this post was submitted on 02 Sep 2023
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I had a friend visit from London, (the real one, not one of the many towns in the US) in February one year. I warned him he needed heavy winter gear. I picked him up in Indianapolis. He deboarded the plane in a track suit. I pulled the car as close as I could to the terminal, and he made a mad dash for the car as I loaded his luggage. I asked him if he had any heavy winter gear, and he replied, "I'm wearing it!"
Off to Walmart we go then, I pulled up right next to the door and let him dash inside. Parked the car. Found him bewildered and lost in the women's clothes section. Took him over to the hunting and sports section to get him a real coat, and coveralls. He was much happier when he left Walmart, and asked me why I didn't warn him.
I just asked him what he thought it meant when I told him it was -26ยฐ C
He said he thought I was exaggerating. SMH
Apparently there have been issues when US and British forces have worked together before du to the "I thought you were exaggerating" mindset.
The brits have a tendency to downplay really bad situations to the point where, "It's actually quite chilly" means "We're in deep shit". I read somewhere that this caused serious miscommunications several times, because Americans didn't understand that brits were downplaying things, while brits though the Americans were always exaggerating.