UK supermarket asks British citizens to celebrate Independence Day.

Originally posted by OMsk3ptic
Is there really any difference between the US and the UK? It always seemed to me the US is just the UK on steroids.

actually there is, britian is much further along with the idea of "police state" than america is, but america is quickly catching up.

America really isn't independent, so there is nothing to really celebrate anymore. Britian might have lost the violent or potentially violent portion of the war, but they always kept their puppet strings attached and america was always working for them even though they thought that they'd broken ties. HEH! What did you think centralized banking was for?

We need a freedom day, to get us aware that we need freedom from all tyranny, even that posing as the "good guys".

reply to post by KristianTNA


In the context of the British viewpoint, it is in effect insulting. In the context of objective modernity, the American revolution did have profound affects on the British Empire.

Originally posted by stumason

Originally posted by MikeboydUS
The War of 1812 was the real war for independence.

The Empire didn't recognize American sovereignty until then.

Nonsense. The Treaty of Paris in 1783 formally recognised the US as a sovereign nation.

And, contrary to what people in the US are taught, you did not win the War of 1812. The War was started by the US keen on annexing lower Canada, but local forces supported by British troops (another Myth popular in Canada is they won the War on their own, which is also false) pushed back this assault and you ended up having your capital captured and razed. The US achieved none of it's War aims, yet the Empire achieved all of theirs, namely the defence of the Empire.

It really amazes me when American pipe up proudly about the War of 1812 as if it's was something akin to a Glorius Victory, when in fact in was a dismal failure. Propoganda for you, I suppose.

In reality, the War was just a sidenote in history, as was the War of Independance, to the British. Of very little concern at all, in fact.. Without French and Spanish help in the latter, and if we hadn't been fighting a continental War for the past 10 years for the former, I think the US may have been a very short lived story entirely.

Count yourselves lucky that we didn't see you as very important at all to divert many resources to squish you. We could of, without those pesky French bothering us....

Originally posted by MikeboydUS
And you left out the hurricane, like the wrath of Zeus, that came out of nowhere, put the fires out in the capitol and killed more British troops than our military, forcing them to retreat from DC.

It probably "came out of nowhere" due to the total lack of any form of Weather prediction. I highly doubt it was as divine as you claim it and it seems you've bought another myth as fact. It would seem it was a tornado, rather than a Hurricane and killed plenty of Americans as well as some British soldiers.

The only reason the war of 1812 was a fiasco was because of the sheer arrogance of the Madison administration. They thought they could take Canada with only 5,000 riflemen. Heck Congress didn't even vote to create a war-time tax to fund the war.

As for the Tornado's, they saved America's hide. It was like the Creator wanted to help the noble American's kick the red coats out of our capitol(hey how often do tornado's chase an enemy army out of a nations capitol?).
blogs.smithsonianmag.com...

Originally posted by IAmAnAlien
reply to post by Extralien

 

It's "Shopping Center", not "Shopping Centre". According to official grammatical rules accepted throughout the world, the American spelling of a word always trumps the English or Canadian spelling of a word. Thought everyone knew that. In fact, the English Language really should be called "The American Language".

You show that big ego that is American but really seems an inferiority complex. I know, we were told we could be ANYTHING, but for most of us it doesn't happen. We can't all be pro-football players, doctors, great scientists, or big time entrepreneurs.

It's been awhile, but I spent a semester in England and I think it was the best time of my life. You can have conversation with people of all ages in a pub and enjoy one anothers company. Here, it's "I have this much land...my son is this...we're the freest country in the world... Love it or Leave It..."

Basically I found most English to be friendly and content with themselves. Wish I lived there. But really we are both a part of the West and our governments are in bed together. Bickering about which country is better achieves nothing.

Can't we All just get along?

And now, to celebrate "In Dependence Day", a little song from a charming young group....

www.youtube.com...

The BBC are now exhorting us to have American food to celebrate Independence Day :-

www.bbc.co.uk...

I trust the Queen will send the traitors to the Tower.

Happy Independence Day anyway.

reply to post by KristianTNA


In my many travels around the world I have had the pleasure of being stationed on a British air base. On this base the 4th of July is the biggest party of the year. The whole base, and indeed the whole community gets together for a big BBQ and beer fest. Live music and other entertainment all day and all night as well. It is of course for the American’s stationed there, but the Brits join in as well, making it the most anticipated event of the year.

I was on this RAF base for 3 years and every year it was more of the same; drunk Brits and Americans having a great time. One year as I was walking down the beach four very drunk Scotsmen walked up to me and engaged me in conversation. One was saying how much the party rocked and how great it was, and then asked me what was the 4th of July any way. All his friends looked at him like he was retarded and I proceeded to tell him what the 4th of July was all about. After I explained it he looked a bit sheepish, then raised his can of beer in salute and said “great party man” and then walked off singing a very bad rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” like only a drunken Scotsman could.

All in all it was a very big deal every year and nobody was offended or upset by it. As I said, it was the most anticipated event of the year, and the whole town got involved. So no I do not think it is necessarily in bad taste or would even be frowned upon. Nobody really cares any more, as England is now the U.S.’s greatest ally. No hard feelings of the Revolution in today’s world.

That's weird. I'm in the states, and I don't even celebrate it. Now, Bastille Day, sure. The storming of the Bastille is a great example of a people tired of the bullsh!t of the state, and so they did what the people here don't seem to have the nerve to do.

reply to post by Byeluvolk

England is now the U.S.’s greatest ally.

Thought that was now the French!

reply to post by Ezappa


Oh right, silly me. I will edit my post ASAP. If you can show me documented, peer reviewed proof of your statements.

reply to post by Byeluvolk


"We don’t have a stronger friend and stronger ally than Nicolas Sarkozy, and the French people"

Link

I honestly think 20% of Americans have no idea what independence day is, let alone Brits... while 50% have only some basic hints of what it could be about. IMO its like st. Patrick's day or any other celebration holiday, men just need an excuse to get stoned to death.

Skimming through ATS almost every day makes me think US foreign policy is equally if not more tyrannical today than British one in the past 300 years (good example being India in the 30s). Its as if British Empire has decided to use Americans in there world domination rather than spill quality English blood.

Originally posted by IAmAnAlien

Originally posted by Trolloks
reply to post by IAmAnAlien

 

To be honest with you, its a very good job that you did not come here. You would not last one second in this country with your attitude, i would give you one day before someone makes sure you can no longer insult us. We do have internet, everywhere. And supermarkets are always a walking distance. In my city we have 5 major supermarkets, and my city only has a 7miles radius at most. One of the smallest cities infact, can look it up, Lichfield. A very polite city and we welcome tourists, but even you would not last a second here my friend.

Take my advice, and never come. And this is serious, not a threat, but a heads up.

Attitude? What attitude. I was being completely serious. I had no idea England had electricity, the Internet, and supermarkets. You learn something new everyday. But I'm not particularly worried about coming except for the reasons I mentioned before. The USA is hardly a cakewalk. We invented the evil gangs that have spread throughout the world, so I doubt Lickfield would be too hard core for me to visit.

You wouldn't last two seconds in England. Trolling or not. You'd have to fight with your fists, which I assume you have little or no experience of. We invented gangs, long before America was even a sticky dream.
Hell, some of our buildings are older and stronger than your country.

Good luck with your attitude. I know many fine Americans (many on this forum) - but you aren't one of them.

Originally posted by LucidDreamer85

Originally posted by triplemmm
reply to post by KristianTNA

 

seeing that history has shown that this was the worst event ever and led indirectly to numerous wars I won't be celebrating and neither should America. The nearest parable I can come up with is it was like the 14 year old boy throwing his parents out and deciding he can run everything. Have you seen American food, Jam AND meat on the same plate???? I rest my case.

wait......did somebody just make a case for British food being better than anybody else's food ?

When the world things of food people are forced to eat instead of enjoy......they think of english food.

That being said.....yes our food is not that great...well it is but you have to avoid the fast food and other crap....

You guys don't even use spices !!!!!! ..england

arthur treachers fish and chips were great!


miss them!!

We should have more threads like this on ATS - Were the majority of people are getting along with eachother.

Another poster has already said that Wal-mart owns ASDA so you can pretty much see that its just a money-maker. I hope no one british was stupid enough to buy into this :/
When will corporate greed quench its thirst!?

Happy independence day America

Originally posted by Ezappa
reply to post by Byeluvolk

 

"We don’t have a stronger friend and stronger ally than Nicolas Sarkozy, and the French people"

Link

edit on 4/7/11 by Ezappa because: (no reason given)

edit on 4/7/11 by Ezappa because: (no reason given)

Hmm, well that is very convincing evidence. However, I can't edit my post now. so we will just pretend this so called proof does not exist.

Well according to this America is still a British Colony anyway and it's independence is a sham...

www.apfn.org...

America we own yo' arse!!

Well, I really don't need an excuse to party and as it's a mates birthday and I'm meeting him in the pub a little bit later on I may just raise a couple of glasses in honour of my American friends.

Celebrate whenever and whatever you want, having a party and enjoying yourself is the best therapy possible and we all need some relief from the drab realities of life.

The only negative take on it from me really is the overt commercialism of it and the unwillingness to promote any sort of similair national occassion for England and even Britain as a whole.

Oh, and if anyone really believes that independance from Britain gave everyday Americans more freedom from the elites than they previously had or would have today is either naive to the extreme or politically blinkered, dogmatised (?) and indoctrinated.

Don't seem like that big of a deal to me. It's a good excuse as any to have a cook-out, British like cook-outs right?

This is ruddy nonsense from ASDA, theyre always doing stuff like this, to promote one thing or another, but i think theyve gone a bit awry with this. I mean, how many americans would be flummoxed if they were walked into walmart on nov 5 and were asked to join in burnng a man on a bonfire made of tights (pantyhose to you lot), carrier bags,stuffed with old t shirts wearing a ronald reagan mask (ie guy fawkes). Not many of you im sure, ahem, maybe i choose good with mask????