Opinion
Across the pond, political prowess bloody great!
Looking for a print version?
Simply use your browser’s ‘Print’ command and a printer-friendly document will be generated automatically.
Also by Laura Brennan:
- WFC stands in way of gay rights progress (April 15, 2009)
- WUD correct to 'miff' Mifflin bash (April 6, 2009)
- Mistele's rhetoric unworthy of county executive (March 30, 2009)
- Madison's public schools must think about nutrition (March 9, 2009)
- Traffic cameras needed, fast (March 2, 2009)
Sharing tools:
E-mail this article:
LONDON — Across the pond, the phrase “she’s a head-turner” has taken on an entirely new meaning.
Although I have been here for a few weeks now, I’m still getting used to strangers turning around and staring when they hear my accent, which, I’ve been so kindly told, is “abrasive.” I’ll be the first to admit it — I stand out in London.
To be fair, it’s difficult to blend in when traveling en masse with 40 other American students. In addition to providing a memorable number of strange looks, my inevitable label as the wide-eyed tourist has given me the opportunity to hear, invited or not, the opinions of Brits on American politics. On one of my first nights out in London, I was practically tackled by a student at the Imperial College Union when he heard my accent. Not surprisingly, the conversation quickly turned to politics.
When I commented on Tony Blair’s recent conversion to Catholicism — a big story in the United Kingdom, which is predominantly Anglican — his eyes popped. “You know about that?” He laughed, sipping a rather large mug of lager. “My best friend didn’t even know! How would a bloody American know that? I’m impressed!” I was a little confused by his reaction, but I asked him if he knew anything about the American primaries. He just laughed and told me to pick up tomorrow’s paper.
As it was approaching 2 a.m. by the time I got home, I couldn’t get my hands on the next day’s paper, so I turned to the Internet instead, and very quickly made sense of the reaction of my slightly intoxicated British friend. British media — print, television and Internet — is saturated with coverage of the American elections. It doesn’t surprise me that the U.K., or any other major commercial nation, keeps tabs on our elections; we’re a large country and an even larger world power. What surprised me is how much average people here — not the media — know about the election, the candidates and everything in between.
I asked another British student about the American elections. “I really like Obama,” he told me. Really? I couldn’t name a current British politician outside Gordon Brown. He continued, “I just wish he would elaborate more on his policies and actually tell us what he wants to change. I think he’s got some real potential, but I think I’d go for Hilary instead.” I know Mr. Brown is part of the Labour Party, but I couldn’t even begin to elaborate on his policies.
How could it be that I knew so little about British politics, one of the United State’s closest military allies? It wasn’t just me either; I asked several other people studying in my program here — what do you know about British politics? How do you feel about Gordon Brown? Do you know when the mayoral election is? Shrug. Shrug. Shrug. I won’t pretend I’m an expert on anything political, but neither were the Brits I spoke with — they’re average students watching football at the union. They not only knew more about our elections than many Americans, but even had favorite candidates!
I decided to ask one of my professors for his opinion on the matter. “I think Brits are so interested in what’s going on in America because it affects us so directly. The next American president will very likely influence our presence in Iraq at the very least, if not our economy too.” I asked him if he thought Londoners were well-informed on world politics, and his response made me laugh. “I don’t know, I suppose we are. Aren’t Americans?” I know many, many people who know their politics, but compared to those who don’t… well, there isn’t much of a comparison. In one of my classes last semester, when asked about French president Nicholas Sarkozy’s view on the war in Iraq, a girl replied, “Didn’t he marry a supermodel?”
I suppose part of this might be culture shock; London is, after all, a busy cosmopolitan city and a huge financial and governmental hub — I know nothing outside of London to compare with what I’ve experienced here, and political interest could be very different elsewhere. The United States is also much larger, with a lot more news to cover, and it can easily get lost in its own affairs.
Yet I feel it is our responsibility for that very reason — that we have so much influence on the rest of the world — to be better informed on world politics, and especially those of our close allies in Britain. I’ve been inspired, and hope to inspire others as well, to keep up with important stories like the U.K.’s health care crisis. Even though it might mean you miss today’s ABC.com headline “Incredible, Shrinking, Post-Pregnancy Celebs,” consider giving the BBC a try once in a while.
Laura Brennan (lbrennan@wisc.edu) is a junior majoring in communicative disorders.
4 Comments | Leave a comment
Leave a comment
Herald Blogs
The Beat Goes On
Muckrakers
President’s Visit Marked a Speech to One of the Last Groups Not Critical of Him
Extra Points
Top Classified Ads (view all)
HOUSES FOR Fall 2010. All houses are on W Dayton or N Bassett. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 bedrooms. All have parking. madisoncampusrentals.com
London is somewhat well known for its Starbuck’s coffee.
London is much more influenced by the US and their neighbors than we are by Europe. First, everyone is effected by what the US does. We’re still the biggest player in the world in every way. The only country that really has close to that has similar effect to us in any way is China, and we know what they’re doing: They’re communist, so you don’t have many leadership changes. England is also a part of the EU (not to mention the fact that Euro countries are the size of US states), and as a result is vastly impacted by what happens in France, Germany, Italy, etc. We are not, but instead typically only by the larger choices of the EU and EC (the EU’s economic arm), and only at our higher business and policy levels.
From 1940-1980, everyone in the US knew what was going on politically in the USSR because what happened there influenced us here. The closest thing to that now is Israel, because of our commitments, their commitments, and the importance to each party in having the support of the other in that case. Very simply, though, there is no political activity in the world that affects us in the way that our political activity effects the remainder of the world.
Ditzy American “opens her eyes” to English politics during semester abroad…. news at 11.
ABC.com vs BBC.com is like Budlite vs Miller Lite… same crap, more filling.
To pick nits, 4:26pm, it’s Bud Light not ‘budlite.’ Clearly, Budweiser products are for the more sophiscated beer drinker.