- Hi, we're Joel and Lia! - Hi, we're Joel and Lia!
- And this video is about things British people do
that offend Americans,
but we didn't really know we were offending them
in the first place.
- Yeah.
(upbeat quirky music)
As many of you have pointed out,
we're very ignorant sometimes, we can be.
Us Brits, we can be wrapped up in ourselves.
- Yeah.
- Thinking we're the best island on the earth.
- I love it when you call us an island,
it reminds me that we're an island!
- We're a tiny little island, and we love it!
- I know, I just think we're this huge empire.
- I know, well, we used to be-
- We used to be. - As we said, we used to be.
- We! - Me and you.
- It was all ours,
wasn't it though? - We were the king and queen
of Britain.
- Yes! - And now everyone's
got their own control
of their own countries, which is how it should be I suppose.
- Yep, these two olive-skinned Brits,
we were the rulers of it!
- Yeah we're not very Anglo, are we?
- No we're not, are we?
(laughing)
- I mean I'm paler than you in this video,
I'm not, I'm not... - No.
- Oh what is it, Viking?
Or Anglo-Saxon?
No I'm a lot more Viking.
- Do you?
- Anglo-Saxons tend to be
more fair, yeah. - More blond, yeah.
- Blond and blue-eyed
- Mm.
Anyway. - Anyway.
- So yeah, these are things that we didn't realize
are offensive to Americans.
Just so you guys know,
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- On with the video.
The first one is an obvious one, swearing.
- Swearing, and can I just say that all of these
have come from BBC America / Anglophenia.
- Well it's BBC America,
and it's a section of the website called Anglophenia,
which is all to do with British stuff.
- Yeah so, if we say anything offensive
you can blame them, not us.
- Yeah, yeah, it's not us.
And Anglophenia have said the first one is swearing.
- (laughing) So yeah it's us sort of swearing
a little bit in sentences.
A lot of Brits do it, a lot of people have a foul mouth.
- Yeah, it seems to be a stereotype of Brits, doesn't it?
But it's a weird stereotype,
and this is why I guess stereotypes don't really exist,
because it's like,
people think Brits have a stiff upper lip
and are very posh and very poised.
But then at the same time people think Brits
have a real foul mouth, so it's like, which one is correct?
Yeah, I know, It's just vulgar words that we do,
that often we use.
And maybe it's from a certain section of society.
Don't want to pick anyone out because that's not fair.
You got the upper class that swear loads.
You got lower classes that also swear.
There's not good everywhere.
But, you know, it does offend a lot of people,
not just Americans.
- Yeah, I don't know how true this one is,
'cause I mean lots of the stereotype as well seems to be
like the King or Queen, of all swearwords,
is the 'C' word.
- Oh the 'C' word.
- And that Brits fling it about like it's nothing.
Whereas in America that's seen as like,
"Oh my gosh that's awful."
But normally Brits as well would be like,
"Oh my gosh, that's a severe swearword."
So like, obviously people do say it,
- Yeah.
but it's not exactly like,
you wouldn't say it in front of your parents.
- No, no way!
I know someone who uses the 'F' word every other word.
- I hate it so much.
- It's not nice, is it?
- I wrote a thing at university
why I think swearing shows a lack of vocabulary.
- That's good!
It does 'cause if you haven't got the words,
then you just put a swearword in,
- As like a crutch. - Where there would've been
a describing word.
- Like how we say 'like' all the time.
- Oh my gosh there should be a 'like' count on this video.
(vocalizing) ding ding ding!
- That's a lot of work.
- Everyone have a drink, yeah that is a lot of work,
everyone have a drink every time Joel and Lia say 'like'!
- Yeah! - Yeah!
- Or 'yeah', let me hear you!
- But do you know what,
if it wasn't a two person channel,
there wouldn't be so much agreement
so we wouldn't say 'yeah' all the time.
- Exactly.
- Which is why the 'yeah',
we're going into old territory here,
but there's a big deal on why there's so much, yep.
- Yep. - Yep.
- Yep! - Yep!
- You have to show agreement and support
for your costar. - Exactly! Your costar.
If it wasn't yeses all the time like 'yes',
how would we know that what we said had been heard?
- Oh and there's plenty of duos out there that just
sit in silence and watch the other one.
- I can't deal with it. - And then turns towards
the camera just like,
this is a conversation.
- And like, they're like, now my turn.
- Yeah!
- We are a conversation! - Please.
And for that reason, you should subscribe.
- Yes.
Ding, click it.
- That was you clicking it.
- Yeah. Please subscribe,
we can see when you're not subscribed so,
subscribe, we know you exist.
- Yes.
- (whispering) Ghost viewers.
Right, next one is er, C-
- (laughing) si, S-E-X.
- S-E-X, sex talk!
- I did it bad. - Sex talk, toilet humor,
that's another thing that triggers Americans.
- I didn't know that this was a big no-no you see,
not that I talk about sex all the time because I don't.
- But yeah it's funny because
there's one stereotype that Brits would be,
lots of people would think like Jane Austen
and things like that,
be oh Brits would never talk about,
but Brits love talking like with close friends
about toilet humor stuff and sex.
- Yeah. I mean it was only on the weekend
that we were talking with our close friend about all things
toilet humor and sexual. - Oh yeah!
- Not combined!
- No, oh no. - Oh no.
- But just in, we were in public,
we were literally sat having cream tea scones,
jam, tea, coffee.
- You're not gonna say the rest of that sentence.
- No! And talking about something that was
very inappropriate.
But it's a bonding experience,
isn't it? - It really is, yeah,
we all advise each other on things, it's great.
- There's nothing out of bounds between us three.
- No, not at all.
- This is Christie we're talking about.
- Yeah (laughing).
- Just our imaginary friend.
- Yeah imagine you and I and our imaginary friend.
Let's talk about sex.
- So the next one we know very well.
- Yes.
- It's, Americans obviously hate it when
we criticize America.
- Oh, yeah.
- Which obviously,
people take some of what we say to criticize America,
I say, it's not. - I don't think we've ever
criticized America, have we? - No, but people take it,
'cause we joke, it's 'cause we make jokes about things,
and people are like, "That means you hate America",
and we're like, "No we don't." - No, it doesn't actually.
We love our holidays in America.
- Oh, we love them.
And would we spend time making videos
about America if we hated it?
- No.
- No is the answer
to that question. - No we wouldn't.
But yeah, obviously Americans don't like it.
I think maybe because we used to rule America
so they're triggered,
like any time any Brit has anything to do with America,
they're like "No, we're independent!"
- Wow that's interesting.
- They're like a child that's had freedom
from their parents.
- Right.
- And they're like, "Don't talk to me Mom!
Don't tell me what to do!"
- "Bacon's good for me!"
- Bacon is good for me!
(laughing)
- Sorry, I love that kid.
- It's so good, King Curtis.
- I'm packing our bags!
- Okay, well the next one is quite obvious,
and this is one I did know.
- Yeah.
- It was offensive,
I have been told not to call Americans yanks.
- Yeah. - So don't call yanks yanks.
- Which is weird because, - It's a joke.
they have the New York Yankees.
- Right, so that's where it's from.
- But then why is that offensive?
Because Yankee is like, yank is a stem of Yankee.
- True, and why is it that when we had...
No just, not why, this is a separate point.
True, yank comes from Yankees.
Do you remember when you and I had a meeting with
(whispering), and she is a British woman,
and she kept being like,
"Ah you two going over to America?
Oh yeah them Yanks will blow smoke right up your arse."
And she was saying stuff,
she was like "Oh the Yanks yeah they chat so much,
they just chat chat chat."
- She just kept saying
Yanks, Yanks. - "Yanks, Yanks, Yanks."
And I think it's an older generation of Brits
that refer to Americans as Yanks.
- Yeah.
- And we've been told not to,
and we know that maybe they don't like it
but then we do wonder why the team,
the Yankees. - Yeah it's called
the Yankees.
I mean yeah, I would never called Americans Yanks,
'cause like it just doesn't sound like it's a nice term.
It sounds like a pejorative term.
But what do they call Brits?
Because I know like, Australians call Brits, Poms.
- Oh, Poms.
- And that's supposed to be offensive,
but if someone called me a Pom I'd be like,
- Oh, lovely!
- Cool, lovely, oh is that French for apple?
Oh, lovely.
- Oh yes have a
little crunchy apple. - Let's have a pom, yes.
A pom pom.
- But what do they call Brits?
Toffs? No toffs.
- Toffs.
- What do they call... tommies? No.
- Really?
- Is that from the war?
- Tommies, yeah, I think that's a war thing.
- Either way why don't we just
call people Americans or Brits.
- Or just people.
- People, just human beings on this earth.
- Just people. Let's just celebrate cultural differences.
- Yeah.
Oh the next one, we won't dwell on this because we know
we talk about it a lot. - Oh wow.
- Stingy tipping, that triggers Americans.
- So offensive!
- And just to cover our backs,
you know, in the UK, you don't have to tip.
You can tip, and you probably should tip a little bit,
but it's not required.
- You really don't have to.
Whereas in America, - People don't expect it.
like, they're like, "You have to tip."
- Oh absolutely you have to. Yeah.
- So that's why.
- You should budget your tipping in with
your budgeting with your money for the whole trip.
- So just don't blame Brits
if they haven't tipped very much,
because we don't do it.
- No, the cost of it is what it is
including all of the pay for staff,
because all the staff get paid really well here.
- Yeah.
- In restaurants and stuff.
Anyway! Won't dwell, won't dwell, won't dwell.
- Won't dwell.
So the next one says friendly offensive banter,
and I don't know what this means.
- Let's read it out. I'm guessing,
oh, its when, oh okay, so it's like
when you're friendly with you, and if I called you like,
a stupid old bitch or something,
- Oh we know it's joking. - We know it's jokey,
someone would be, American might be like,
"That's really rude don't call me that."
Even though you're a mate and you're just calling each other
- Oh, do you remember in a video,
where you're like oh you silly,
- Oh what about my mum? - Your mum!
- I was like, "Oh she's so stupid" or something like,
(American accent) "Don't call your mother stupid!"
- Stupid, you got told off by our viewers.
- Yeah, and I was like,
"Shut up, I'll call my mum whatever I want to call her."
And she knows I call her that. - She knows its a joke.
- She knows it's a joke.
- Yeah. - It's like, endearing,
it's the way that Brits relate to people
that are close to you.
- Yeah. Yeah, Joel calls me a thick bitch,
stupid bitch, er, (bleeped out)
- (laughing)
- Like, it's just funny!
Like, it's just part of our banter.
- Like the other day, Lia was upset,
do you remember, you were upset about something,
- Oh, yeah.
- I was like, "Come here", and you were like "No."
And I was like "Come here now sit down,
like, sit down you stupid bitch."
- And I was like
"Yeah all right I will - "Give me a cuddle!"
sit down actually." - And then I gave her a hug!
But that's how we talk - That's it.
to each other.
- Yeah, "Come here you thick bitch you're being stupid,
you're being stupid about the situation."
Do you know what I mean?
It was, yeah I think maybe that would be
lost in translation.
Imagine trying to comfort your American friend
and being like, "Come and sit down you thick bitch."
(laughing)
- I just can't imagine it.
They'd be like,
"Come here sweetie." - Could you imagine saying
that to Vearo.
- Yeah. - Yeah.
- She would greet me like,
"Aw, you bastard."
- Sorry, I just thought
of a really offensive one. - What?
- Come here you (beep).
(laughing)
- We're so childish!
- We're so childish.
- She would pick the rudest word you can,
and then you just like,
put an adjective in front of it.
- Yeah, yeah.
- Anyway that's just us.
- That's just us.
- But we won't do
it in America. - And that's fine here.
- No we won't do that in America,
we know when to switch it off.
- Yeah, stupid viewers.
- (laughing) See that was,
- Banter. - Banter.
- Here's one we are guilty of,
it's mocking their heritage.
So mocking an American's heritage
so perhaps they're part Irish, part Italian.
- Part Scottish.
- Because we didn't know, have we done that?
We have haven't we.
- We have 'cause we mentioned in a video
how we find it funny when Americans say
I'm part Irish 'cause we're like,
every American claims to be part Irish.
- Oh, we have said that.
- It's like, are you?
But then, this article says that's offensive because
maybe they actually are. - They are actually.
But, it just to Brits, every time like,
if you say you're British an American is like,
"Oh my gosh, I'm part Scottish."
And you're like, "Are you though?"
- Yeah, I think we just find it funny because,
in our lives, everyone knows someone Irish.
everyone knows someone who's a bit of something.
- Well yeah, maybe it's interesting in America,
but here we're like, cool.
- Yeah I think we find it a bit,
I think that's the reason why we said,
"Yeah but are you, are you Irish?"
- Yeah.
- Because, everyone's a bit Irish.
I don't know, one of my friends from Scotland
is not a bit Irish, all my English mates got a bit of Irish.
- That's so true.
- So I think that's why we criticize it,
but we didn't realize probably until now,
that it is actually quite offensive.
They have really got heritage from there,
and their family's from there,
and they really feel very connected to that place,
that is absolutely valid.
- Yeah.
- So. Sorry!
- We're sorry guys.
- This is also an apology.
- It's an apology video.
- As well as an informative video.
- We're so sorry,
we won't ever make fun of you being part Irish.
It wasn't even making fun of them being Irish,
it was making fun of the fact that every American
has some sort of heritage that is connected to you,
and we're like, "Cool."
I guess it's just like if we told an American
like, "We're part Canadian", they'd be like, "Cool."
Canada's just up there. - I don't care.
- Yeah. - But to us Canada's
so far away that we're like.
- Yeah, it's exotic, yeah.
- It's exotic.
- So exotic.
Like, being British anywhere but Britain is cool.
- Yeah, but in Britain if you're British you're like.
- You're not enough, you need to be
from somewhere else - Cool, yeah.
to be cool, to be written about in papers.
- Yeah.
- Stuff like that.
- So that's that.
- That's that.
(laughing)
So that's that.
- But I guess it's cool if we say we're from like,
somewhere else in Europe.
- Yes.
- So like, my family are like,
Finely track the history of my family
and where they're from in Mainland Europe.
- That's cool.
- But English, British, not cool.
- Not cool, you don't want to be British.
You don't want to be English, Scottish,
Welsh, or Irish.
- Just not enough.
♪ Not enough ♪
I don't know, I just made that up, okay?
(laughing)
- Exactly. - Wait is that a song?
♪ Never be enough ♪
- It's from Greatest Showman,
the film you hate.
- I still haven't properly seen it.
Seen the first 25 minutes.
- And then left the cinema.
- Left the cinema, don't shoot me, okay?
- You're entitled to an opinion.
- Thank you!
- If you think it's a rubbish film
then you think it's a rubbish film!
- I'd give it another go but I couldn't suspend my belief.
- Okay.
- Okay? - It's 'cause it's musicals.
- Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Perhaps on the West End.
- Yes, you're not a musical girl.
- No, I like a good play,
so do you. - Yeah, yeah.
- Right, is that enough?
- That's enough, I think! - That's enough.
- I think we've spoken
quite enough. - Enough.
Let us know what you guys thought of those things,
are they offensive?
Are they just offensive to people who are easily triggered?
- Is this article a pile of poo-poo?
- Yeah, 'cause, - Let us know.
let's reinforce this is from BBC America,
it's not from Joel and Lia!
- It's like when people put in their Twitter bios,
views are not, views are my own, oh no.
But it's the - Yeah but
opposite of that. it's the opposite.
- Views are not our own. - Views are not our own.
- Views are that of the BBC! - Views are views of BBC!
(laughing)
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And thank you guys for watching this video.
See you next time! - We will see you soon.
Bye! - Like and subscribe!
Bye! - Like and subscribe,
You Yanks!
No, they don't like that.
- They don't like that.
- We just discussed that.
- We've discussed it extensively.
Bye America, the land of the free,
and home of the brave.
- Give this a thumbs up if you think
we should have a Good Morning America show.
- We should, shouldn't we? - We?
- Good Morning America. - Good Morning America.