It’s been an ugly time across the pond these last 24 hours so I made a list of things I like about Americans and America. Just a few thoughts that popped in my head.

You’re Welcome. Americans will say ‘you’re welcome’ after you say thank you to them. Every time. I imagine they’re raised to do it whereas here in Britain we certainly are not.

Hearing ‘you’re welcome’ so universally on my first trip to the states made me think about how we respond to someone thanking us over here. It’s interesting because it’s not really talked about. We sort of shrug and lightly sigh and smile as if to say ‘Oh it’s really nothing, let’s not make a scene’. Honestly, ‘you’re welcome’ has the edge. It’s got warmth.

The Siskel & Ebert Format. Back in the day, British people could find out if a new movie was good or not by watching Film (insert last two digits of the relevant year here) with Barry Norman (and later with Jonathon Ross). Barry Norman would sit in a chair, look at the camera and tell you what he thought about a new film. For decades we, the British public, assumed this was the only way it could ever be done.

Cut to the social media era. I discover old clips of Siskel and Ebert sat on two chairs and looking at each other, discussing a movie. It blew my little listen-to-Norman-and-be-grateful mind. I know it’ll read seem crazy to any yank reading this but we really had no idea you could do that.

And why ever not! It’s exactly what happens when people walk out after a film: they talk about it. Enthuse, argue, berate, agree. The two hander movie discussion format was such an open goal for UK telly. It’s so obvious. And how good would a British equivalent of Siskel & Ebert have been if you picked the right duo? What a lost opportunity!

Red Exit Signs. It rather startled me the first time I saw a red coloured fire exit sign in a building. Over here they’re green which is sort of soothing but, now I think about it, is fundamentally dishonest. A red fire exit sign is raw. It’s true, y’know? Like ‘Hey buddy, you’re in a burning building, haul your ass over here now!’ A green sign is downplaying disaster. It’s gaslighting you.

Stand up. The states are the kings and queens of stand up comedy. Americans are naturally funny people, at least to me, and that comes to the fore in this particular art. The culture lends itself to someone giving their opinion and for an audience to give that funny opinion room. I always feel British stand up is pushing against an unspoken stream, as funny as some Brit stand-ups can be. We’re more about the comedy duos and comedy sketches and sitcoms and the like, which I guess all has its roots in music hall.

Talking about your plans. I spent weeks in a writing workshop in California. Bloody loved it. One of the things that most struck me (and that I deeply missed when I got back) was the way Americans have few hang ups about talking about their dreams and aspirations and how interested they are when you talk about your own. In Britain there’s an unspoken limit on that. Talk about your dreams for more than a minute and you’re simply embarrassing yourself and making everyone uncomfortable. We’re sods for that.

Obama. Remember all that energy in the run up to Barrack Obama getting elected that first time? The sense of possibility? Yeah, I know he didn’t always live up to it. Who could? But I’m not talking about the man. What I’m talking about is that energy, that sense of things progressing. The hope. There’s no sense of possibility with this Trump presidency, only the sense of power, of delight in that use of power. But no sense of a new era.

But America had that, not so long ago. You could feel it even across the Atlantic. It was the very best of that country. It can happen again.