BBC Blog Network

User Profile

minsue

Listed below are comments made by minsue between Thursday, 31st July 2008 and Wednesday, 10th September 2008.

«Newer
Older»

Going to the chapel? 7:01pm on 10 Sep 2008 To OldSouth at number 8 - the answer to your questions is quite a simple one: No, other states are not "forced" to recognize gay marriages. Thanks to the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act" that was signed into law in 1996, we are once again back to the point we were at many shameful decades ago when states refused to allow or recognize interracial marriages.

Ain't progress grand?
Has alcohol sapped the British spirit? 7:26pm on 31 Jul 2008 Cyril, I agree that the average UK employee works more hours than in most of Europe. It is only because I come from an environment where the hours worked tend to be longer than here with fewer days off that it is difficult for me to accept the "overworked" label. It's just a cultural difference.

Sorry for wandering so far off topic!
Has alcohol sapped the British spirit? 5:18pm on 31 Jul 2008 To neutrino99 - I couldn't agree more.
Has alcohol sapped the British spirit? 5:17pm on 31 Jul 2008 Larskjaer, a lot of Americans drink at home, yes. A beer or six while watching a ball game, etc. A drink or two after work. Whatever.

And a lot of Americans drink at bars or clubs and then take a cab home or, sadly, get in their cars and hope they don't get pulled over or kill anyone.

But the culture of alcohol does definitely seems to be bigger on this side of the pond. Granted, I am not a drinker anymore, but just going about my daily life here I know far more people who regularly go through a bottle or two of wine a night or pint upon pint of beer than I came across in the States.

I think lawchicago had a good point as well. Americans aren't generally able to walk down to the local pub and get drunk. That probably has a lot to do with the number of drunks on the streets here versus back home.
Has alcohol sapped the British spirit? 4:34pm on 31 Jul 2008 I must disagree with you, Cyril, on a couple of points. As an American ex-pat living in Britain, I just can't agree that Britons (on the whole) are overworked. Any country that has 4 weeks holiday mandatory by law does not have an overworked populace.

I don't think it's a sense of patriotism that keeps Americans working so many more hours than our European counterparts, either. It's simply how we put food on the table and a roof over our heads.

As for the public drunkenness, I think the main deterrent in the states is simply the laws. Aside from events such as spring break, a person being drunk and belligerent in public as apt to be arrested and spend the night in the drunk tank. In the UK, it appears they're just ignored.

I do agree that Britons rely far more heavily on alcohol than most Americans over the age of about 22, though. It's truly saddening to me, the culture of drunkenness here. I never expected it to be this bad.

«Newer
Older»

^ Back to top

BBC MMVI

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

BBC.co.uk

BBC Blog Network

Find and talk to the BBC's bloggers.

User Profile

minsue