Friends are surprised when we tell them the only place we have feared for our lives was in Alaska where big, hairy men with room temperature IQs carry large calibre pistols. They will be equally surprised to learn that the place in which we felt the most anti-American resentment isn't in the Islamic world. It's not even France! Surprise, it is England. It's not the "Yanqui go home!" kind of resentment, just something lurking under the surface, probably with roots in the "over-paid, over-sexed and over here" World War II days.
The Empire ruled the world in the 19th Century and Churchill may have been right when he proclaimed the Battle of Britain "their finest hour." It's been downhill since. The 20th Century belonged to America. And today, things American (it can hardly be called "culture") have seeped into every facet of English life and are eroding that which they hold sacred.
It isn't surprising that the media is making the most of the London Olympics. This is a big thing for the UK. The interviewers make a special point of asking each Team GeeBee member, medalist or not, how important the crowd support was to his or her performance, going so far as to make it a statement to which the athlete can only reply positively. Fair enough! But watching the Games' coverage on BBC would make one believe that only Team GeeBee is competing. Hardly a mention of American, Russian, Chinese or German athletes is heard. They even have a new categories to make their medal-count more meaningful. Most gold medals per capita and most gold medals per GDP. We have taken to watching German TV to find out what else is going on!
To be fair, I love the history, the scenery and the openness of most of the people we have met. London is the most diverse and vibrant of cities with unparalleled museums. But it's time to realize that things change and England is no longer in charge. Americans should also take note; nothing last forever and we may also have had our finest hour.
