The Dangers of Americana and other members of the Patrioticus family

[author_by_night]

I was reading the FAP forums, and I saw a thread on why American OC's are automatically written as Sues.

Well... here's my take.

 

Her name, as the cut title says, is Americana Patrioticus.

She appears in several stories in which an American ventures another country - it's usually somewhere in Europe.

So Americana's plane lands, and as soon as she steps off, she is brought to her destination in a horse-drawn chariot. The aristocratic "Old Worlders" are astonished to see her blue jeans. Only men wear them! And she's wearing a sleeveless t-shirt... what a plebe!

Americana snaps her fingers, and sings:

You don't have to be this way

Embrace the American way

For we are new

Land where prudism died

Land that's not snobified

Oh wave my flag in your face

The American way*

Everyone claps, goes home, and soon, the Queen of England is surfing in a bikini singing to Britney Spears.

The sad thing is, these stories frequent bookshelves, blockbuster shelves, and fanfic archives. People don't seem to get some very crucial things:

1. Americans are actually the prudes. Sexual stuff, to many of us, is to shock or humor. 

2. Bridget Jones was English, and come on, can we really call her a prude?

3. Yes, people fled various countries to America for freedom. We've had people from America go to other countries for freedom too.

4. They are not all of noble blood. Oh, and a lot of European countries are Constitutional Monarchies.

5. Not everyone has to be American.

And it's not just Americans; I think JKR wrote Fleur as condescending towards Britain for a very satirical reason. People like to think their ways are better.

Again, not all person-moves-to-another-country stories are bad.. and I'm living proof that it happens IRL. However, people tend to write it so that Their Country is the better one... and that's when those stories go wrong.

So, all of you who feel the need to write such a story - go ahead; just make sure nobody turns into one of the Patrioticus relatives.

Comments

[tiny-wings.livejournal.com]

3. Yes, people fled various countries to America for freedom. We've had people from America go to other countries for freedom too.

Hehehe... And many people fled to Canada for freedom from the USA. How interesting, if the States are the land of freedom.

[alyssalina.livejournal.com]

PRetty sure if a Candian went there in my story...she'd be impressed, not condicending. I'm rather a fan of Britain....or Europe in general I guess!

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

Same here - any American or Canadian character would be like, "ooh, cool!"

[tiny-wings.livejournal.com]

Most people who travel to another country are like "Oh, cool!" while they are there lol

Especially since most of the time, when you go somewhere, it's because you've researched the place and it appealed to you for one reason or other. Most travellers are not colonizers or preachers or whatnot lol.

[kit-the-brave.livejournal.com]

You know, I once read an analysis of The Wizard of Oz as that same kind of story. Dorothy is the American farm kid who goes to the strange land and saves it from itself. So this has apparently been going on for a long time.

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

Ooh, all the more basis for Wicked!

[linda-lupos.livejournal.com]

Most people who travel to another country are like "Oh, cool!" while they are there lol

And also because when you're just there for travelling, you tend to see only the good things about a country and not the bad. For example, when I went to America, I thought everybody was nice and helpful and squee it was just like in a movie!!!1!1 Except for that homeless guy who tried to attack us in Washington (euh, president Bush? That happened two minutes walking from your White House. Clean up your city man.). So really, Americana Patrioticus is doubly annoying because apparantly she can't even see the good parts like a normal person would. ;)

And it's not just Americans; I think JKR wrote Fleur as condescending towards Britain for a very satirical reason. People like to think their ways are better.
OTOH, some of the British wizards thought Fleur was being stuck-up and condecending, and they had to act more like THEM because their way was better. It's a two-way thing. :)

But it IS depressing that so many movies feature Americana Patrioticus...

[akashasheiress.livejournal.com]

And it's not just in fanfic either. Americana/Americanus has a long history in movies and TV-series.

Good stuff, btw, I'm adding it to my memories.

[gileonnen.livejournal.com]

+smile+ 100% agreement from the peanut gallery. The British, after all, came up with Moll Flanders, The Master's Boy, and all manner of other mainstream, legitimate, utterly pornographic productions.

May I have a link to the "moving-to-another-country" story?

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

Oh, there's so many... some movies are "What A Girl Wants" and "The Prince and Me" (or something impeccably spin-offish like that - not The King and I, this is different).

And is your avatar supposed to be slashy, or have I been in fandom too long?

[gileonnen.livejournal.com]

. . . it's actually supposed to be peace-between-enemies-y. Although I like writing slash between the fellows, I like it exclusively because hunter and prey define each other, archetypically. It isn't love so much as it's respect, which I much prefer to romance. When the Hunter and the Prey realize that their mutual existence continues solely because each requires the other, and indeed, that their roles are interchangeable . . . that's the moment at which meta and fanfic coincide beautifully and seamlessly. And that's when Jack Sparrow and Commodore Norrington shake hands. =)

(This is the same reason that I really love Bellatrix and Mad-Eye Moody fanfiction, of which I think I may be the only writer. Just so that you know. +grin+)

[robindaybird.livejournal.com]

Ah... I think I know absolutely why I despised movies like The King and I - where the outsider's culture and ways is always 'superior' to the natives, and they're always smarter, more humane and sophisicated compared to those 'forgein savages'.

XP - eyuck, I just don't like movies like that.