Maybe because so much of my ancestral DNA is from the UK? All I know is both of them thoroughly entertain me on some fundamental and subconscious level.
I was thinking about you the other day. I had to write an essay for my psychology course and I wrote about the cultural complex of Americans, especially when it comes to Europeans. I find it very sad that most Americans are so cut off from their European roots. White Americans, obviously :) I was thinking about the traditional American tourist wondering from one attraction to another without realizing that our European culture is theirs, too. I remember you saying how familiar London seemed to you. England is the the land of your ancestors, Shakespeare runs in your veins, too.
A nation that turned its back on its European tradition has no history and will try to compensate this by other means, like money or military might.
I can tell you for personal experience that learning about my heritage has not only deepened my connection with my ancestors but also the understanding about my place in the world. I've always had an unexplainable fascination with Britain but didn't know why but it became more clear after taking the DNA test. I even like fog for God sakes.
That's so interesting, I've never thought about it that way before. You're 100% right, most Americans of European heritage have no clue about where they come from beyond a couple of generations nor are they even interested (except for a small few). Also, it's become fashionable/acceptable in the American education system to denounce European ancestry (they are the evil "colonizers" after all) and they tell people they should feel ashamed about it. Little do young people know, history is much more complex than the version of it they're being taught. The world entirely was different centuries ago and things that were once widely accepted and practiced by almost every culture on Earth are recognized as atrocious now that we've more evolved. I really value my European ancestry and it makes me proud. I feel more complete because of what I've learned.