Saturday London Ramblings
There’s a range of complex geopolitical reasons for misunderstandings about Americans in Europe. I can’t possibly explain all the causes of ‘anti-americanism’, but I’m beginning to suspect a contributing factor is cultural misunderstanding caused by the American movies they play on the major TV channels at night. They are all awful. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been in Europe flipping through the late night channels (and not cable) and shocked at the bad, awful movies the U.S. sells off to Europe. It seems more than half the time they are movies that didn’t last a weekend in the theaters back home (North America that is). Bad cliches, bad action, bad scripts, bad movies! If these films contribute to forming one’s view of Americans then no wonder there’s an ocean of misunderstanding. Of course the blockbuster films last in the theaters and gross big, but at 12 pounds (26 Canadian roughly) I’m not sure they grab the same audience as those on regular evening TV. This seems to apply to TV shows as well, many times I see network shows that only lasted a few episodes in the U.S. doing an entire season run on the local television, what is up with that?
Meantime wandered back to Foyle’s and was disappointed to not find any copies of Blue Mars, having finished the second installment this trip I was waiting to see how it all ends. Apparently the science fiction section was flooded last week (the horror). Anyways left instead with A Short History Of Everything. I think I know everything anyways (or at least I act like it), but a refresher can’t hurt.
I’ve been reading the Canadian papers daily online to follow the last leg of the election campaign. I was able to vote in advancing polling prior to leaving. It was surprisingly busy (and unfortunately very inefficient). On the eve of this election, no strong predictions here…although I wouldn’t be surprised if cold feet ensues about major change. Meantime some facts on Canada while we ponder our future.
After wandering all over Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square, Oxford St. and areas in between I’m back in the room, of course abandoned by local television I’m taking comfort in the entire fifth season of the Simpson which a friend was kind enough to archive on my laptop. “This party is over.”, C.M. Burns