git ssb

title: "An American entry" date: 2007-11-28 19:53 modified: 2007-12-16 18:30 status: published tags: American

<p>I came across <a href="http://ethicalbloggerproject.blogspot.com/2007/11/ethical-blogging-vs-email.html">The Ethical Blogger</a> at …Blogger, and was reminded (via a quote <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/08/06/070806fa_fact_specter">from the New Yorker</a>) that writers from the United States seem to enjoy using “American” as an apparently-meaningless adjective before almost <em>any</em> noun at random—which is jarring for English-speakers who <em>aren't</em> from the United States, <em>particularly</em> when the topic at hand isn't specifically American. </p>

<section class="comments"><h2>Responses</h2>
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<p>Interesting. There was a comment in The Observer today where the columnist (Kathryn Flett, who usually annoys me anyway) said, "It's fair to say that, in its own small, sweet and uniquely American way, Heroes has delivered, if not a ... (blah blah blah)" </p>
<p><a href="http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2224419,00.html">http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2224419,00.html</a>
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<p>I'm American and have lived in the UK for over three years now and have NO idea what she means.</p>
<p>Anyway ... </p>
<p>Nice job on nominating Sarah for Post of the Week. I'm pleased to say she won. </p>
<p>Cheers, </p>
<p>Bob </p>
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bob merckl </span><time>2007-12-09 18:36</time></figcaption></figure>
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<p>Mmm. I don't know about Heroes being <em>uniquely</em> American, but I think its style—big, grandiose, Earth-shattering, global-consequence–having—is a primarily American style of storytelling. You rarely find stories of such ambitious scale in British <abbr class="caps">TV</abbr> series, for example; perhaps that's because we're (1:) a tiny country and (2:) aware that other countries exist. <i>(I kid.)</i>
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<p>We have had <em>some</em> similarly ambitious series over here, things like Doctor Who and Torchwood, but their style's been heavily and consciously influenced by American series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Kind of like the American version of The Office: it's an American programme but consciously draws on a British type of humour (specifically the original series). </p>
<p>British speakers seem to use “Western” in much the same way, though less frequently. Anything about modern, city-dwelling life, and particularly modern technology, can be characterised as “Western”. I guess it's a way of making sweeping generalisations whilst excluding poor people living in South America, Africa and Asia. </p>
<p>(Editor's note &amp; hyperlink-juice on the Post of the Week thing: <a href="http://www.postoftheweek.com/posts/181#comment-2548">I nominated</a> <a href="http://auntysarah.livejournal.com/119160.html">a post</a> on <a href="http://auntysarah.livejournal.com/">Sarah's blog</a> for <a href="http://www.postoftheweek.com/">Post of the Week</a> (which I discovered when <a href="http://www.postoftheweek.com/posts/155#comment-1905">I was nominated myself</a>) and <a href="http://www.postoftheweek.com/posts/183">it co-won</a>.) </p>
<p>Thanks for taking the time to write, Bob. </p>
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<figcaption><span>
Grey Nicholson </span><time>2007-12-16 18:30</time></figcaption></figure>
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