England "Self-important and irritating" according to guide book

Original story

Seriously, you guys need a new marketing department! I mean, that makes you sound like Americans!

 

Sounds about right really.

 

QFT - I know I'm self important and irritating, anyway!

 

I've been saying it for years

 

Almost american, except for the binge drinking would be swapped with Gun Toting

 

I would be less than encouraged to buy a guide that uses tabloid newspapers as primary sources of information on a country.

 

Quite the opposite, tabloid newspapers provide a small window on the state of society.

 

I was going to argue about the patriotism thing, but then I realised a lot of Brits (English at least) are patriotic, they just show it in a different way to Americans.

 

As they say, England is a land of paradoxes. An English man will work for a Japanese based company and have an Irish Cider at the pub after work. On the drive home, in his German saloon he'll pick up a curry from an Indian Takeaway unless he was planning to take his missus out to an Italian restaurant that night. In the evenings he watches American sitcoms on a Korean TV and goes to bed in a Swedish bed. But the most English thing about him is his suspicion of anything which isn't British.

This made me laugh but draws on an interesting point. As a nation, I personally see us to be VERY diverse. Of course there is the omnipresent English values of chivalry and Tea-Drinking, but the typical working-class caucasian likes the idea of Indian fast food and cheap Polish plumbers. Despite the notion that the nation would be better off without foreigners, we see 277,000 currently registered GMC doctors to be foreigners, a lot of them from India, South Africa, Pakistan and Australia.

The problem is not foreigners, but rather is the upholding of British values, in EVERYONE in the UK. We wouldn't have to deport our foreigners if they were good British Citizens, and on the other hand, I know a few foreigners who are infinitely better citizens than some natives I have met. What I see is a sort of scapegoat being played here. 'Why is Mark not a good British Citizen?', because he sees too many foreigners perhaps... Not once do we think that Mark has grown up in a society which lacks national pride, or stability in family values. We allow Mark to walk off in his Burberry cap, to the offlicense, whilst we persecute the man in the cornershop. And yet we also have large foreign communities who are not offered a welcoming embrace into society, and as a result, form a sort of 'ghetto', which draws a line between themselves and other British communities. If every british citizen were to be given the responsibility of being British, we would have a much more pleasant nation.

The degeneration of family values has also played a role in the psychological aspects of society. England is the only country I have been to, where it is socially acceptable, or indeed encouraged, to get 'p*ssed out your 'ed' and puke up on a kerb side. Do this in France, and you get arrested. Do this in India, and you get beaten by your parents (regardless of how old they are) Do it in Italy, and you'll get kissed by a man in a pinstriped suit.

Reality TV is simply an example of how bored people can get. I know I've never seen a series of Big Brother... Please stop watching it. Maybe it'll go away...

 

Why did you feel the need to write "(English at least)" there? The sentance was perfect without it

 

Here's an idea:
Lets do a Britishness test for everyone in the UK. Anyone who gets 100% gets a Rolls Royce. Anyone who gets above 90% gets £1000 and anyone with above 50% gets £20. Anyone who gets below 5% is sent to Australia. They have enough space there.

 

nicely put modgodtanvir

I have to say, I'd agree with the article in part, it is rather depressing though.

RwD

 

Erm, no. The last thing we need is a higher ratio of irrational patriotism. What would you define Britishness as anyway? If we take the article's fairly accurate analysis, I'd quite happily move to Australia.

 

There is a sense of "Britishness" but this Empire was built from other countrys so its not surprising that we have such a varied lifestyle.

 

Well, at that point I was thinking of English patriotism, but everyone else is too, but I didn't want to put words into peoples mouths.

This is the part of British "culture" I hate the most, although ritual drug abuse still applies to almost every other country, it's just they keep it indoors better most of the time.

 

What is Britishness? Drinking tea and watching Doctor Who?

 

Clinging on to old traditions even though they make little sense any more, that's what Britain has been about for centuries. It usually takes lots of people dyeing for people to see sense.

 

Being more of a coffee addict I must be one of those dirty immigrants. Damnit.

 

lol. Now that I think of it... I think I'd fail on purpose. Australia looks wicked!

 

No! I'm Spartacus self-important and irritating!