...So we're British.

[Days of Empire]

Quite right.

There are aspects of English life I would miss sorely if I ever moved away again.

The scenery - people who tell you England isn't a beautiful country are southerners. Probably even Londoners. Take a hike up by Red Tarn on a clear day and then tell me it's not a beautiful country. Lie in a meadow by the old Crook O' Lune and tell me it's not a beautiful country.

The history - I love the fact that no-one was quite sure how old our school was, because records didn't go back far enough. I love the castles, the cathedrals, the myths and the legends. I love the sense of tradition, and of age.

The food - English cuisine is much maligned, but when you get right down to it, Yorkshire pudding with onion gravy is fit for the gods. Spotted d**k and Custard is a true heartwarming desert. Toad in the Hole, Lancashire Hotpot, Cornish Pasties, Black Pudding, Cumbrian Sausage, the lot. It's all fantastic.

The beer - It's a sad fact, but the world outside England doesn't know a thing about beer. There are some acceptable European lagers, I'm quite partial to a Polish Okacim or Tyskie, and Hoeegarden is refreshing on a hot day, but for the vast majority, beer is a thin watery chemical soup, chilled to freezing point to stop you from having to actually taste it. It would disgrace the name lager. Only in Britain can you walk down to the local cornershop and pick up a couple of pints of Coniston Bluebird, a Waggledance and a Freoch.

The humour - the funniest programs are all British. Take American comedy programs, most of them are perfectly acceptable watching, but when was the last time you ever actually laughed at them? The jokes tend towards the predictable, and everything's watered down so much to bring it in line with whatever PC regulations the bored housewives of America have decided on this week... Give me Red Dwarf anyday. Could Yes, Minister have made jokes about the 'Fr...icking Chinese' if it was American? Have you yet seen a political satire as cutting as Bremner, Bird and Fortune, or as funny as 2D-TV?

The music - For its size, Britain has been a nation of great musical innovation. I'm aware that this post is turning into an essay, and I'm quite capable of writing quite a long essay on this topic alone. So for now I shall restrict myself a list of genre defining bands just from the latter half of the last century. The Beatles. Led Zeppelin. Queen. Black Sabbath. The Sex Pistols. Pink Floyd. Genesis. Yes. Iron Maiden. Judas Priest. The Police. Thin Lizzy. Cream. Dire Straits. U2. The Who. Muse. Jamiroquai. Blur. Oasis. Fleetwood Mac. And many, many more.




But on the other hand, there are many things I would most definately not miss. However, many of them are present in pretty much any country, so that's not really something that could be helped.

Chavs, and other violent street cultures who wear ignorance like a badge of honour.

The mentality that allows parties like the BNP to actually GAIN SEATS.

Lager Lout culture

Nightclub sluts. You know the people I'm talking about.

Jingoism

The weather

Pretentiousness, and associated elitism

The student loans company (been royally screwed)




Ultimately yes, I am proud of my heritage. I do like this country very much. But I've travelled a fair amount, I've seen more of the world than most people have at my age, and if the circumstances proved better elsewhere, patriotism would have NO effect on my decision to come or go. People are people everywhere, and in many important aspects, most countries are fundamentally the same.


*Edit - removing one or two comments that were perhaps a little TOO revealing*  

[Boolean Julian]

Erix Griffon

Quite right.

There are aspects of English life I would miss sorely if I ever moved away again.

The scenery - people who tell you England isn't a beautiful country are southerners. Probably even Londoners. Take a hike up by Red Tarn on a clear day and then tell me it's not a beautiful country. Lie in a meadow by the old Crook O' Lune and tell me it's not a beautiful country.

The history - I love the fact that no-one was quite sure how old our school was, because records didn't go back far enough. I love the castles, the cathedrals, the myths and the legends. I love the sense of tradition, and of age.

The food - English cuisine is much maligned, but when you get right down to it, Yorkshire pudding with onion gravy is fit for the gods. Spotted d**k and Custard is a true heartwarming desert. Toad in the Hole, Lancashire Hotpot, Cornish Pasties, Black Pudding, Cumbrian Sausage, the lot. It's all fantastic.

The beer - It's a sad fact, but the world outside England doesn't know a thing about beer. There are some acceptable European lagers, I'm quite partial to a Polish Okacim or Tyskie, and Hoeegarden is refreshing on a hot day, but for the vast majority, beer is a thin watery chemical soup, chilled to freezing point to stop you from having to actually taste it. It would disgrace the name lager. Only in Britain can you walk down to the local cornershop and pick up a couple of pints of Coniston Bluebird, a Waggledance and a Freoch.

The humour - the funniest programs are all British. Take American comedy programs, most of them are perfectly acceptable watching, but when was the last time you ever actually laughed at them? The jokes tend towards the predictable, and everything's watered down so much to bring it in line with whatever PC regulations the bored housewives of America have decided on this week... Give me Red Dwarf anyday. Could Yes, Minister have made jokes about the 'Fr...icking Chinese' if it was American? Have you yet seen a political satire as cutting as Bremner, Bird and Fortune, or as funny as 2D-TV?

The music - For its size, Britain has been a nation of great musical innovation. I'm aware that this post is turning into an essay, and I'm quite capable of writing quite a long essay on this topic alone. So for now I shall restrict myself a list of genre defining bands just from the latter half of the last century. The Beatles. Led Zeppelin. Queen. Black Sabbath. The Sex Pistols. Pink Floyd. Genesis. Yes. Iron Maiden. Judas Priest. The Police. Thin Lizzy. Cream. Dire Straits. U2. The Who. Muse. Jamiroquai. Blur. Oasis. Fleetwood Mac. And many, many more.




But on the other hand, there are many things I would most definately not miss. However, many of them are present in pretty much any country, so that's not really something that could be helped.

Chavs, and other violent street cultures who wear ignorance like a badge of honour.

The mentality that allows parties like the BNP to actually GAIN SEATS.

Lager Lout culture

Nightclub sluts. You know the people I'm talking about.

Jingoism

The weather

Pretentiousness, and associated elitism

The student loans company (been royally screwed)




Ultimately yes, I am proud of my heritage. I do like this country very much. But I've travelled a fair amount, I've seen more of the world than most people have at my age, and if the circumstances proved better elsewhere, patriotism would have NO effect on my decision to come or go. People are people everywhere, and in many important aspects, most countries are fundamentally the same.


*Edit - removing one or two comments that were perhaps a little TOO revealing*

I agree with you on most of those thing (except beer - can't stand the stuff.) But the fact is that a very large number of british people simply could give a s**t about the scenery or history. The food is good, but it's also being washed out of our culture. I'm not against this so much - I personally prefer different national cuisines (particular fan of Italian and Indian food); although I understand it's part of our heritage and I'm saddened at it's decreasing presence in our lives for that reason. The other thing that worries me is the decreasing number of people in this country who can actually cook. Most (well, quite a lot, anyway) people either always always eat out cheaply or eat pre-prepared food. I think this is a real shame; and, in these circumstances, it's no wonder that people are becoming decreasingly interested in food.
The comedy and music I would agree wholeheartedly with you on. For some reason, I've never really thought of these two things as especially British, but that's probably just me being odd.  

[Invictus_88]

See? How can someone not support Erix to replace Gambino and the Von Helsons?  

[Nebelstern]

Invictus_88

See? How can someone not support Erix to replace Gambino and the Von Helsons?

On the grounds that Gambino, given time, shall be easy to manipulate. He is my puppet. MWAHAHAHAHAHA! twisted  

[Lizbeth_r9]

There are a fair few things that I wish our country weren't responsible for...

but we do have the most amazing history...
The industrial revolution started here! We had votes for women and other ethnicities before the self-righteous Americans!

I find British history fascinating.  

[Invictus_88]

Felt like resurrecting this for a bit.

Also; Lizbeth Canada beat us an womens' suffrage. Alas.

Though, we do win at fighting slavery.  

[ficklefiend]

Invictus_88

Felt like resurrecting this for a bit.

Also; Lizbeth Canada beat us an womens' suffrage. Alas.

Though, we do win at fighting slavery.

I love this quote. No idea where it comes from but it's floating around...

"Being British is about driving in a German car to an Irish pub for a Belgian beer, then travelling home, grabbing an Indian curry or a Turkish kebab on the way, to sit on Swedish furniture and watch American shows on a Japanese TV. And the most British thing of all? Suspicion of anything foreign".  

[ficklefiend]

Aww this one too. It was in the Telegraph.

"Being British means having a respect and intellectual understanding of our institutions, and the continuity of our island life that they represent. It is to understand and accept that change comes about through evolution in society, not revolution. It means that when in doubt, we try and do the right thing and deploy a heavy dose of common sense. It means that when our political party does not win an election, and no matter how fiercely we disagree with the winners, that we become the Loyal Opposition. It means that we will tolerate any point of view, however outrageous, until it stops tolerating us. It means being able to laugh at ourselves and never take offence. It means that we will argue amongst ourselves, but be instantly united if our country is threatened. And, most importantly, it means that our patriotism is intellectual and born of a conviction that does not need to be expressed in words or flags because we are supremely comfortable and confident with who we are as a people."  

[Invictus_88]

ficklefiend

Invictus_88

Felt like resurrecting this for a bit.

Also; Lizbeth Canada beat us an womens' suffrage. Alas.

Though, we do win at fighting slavery.

I love this quote. No idea where it comes from but it's floating around...

"Being British is about driving in a German car to an Irish pub for a Belgian beer, then travelling home, grabbing an Indian curry or a Turkish kebab on the way, to sit on Swedish furniture and watch American shows on a Japanese TV. And the most British thing of all? Suspicion of anything foreign".

Sounds a lot like Jeremy Clarkson.  

[Invictus_88]

ficklefiend

Aww this one too. It was in the Telegraph.

"Being British means having a respect and intellectual understanding of our institutions, and the continuity of our island life that they represent. It is to understand and accept that change comes about through evolution in society, not revolution. It means that when in doubt, we try and do the right thing and deploy a heavy dose of common sense. It means that when our political party does not win an election, and no matter how fiercely we disagree with the winners, that we become the Loyal Opposition. It means that we will tolerate any point of view, however outrageous, until it stops tolerating us. It means being able to laugh at ourselves and never take offence. It means that we will argue amongst ourselves, but be instantly united if our country is threatened. And, most importantly, it means that our patriotism is intellectual and born of a conviction that does not need to be expressed in words or flags because we are supremely comfortable and confident with who we are as a people."

*Steals it for the British Stereotypes Thread*

ninja  

[Trish the Stalker]

Invictus_88

It;s all well and good, natually, to like British literature. However it seems to me a little inconsistent to abhor that which formed it.

Not really. You can like a person but hate their parents. It's not really inconsisten.

*sorry, had to say it*

Although by the same token, Britain has lots of history. Lots of history leaves lots of room for mistakes and horrible bad things. You don't have to like bad things in your country's history to like your country. I hate the way Canada rounded up all the Asians and shoved them into camps in Alberta that had worse conditions than those in the US. Although I like all the Asians here ^_^. I'm a real friendly person to the Japanese and the British, particularly. Although the number of British people where I live is painfully low.

Although I do like the idea of getting a bit more of a British outlook of the world, y'know? A worldview couldn't hurt. Especially because there ARE Americans and Canadians and others in this guild. I'm particularly curious of the British view of their commonwealth countries.

Ph_ish

Hey, be thankfull you weren't accidentaly born in America.

I can't express my agreement with that enough.  

[illyrianth]

Invictus_88

ficklefiend

Aww this one too. It was in the Telegraph.

"Being British means having a respect and intellectual understanding of our institutions, and the continuity of our island life that they represent. It is to understand and accept that change comes about through evolution in society, not revolution. It means that when in doubt, we try and do the right thing and deploy a heavy dose of common sense. It means that when our political party does not win an election, and no matter how fiercely we disagree with the winners, that we become the Loyal Opposition. It means that we will tolerate any point of view, however outrageous, until it stops tolerating us. It means being able to laugh at ourselves and never take offence. It means that we will argue amongst ourselves, but be instantly united if our country is threatened. And, most importantly, it means that our patriotism is intellectual and born of a conviction that does not need to be expressed in words or flags because we are supremely comfortable and confident with who we are as a people."

*Steals it for the British Stereotypes Thread*

ninja

~also steals it, and bungs it in to LJ land~  

[Invictus_88]

LaBelleIsolde

I'm particularly curious of the British view of their commonwealth countries.

First-off, I think it's safe to say that everyone regards them as the Commonwealth countries rather than our Commonwealth countries. Beyond that, opinions will begin to differ.

I just wish they would pull together more. With a leader and a bit of willpower we could not only do a lot to correct third world poverty, but strike a real blow against terrorism and - dare I think it? - become something of a world power-base..  

[ficklefiend]

I'd be very upset if Australia and New Zealand decide to break away. It seems like they will as soon as Queenie goes. They appear to like her, but are sort of uncomfortable with the thought of having a monarch that lives on the other side of the world. I'll admit it's archaic but I think it's rather nice. (Plus, it makes it really easy to go and work in NZ and Oz for me when-if-I graduate.)

No one seems to be too concenred either way, it's not like we try to use it against anyone and it makes for nice ceremonial visits, good trade and a sporting event we can actually win some medals in.

I think it would be good if we could pull together a bit more, the commonweatlh is a nice mix of countries and cultures and it spans the whole globe.
I am also pro-europe. I would happily accept the Euro if we were allowed to print our own and put the queen's face on them.