Ye Olde Pub (The English Pub)

[Datasmurf]

There's not enough activity in this pub, and I still think it should be called "Ye Olde Pube". Much classier.

[jjkoggan]

There's not enough activity in this pub, and I still think it should be called "Ye Olde Pube". Much classier.

 

I'll be in Oslo in august. Where's a good pub with some local beer? Also, when does football start in Norway? I've forgotten since it was a long time ago since I lived there.

 

To ting til- where/how did you learn your english and are you watching Euro 2012?

[Datasmurf]

I have no idea, since I go to Oslo approximately once every fourth year, but I guess Andreas pub is a great place for beer. At least it was the last time I was there. Football is currently on a hiatus until next weekend or something like that, not to sure about that either, since I really don't follow it.

 

I learned to speak English from my grandfather, and have just refined it with movies and books over the years, always been better at it than my teachers anyway, and no, not really, though I do see the fixtures when I don't have anything better to do. And I'm routing for France and Ukraine, which is kind of hard, since they play together tonight.

[Slimda]

If you want football and good beer, there's always the Dubliners. Great place with great ambience.

[jjkoggan]

I have no idea, since I go to Oslo approximately once every fourth year, but I guess Andreas pub is a great place for beer. At least it was the last time I was there. Football is currently on a hiatus until next weekend or something like that, not to

sure about that either, since I really don't follow it.

 

I learned to speak English from my grandfather, and have just refined it with movies and books over the years, always been better at it than my teachers anyway, and no, not really, though I do see the fixtures when I don't have anything better to do. And I'm routing for France and Ukraine, which is kind of hard, since they play together tonight.

So what is your mother tongue and why did your grandfather possess special english skills? My grandfather immigrated to Indiana from England He claimed we didn't speak true English unfortunately this is a common sentiment towards American culture, we can never do anything in "true" form, at least as far as many Europeans are concerned

 

We could win several world cups and still be considered ignorant of "true " football

[Datasmurf]

My mother tongue is Norwegian, as is my grandfathers, he loved languages and so do I.

And yeah, that seems to be what most of us think of people from the US.

 

It really shines through in the great webcomic, Scandinavia and the World.

[jjkoggan]

My mother tongue is Norwegian, as is my grandfathers, he loved languages and so do I.

And yeah, that seems to be what most of us think of people from the US.

 

It really shines through in the great webcomic, Scandinavia and the World.

 

It is interesting how stereotypes start and persist. We have our own stereotypes of Norwegians also and it isn't pretty or accurate. THey are most common in the upper midwest where many Norwegians settled many years ago. Stupid, ignorant but hard working farmers as a rule.

 

The more modern sterotype is of narrow minded, naive socialist-minded zealots where policeman don't bear weapons and prisoners live in luxurious prisons. The events surrounding the tragedy on Utoya reinforced these sterotypes, the idea of a political youth camp brought home images of socialist indoctrination to the ignorant.

 

Stian Bromark wrote a book about the norwegian view on the USA. He wrote that it was impossible to call americans "intelligent" even though no other nation has dominated the Nobel prizes than the USA since WWII and PISA international comparisons show little true differences in general knowledge.

 

THe interesting thing is also that these condescending attitudes towards america were persistent mostly among the european elites not the common folk. This has changed today, west european tourists visit with an attitude of superiority as if the USA were undeveloped and third worldish. Too bad, our relationship is very important.

[Datasmurf]

Yeah, that is true. I blame the media, really. Most of what we get here from the US is trashy reality programs like Top Model, Jersey Shore and other shady series, and all those god-awful movies Hollywood spew out every year, and I'm positive the documentaries of Michael Moore hasn't helped the image much either. Or all the silly news we pick up, like people suing companies for the most inane reasons.

 

But at least as noone believes everyone wears their bunads and that polar bears are walking the streets with us, I'll be fine.

[jjkoggan]

Yeah, that is true. I blame the media, really. Most of what we get here from the US is trashy reality programs like Top Model, Jersey Shore and other shady series, and all those god-awful movies Hollywood spew out every year, and I'm

positive the documentaries of Michael Moore hasn't helped the image much either. Or all the

silly news we pick up, like people suing companies for the most inane reasons.

 

 

The media can only take partial blame. If norwegians didn't like these shows, they wouldn't watch them. It also politically expedient to reduce Americans to negative caricatures to show how awful it would be if Norway leaned too far to the right. Michael Moore serves this up on a silver platter for these caricatures and because very few of the power elite in Norway protest and advocate for better understanding, these caricatures are accepted as fact. The same thing could not be done, for example with other powers like the Chinese without protest and efforts to avoid bigotry and racism. Better treatment is reserved for other nations, politicians don't run any risk mocking the USA.

 

But at least as noone believes everyone wears

their bunads and that polar bears are walking the streets with us, I'll be fine.

 

Unfortunately ignorance of Norway is more the rule than knowing what a bunad is. Some Americans know about long winter nights and high suicide rates, reindeer and what many see as lack of freedom through socialism. Lillehammer OL helped a bit but not much. Norway is too small to make much news, although ABB gets a lot of press lately

 

The best way to learn and break down stereotypes is to live for extended periods somewhere else, then comes the realization that we don't fit into nice little black and white boxes

 

 

[Lidskjalv]

There's not enough activity in this pub, and I still think it should be called "Ye Olde Pube". Much classier.

 

Pube??

 

Pube = Pubic hair - come on, man..

[Slimda]

Pub is a short-hand term for "public house", and originated around 1855 to 1860. Pube is, as known, public hair.

[Datasmurf]

Yes, I know. That's the joke.

[jjkoggan]

Yes, I know. That's the joke.

 

More of an adolescent joke for those new to their sexuality. For us older folk, mostly its silly, inane and scatological.

[Datasmurf]

Oh, look at me. I know big words. Scatological? I'm pretty sure this hasn't much to do with feces.

[jjkoggan]

Oh, look at me. I know big words. Scatological? I'm pretty sure this hasn't much to do with feces.

 

Nor does the Pub have much to do with pubic hair, and it was just as gross (that was the point). Sorry to be misunderstood. And no, scatological is not a "big word". Antidisestablishentarianism is!

[Beatnik]

The European Cheerleading Championships 2012 have recently taken place in Amsterdam and Norwegian radio reporters have (as usual) pronounced "cheerleading" like "chairleading".

[Heddy]

"chairleading".

That would be fun to watch. Don't know how'd you do it though.

[jjkoggan]

The European Cheerleading Championships 2012 have recently taken place in Amsterdam and Norwegian radio reporters have (as usual) pronounced "cheerleading" like "chairleading".

 

What sports do these cheerleaders cheer for in Europe? What about the marching band tradition from america too, does that have any traction? What do femnists in Norway think of cheerleaders?

[Mr.Duklain]

There's not enough activity in this pub, and I still think it should be called "Ye Olde Pube". Much classier.

 

[jjkoggan]

Jokes about Norwegian Americans, hard working but stupid-

 

 

Ole and Lars were working for the city public works department in Wisconsin.  Ole would dig a hole and Lars would follow behind and fill the hole in. They worked up one side of the street, then down the other, then moved on to the next street, working furiously all day without rest, one digging a hole, the other filling it in again.

 

An onlooker was amazed at their hard work, but couldn't understand what they were doing. So he asked Ole, 'I'm impressed by the effort you two are putting in to your work, but I don't get it -- why do you dig a hole, only to have your partner follow behind and fill it up again?'

 

Ole, the hole digger, wiped his brow and sighed, 'Vell, I suppose it probably looks odd because ve're normally a three-person team. But today Sven, who plants da trees called in sick.'