Things UK does better than USA and Vice Versa.

This is not a UK is better than USA thread just posting a few things that one does better than the other and vice versa.

I've been to the US 3 times and there are some things that really annoy me and some things that are way better.

-USA not walker friendly.

Obviously some of the bigger cities are the exception like New York/Chicago where it's very pedestrian friendly but generally it seems if you don't have a car you are ****ed. Especially where I have spent most of my time in Florida. Cities are just blocks of highways with big car parks. No real option to leave the house and take a stroll anywhere, whereas in the UK basically every town and city is designed that you can walk just about anywhere. Plenty of footpaths etc. Doesn't seem to be anyone cycling around either.

I think this has a lot to do with the US being newer, places are designed around Car travel whereas in the UK roads/towns were designed hundreds of years earlier.

I will post some more thoughts later but I have to go to work soon.

Totally true, about travel. Though it's as much a geographical thing as a cultural one (though the former drives the latter, no doubt, and no pun intended). There's just a lot more space and everything is more spread out, which is nice in some ways and not as nice in others.

A lot of it has to do with property value, too. Places where everything is condensed and can be walked or biked to are generally places with high population density (like New York), which means it costs a great deal to live there. Hence suburban sprawl.

Something US does better than UK before I go to work.

-Educational Scholarship/Sporting system.

In the US televised College level sport seems to be a big thing whereas in the UK only the Pro level sports get acknowledgement. Towns seem to really get behind their high school/college teams whilst in our big Sport football(soccer) we do far too much importing of foreign talent so that in the end less than 0.1% of youngsters are making it to the top of the Sport. Our national teams suffer as a result of a much smaller pool of home grown top pros to choose from.

Also, we are becoming a progressively more lazy people here in the US. For being as busy as we are we don't move much.

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You are no Vader. You are just a child in a mask.

UK is right behind the US in the Obese charts so I'd say we re on a par there. Both countries are teeming with Fast Food outlets.

The US almost certainly does a better job of television series recently. With a wide variety of output from Game of Thrones, to Boardwalk Empire, we seem to be in a somewhat "Golden" age of US Television series.

That's not to say UK series are bad, its just I imagine the funding isn't there, and so we only make the odd crime procedural and period drama, because the people like them and the people will watch them. Downton Abbey, I have been told, is very good, and Luther starring Idris Elba (which I have seen) is also very good.

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^^^ Have to give Sherlock it's due aswell.

UK has the better posters, me, Skepsis, Honeykid, JayDee, Rodent etc. but unfortunately we have Weeman, so it kind of balances out actually

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Yes, getting places is hard in America if you don't drive. Especially the places like South Dakota, Nebraska and so on around those states where I spend most of my time when over in America. I don't drive so it would be a bugger over in America if I lived there because I love exploring. Thankfully when over there someone else is driving.

So easy to get around smaller Britain when you don't drive.

Can't believe I missed that one off, its the biggie

No one knows me here yet Daniel, don't ruin everything. They think I might be ok.

I'll admit, National Pride is something the US does better.
In Britain, National Pride is seen as racist and gets stamped out by the Government. British Pride Rallies and Celebrations are usually banned and end up with police oppression under Government orders.


The US also builds better road systems... British roads are like a plate of spaghetti and road markings change depending on the town or city you're in... US roads are straight, right-angled and uniformed. I like that.


Britain does do sport better though... even though I'm not a sports fan, I prefer British way of doing things when it comes to sports... no flashy loud celebrations and rubbish... British sport is uniformed and usually pretty sombre and restrained. Apart from Football, then it's just violent and full of too much ego.
Military is the same in Britain... British military is pretty restrained and full of uniformity... I've seen US soldiers on telly and are "dude" types and full of "Yo this" and "Yo that" while waving their arms about while talking to camera... that kind of behaviour in the British military would get you put on Jankers for 3 days.

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Canada is better than both your countries in every way imaginable. I will not be backing up this statement with any facts.

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"Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."

Now that's my kind of drive-by.

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

UK produces better cars than US.

Actually... come to think about it, almost everyone produces better cars than US. Sorry, guys.

I'm not sure if the UK produces cars anymore. All the old British companies are either bankrupt or have been bought out by Germany and France manufacturers.

Aston Martin? Flagship of the British car? Owned by European companies now.

That's a good point, actually, but there are some new, independent contenders on the market such as Ariel or Noble, which are awesome, btw.

Forgot about the smaller ones... Noble are a good maker... but they only make like 50 cars a year and the waiting list to get one is something silly like decades.

I'd still rather sign up for that list than buy a Corvette right on the spot.

This is peculiar though, because - based purely off assumptions from my viewings of UK films/comedians - the UK culture is based around some sort of shame for oneself and making others feel bad, hence why it's totally normal for films to be utterly down-trodden and totally acceptable to call your best friends stupid gits. While this is certainly more on one side of the spectrum, the US is on the complete opposite side, where everything we do is awesome, because we're awesome, and if you question that then **** you. I think pride and shame need to work together for both of these countries, god knows we need some of what you're drinking.

Yeah British humour right now, not just on TV, but in general life, is based around insulting those around you while both parties laugh at the insults flying around.

It's like the "Your Mama's so fat..." "Yeah? Well your Mama's so fat..." thing... it seems all most humour in Britain has become like that.
Apart from "comedian" Russell Howard who does nothing but makes jokes about paedophiles and underage sex...