Odd things about living in the UK

[Robin Graves 6,054]

 

How old are you!?!

 

In the infantry we still have 'red coats' (or we did in my day).   Our mess dress for formal dinner was a red waist length coat and dark blue trousers with a red stripe!

 

I'm not actually wearing my regiments mess dress here (its royal engineers) but this was my pals and I having a mess dinner and sherry on the side of a welsh mountain.. as you do....

 

 

 

There's something quiet pythonesque about that whole scene... *

 

 

* I mean that in a good way.

[WarriorPoet 352]

Me trying to to think of things the yanks are better at than the Brits. I can't think of anything. The Brits are awesome.

Freedom.(Arguably, we didn't get either of those right...)

 

I miss my red coat uniform.

...'cause it made such a convenient target?

[Dagonet 7,246]

Me trying to to think of things the yanks are better at than the Brits. I can't think of anything. The Brits are awesome.

SciFi television. I like my Blake's 7, Dr Who and Red Dwarf, but they're no BSG (both versions) or any of the Star Treks.

[Robin Graves 6,054]

 

Me trying to to think of things the yanks are better at than the Brits. I can't think of anything. The Brits are awesome.

SciFi television. I like my Blake's 7, Dr Who and Red Dwarf, but they're no BSG (both versions) or any of the Star Treks.

 

 

They have better comedy tough... Father Ted was briliant!

[Robin Graves 6,054]

Me trying to to think of things the yanks are better at than the Brits. I can't think of anything. The Brits are awesome.

 

Comics! Of the top of my head I can't think of any brit comics, besides beano and Judge Dredd.

[Robin Graves 6,054]

 

Me trying to to think of things the yanks are better at than the Brits. I can't think of anything. The Brits are awesome.

Freedom.(Arguably, we didn't get either of those right...)

 

I miss my red coat uniform.

...'cause it made such a convenient target?

 

 

Red coat: " Fine! You have shot me! But you won't see me bleed! That count's as a win for me-ack!"

[Hobojebus 11,341]

Me trying to to think of things the yanks are better at than the Brits. I can't think of anything. The Brits are awesome.

Freedom.(Arguably, we didn't get either of those right...)

 

I miss my red coat uniform.

...'cause it made such a convenient target?

 

Red coat: " Fine! You have shot me! But you won't see me bleed! That count's as a win for me-ack!"

Indeed old chap can't let the indigenous folks forget who's top dog as it were.

[WarriorPoet 352]

 

 

 

Me trying to to think of things the yanks are better at than the Brits. I can't think of anything. The Brits are awesome.

.(Arguably, we didn't get either of those right...)

 

I miss my red coat uniform.

...'cause it made such a convenient target?

 

Red coat: " Fine! You have shot me! But you won't see me bleed! That count's as a win for me-ack!"

Indeed old chap can't let the indigenous folks forget who's top dog as it were.

 

Blasted imperialists...

[Robin Graves 6,054]

 

 

 

 

Me trying to to think of things the yanks are better at than the Brits. I can't think of anything. The Brits are awesome.

.(Arguably, we didn't get either of those right...)

 

I miss my red coat uniform.

...'cause it made such a convenient target?

 

Red coat: " Fine! You have shot me! But you won't see me bleed! That count's as a win for me-ack!"

Indeed old chap can't let the indigenous folks forget who's top dog as it were.

 

Blasted imperialists...

 

 

 "You have a problem with the empire?"

[Dagonet 7,246]

Me trying to to think of things the yanks are better at than the Brits. I can't think of anything. The Brits are awesome.

 

Comics! Of the top of my head I can't think of any brit comics, besides beano and Judge Dredd.

The UK versions of Transformers were quite a lot better than the contemporary US version.

[Dagonet 7,246]

Me trying to to think of things the yanks are better at than the Brits. I can't think of anything. The Brits are awesome.

SciFi television. I like my Blake's 7, Dr Who and Red Dwarf, but they're no BSG (both versions) or any of the Star Treks.

 

They have better comedy tough... Father Ted was briliant!

Gameshows, comedy (especially the fact that they keep it short, just a few episodes per season), documentaries, other series (from I, Claudius to The Night Manager).

[Gadge 4,294]

 

 

Me trying to to think of things the yanks are better at than the Brits. I can't think of anything. The Brits are awesome.

Freedom.(Arguably, we didn't get either of those right...)

 

I miss my red coat uniform.

...'cause it made such a convenient target?

 

 

Red coat: " Fine! You have shot me! But you won't see me bleed! That count's as a win for me-ack!"

 

 

You have to remember that when having a 'national colour' for your uniform was a thing that people on average were using smooth bore muskets.   You could be wearing rainbow colours or mud brown.. unless you were firing in line at a line or column you were unlikely to hit anyone.   Actually being able to see who was on your side in the 'fog of war' of cannon smoke was far more important than concealment.

 

Troops that did use rifles in the British army and did fight individually wore green.

 

A lot is made about the use of the rifle in the revolutionary war but in those days it was pretty much a nusiance weapon for harrasment, Muskets won battles and in the case of the revolutionary war poor strategic decisions on the part of the crown lost the war.  It also didnt help we sent our second rate units over there and used mercenaries as at the time the colonies were a sideshow compared to the war in europe.

 

Modern industrialised america is a juggernaut but in the 18th century it meant *nothing* on the world stage and thats why the empire made a half hearted attempt at fighting for it.

 

The threat to the UK from France at the time was massive and a real worry.

[Robin Graves 6,054]

 

 

Me trying to to think of things the yanks are better at than the Brits. I can't think of anything. The Brits are awesome.

 

Comics! Of the top of my head I can't think of any brit comics, besides beano and Judge Dredd.

The UK versions of Transformers were quite a lot better than the contemporary US version.

 

 

Ah yes speaking of UK cartoons: What did the UK have against ninjas? The TMNT were called teenage mutant hero turtles in the UIK (and over here).

[The Inquisitor 346]

It was a concerted effort to downplay the violence of the original comics as I recall.

Edit: after a bit of googling it seems the British government at the time did really have a specific issue with ninjas and nunchucks in children's television.

Edited June 5, 2016 by The Inquisitor

[Gadge 4,294]

Yeah there was a big thing against martial arts type violence in kids stuff.

 

In the UK in the 70s and 80s anything to do with karate and ninjas was *huge*.  I used to do karate as kid in the 80s and it wasnt that popular in our town until 'karate kid' came out and then we had about 200 new people turn up to the club, stay for a month , realise they were not going to learn super double backflip head kicks in a hurry and then leave

 

Ninjas were 'the thing' in the late 80s.   

[Fuzzywookie 2,145]

Mr bean. I miss him too.

[Hobojebus 11,341]

Mr bean. I miss him too.

I can't stand Mr bean which is odd as I love black adder, goes forth being my ideal comedy series incredibly funny yet poignant in the way it shows the tragedy of ww one.

[Gadge 4,294]

Yeah i personally felt Mr Bean was not Atkinsons finest moment.  It never appealed to me.  as you say Black Adder was much better.

[Dagonet 7,246]

I like Blackadder much better, but Bean has his moments, on a technical physical comedy level.

[Hobojebus 11,341]

Physical humour is more an American thing it could just be me but three stooges and chaplin never really made me laugh.

Give me a bit of fry and Laurie, alas Smith and Jones, faulty towers, father Ted, red dwarf (before season 9),black books, dads army, allo allo, porridge, spaced, bottom, French and Saunders, waiting for good, the fast show.

**** we make some good shows when we want to.

[Fuzzywookie 2,145]

Physical humour is more an American thing it could just be me but three stooges and chaplin never really made me laugh.

Give me a bit of fry and Laurie, alas Smith and Jones, faulty towers, father Ted, red dwarf (before season 9),black books, dads army, allo allo, porridge, spaced, bottom, French and Saunders, waiting for good, the fast show.

**** we make some good shows when we want to.

I know. what does 'merica have? The Walking Dead. Ugh.

[Fuzzywookie 2,145]

Oh and, 'merican politics. Comedy at its greatest.

[Hobojebus 11,341]

Oh and, 'merican politics. Comedy at its greatest.

I don't know what you mean trump...he's gonna...not can't type it with a straight face.

Hillary has won this if she doesn't go to jail first.

What rotten candidates you can't support either, the US needed to feel the burn but the game was stacked against him from day one.

But soon the machines will take over and we can forget this sad chapter.

[Robin Graves 6,054]

 

Oh and, 'merican politics. Comedy at its greatest.

I don't know what you mean trump...he's gonna...not can't type it with a straight face.

Hillary has won this if she doesn't go to jail first.

What rotten candidates you can't support either, the US needed to feel the burn but the game was stacked against him from day one.

But soon the machines will take over and we can forget this sad chapter.

 

 

Or Queen Elizabeth has watched one episode of aGoT to many, and gets it in her head that she's Danerys. Upon wich Britain leaves the EU and conquers the USA. meaning no more Trump/Hillary/that-old-guy to mess things up.

[The Inquisitor 346]

Her Majesty would need some dragons. Or a plan as cunning as a fox what used to be Professor of Cunning at Oxford University but has moved on, and is now working for the UN at the High Commission of International Cunning Planning.

Edited June 7, 2016 by The Inquisitor