in the making, I see.

[@moontrucker8939]

@@annalieff-saxby568 No, that is what took place. My husband was in Viet Nam. They didn't let the armed forces strike where they knew they should. It was a president with no military experience running that war. They could have won that war but they brought the soldiers home. PPL were tired of it & lots of anti-war protesters' influence.

[@sergeantjbb1816]

(Gagh this is my second time typing this) BUT if you choose GCSE History (I did OCR board) you do learn about “The Making of America” where we start at the Mayflower and end pretty much at present day. But let’s be real we have Tesco’s older than your country, there’s a lot more stuff to cover for the History of the UK. As a country we honestly aren’t that bothered that we lost the war of independence. We lost other battles that shaped our country more, such as Hastings 1066. It’s definitely interesting to learn about America though. I’ll admit though all that information did was make me smug as anything when I listed all 50 states in return to an American listing some cities from the UK.

[@EessaTube]

Almost every American I speak to online says "I could care less" instead of "I couldn't care less". It really is a thing.

[@amilo0001]

Its so much fun learning about how different cultures / nationalities regard each other. I've travelled through America and have even lived and worked in Germany ( I'm British), and can say with all honesty, that no one that I have encountered has ever been offended by any social faux pas that I may have made, or visa versa. On the contrary. The one thing that does seem to be universal is the enjoyment of engaging with someone from a different country and recognising and laughing at the fact that we are all different. Happy travels guys.

[@nicholasjones7312]

I am Welsh and was once asked by an American (when speaking English to them) “Are you speaking Welsh now?” 🤪

[@dianeleitch9160]

When I lived in the States I was asked what language I spoke on the phone to my daughter. She lives in England!!

[@MightyMousse]

I was in Florida a few years ago and when speaking with my very weak Welsh accent.. alot of people mistaked me for Scottish.. but then I had to explain to them that I was Welsh to which they looked at me in confusion.

[@carolinequirk6136]

The first time I visited my nice in America, we were asked if we were French, French!!!!!, were are Welsh but it might be that I said cariad to her a Welsh word.

[@Lizallinos]

An American asked me where I was from and, when I said London, she gasped, "Oh do they speak English there?"

[@mirvids5036]

@@Lizallinos Nowadays, mostly no !

[@laurenblachford1501]

i’m a brit that’s moved to america and now my accent has relaxed a bit i get asked “how’s australia” i reply “i don’t know never been” they give me a weird look and reply “ohhhhhh you must be a New Zealander” most of the time i walk away and tut...

[@konnormaybe660]

As an Australian who was born in New Zealand I can't explain how much it offends me when people ask me if I'm British, my country did not get drunk off their rocks so often that they developed a unique accent to be compared to the weird people across the sea who think we still care about what they say

[@staceytomkinson910]

My family and I visited Florida once and I had so many Americans ask if I was from Australia

[@MrPaultopp]

I lived in Virginia USA ....I came home to England because of the racist attitude, and went back to the black community where I was born and felt I belonged Yep I’m white

[@dobiebloke9311]

@@MrPaultopp - Born and raised NYer here, white as well, and I'm sorry to hear that, but I understand. Actually, it gets worse, the further south you go, but you probably know that. Hopefully, if we keep plugging along, we might finally get to the end of it, but as the last 4 years have revealed, racism in the States is even worse than I ever feared (meaning, currently).

[@RichardASK]

@@dobiebloke9311 Well said Sir, but at least you got rid of the Idiot now. I just hope the new incumbent will be better. Fingers crossed.

[@JimBCameron]

"Er, no, actually if it wasn't for the Russian's I'd be speaking German!" ;D

[@davidpollard1139]

What makes you think the Germans would have made the British speak German if they invaded ? They didn't make the French Belgians Danes Norwegians etc speak German. What saved us during the war wasn't the Russians or Americans but the fact that Hitler never wanted to invade Britain.

[@JimBCameron]

@@davidpollard1139 I'm giving a reply to the hypothetical statement in the video , i thought that was obvious Apparently not I guess.

[@aaronloftus6125]

@@davidpollard1139 You forgot the reason he never wanted to invade britain was because he didnt want to fight the best navy in the world and it would be hard to get troops onto an island

[@joseffjones4575]

He did want to invade Britain, it was called operation sea lion

[@davidpollard1139]

@@joseffjones4575 no operation sealion was the invasion plans drawn up by his Generals, he went berserk whenever an invasion of Britain was mentioned insisting that the British were natural friends of Germany, hence the phrase "Anglo Saxon " race, unfortunately the winning sides write the history books, but the history books don't tell the truth.

[@XslashburnsX]

"You'd be speaking German if it wasn't for us" would be an instant smack in the mouth.

[@charcolwell5720]

American: ‘I’m irish’ Me: ‘Oh you mean your great great great great grandad was Irish?’

[@campfreddy3547]

A glass of water is more Irish than majority of Americans.

[@sameebah]

I can honestly reply with . . . "No - *I'm* Irish"

[@dobiebloke9311]

Char Colwell - Well, yeah. What's wrong with acknowledging a bit of Irish blood in our heritage? It's not like we're claiming to be Leprechauns, or such.

[@hananabanana7955]

@@dobiebloke9311 yeah, but you did break away and say that you were the USA, and definitely not British or Irish so... accept that you're American

[@dobiebloke9311]

@@hananabanana7955 - Dude, listen to yourself. We didn't break away, so much as we were thrown away by Taxation without Representation. Where were you? Here is my point, whether you are of Northern Ireland, currently a part of the UK, or of the Republic of Ireland (the south bit), you were at one time one mass, and went kicking and screaming, but somehow ended up in the UK, as you bitched and moaned about it as much as the States ever did, and I think even more. You were closer to the 'Mother' land, so they probably kept tighter reigns on you. Either way, don't be the pot to call the kettle black. You are one Island, split in two by Great Britain, as it wouldn't have been the United Kingdom without you, and yet more than half of you no longer belongs. Don't try to tell me shit like that about the States, without owning up to your own legacy. By the way, America is just the Continent that the United States of America exists in. I am from the States, or the USA, as much as from America. America includes much more than just the USA. Ask Canada, ask Chile, ask the rest of us. Get your facts and attitude straight, please, as otherwise, you just sound foolish.

[@welshdragon99]

The British or Irish question making things going south? I really hope that was deliberate because that was brilliant

[@WanderingRavens]

Unintentional brilliance is the best kind 😆

[@TheAndyAlker]

Aaww noo i really wanted that to be deliberate!🤪

[@tonymart7613]

An Irish-American I know, travelled to Ireland for the first time and was shocked how the Irish people "weren't Irish enough" Did he think we all wear green suits and say bajayzus all day. True story 😂😂

[@Be-Es---___]

Have been to America. Very disapointing. Not a single indian around, a few cowboys and they were not even on horses.

[@mirvids5036]

@@Be-Es---___ That's because Grant, Custer and all of the Union men have slaughtered them all looking for gold / silver etc. on the Indian lands to finance the bankrupt Union government. Should I now say "native American" lands ?

[@HolyInquisition]

Ah, you're in Deutschland. Guten tag! Ah, the War of Independence. You colonists complained about heavy taxation...most of which was levied on you by your OWN colonial governments, independent of the British Parliament. Some of the men who levied those taxes later became your Founding Fathers. Poetic irony. 🤣🤣🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@tsrgoinc]

Least they are consistent, the septic still moan about paying their taxes but then want rights!

[@overthewebb]

Not to mention the taxes were used to pay for the British (who had US born troops such as Washington then) military to protect them from the French. It wasn't like they weren't getting anything in return.

[@kevinshort3943]

@@overthewebb I thought it was the natives? The proto Septics managed to P them off, rather than trading with them or paying them to attack the French, like the British government had.

[@overthewebb]

@@kevinshort3943 I believe it was mainly protection from the French military, plus some Dutch and native protection.

[@overthewebb]

@@kevinshort3943 I should say as well, the USA when it did become independent was only a few states more like settlements on the East Coast. It hadn't expanded West back then. The land was still being fought over. The French were more West, but still not so far in.

[@OrganMusicYT]

"Couldn't care less" - It would be impossible to care less than you already do because you don't care. "Could care less" - In order to be able to care less about something, you must care by some degree in the first place.

[@emospider-man6498]

I didn't realise Dick van Dyke was attempting a British accent, I thought he was just American and that's how he talked.

[@Oscarhobbit]

Retired US police officers used to show me their badge all the time while I was on duty and want their protos taken with me. my wife used to work with me. One day a couple from the US ashed for photograph. When I said yes, they said "We don't what a photograph with you, we want a photograph with the cute one". WIth that said, I read American history at universy, my area of research is the American Civi War (The War of Rebellion, or The Wor of Nothern Agression). I am intrested, do they teach in US schools that factors that caused the American Revolutionary War were: 1 George Washington managed to start a war with the French (Seven Years Wor). 2 Subjects in Britan payed higher tax, but when the colonists were asked to pay to ensure their security, they became very upset. 3. One of the reasons that Britan limited expension, was to honour Native American treaties, made with tribes who fought against the French. 4. The war was not only fought for liberty, but for profit..... 5. The war was really a civil war. 5. British forces set free slaves and promised freedom to slaves who fought for them. 6. Britan ended slavery in Canada and across her Empire. 7. The American Civil War may not have happened it the US stayed with the Empire. 8. The CSA considered rejoining Britan in return for British help. 9. The Magna Carta was the first bill of Rights. 10. Great Britain had a elected system of Parliament hundreds of years before America. This was not full emancipation, but was a revolutionary concept for it's time. I find the comments mean about the Revolutionary War a little childish. Also, Britain was the only nation who stood alone against Hitler's Germany until 1941 while the US a policy of isolationism. American history is not taught as much as it should be, but when we have thousands of years of history, it is hard to pack everything in.

[@TychoCelchu]

I’ve only seen the “if it wasn’t for us, you’d be speaking German” used online. It has been said to me online by a guy who was upset that I called him out on incorrect bragging statements he was making about the US. My response to him was “if it wasn’t for us, you’d be speaking Spanish”. Apparently he missed that the US uses English because it was a British colony. The guy wasn’t a fan of being corrected with facts. With regards to the US War of Independence. It was the defining moment in US history, but for the UK it was just another colony lost. There was something I saw in relation to Americans asking if Brits celebrate 4th of July. Not sure how accurate the claim is, but apparently if you took all of the countries that achieved independence from the UK, then it would average out at us having to celebrate an Independence Day every week. We stole and lost a lot of countries

[@TychoCelchu]

Ginger I can only assume that your fetish is publicly showing how ignorant you are, so that people shame you for it. Take your own advice, and try learning some history

[@mr.scarlo2234]

To that Irish question, I would respond with “Ahh, what are the Troubles?” I’d expect that most Americans will not have heard of.

[@moontrucker8939]

No, they've heard of it.

[@mr.scarlo2234]

Moontrucker, ok

[@MeTheRob]

I'm sure a lot of Americans know about the Troubles. Most likely they donated to the IRA.

[@lucaschristian135]

American : im Irish Me : oh interesting, where in ireland were you born?

[@lucaschristian135]

The response to the speaking German comment : I can speak Welsh, German and English, moron.

[@jackward9901]

My parents are Irish, but I was born in the UK. I remember visiting family in Cork and being lectured in a pub by an American student about his Irish grandad I had oppressed. Transpired that he was about 10% Irish blooded, so a whole 90% less than myself haha.

[@brendenjohnston7946]

This is ironic as hell. 😂

[@adamhurd1560]

You'd be speaking German if it wasn't for us! Ah, danke mein Freund. Ich bin froh, dass ich kein Deutsch spreche.

[@Richarddraper]

You are nothing special; we've lost wars of independence to plenty of countries.

[@thebusybeanhomecafe4035]

How many countries wanted independence from the English?!?

[@Richarddraper]

@@thebusybeanhomecafe4035 Do you mean the English specifically? If so then the amount would obviously be smaller. If you mean the British then take a look at the size of the British Empire and consider the Dominion countries excepted, some degree of violence was involved in most of the countries becoming independent.

[@thebusybeanhomecafe4035]

@@Richarddraper Uh... what you said, yeah. 😂👍

[@tonywalton1464]

Many a year ago (about 35 years ago. Meine Götter!) I lived in Germany for a year or so as an exchange student. I was in the pub one night with my German colleagues when literally hundreds of young guys, aged early 20s, poured into the town square. Many were wearing partial Army uniform and had stuff written on their ties in white correction fluid. I was a tad worried - me the only Britischer in the place and hundreds of excited German lads… Then they came into the pub. Turns out it was the day they all got released from National Service so they were all out on the lash (the things on the ties read "lock up your daughters", "beware the Reservisten" and so on). They noticed me and … the piss was taken ("for you ze var is over Tommy - for us also" and so on). I was bought unfeasible amounts of beer and had a fantastic time. God alone knows how I got home. There's a cultural difference: I dread to think what fate would have befallen a lone German on the loose in, say, Aldershot with a large number of British lads who'd drink taken. I doubt he would have had a good time. Not a good cultural difference. By the way - say "tschüss" rather than Auf Wiedersehen to your mates, it's less formal (more like "see ya").

[@dobiebloke9311]

Tony Walton - It's been awhile, but I've re-read it. Wonderful stuff.

[@dobiebloke9311]

Tony Walton - I have nothing to add, but I dug the story. Tschuss.

[@TwisterMw]

I’m Irish on my girlfriends cousins side

[@michaelstamper5875]

"I'm Irish." "Well, never mind, dear. Someone has to be, I suppose. "🤣🤣

[@FrowningIke]

I lived in the US for 10 years from the early 2000's. I bought a TV (not a flat screen so it weighed half a ton) from the store called weirdly "American." They told me to drive around the back to the loading dock to collect it. I got there and a middle age guy and a teenager brought it out to me. I had a pleasant chat with the older guy, all the while this kid was staring at me open mouthed. When we finished talking he asked me "Are you from England?" I said I was. He said "Do you know Stuart?" Also I had a typical US vet use the speaking German line on me, in his wife beater. I said "I'm sorry, I don't understand Vietnamese!" Not my proudest moment but it was off the cuff and shut him up.

[@franl155]

"I'm Irish" - "You mean you own a green jumper and once ate a potato? " "You'd be speaking German if it wasn't for us" - To quote Flanders and Swann when on tour in the US: "Just remember that if it wasn't for the English you'd all be Spanish" "I could care less" - I've done a version of this myself: "I could be less bothered but it'd be an effort" - Americans just leave off the second part. Irritating all the same! "Are you Australian?" There's a bit of this on a Monty Python reunion DVD: the host read an email he'd received, saying that the sender loved Python but had trouble understanding their "thick Australian accents". "Me mother" - actually, it's "me muvver" - it's always "me", not "my" - as in "me coat" or "me yat [my hat]" Belated ps: "Did you learn about the War of Independence at school?" "No, we only learned important stuff."

[@CM-by4ib]

"me" is a local colloquial pronunciation of my.... If they were to write it down they would still write "my"

[@WanderingRavens]

We didn't know! Thank you for giving us more context for this one!

[@sharonm3474]

@Joe Horrell she get you owt?

[@davidtemple5934]

@Joe Horrell excellant made me laugh out loud !

[@sharonm3474]

@Joe Horrell sounds like a mixture Doc would be proud of! 😂😂

[@creature2479]

@@WanderingRavens I thought I didn't think I did any of these "colloquiums" but when I visited the states I was asked where I learnt English and that my English was very good lol. Source (live in the far north of England)

[@miasancto]

I’ve been asked “are you Australian?” Before and I’m from Kent lol 😂

[@debrawebster1356]

Same here when I first went to America they kept asking if I was Australian evern some Australian tourists asked me the same question 😂🇬🇧😋😁

[@MrPaultopp]

And me

[@FuntimeTom]

Hey guys! Love your vids. 😁 I just wanted to say with regards to history lessons in Britain compared to America, it's not that they actively dont teach the war of independence, (I think I remember seeing it on A syllabus in the UK back when I studied history). From what my American family and cousins have said, we learn a MUCH broader spectrum of history than you guys in the US at the years which would be normal high school for you. American history in schools focuses SO much heavier on American history, than we focus on purely British history. For example I studied French Revolution; Spanish civil war, obviously the Great War and WW2, the great depression in America, etc. I think the only time I learned British history was about suffrage. You learn the silly medieval history like Henry VIII and his wives when you're really young too. Anyway if you've read it thanks! 😂

[@WanderingRavens]

We read it! Thank you for taking the time to share your insight and experience! :D

[@moontrucker8939]

We are not taught enough world history at all.

[@johnsimmons5951]

Re the US war of independence, remember that the UK was a parliamentary democracy at the time, not a dictatorship, and so why did the UK impose the extra taxation that was the excuse for rebellion? The UK had just beat the French in the interior of N America, and gave the 13 colonies two options to keep the French as bay: #1 raise and support their own army; or #2 pay for the UK to do the job. No answer was given, so option #2 was imposed. On winning independence the US had to do #1. The right for citizens to bear arms was an attempt to reduce the defence budget, and yet have the ability for rapid reaction to the expected invasion by the U.K.

[@itobyford]

I don't think anyone actually says "me mother" - they're just pronouncing the word MY in a way that could be spelled "mi"

[@lordchappington6724]

I do hear people say “me mom” however all depends on the dialect

[@stephenflynn7600]

Yes they always do! Me mother, me brother etc.

[@stevenjohnson4190]

@@stephenflynn7600 even when speaking to your own sibling you would say "Have you seen me mam?"

[@itobyford]

@@stephenflynn7600 That's just how they pronounce the word "my". It is subtly different from the actual word "me". MY is a little shorter, somewhere between "mi" and "me". ME is a little longer, somewhere between "me" and "mee".

[@MrScottev]

@@stevenjohnson4190 I'm from the North East of England and if I was asking a sibling if they had seen our mother I would say "have ya(you) seen me(my)/wor(our) mam". Wor can also me my.

[@lloroshastar6347]

On the subject of British history in school only celebrating the triumphs, it is by and large true and has been true for a long time despite certain jingoists trying to pretend we don't (recently saw a meme shared by a certain 'boomer' that claimed children don't learn British history in schools which is a total lie). But we have a few things we learn that aren't exactly triumphs, like the Peterloo massacre, the failed peasants revolt against a King who taxed too much in the medieval era, and of course King Henry VIII who I only remember as being a huge arsehole in school.

[@mudd190]

Being called British!!!! I'm very much English!

[@moontrucker8939]

@@angelwarrior8013 Do you think it's bc of all the Middle East immigrants? Because they're not of English descent?

[@ruthshieff5344]

I don't think English people (like me) mind being called English! It's only those who aren't (like Welsh, Scot,Irish) who don't!

[@nikersxx]

Yesssss!!!! If I could like this a thousand times, I would!

[@bobl.1044]

Perfect retort to the German one: "You'd be speaking Japanese if it wasn't for us" 😆

[@nickc8729]

??? What the hell are u talking about??

[@thisismetoday]

I'm sorry but applying that stereotype example to the "I couldn't care less"/"I could care less" debate makes no sense at all. Same is correct for the different usages of "me mother"/"my mother", which depend on regional accents. The only reason why "I could care less" shouldn't be used, is simply because _it makes no sense!_

[@billythedog-309]

Nobody says 'me mother', but many say 'mi mother' which is correct.

[@christinecrockford1654]

I was chatted up by an American in florida and then he asked me what part of Australia I am from ? Cheek I'm English big insult lol

[@WanderingRavens]

Nooo! I'm sorry someone actually said that!

[@christinecrockford1654]

@@WanderingRavens saying that lol in my village here in west dorset we have a tiny bridge that goes over the river char and on it there is a really old sign on it and reads ' if you foul this bridge you will be devoted for life " meaning Australia lol so I guess I know how they get confuced from. Lol

[@catw4729]

It surprises me when you say the war of independence isn’t taught. I sometimes wonder what’s covered in history lessons these days. I’m mid-fifties and didn’t do history O’level, which means I dropped history when I was 13. We covered the Romans, jumped to 1066, then worked right up to mid nineteenth century. Not only did we do the war of independence we covered details of significant battles, such as Bunkers Hill. Our history was largely English (not British) based, probably too much so, but certainly not totally focused on England. On a separate note I hear people saying these days that our role in the African slave trade isn’t taught in schools- again we certainly were taught about that.

[@ianjohnboy]

yes im your age and i certainly was taught about the same things you mentioned.

[@baccydemon3489]

same here

[@annalieff-saxby568]

I'm 20 years older, and I was, too.

[@john_g_harris]

Twice I've had an American ask why I'm using the emergency brake when I'm waiting to drive out of the car park. I had to explain that British cars don't have emergency brakes, and they'd fail the driving test if they didn't use the handbrake.

[@hannahgazey3302]

Honestly the phrase that annoys me the most is ''do you want a game of soccer?''

[@dobiebloke9311]

Hannah Gazey - Is that because you think that the word 'Soccer', implies what you in England call 'Football'? Most of the rest of the free world, or others, who are committed to it, call it 'Soccer', a term which actually originated from England. Most of the world, who play 'Soccer' vehemently, call it 'Soccer'. You in the UK, who call it 'Football', are in the minority. Look it up.

[@Westcountrynordic]

I once had an American tell me that "America beat England in three wars" when asked which 3 he said the independence war, WW1 & WW2

[@sirgeraldnabarro5026]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@annalieff-saxby568]

Oh dear.

[@Westcountrynordic]

@Ginger So you're saying America did beat Britain in WW2?? Also how can you claim that "no American ever actually said that" because unless you were one of the group who were with me at the time you don't know

[@Paul-hl8yg]

@Ginger How is that true about WW2, when Britain & America were fighting on the same side? DUH!!

[@afriendlycadian9857]

@@Paul-hl8yg same side is a stretch they were happy to SELL us equipment and food like they did in ww1 aswell as well as to germany at the same time and joined because germany declared on them

[@luismorgan2422]

The speak in German gets said a lot, I’ve had it said to me. It’s actually also been in an episode of Friends where Ross’s dad says it to Emily’s parents during the pre-wedding dinner. My response to it was simply, “funny that because it took you long enough to come into the war when you were asked about three or four times to help and you said no! Not quite the saviour are you!!!”

[@TehRavennn]

I’m Northern Irish and that made me squeal with laughter about the kneecap. We call that a Belfast Special and if somebody threatens you with that then yes be scared hahah.

[@dalekkupo2998]

Last time I heard a American say the war thing the reply was "mate my house is older than your country"

[@madkiwi9834]

btw why do Americans think British people are still upset that we lost the war because we are not

[@sirgeraldnabarro5026]

You're right, no one gives a shit.

[@jamesc4999]

I’ve heard the “You’d be speaking German if it wasn’t for us” before. I can’t remember what my response was because it was a long time ago but knowing me it probably would have involved sarcasm Also I learnt about the war of independence from Horrible Hostories

[@lurch8111]

I just reply Dosvedanya

[@ashleyoconnor6580]

I had this before but he actually said America beat the Brits in ww2 🙄🤣 🤔 I said you turn up 2 years late

[@tonycasey3183]

My Great Grandparents on both sides are Irish. I'm English.

[@WanderingRavens]

Congratulations, Tony! In america, you're irish!

[@tonycasey3183]

@@WanderingRavens My Yorkshire accent got me mistaken for a German by an American man in France.

[@WanderingRavens]

@@tonycasey3183 Wow! He must never have spoken to a German before 😂 And we love the Yorkshire accent (hope that's okay to admit!). :)

[@tonycasey3183]

@@WanderingRavens It's "quaint"!

[@rach_laze]

@@tonycasey3183 I've been asked if I was Dutch in America before because of my Yorkshire accent, apparently some of the words were familiar but not enough for them to realise it was english

[@sejbomb]

American: "I'm Irish" Me: "And I'm the Queen".

[@TinOfBeans]

I'm the bloody queen mate, basically I rule

[@TinOfBeans]

@Ginger that's because British Asians who say that normally have parents from that country whereas an American who says they're Irish clearly isn't Irish and probably hasn't been to Ireland or knows which area their ancestors are from. If they say they are Irish that probably means their great great great great grandparent(s) were Irish

[@thisismetoday]

"You'd be speaking German if it wasn't for us" is *also* quite rude for - oh, I don't know - every German person.

[@meostyles]

Americans saying 'I'm Irish' is like British people saying 'I'm German' cus they have Saxon ancestry

[@artfulsaladdodger]

All we Brits know about the war of independence we got from Assassin's Creed III

[@thek9queen77]

artfulsaladdodger or Hamilton 🤷‍♀️

[@WanderingRavens]

Yay! Educational video games 😂

[@teresafinch7790]

I learned about the war of independence at school, I think there was a sentence about it. The Boston tea party was mentioned as well. It's just not as exciting as Henry the eighth.

[@maximushaughton2404]

One that was missed off the list " What soccer team do you suport".

[@livingonthetyne]

"If it wasn't for us you'd be speaking german." My reply as a Brit is "If it wasn't for us you'd be speaking Spanish" -- for anyone thats wondering the British colonization of the Americas.

[@merlinadams8797]

An Irish plane was coming into land at Heathrow airport & the control tower said "Captain Paddy can you confirm your height & position" captain Paddy say's "Yes!, I'm 5ft 8 & I'm sitting at the front".

[@BrackenV]

I am a big fan of this channel and I think we should all raise a cup of tea in salute!

[@WanderingRavens]

Cheers! :D

[@rebeccashipley3295]

When I went to Florida last year they thought we were Canadians so funny I am from Nottinghamshire

[@WanderingRavens]

😂😂

[@WanderingRavens]

😂😂

[@vaudevillian7]

I can’t remember which state I was in, think it may have been Indiana, but someone thought I was Canadian too - and I’m from Notts. Australian I can get, but Canadian just confused me

[@vaudevillian7]

Magenta Otter Travels right, I think that’s the only explanation. Some Newfoundland accents can sound a little Irish or like parts of England but it’s not like that’s the Canadian accent they’re most likely to have encountered. Still baffles me. My favourite question from another trip in Indiana was “is Big Ben really big?”

[@antonycharnock2993]

Now thats funny. The Pilgrim Fathers were from the North Notts/South Yorks area!

[@KompridiCR]

"You'd be speaking German if it weren't for us" Hmmm. Wonder why some schools in our country teach German... Bet ya some brit could speak some German to you right now.

[@laxyyorma7016]

They'd speak iroquois or some other (great) indian language if the Brits hadn't been there.

[@myvids1415]

@@laxyyorma7016 It would have been French and their capital would have been Quebec. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Paris_(1763)

[@oliversmith9621]

When ever they say “u’d be speaking German if it wasn’t for us” I just reply “Yh and u wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for us”

[@danic9304]

I dont think it is so much that we focus on our triumphs in history classes - its more that there are a lot of other, more obviously nation-shaping events and periods that get focused on - the War of Independence gets a bit lost as an adjunct to the beginnings of the East India Co., the European Enlightenment and the formation of the political party system which tend to get more focus - where there is any focus on that period at all of course. Basically: the War of Independence is your origin story, but to us its one of a series of wars and shifts in the political map, when Britain lost (...or gave up on and refused to properly fund or support the war effort:P) one set of colonies while its main focus was on its age old struggle for dominance with France. Our origin story (one of ...there are a few contenders) was 1066 the Battle of Hastings and William the Conqueror - which is something all school kids learn about at some point. Once kids get to secondary school level, they usually get some US histpry - certainly the broad strokes as part if the 'wider world' section of the curriculum