Brits Name Best/Worst of America

Brits Name Best/Worst of America

– By Ed Kociela –

Back in the day when network television still maintained a degree of relevance, I rarely missed the “Late Show With David Lettermen.”

He could be charming, he could be acerbic, he could cross the line into arrogance, but he was one of the few late-night hosts who didn’t always lob softball questions at his guests and was always entertaining.

There were usually more hits than misses, and, in fact, one segment of the show was his nightly Late Show Top Ten list.

There were many nights when I kept the television on just long enough to take in his latest list. I was rarely disappointed.

Lottoland.co.uk, in the midst of a massive promo effort across the pond, stole a page from Letterman by commissioning a poll asking Brits to list the best and worst things to come out of the United States as it went to work duplicating America’s lotto games.

So, in true Lettermen fashion, here are what Brits think are the 10 worst things to come from the United States:

1. – Children can drive at 15 in some places
2. – We deep fry everything
3. – We call football soccer
4. – Kanye West
5. – Our confusing political system
6. – Our politics in general
7. – Racial inequality
8. – The Kardashians
9. – Our obsession with guns
   

   And the absolute worst thing to come from the United States?

10. Donald Trump

They also found plenty to like, however:

10. – NASA
11. – Elvis Presley
12. – Hollywood movies
13. – Barack Obama
14. – KFC
15. – Apple
16. – McDonald’s
17. – Coca Cola
18. – Disney

And the absolute best thing to come from the United States?

1. Netflix.

I can certainly appreciate and understand their likable list — even the addition of KFC and McDonald’s. Great Britain, of course, is a place where they eat things like beans on toast and spotted dick, which is some kind of steamed pudding. I don’t know about you, but steamed pudding and beans on toast would send me scurrying off to visit Mickey D’s and The Colonel with much greater frequency, and, actually, a bucket of crispy fried chicken from KFC sounds pretty good to me right now.

As far as Netflix? We should all get on our knees and thank God for Netflix. Otherwise, the COVID years would have been totally unbearable.

As far as their dislikes?

Well, as they say over there, they bloody well got that spot on, too. But, let us allow the list to speak for itself.

As you know, two can play the rating game, and we are no different. And while I have tremendous respect for the English people and their magnificent nation, from which we sprung, Old Blighty is not without its up and downs.

My personal list?

The best includes:

10. – The Mini Cooper
11. – Winston Churchill
12. – Fish and chips
13. – Monty Python
14. – Their marvelous accents
15. – Harry Potter
16. – David Attenborough
17. – William Shakespeare
18. – The Rolling Stones

And, the best thing about Great Britain?

1. The Beatles, of course.

The other end of that list would feature:

10. – The Royals
11. – Cricket
12. – The food
13. – The weather
14. – Boris Johnson
15. – They drive on the wrong side of the street
16. – Their confusing political system
17. – Their politics in general
18. – Neville Chamberlain

And the worst thing about Great Britain?

1. Warm beer.

What I like best about the Lottoland lists is the fact that they are balanced. Instead of sitting in judgment, you get positives and negatives, and, as we all should know, nothing is as important as showing both the yin and the yang. It highlights balance, fairness, and a sense of understanding that there can be no light if not for the dark.

I couldn’t help but think of that balance of light and dark as I went through the Sunday morning shows and sensed the hostility among even some of the most moderate of broadcasters and their guests.

You see, at this point, we seem to be so wrapped up in our own partisanship that we cannot acknowledge the other side.

I make no bones about being on the left, a liberal in stripe and deed. It is who I am, what I am, and I own it unashamedly.

But, I also understand that there are still holdouts on the conservative side who are earnest and worthy of our respect. I mean, I once thought of former Vice President Dick Cheney as the resident evil of an administration that was fairly rudderless, weak, and unschooled, except for Cheney, who just may have been one of the most brilliant men to serve a sitting president. Not my cup of tea, but fairness dictates an honest assessment. In other words, I wouldn’t vote for him, but I respect his acumen, especially after spending a day with him at the Northrop B-2 plant while he was Secretary of Defense and I was working in a communications function within the military-industrial complex, a time of great consternation for me.

He was on one of the networks doing an interview Saturday and was actually reaching out as a peacemaker, trying to unite a very splintered Republican Party. I understand he was speaking on behalf of his daughter, Liz Cheney, the admirable representative from Wyoming who has staked her political career by taking on the Trump administration as the Vice Chairwoman of the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack. In all probability, she has worn out her welcome as Wyoming’s at-large House representative. However, she seems to be gaining ground with more traditional conservatives as a contender for the GOP nomination to run for the presidency.

The Dick Cheney interview was civil and pointed. Then come Sunday, it was back to the usual game of no holds barred whack-a-mole, and my thoughts of mutual respect and dignity were dashed once again.

It was disheartening.

So, I have another Top 10 list, one that I hope would be used to define a new era in American politics:

10. – Calm
11. – Statesmanship
12. – Love
13. – Harmony
14. – Cooperation
15. – Patience
16. – Respect
17. – Peace
18. – Dignity

And, most of all?

1. Truth.

Wouldn’t that be nice?

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