For example, when taking the train to Chepstow as a class trip, the train was delayed while we were riding. They announced that the train was delayed due to signalling problems, we'll probably have to go back to the previous station. Then after we waited a while, they said that the signalling problems have been fixed, but now we'll have to wait for the captain to go back to the other side of the train. And then every time more people got on at each stop, they announced that the train was delayed prior to this stop because of signalling problems, and it is running exactly [this many] minutes behind schedule, and so on.
I feel like in the US, such issues would be summarized as, "the train has been delayed," with no further details.
When I was conducting my interview for the ethnography paper, my interviewee mentioned that she felt that the US tried too hard to make things happy. That they always wanted things to have a happy ending, and that the UK was more willing to just tell things as it is. I wonder if that is part of why the UK is better at simply telling it as it is. There's no point in covering up the bad news, because it's happened and will affect people. But in the US, maybe if we don't tell people then they won't think anything is wrong and everything is all okay.
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| Later, when travelling home from Cardiff, the train was cancelled. We had to take a separate train, changing at Bath. Everyone was kind and explained simply the problem - the train broke down, just take this alternate route, they'll accept your ticket. |
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