As the title suggests, I'm curious about the perception of national identity in England these days.
Thanks for your input!
What does it mean to be British in the 21st Century?
As the title suggests, I'm curious about the perception of national identity in England these days.
Thanks for your input!
First comment, and the biggest mistake most people make, British does not mean English.
English people come from England, British people come from England, Wales, Scotland and N. Ireland.
What would you be interested in, the thoughts of British people about being British, or English people being British?
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
I've heard it said before that the only people who proclaim their Britishness live in Northern Ireland and Gibraltar.
But seriously, I'm curious how many people in each of the nations would actually self-identify as British. I'm sure loads would but it must vary from nation to nation I imagine.
I was actually wondering that myself. Granted, my experience is fairly limited, but it seemed to me that the English referred to themselves as English, the Scots as Scottish, etc. I wonder if 'British' is really used for people, as opposed to being a societal/political term.Originally posted by The Original An Gadaí
Well the media uses the term. "Boozed Up Brits Abroad", "The Great British Cookbook" are shows. "True Brit" was another one. The Brit Awards are the British equivalent of the Grammys. Black British and British Asian are also terms I've come across, especially in The Guardian.
I've noticed that English people who are on American TV, such as I don't know, Simon Cowell, Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne and folks like that, tend to refer to themselves as British vs. English. I wonder if that's due to the American audience, and if they were in Britain they'd be English? Like I would say I was from Chicago or Illinois or the Midwest for an American audience, but I might say American for a foreign audience?
Craig Ferguson refers to himself as Scottish rather than British, though.
Hmmm...true. Maybe because Scottish isn't the "default" nationality/culture?Craig Ferguson refers to himself as Scottish rather than British, though.
I've been reading his memoir, BTW...I will finish it when I get my replacement nook. It's really interesting...what a life that guy's led.
I think John Oliver on the Daily Show identifies as whichever is more humorous at the time.
The British people can be proud of having given the world its most enduring form of parliamentary democracy, winning two world wars, establishing one of the greatest empires in human history, not to mention having bequeathed to Western culture, science and history such treasures as Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Shelley, Churchill, Austen, Gibbon, Dr. Johnson, Conan Doyle, Watt, Darwin, the Beatles, Brunel and Tolkien (OK, so he was born in South Africa - he considered himself a Brit). Although the UK is no longer a dominant global power, it still punches well above its weight class and is my favorite country other than my own.
Last edited by Elendil's Heir; 11 May 2011 at 11:26 PM.
The other thing about being British is trying to resist being labelled as European.
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
Probably the thing I love most about y'all.
We don't mind being European in this country when it suits us but we routinely refer to Europe/Britain/Ireland as three separate things.
The only people in Britain who want to be European are those ashamed of Britain's history or desperately want to join the great EU gravy train, final destination Brussels.
Being British, also involves people being rude about our food, even though we have become a culinary geniuses over the last few years or so.
The stereotype of the stiff upper lip, keep clam and carry on, appears and vanishes at whim. Sometimes, everyone will show it, and other times, you just wish some people would show a bit of backbone.
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
Oh and its Football.
Yes, you can call it soccer, but its not gridiron, or the Aussie variant. We invented it first and its football.
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
Yeah, but you guys think that 'spotted dick' is a good term for a foodstuff. We just can't trust your judgement in vocabulary. (Seriously though, I never had a bad meal in England or Scotland, except for some remarkably mediocre pizza. Ain't nothing wrong with British cuisine.)
Hey, every country has its unpalatable food.
Scotland has haggis, England has worms in aspic, the USA has the processed beefburger.
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
England has pasties, Scotland has pie. What great countries!
But where do you put your clams when you're done with them?
Clam soupBut where do you put your clams when you're done with them?
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
What does it mean to be British in the 21st Century?
It means enjoying your new life in Australia, judging by the amount of Poms living around here.
Well, you do keep sending us the bar staff.
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
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