An American woman living in Britain has caused a wave of hilarious comments online after questioning why Brits seem incapable of reacting ‘extremely’ to major events.
Melissa Mendez, a Florida native now based in London, shared her thoughts in a TikTok video as part of her popular series, “Culture Shocks I’ve Had as an American in Britain.”
The videouploaded to her account @melissasmanual on November 13, and has since been viewed more than 100,000 times.
In the clip, Mendez humorously highlighted the cultural difference in emotional responses to shocking or breaking news between Britons and people in other countries.
The content creator said: ‘Tell me why every time such a big event takes place, as if something unusual happens, people from other countries react extremely.’
“I don’t know, a plane would crash and people would be shocked. Give that news to a Brit and they’d say, ‘Oh, that’s quite a shame.’
Mendez described the British as having “very passive, very thoughtful and very subdued” responses, further noting that what may seem subdued to outsiders is in fact their version of an “extreme response.”
The one exception, she joked, is British football, where emotional responses are taken to a whole new level.
Melissa Mendez recently caused a wave of hilarious reactions online after wondering why Britons seem incapable of reacting ‘extremely’ to major events
Mendez joked: “British people watching their football team play is a sport in itself.”
The content creator’s observations sparked a flood of responses from more than 1,000 British viewers poking fun at their own cultural quirks — showcasing the sense of humor and trademark Mendez had referenced.
One commenter noted, “We don’t have time for emotions, they get in the way of making up jokes about the events, lol.”
Another added: ‘Usually it’s dark humor that we use to deal with certain events. I don’t know why, but how we are.’
Others hilariously referenced quintessentially British customs, with one viewer writing: ‘Our extreme reaction is to put the kettle on – that’s the custom for bad news,’ while a second joked: ‘Spoiling a cup of tea would cause an extreme reaction .’
A third commenter humorously said: ‘I was in Greggs once and they had run out of sausage rolls. I saw very extreme reactions that day.’
A fourth joked: “We save our real sock and emotional outrage for the important stuff like que jumping or freddo inflation.”
Another agreed, saying: ‘This is so accurate. My extreme reactions are reserved for only the smallest inconveniences. Something huge? My answer is: ‘oh no, that’s terrible.’
In the clip, Mendez humorously highlighted the cultural difference in emotional responses to shocking or breaking news between Britons and people in other countries.
Mendez’s observations sparked a flood of responses from more than a thousand British viewers poking fun at their own cultural idiosyncrasies.
Another suggested that the British’s stoic attitude could be seen as practical, writing: ‘I think it saves energy and keeps your mind clear to think of a solution. If you started crying, screaming and shouting, you couldn’t get yourself out of the mess or help anyone else.”
It comes as travel blogger Kalyn Franke, who moved to Britain from Florida, claims she feels freer in Britain than in the US.
In a video for her Girl Gone London YouTube channel, which has racked up more than 160,000 views and 3,100 comments, she explains her reasons, which focus on healthcare, religion, public transport, jaywalking and annual leave.
She told MailOnline Travel that many Americans would be unaware of the differences between their country and Britain, ‘because our news can be very local and American-centric’.
The British National Health Service (NHS) is one of the main contributors to Kalyn feeling freer in Britain than in the US.
She says on the video: ‘It’s not just the fact that I can go to the doctor here and pay nothing or have surgery and pay nothing – it’s also to do with the fact that I’m self-employed.