Americanisation?

Johnny Odd · Thu 03/06/2004 16:25:34

I think this whole thread/argument is not Americans being ignorant of language, but the world being ignorant of America.Not everyone born in the U.S of A is an idiot you know.
America hauls with it some big ass industries and therefore ideals such as globalisation essentialy now mean Americanisation... this is a shame but I feel recently there's been an increase in yank bashing and I don't get it.

P.S I'm not American (just so you know)

SSH · Thu 03/06/2004 16:47:10

A lot of "Americanisms" in the English langauge are actually where the Americans have stuck with the language how it was when they colonisation started and the UK is the one that has changed it's usage... reading Bill Bryson's Made in America and Mother Tongue are revealing...

But... America has so much power over the rest of the world, that I think that we should get to vote in their elections, too. NO DOMINATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!

TerranRich · Thu 03/06/2004 16:58:08

Now, I'm American, but I don't want to see an Americanization (hee!) of the world. The world should remain a varying and diverse place and to lose any of that is to lose our uniqueness.

As for the Americanization of movies, you'll have to make special versions for us. We're not that bright, you know.

Fuzzpilz · Thu 03/06/2004 18:46:55

Quote from: Ali on Thu 03/06/2004 16:08:48
On the Americanisation front, do you remember FilmFour's 'The Madness of King George'? The name was changed from 'The Madness of King George III' in case American audiences thought it was part of a trilogy.

Whoops! Not true.

I'm 99% certain I've read something either there or on The Straight Dope about what SSH mentioned, too (namely that it is also mostly incorrect; IIRC the origin of the idea was that the pronounciation of English in some parts of the US was more similar to that of the first English colonists than that of any British dialect today, or something of the sort) - but I can't find it at the moment. Some googling yields only more confusion both about the subject and about Bill Bryson's knowledge of it, so I can't really say more now.

Ali · Thu 03/06/2004 19:40:12

You may be right, but snopes says it was released everywhere without the 'III' and the IMDB says it was called Madness of King George III in Australia:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110428/

Daz · Thu 03/06/2004 19:59:22

I don't like the way that the italian job was re-raleased and the suposed re-release of the great escape from america and the old war movies ie battle of britain i think it was where they make the american the hero when they were nothing to do with it. but that is just money hungry film companies changing history to sell more, and re-releasing classics and put more action in them to sell more.

-daz

SSH · Thu 03/06/2004 20:06:41

Now there's a good point. U571 anyone? Yes, the AMericans did capture an Enigma machine... 3 years after the brits had it. The brits warned the Americans about sub attacks and the americans ignored them....

as for teh Madness of King George III.... the III was added for Australian release because Australians are so dumb they wouldn't go and see a movie UNLESS they think it is a sequel...

Robert Eric · Thu 03/06/2004 20:21:15

Technology-wise, America is intelligent and clever. We may be merely riding on the coattails of other countries, but it's better than being left behind.

Blackthorne · Fri 04/06/2004 03:09:28

Quote from: Zootyfruit on Wed 02/06/2004 10:21:41
I mean the first books title was even changed wasn't it? Philospiher to Sorcerer. That just seems stupid. Why is it just sassumed that Nobody will understand what Philosipher means?
I could just take the british view that most americans can't find their arse with a torch but i don't.

I maybe American, but I can spell PHILOSOPHER.

And yes, I did find my ass with the aid of a torch. It burns. That's all I'll say.

Bt

ElectricMonk · Fri 04/06/2004 04:05:39

Quote from: Ali on Thu 03/06/2004 16:08:48
On the Americanisation front, do you remember FilmFour's 'The Madness of King George'? The name was changed from 'The Madness of King George III' in case American audiences thought it was part of a trilogy.

Personally, I was wondering what happened to Malcolm part I to IX.

Kinoko · Fri 04/06/2004 05:54:58

Quote from: Esseb on Wed 02/06/2004 15:40:01
I first found out about the name and history behind the Philosopher's Stone from a comic I read when I was 12 or so. Had it been called the Sorceror's Stone in the comic I would still be clueless about what the Philosopher's Stone was. I can understand the logic behind changing it, but I can't see why they couldn't keep the original term and educate the readers.

I agree totally. Not everything in a movie/book/whatever has to be immediately understandable to everyone. I would imagine that part of the fun of rwading the Harry Potter books when you're young is to find out about certain words/terms/references you've never heard of, or even to inspire you to seek them out. I know I personally -love- films and books that have all sorts of references I don't know about so I can read about them later and go, "Oh wow, that makes it even better!".

I understand the argument about making things accessable and hence. profitable... but why don't we all just say, "Fuck that."
Part of the reason the general movie going population is stupid is because of the way to movie industry doesn't let people grow. It's what I see when I look at kids' shows like Tellie Tubbies (or that god awful colourful alien one that's I saw the other day... CHRIST! Freaky shit....). They don't encourage kids to grow, just to stay on the same old level as always. Personally, I think they could make, "Harry Potter and the Tax Return that Just Kept On Going" and they'd still get record sales. Why not take advantage of the huge dedicated fanbase it has and give the kids some freaking education? I have to be a teacher one day... I don't want to have to teach them how to put their freaking shoes on. Why can't the media help?

LGM · Fri 04/06/2004 13:48:29

I still don't get why Every other country thinks America is a big stupid mass of people that carry guns around everywhere and drive big SUV's whilst eating our McDonalds.

I'm sorry.. But what a fraction of the American population does is not what ALL of America does.

As goes for any country.. Not all Canadians say 'eh'. Not all Britons drink tea... Not all Afghanis wear turbans..

Bah.

SSH · Fri 04/06/2004 13:58:36

Quote from: [lgm] on Fri 04/06/2004 13:48:29
I still don't get why Every other country thinks America is a big stupid mass of people that carry guns around everywhere and drive big SUV's whilst eating our McDonalds.

Obviously, some Americans only do one or two of these things...

Your post is really funny when you realise it's basically an ever bigger generalisation than the generalisation that it is complaining about... This is your cue for you to claim that you were being ironic and then we'll all know you're lying, as everyone knows that if there's one generalisation about Americans that is true, it's that they don't understand irony.

Johnny Odd · Fri 04/06/2004 14:39:04

Quote from: Daz on Thu 03/06/2004 19:59:22
I don't like the way that the italian job was re-raleased and the suposed re-release of the great escape from america and the old war movies ie battle of britain i think it was where they make the american the hero when they were nothing to do with it

Exactly - this backs up my argument of globalisation == Americanisation.
Why is the only city anyone cares about new-bloody-york ? Example -
A film is made ("day after tomorrow") where the polar caps melt or something and the world freezes over - where is the most dramaticaly hurt place? where is the film based? New York.

Thank you Hollywood :

Peter Thomas · Fri 04/06/2004 14:50:47

hmm... looks what happens when you disappear for 2 days. Everyone else steals your opinions!

Um... yeah... changing the harry potter title was stupid. If people watched the movie, it became kind of obvious that it wasn't an actual philosopher who posessed a stone. I may have a low opinion of some americans, but as a whole, I think they're smart enough to figure that one out for themselves. I also think as a whole, too much is being changed to suit americans. I was watching an ad on tv the other day and saw the word MOM! M-O-M! AS IN MOM! WITHOUT THE 'U', LIKE IN MUM! I SAW MOM! ON AN AUSTRALIAN AD!

I mean - I appreciate the need for things to be spelled right for americans, but when they just stick it on Australian tv it makes my blood boil. Because - yes - John Howard will do everything in his power to give us the education and health system that is already in place in America. And then when John Howard retires (predictably in the near future) we will be left with Peter Costello (who in my mind looks like a pedophile) and he will all want us to say crap like "Don't mess with mah brova, girlfriend," in that african-american way you see on Jerry Springer (no that I watch it) and then I forget where I was going with this argument so I shut up.

yeah... basically that 'mom' ad is stupid, and I wish people would realise we don't WANT to be american, despite what our prime minister says. not many people hold a low opinion of america (maybe some americans, like me, but not the whole country). I just want to keep our already some-what fading culture.

TerranRich · Fri 04/06/2004 16:10:19

Quote from: SSH on Fri 04/06/2004 13:58:36
Quote from: [lgm] on Fri 04/06/2004 13:48:29
I still don't get why Every other country thinks America is a big stupid mass of people that carry guns around everywhere and drive big SUV's whilst eating our McDonalds.

Obviously, some Americans only do one or two of these things...

Your post is really funny when you realise it's basically an ever bigger generalisation than the generalisation that it is complaining about... This is your cue for you to claim that you were being ironic and then we'll all know you're lying, as everyone knows that if there's one generalisation about Americans that is true, it's that they don't understand irony.

Why is it funny? I drive a Mercury Mystique and loathe fast food. And I understand irony.

LGM · Fri 04/06/2004 16:40:43

And I was being a cynical bastard, not ironic.

TerranRich · Fri 04/06/2004 17:02:19

Yes, there's a big difference between cynicism and irony, people.

SSH · Fri 04/06/2004 19:22:25

Quote from: Moebius 5.18 on Fri 04/06/2004 16:10:19
Quote from: SSH on Fri 04/06/2004 13:58:36
Quote from: [lgm] on Fri 04/06/2004 13:48:29
I still don't get why Every other country thinks America is a big stupid mass of people that carry guns around everywhere and drive big SUV's whilst eating our McDonalds.
Your post is really funny when you realise it's basically an ever bigger generalisation than the generalisation that it is complaining about...

Why is it funny? I drive a Mercury Mystique and loathe fast food.Ã,Â And I understand irony.

"Every other country thinks..." is a sweeping characterisation of around 6 billion people
"America is a big stupid mass of people that..." is a sweeping characterisation of far less people (is it about 200 million? I can't be bothered looking it up)

Quote from: Moebius 5.18 on Fri 04/06/2004 17:02:19
Yes, there's a big difference between cynicism and irony, people.

Yup... cynics can be ironic, but irons can't be cynical...

Moox · Fri 04/06/2004 19:36:09

Personally, I dont care if they change it to something somewhere else. I feel that if people want to change their own works, let them. Culture varies from country to country and so do littarary works since the beginning of time. For example if you are jewish you call it the torrah, if you are christian you call it the old testament. It still has the same content but a different title. Also roman and greek litterature. Mercury/Hermes Posieden/Neptune. There the same people withe different names. The romans did this so that they can call it their own, same with the christians (no hating intened). Maybe Jk changed it so that the Americans could claim it as one of theirs.