Viral

Elderly British man rips into New York in viral TikTok: It’s not a city, 'it’s a sh*tty’

Elderly British man rips into New York in viral TikTok: It’s not a city, 'it’s a sh*tty’
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Cheddar News

New York may be the “big apple”, the “city that never sleeps” and “the concrete jungle where dreams are made of” to some, but to others it’s just… sh*tty.

That, at least, is the assessment offered by one elderly British man whose candid take on life in the US has made him an overnight TikTok sensation.

The mystery pensioner was approached by interviewer Eric Jeng, who asked if he had a couple of minutes to answer a few questions.

The man responded spicily that he had “more than a couple of minutes” because he had “nothing else to do.”

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What followed was, what one viewer described as “British honesty and sarcasm at its best”.

Jeng remarked that his interviewee had a “tinge of an accent”, prompting the man to scoff dismissively: “Well yours is a very noticeable American accent.”

Asked how long he’d been in America for, the cane-weilding man replied: “Too long.”

The next question: “What do you like about the city?” was met with: “Nothing. You know, it’s a sh*tty.”

Justifying his brutal evaluation the man pointed at the surrounding streets, saying: “Look at the sidewalks, look at the roads.”

@ericj3ng

He's not wrong.... #britishhumour #cheekyhumor #humansofnewyork #nyc #streetinterview

He then offered a little insight into his background, telling Jeng that he’d been to most parts of the world, “unlike most Americans who’ve been nowhere”.

This prompted a brief chuckle from the interviewer, at which his new friend hit back asking: “You think I’m joking?”

He then continued his attack on Americans, remarking: “The breadth of their interest in other people and other countries is nil. The number of people in this country who have passports, except to go to Canada, or to Cancún…”.

Jeng then cut to his next question: “What do you love most about Americans?”

This invited a heartwarming plot-twist, as the man responded with a wry smile: “My wife.”

Jeng’s video of the encounter racked up more than 16,600 likes in six days, as viewers hailed the man as a “hero”.

“As a Brit this is a polite man in a good mood,” one wrote.

“We're spreading British bitterness everywhere, I love it!” commented another.

“Why is he so iconic?” a third asked, while a fourth said he made them “proud to be British.”

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