thepoke.co.uk
Ouch, not sure we’re in a position to judge though…
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JB note: My diplomat father (who served in WWII in the OWI [Office of War Information] and Office of Strategic Services [OSS -- known, he mentioned to me, as "Oh So Social," given in part because of its WASPish composition - ]) often recalled what he had heard about the Yanks in London during the war: "These Americans: They're overpaid, oversexed, and over here ..."
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"Yes, but if they were not 'over there' the Brits would be eating sauerkraut everyday.
I remember an Atlantic Monthly article of some 60 years ago that said: "The British educational system produced snobs, the American system produced slobs."
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Minor historical note and BTW, both he (my babbo; babbo served in Italy, 58-62) and Ambassador to both the UK and France David Bruce shared an admiration for French life, in certain ways (especially artistic/intellectual), if my memories of my father's recollections serve me right ... He and Bruce were not close friends, but I think a recognition of France's contributions to our world's culture (doubtless "high" culture) brought them together (and of course the not-always pleasurable task of "explaining" America overseas) on an intellectual/linguistic level. My father brought me along -- was it in the early sixties? -- to a "non-official" meeting of his with Bruce at his Georgetown house, when I was a teenager. Bruce was impressive indeed -- and not only because he spoke/presented himself so impeccably yet so unpretentiously ... the kind of ambassador, if you'll allow me to be nostalgic, who represented our country in such distinguished/modest ways abroad (along with other diplomats like Bohlen -- whom my father also knew). An eternal optimist, I'm sure there will be other USA diplomats of such distinction in the new administration.
Bruce image from