I’ve wanted to live in the US since I first visited as a kid, and there’s lots about the US I really like, from natural beauty to culture and the ‘American Dream’.
However, I worry that I’d never fit in, as a posh Englishman, and I’d never get away from people talking about 1776, bad British food, or bad teeth et cetera et cetera.
My dad is an immigrant to England, yet he’s treated the same as anyone else – can the same be said for America?
31 comments
Yes, Americans are better about treating immigrants as Americans than most other countries are with their immigrants. We’re literally a nation of immigrants.
Anyone with an American citizenship is American. Doesn’t matter if they got it when they were born, 10 years ago, or 10 minutes ago.
Yes, absolutely. This is a nation built on immigration.
Yes. That’s kinda our whole shtick.
If you live here then you’re American, and even more so if you’re a citizen.
We’re better at integrating immigrants than the majority of European countries. We’ve been doing it for 400 years.
> I’d never get away from people talking about 1776, bad British food, or bad teeth et cetera et cetera.
It’s a shame British people don’t banter with each other like Americans do.
“American” isn’t an ethnicity. If you’re a citizen, you’re an American, full stop.
> I’d never get away from people talking about 1776, bad British food, or bad teeth et cetera et cetera.
Those would just be friendly jokes, no malice intended. Come on over.
You become a citizen and your American. Simple as that.
Absolutely
Absolutely. Both my parents are immigrants and are completely normalized to American culture and institutions
I’m sure you’ll stand out… in a country where everyone’s trying to stand out.
So ironically you’ll fit in just fine.
Being American is about *wanting* to be American, and celebrating the positives while acknowledging how much more work this country has to do.
If someone talks about 1776 at you they’re taking the piss, as I think you call it.
They can, and should.
Go look at all the posts where people post photos saying they just became a citizen.
The overwhelming amount of replies are “welcome home!”
My grandparents are immigrants. They have never once felt as tho they didn’t fit in…and they were insanely poor and had to learn a second language. You’ll be fine.
The minute you become a citizen, you are an American. Just like people who come from all over the globe.
As far as getting ribbed about the Revolutionary War and the like, that just means we like you.
I know a bunch of americans that happened to be born somewhere else, not gonna gatekeep it.
What exactly makes you posh? Lol
Yeah, I’ve met British people who immigrated and became citizens.
The fitting in part wouldn’t be hard either, you would just adjust to a few American things and you would be unrecognizable from Americans, especially since the country is pretty culturally diverse.
The U.K. doesn’t have a vastly divergent culture than the US in many ways. We both speak the same language so that makes things easy.
You will not meet anyone who mocks British food or dental care in the U.K. that’s more internet shit talking that doesn’t translate to real life. I’ve never once had a conversation involving the U.K. that was diverted by someone saying anything about food or teeth.
The US is a country full of different cultures. You’ll fit right in and will be welcomed.
Being American is more an self-identification more than anything I’d say there are only two criteria to fulfil to consider yourself an American
1. Be connected to the US by lineage and/or by land (family from US and/or living in US)
2. You consider yourself American
A foreigner becoming an American is kinda the whole point of America. Are you a US citizen? You’re an American. Doesn’t matter who you are or where your family came from. You’re an American
Yes. That’s basically America.
>I’d never get away from people talking about 1776, bad British food, or bad teeth et cetera et cetera.
It always amazes me how quick Brits are to say “I’m just taking the piss” yet when it comes back the other way it’s an issue.
Come on in. The water is warm and the pints are cold.
I’m going to go against the grain and say that for any adult immigrant to the US they will always to some degree be seen as a little foreign by most Americans. As long as you have your British accent people will comment on it, ask where you’re from, ask how you’re liking your trip, etc. I mean, if you lived in the US for the rest of your life your friends and neighbors would stop thinking of you as foreign and forget that you came from Britain, but the moment you meet a stranger they’ll hear your accent and assume you’re not American.
But that’s not necessarily a negative thing, I think. People should be kind and welcoming. (It helps that Americans generally like Brits!)
Where I live we have Ukrainians, Colombians, Iranians, Mexicans, Venezuelans, Philippinos, Canadians, Germans, etc. … and they’re all Americans. Come on home, cousin.
**However, I worry that I’d never fit in, as a posh Englishman, and I’d never get away from people talking about 1776, bad British food, or bad teeth et cetera et cetera.**
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The internet is not real life. Americans do not behave the same on the internet as we do in real life. I’m sure there would be an occasional joke about these things, but the overwhelming majority of the time, you’d be treated like the rest of us
that’s kind of our whole deal.
Hell, my mom even lost her accent. She immigrated from India in the 90s, today you wouldn’t be able to tell that she didn’t grow up in North Carolina from her accent except for a few specific words. (not that the accent really matters to being an American, just an interesting effect I guess).
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>However, I worry that I’d never fit in, as a posh Englishman, and I’d never get away from people talking about 1776, bad British food, or bad teeth et cetera et cetera.
The amount of people trolling you IRL is going to be far lower than the people who troll you on Reddit.
I can’t promise no one would comment on your accent, though it would likely be compliments or just general curiosity. You would stand out in that sense.
Though the vast majority of people would never make nasty remarks about British food or whatever, we do have our jackasses like everywhere and occasionally someone might. That’s not generally accepted to be mean, though, and you’d be within your rights to tell them if they go too far.
In general, I know a lot of immigrants, and though there’s a definite adjustment and sometimes complicated emotions with regard to having love for their country of origin but also appreciating the US, a lot of who chose to come tell me they’re happy to be here. One of my former coworkers is from Egypt and he immediately bought a Camaro and put a U.S. flag on the antenna. He’s always going to be Egyptian on one level but he’s an American too (edit: he did pursue citizenship).
1000% It isn’t about where you’re from or who your parents were. To quote Ronald Reagan:
America represents something universal in the human spirit. I received a letter not long ago from a man who said, ‘You can go to Japan to live, but you cannot become Japanese. You can go to France to live and not become a Frenchman. You can go to live in Germany or Turkey, and you won’t become a German or a Turk.’ But then he added, ‘Anybody from any corner of the world can come to America to live and become an American.'[**Ronald Reagan**](http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Ronald_Reagan/), *Campaign rally for Vice President Bush, San Diego, November 7, 1988*
*40th president of US (1911 – 2004)*