Clarkson rants on Americans and Mustang

Rock36 said:

As far as racial diversity goes the numbers will bear me out, the United Kingdom despite its diversity is still 92.1% white according to a 2001 UK census. The United States on the other hand is 83.2% white (that 83.2% figure INCLUDES the 11.4% of the population that is hispanic), so as far as "white Europeans" go the United States, as a whole, is only 71.8% white as it compares to the UK's 92.1%.

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Holy cow! Is that correct??? I know that until I was 15, the only non-whites I saw were the few Chinese from our local restaurants (seriously!), but then I grew in BF Nowhere (Brechin - look it up, a "city" of 7,000ish ), but having moved around the UK quite a bit before moving to the US, I'd have never thought the UK was 92.1% white.

I do know that the UK is now getting as many Eastern European immigrants as they do any other group, so that may have have something to do with those numbers - you don't need a different colour of skin to have diversity (isn't that an old, old wooden ship, anyways???). Heck, even backwater Brechin is getting it's fair share of Poles, etc.

Again, I think we're more alike than would first appear - perhaps the UK's diversity is less easy to track.

It's funny to read this thread. Before coming over here, I'd obviously grown up on the same stereotypes as most in the UK, when it comes to the US. Couple this with a few friends I'd made whilst still in Brechin (US military based at RAF Edzell) who went someway to consolidating this stereotype, and I was fairly sure that I wouldn't be here more than 2 years. Well, surprise-surprise, I get here and very quickly see how we're not so different, but rather there are a few characters responsible for the loud, cowboy image of the US - much like Austin Powers probably didn't do the English stereotype any good!

Let's not lose sight of the bottom line here - the 05+ Mustang is one heck of an all-rounder - it looks great, it sounds great, it performs well and is affordable. In any straight-up apples-to-apples comparison, it holds its own against all-comers. Again, this is Clarkson junk-journalism. I'm sure he wouldn't be overly enamoured if US car magazines riddled their reviews of Brit cars with references to the failed British empire, the English penchant for butchering their neighbours and their inability to leave the country on vacation without rioting and throwing petrol-bombs.

That said, a popular US mens fitness magazine did open their review of the Marcos TSO GTC this month with "Apparently, not all English people are uptight...", so it also appears that the beloved Mr Clarkson doesn't have monopoly on talking irrelevant smack, either!

Peace!

I hope nobody takes what I say too seriously. That would be unfortunate. Personally, I couldn't live without my American muscle cars and wiull continue to buy them. They could only ever have been designed and conceived in the US where you're not afraid to stick two fingers up at political correctness and I for one applaud the doggedness with which yhe US manufacturers have steadfastly refused to let the V8 die and indeed have gone on to make it cleaner and more powerful than it ever was.

I always thought I bought muscle cars dispassionately and regardless of their country of origin but I do love the history and on reflection, I do love their soul which is uniquely American. I wouldn't turn down an AMG Mercedes but it is something quite different to the US recipe of a fast car for the common man. In Europe, they equate V8s with grasping more money. I like the US recipe far better so long may they prosper. I'd hate to have to drive a boring euro-box all the time.

Anyway, thank you for tuning in to this thread. This thread is now closing down. We hope you sleep well.