There is no 'Anti-British' feeling in the U.S.: Is the Guardian trying to stir up some?

[Mimosa]

I came across this report about B.P. wanting to change their talking heads for public consumption. There's no anti-British feeling in US. There's a lot of anti- BP feeling!!! :-(

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/04/deepwater-horizon-leak-bp-criticism


Headline reads:

BP hives off 'toxic' Gulf spill operation to dilute anti-British feeling in US

Excerpt:

Chief executive Tony Hayward hands responsibility for clean-up to American as new containment cap is placed on top of leak...

BP is to hive off its Gulf of Mexico oil spill operation to a separate in-house business to be run by an American in a bid to isolate the "toxic" side of the company and dilute some of the anti-British feeling aimed at chief executive Tony Hayward, the company said today.

The surprise announcement was made during a teleconference with City and Wall Street analysts in which Hayward attempted to shrug off the personal criticism saying words "could not break his bones".

BP has faced mounting anger in the US over the accident on 20 April when the Deepwater Horizon rig blew up and sank with the loss of 11 oil workers' lives.

The Macondo well continues to spew out oil although a containment cap was placed on top of the leak today. Hayward said it would take a further 48 hours to know whether it was successful.

Responsibility for the leaking well and the clean-up strategy will placed in the hands of Bob Dudley, one of the company's most able directors.

[Captain Hilts]

1. Good call, Mimosa. We hate BP, not Britain or the British...

until June 12th when we play them in the World Cup.

[oldironside]

8. Please remember...

... you are playing the English, not the British. One sure way to annoy the Scots, Welsh and Irish is to lump us all in together, especially when it comes to football.

[MrModerate]

2. What utter drivel. The Guardian jumps the shark waaaay too often to be taken seriously anymore. n/t

[RKP5637]

3. I heard something about this earlier, it's ridiculous for any to think we

have an 'Anti-British' feeling in the U.S. People are upset with BP and rightly so, but I think it's a real stretch to think that applies to the British. However, the more I hear Tony Hayward speak he really is out of touch with how to handle this mess. In fact, I find his attitude condescending. In fact, I think he's just trying to put up a smoke screen.

[DonCoquixote]

4. my two cents

The guardian often prints articles about the negative 'special relationship", i.e. the standard "we have more in common with the rest of Europe, etc." I fear they may be hoping to drive a wedge between us.

[Mimosa]

5. A whole lot of British pension funds depend on BP dividend payments

A whole lot of British pension funds depend on BP dividend payments but I bet there's not a single person on or off Democratic Underground who have any animosity towards the Brits.

Everybody knows this came about because of a bad accident and lack of oversight by MMS in our own country.

I'm concerned when media just makes up something out of thin air.

[luxoid]

6. view from ther other shore of the pond

I am English,living in the UK and first let me say BP should pay every penny for the damage they have done,even if they go bust,capitalism needs to know it can't be allowed to take the environment for granted,nor the consequences of its actions.
There is however a perception here that there is in fact considerable anti British feeling,particularly in the use of the name British Petroleum,which BP no longer use.It is my understanding that BP are in fact multinationally owned,being 40% UK 40% USA 20%rest of world,and are simply listed here,so in that sense they are British,but not so in terms of ownership.I can certainly understand and empathise with the way a "plums in mouth" English accent puts up your backs,it does most of us.There is still a class system here(my old professor once said of me "Great mind wrong accent"),those at the top are not necessarily the best of the UK,but there because of birth,connection or money.
It is indeed true that this will affect pensions here as BP are a major source of revenue for UK pension funds,but that is the stock market,some you win some you loose.
I do think this anti British sentiment is in part a creation of the media here in the UK,possibly due to Obama's return of a bust of Winston Churchill(to a Brit that alone would be perceived as an anti British statement!) as well as his perceived snub of Gordon Brown,which you will understand would sensitise British perceptions of criticism.There does seem to be a certain diffidence towards Britain which has not gone unnoticed here,however,I think it is a good thing,as it will force Britain to re-evaluate her role in the world and maybe come to terms with the fact that she doesn't rule it any longer and can't do so by proxy via the USA!
There is I suspect also some cross-cultural misunderstanding.We Brits are often mistaken for being cold and unemotional by many Americans,particularly when we are in adversity,the British stiff upper lip.I haven't seen any of Hayward's American interviews but have read some of what he has said - and yes it is stupid,particularly his "sticks and stones" remark,utterly unnecessary.I do believe we are different(US-UK) breeds in how we deal with the expression of emotion,in Britain it isn't done to be emotional and let it all hang out with deep grovelling repeated apologies,one simply apologises then gets on with the task in hand,one doesn't express emotion here in that way,it is seen as undignified to do so publicly.One note worty example was the Nanny Louise Woodward who was accused of murdering a child.She was villified in the US for showing no emotion when all she was doing was keeping her dignity in the way a Brit would,we would all behave like that in that situation,and that behaviour probably cost her the case.I don't know to what extent there is a mis-perception of Hayward's attitude,
maybe there isn't,I can't say as I've not seen the interviews,but it may be a consideration.
I should add that I am no apologist for BP,they deserve what they get,though it seems they are paying out their dividends before they get the bill for the gulf clean up - tut tut!Perhaps they think they will either go bust as a result or they are just displaying the usual arrogance that large multinationals(like Kraft did over here when it bought Cadbury's Chocolate and told the workforce they wouldn't close the factory in order to head off UK government criticism as The government owns Royal bank of Scotland who were lending Kraft the money to buy Cadbury's) tend to do.
Personally I couldn't careless what the politicians either side of the pond say or do,so long as the deep respect and friendship that exists between the ordinary people of both nations endures,that is after all the real special relationship,until of course we play you in the world cup and you no doubt cause an upset!Time you started to play cricket I think!

For further reports on anti British sentiment in the British press checkout the Times and Vince Cable's(Business secretary in the new Con-Dem coalition),he focusses on comments made in the senate,you may find this an interesting read.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7144755.ece

[nxylas]

7. Perception and reality are two different things

For some reason, the right-wing media in Britain has been pushing an "Obama hates Britain because of what we did to Kenya" narrative for a while now. Most DUers, British or American, would probably think that was entirely reasonable, but these same right-wing newspapers have a tendency to whitewash the brutal legacy of the British Empire and paint it as a humanitarian misson to bring such benefits as railways and parliamentary democracy to the black and brown people, much as the American right does with present-day US imperialism. It also acts as a dog whistle to the birthers, since it plants the suggestion that Obama is more Kenyan than American.

Shame the Guardian has seen fit to jump on the bandwagon, though.