I'll Admit It

I'm one of those Anglophile Americans who tend to believe that British people are somehow smarter than the average Yank, at least as demonstrated by the quality of their films, novels, and television programming. It's not an active thought that I simply believe upfront, but more of a subconscious evaluation. Let me hear a posh British accent and my defenses are down and statements are given undue weight. But, I'm aware of it, and I'm fighting it.

Nevertheless, I can't vouch for how well a similar poll would do here stateside, but if it's any indication that my beliefs are nonsense, there's this:

58 percent thought Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional detective Holmes actually existed; 33 percent thought the same of W. E. Johns' fictional pilot and adventurer Biggles.

Oh well, then.

OBVIOUSLY NECESSARY UPDATE: