---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In America, people will look past a…"
description: "\"In America, people will look past a criminal record. In England, they try and shut you up.\" — Giggs"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/901/giggs-17812_america_in-america-people-will-look-past-a-crimi_649990.jpg"
---

#  In America, people will look past a criminal record. In…

![“In America, people will look past a criminal record. In England, they try and shut you up.” quote by Giggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/901/giggs-17812_america_in-america-people-will-look-past-a-crimi_649990.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/901/giggs-17812_america_in-america-people-will-look-past-a-crimi_649990.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/901/giggs-17812_america_in-america-people-will-look-past-a-crimi_649990.jpg)

> “In America, people will look past a criminal record. In England, they try and shut you up.”

[Giggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giggs/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote contrasts perceived leniency toward criminal records in the US with stricter social control in England.

**In simple terms:** US seems forgiving; England appears restrictive.

Key Takeaway

Recognize cultural differences in justice attitudes.

Themes

justice culture perception freedom

Mood

critical reflective

Type

observational analytical

When to use this quote

- immigration policy
- employment
- social integration
- legal reform

Key Concepts

social control criminal rehabilitation public opinion

Questions to Reflect On

- How do media portrayals shape our view of criminal justice?
- What policies reflect these attitudes?

A Different Perspective

The statement may overgeneralize and ignore nuances within each country.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [America People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america-people/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Criminal Record](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-record-1958742/) [England](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/england/) [English](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english/) [Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Past Criminal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-criminal-5200218/) [Record England](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/record-england-1240723/) [Try](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/try/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/)

## Related quotes

> [Peter Crouch's record for England is second to none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-bent/peter-crouch-s-record-for-england-is-second-to-none/)

[Darren Bent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-bent/)

> [The past is over and done with. They tell you to not pay attention to the past. But then again, they have criminal records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-laura/the-past-is-over-and-done-with-they-tell-you-to-not-pay-attention-to/)

[Jasmine Laura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-laura/)

> [To be successful to me meant to have a hit record in England. I never looked outside England.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-o-sullivan/to-be-successful-to-me-meant-to-have-a-hit-record-in-england-i-never/)

[Gilbert O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-o-sullivan/)

> [I am very proud of my goal record for England.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-crouch/i-am-very-proud-of-my-goal-record-for-england/)

[Peter Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-crouch/)

> [Horses pretty much broke as a record in England.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/horses-pretty-much-broke-as-a-record-in-england/)

[Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/)

> [The British vice is overthinking before we speak, which is really annoying. I love the way that, in America, people are more straightforward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/the-british-vice-is-overthinking-before-we-speak-which-is-really-2/)

[Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/)

> [In England, the system is benign and the people are hostile. In America, the people are friendlyand the system is brutal!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/in-england-the-system-is-benign-and-the-people-are-hostile-in-america/)

[Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/)

> [I don't have a criminal record but that's cause they haven't caught me yet… don't piss me off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/i-don-t-have-a-criminal-record-but-that-s-cause-they-haven-t-caught/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [“By and large, where criminal candidacy exists, the dominant form seems to be a single candidate with a serious criminal record.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-vaishnav/by-and-large-where-criminal-candidacy-exists-the-dominant-form-seems/)

[Milan Vaishnav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-vaishnav/)

> [In the USA, it's harder for a black man with no criminal record to find a job than a white man with a criminal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-jealous/in-the-usa-it-s-harder-for-a-black-man-with-no-criminal-record-to/)

[Benjamin Jealous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-jealous/)

> [“Clearing a criminal record takes time and it is not an automatic process. Start acting now to precipitate your expungement and live the life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/legalmatch/clearing-a-criminal-record-takes-time-and-it-is-not-an-automatic/)

[LegalMatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/legalmatch/)

> [The real repercussions of a permanent criminal record - some lose their jobs, their housing, even their families - can go far beyond the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-adams/the-real-repercussions-of-a-permanent-criminal-record-some-lose-their/)

[Eric Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-adams/)

> [I’ve got no criminal record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/i-ve-got-no-criminal-record/)

[Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/)

> [Once you've acquired a criminal record, you can be discriminated against legally in employment, housing, and access to education and public benefits. You're relegated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/once-you-ve-acquired-a-criminal-record-you-can-be-discriminated/)

[Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/)

> [One of my friends once saw another guy's (criminal) record and said, 'Look, this guy is a born troublemaker, just a loser.' I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/one-of-my-friends-once-saw-another-guy-s-criminal-record-and-said/)

[Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/)

## More by Giggs

> [It's mad for me because I'm kind of shy. When everyone's running up to me shouting, 'Can I take pictures?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giggs/it-s-mad-for-me-because-i-m-kind-of-shy-when-everyone-s-running-up-to/)

[Giggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giggs/)

> [I used to be a Peckham boy, we used to have ghetto boys or maybe like Brixton. And sometimes we'd hear about the greasiest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giggs/i-used-to-be-a-peckham-boy-we-used-to-have-ghetto-boys-or-maybe-like/)

[Giggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giggs/)

> [You have to have a name when you're young, I went through loads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giggs/you-have-to-have-a-name-when-you-re-young-i-went-through-loads/)

[Giggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giggs/)

> [Yeah, Peckham's a mad place. Unpredictable. You don't know what's going to happen throughout the day or the night. Today in the morning everything's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giggs/yeah-peckham-s-a-mad-place-unpredictable-you-don-t-know-what-s-going/)

[Giggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giggs/)

> [My whole life in the streets, I was taught not to answer questions and just keep my mouth shut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giggs/my-whole-life-in-the-streets-i-was-taught-not-to-answer-questions-and/)

[Giggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giggs/)

> [There are other people who think they know everything and it goes back to the same formula, but I'm not with them. I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giggs/there-are-other-people-who-think-they-know-everything-and-it-goes/)

[Giggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giggs/)

> [A lot of people get signed then don't really care what the people want anymore. They're just thinking 'How am I going to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giggs/a-lot-of-people-get-signed-then-don-t-really-care-what-the-people/)

[Giggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giggs/)

> [My mom's always worked a lot. Always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giggs/my-mom-s-always-worked-a-lot-always/)

[Giggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giggs/)

> [It's crazy this is my life. But man's been working for years so maybe it's not that mad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giggs/it-s-crazy-this-is-my-life-but-man-s-been-working-for-years-so-maybe/)

[Giggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giggs/)

> [People power is way more powerful than anything. The sooner everyone understands that, the better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giggs/people-power-is-way-more-powerful-than-anything-the-sooner-everyone/)

[Giggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giggs/)

> [I'm not really good with talking, I'm not really a talker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giggs/i-m-not-really-good-with-talking-i-m-not-really-a-talker/)

[Giggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giggs/)

> [I try and show my son success, success, success, so that's all he'll ever know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giggs/i-try-and-show-my-son-success-success-success-so-that-s-all-he-ll/)

[Giggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giggs/)

> [I'm making music 'cause I love music, not to get in the charts. That's the way I want things to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giggs/i-m-making-music-cause-i-love-music-not-to-get-in-the-charts-that-s/)

[Giggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giggs/)

> [I'm a thug and I rap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giggs/i-m-a-thug-and-i-rap/)

[Giggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giggs/)

> [Me, I'm just such a fan of music. So if I like something, I'll just get obsessed!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giggs/me-i-m-just-such-a-fan-of-music-so-if-i-like-something-i-ll-just-get/)

[Giggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giggs/)

[Explore all 36 Giggs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giggs/)

## More America quotes

> [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/)

[Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/)

> [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/)

[Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/)

> [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/)

[Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/)

> [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/)

[Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/)

[Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In America, people will look past a criminal record. In England, they try and shut you up.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Giggs"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giggs/in-america-people-will-look-past-a-criminal-record-in-england-they/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "America"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giggs/in-america-people-will-look-past-a-criminal-record-in-england-they/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/901/giggs-17812_america_in-america-people-will-look-past-a-crimi_649990.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/901/giggs-17812_america_in-america-people-will-look-past-a-crimi_649990.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/901/giggs-17812_america_in-america-people-will-look-past-a-crimi_649990.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In America, people will look past a criminal record. In England, they try and shut you up.” — Giggs",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Giggs",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giggs/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In America, people will look past...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giggs/in-america-people-will-look-past-a-criminal-record-in-england-they/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giggs/in-america-people-will-look-past-a-criminal-record-in-england-they/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
