culture clash

There are a few things that i can honestly say are strikingly different between the US and the UK, for better or for worse. This is by no means a complete list of differences--or even a complete list of things that i've noticed--but it may act as a springboard for other people to comment on other things they've noticed and ways they've overcome adversity in their lifestyle. by all means, add to the list, contradict it, tell me i'm wrong...go for it.

In the US it is cool that:
DUI is illegal (not saying that it isn't in the UK but nobody really seems to care)
guns are legal
mace/pepper spray is legal
(both comments are in reference to self defense. i do not feel that my safety is a concern here.)
roads are wide
cars are large and can seat several people comfortably
(in the south) the weather is reliably good, but don't try to reason with hurricane season
food is cheap
technology is comparatively inexpensive
fuel is comparatively inexpensive
southern-style biscuits and sweet tea exist and are consumed
education is well-rounded


In the US it is uncool that:
the government encourages us to be terrified of Arabic people
our economy is unstable
religion is politics
the Christians! the Christians!
our government's policy makes us very unpopular with the rest of the globe
popular music comes from a can and is seriously lousy (like canned potato soup after you've had your mom's made-from-scratch kind)
stupid adults are allowed to vote
we invented the "reality show" (i do so detest oxymorons)
there is not enough tea
there are not enough biscuits
it is bereft of pasties

In the UK it is cool that:
we're where the history comes from
you can drink alcohol at the same age that your country can tell you to go die
when you're an adult, you're an adult
they really don't care about marijuana use
the musicians in the tube are talented
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
if there isn't a train between you and where you need to go, it means its within walking distance
the people are generally pneumatic, but not over-fat or over-skinny
lifestyle is generally healthier, except when the air over London is brown
the popular music, besides the American crap (that gets shipped in in 50-gallon drums) is generally fun
there is less plastic food

In the UK it is uncool that:
guns are illegal except in agricultural settings
its illegal to defend yourself from attack unless you kill your assailant and say the weapon was theirs
you have to pay to get into churches (over-secularization means nobody really goes to church anymore, so they can charge you for going in and looking at pretty architecture)
bars close at 11
beer is expensive
the bums make you feel guilty for not giving them free money
the boys are, in general, hideous. ('cept mine)
the driving situations are downright scary, and the drivers themselves are worse
the media is obsessed with hating the US to the extent that all other news is secondary
money is expensive