Continental drift: how the US and Europe see the world
Cuba
The European view: Hip holiday destination du jour, presided over by everyone's favourite Manics-loving uncle; home of record-breaking athletes, lyrical love poetry, and salsa
The US view: Depraved, child-snatching, tyrannical dictatorship hell bent on - and, frankly, fairly close to achieving - world domination; home of massive narcotics industry, cigars, and (a particularly clever form of cultural warfare, this) salsa
Guns
The European view: Lethal weaponry enabling alienated American high-school internet enthusiasts to massacre their unsuspecting classmates
The US view: Constitutionally enshrined form of protection enabling high-school students to defend themselves against attempted massacres by their alienated classmates
Litigation
The European view: Expensive, time-consuming, intimidating system allowing rich people to stop everyone else from saying nasty things about them
The US view: Popular recreational sport, like baseball, allowing Americans to generate a useful second income from spilling coffee on themselves
Foot and mouth
The European view: Hugely problematic catastrophe that threatens the global importance of Britain's agricultural industry
The US view: Yet another reason to steer clear of London, like BSE, pickpockets, and the aftermath of war in nearby Bosnia
Sierra Leone
The European view: Worryingly unstable West African country benefiting from a spot of good old-fashioned British army training.
The US view: Where? |
