This is a wide question to ask, but since so many people say they are proud to be British or that they identify as British, but never really understood what people meant by that, so what does being British mean to you?
I got a British passport and I'm grumpy.
The most British thing ever XD
This clip sums up my view of the British and our relationship with tea:
For me it’s more like this
Poking a stick at nationalism and having a giggle. I particularly like the bit right before the drop.. “look at us..”
Yep I like the fact that we don't take ourselves too seriously, apart from the idiots who do take themselves too seriously...who we then don't take seriously and poke with a stick. There's much to be said for poking with a stick.
Cuppa?
Go on then if you're making one cheers
What biscuits are you offering?
Hobnobs, obviously ✌🏻
If it's the chocolate ones I hope you have enough. One packet per person is the right amount.
And moan about the weather
And we have an inherent understand of queue etiquette
we have an inherent understand of queue etiquette
we get offended that someone overtook us, so we overtake them back because even traffic must be a queue. /s
I'm not grumpy, but i can jolly well tut when I like now.
Go on, have a soothing little tut. It's Tuesday.
This is exactly right, that and we live in GB
Same. Though I had to take a silly test, jump through hoops, pay through the nose AND swear an allegiance to the monarch in order to get my passport. So add on extra grumpiness.
I have personally never understood people who are proud to be a particular nationality. And I come from a place where that attitude is disgustingly rife.
Isn't pride supposed to be for an accomplishment? Something you've put effort into? If all you did was get born in a particular place, then your nationality is at at best a participation medal.
Lucky, grateful, happy those feelings make sense if you like being your nationality. Pride...Eh? Unless you're just using the word pride to mean not ashamed. As in Gay Pride or Black Pride. I understand that context but I don't think it works unless your particular nationality has been denigrated over a period of time in the same way. Can't think of anything example.
Makes sense. Funny how sometimes the wrong word becomes the accepted word.
I'll put the kettle on...
I got a British passport and I'm grumpy that the government made the passports worse.
This is the little island where I was born and raised, as were generations of my ancestors. I'm British through fate. I know nothing different. It is a fact not a feeling.
This is what it means to me, other people can define it any way they like for themselves and I fully accept their reasons, that's part of being British. I'll be me, you be you, let's put the kettle on.
I thought after you said 'This is a little island where I was born and raised..' You were going to say, 'On a playground is where I spent most of my days!'
Chillin' out, maxin' relaxin', all cool
and all shooting some b-ball outside of the school
When I was a kid, for the longest time I thought the lyric was 'shooting some meatballs outside of the school'
He's literally playing basketball when he says it so God knows what I was on! 😂🙈
Omg I thought I was the only one 😂I was just about to say the same thing, always thought it was meatball, I just assumed it was slang because the basket ball looked like a meatball 🙈
When a couple’a guys that were up to no good
Started makin’ trouble in the neighbourhood 🙄
I got into a small altercation and my mother got frightfully worried.
Ha! In the library was where I spent most of my days.
Will, is this you? If so 🫣🤣 you are American babe x
Keep my wife's name out of your mouth 👋
Me too
See mine is the opposite experience. I wasn't born or raised here. I came as an adult, became a citizen, and eventually consciously chose to adopt a part of Britishness into my life and my identity. I'm British by choice. I was welcomed, and given the same opportunities as everyone else to thrive, and that changed my life for the better forever.
To me being British is a unique sense of humour; witty, self deprecating, observational, absurd, surreal, and always smart.
It's a deep awareness of the current culture and how we got here through constant self reflection and examination.
It's a huge appreciation for history and conserving it, from buildings, to antiques, to traditions.
It's eccentricism that shows itself in a myriad of ways, and belies the staunch acceptance of individuality and the live and let live attitude.
It's music, a nation that treats music with reverence, produces an outrageous amount of influential music for its size and constantly pushes the boundaries of new styles and trends, always valuing originality and fresh ideas.
It's innovation and industriousness in every facet of life.
It's a fascinating history, top quality TV, adventurous spirit, integration of immigrants and tolerance of their cultures, conserved countryside, great education, opportunities, and never ending oddities.
It's the one ask[Country] community on Reddit where the top answer will never be the correct answer but always the wittiest.
Needless to say, there's a lot that is negative about Britishness too, including the flip side of the same things I mentioned here. But these are the positive and admirable traits that define Britishness for me and that I choose to make part of who I am.
This is beautifully put, friend!
Appreciate it
See, hearing stuff like this is something that makes me feel proud to be British, not the bullshit flagshagging nationalism that's sadly on the rise. Thank you friend, and I'm glad you like it here
Nationalism is always so short sighted. I find this in every country. The idiots who become extremists of it end up hyper focusing on a really reductive and superficial notion of what the nation stands for, while ignoring the rich tapestry of genuinely interesting and unique things lying just beneath the surface. It's the same with every nationalist of every nationality I've ever met.
There is a lot to be proud of, Britain is a unique place with a lot of great stuff. Though for the sake of transparency, as much as I like Britain I've moved away years ago and I live in Spain. Sorry, there was no substituting the sun for my poor Mediterranean body lol. But Britain and my chosen British family are still actively part of who I am.
Thank you for this! I’m British by birth but now live in the US and you’ve mentioned everything that I miss and that makes me homesick. Yes, it’s not a perfect place or culture, but nowhere is. It’s nice to read something positive for a change!
I just had the exact same feeling, choking down tears to be honest, also Galaxy chocolate and Monster Munch need to go here!!
I'm gonna queue behind this persons answer.
That’s how I feel. I was born in Canada by coincidence, and overall I am grateful for it (because it is one of the better nations in a world full of rough existences), but beyond that it means very, very little to me. I’m glad I’m Canadian, but not glad enough for it to form any part of my identity.
being canadian is kinda mild but you do notice how good all the little nuances are once youve been away for awhile....
That last sentence is all anyone should ever need to say, replace Tea with whatever the hell you like.
I dislike the French but I don't know why.
I went to Paris once and have a much better understanding of why.
Even the French hate Parisians. Source: my French colleague.
A lot like London for the rest of the uk then.
This is an unfair and tired interpretation of London. People are kind here, just in a rush. During my commute, I’ll often see business men helping mothers down the steps or old folks directing tourists. It’s also much cleaner than Paris. Paris stinks of piss too
Yeah, I agree. It's less that we (those outside of the M25) dislike Londoners, I think it's turned to pity really. £2,500 a month for a shoebox to rent in Zone 1? Yeah, you can keep your tube and HMS Belfast thanks!
i agree wholeheartedly. i live in the north currently so i have no stake in this, but i still find the hate really ott most of the time. anytime ive been to london people have been lovely- helped with bags, walked me to my destination when lost, been polite about bumping into me... ironically londoners will be existing in silence only for northerners to come along and loudly complain about how rude and unlikeable they are. its all a bit ironic but hey ho
Paris is in general not great, french people don’t particularly like paris either, it’s very over glamourised for tourists to come visit. if you visit france again i’d go literally anywhere else, they have so much beautiful countryside to explore
I'm Dutch and I always get "Oh I've been to Amsterdam." Been to France loads and I think in both cases it's like saying "Oh you're British? I've been to Alton Towers!"
Usually it's "oh you're British!! I've been to see Buckingham Palace!!".
I'd probably be more impressed if they had visited Alton towers.
To be fair, Amsterdam is a real, working city, rather than some kind of amusement park - even if many Brits just go to gawk at the red light district and get legally stoned.
It's not very representative of the rest of the country because of how extreme the tourism is, though
Paris is only tolerable in the shoulder season or frankly in winter.
When there are no tourists it’s not half bad.
Christmas season is actually really nice. If you have never been, want to see Paris, but are leery of all the (legitimate) reasons you’ve heard, maybe go for a weekend in the Christmas shopping season. ESPECIALLY If you enjoy window shopping. They have this tradition of really putting work into the window displays.
Paris was a dump when I went, usually on fire too
More of an English thing that isn’t it?
Actually it's more of a European thing. Everyone hates the French
Don't forget the crackers Gromit
I'm Welsh and passionately hate the French
Cheese eating surrender monkeys the lot of em.
Because for generations we have been encouraged to do so to by the Establishment lest we lose our habit of deference and demand a system.of government not hide.bound by the tradition and concept of aristocracy, that operates for the benefit of more than 1% of the population.
Nah I think it's something about the way they talk
I don't know about you but I don't think I've encountered the Establishment encouraging me to hate the French.
Nah, they’re just often rude and abrupt!
A lot of that 1% are of French (Norman) origin though
England is just off-brand Normandy.
A lot of the north of France (and Belgium) is closer to being off-brand England imo
It’s true! I see rural northern France and it reminds me of people from Cornwall/Devon
The crucial thing is we dislike the French but also love them. It's a sibling rivalry.
It’s been passed in your genes from your ancestors who had to fight them in war
It means I never give a shit about Britain at all until an American takes a pop, and then I become injected with Gammon energy. Best country in the world.
No one shit talks my country except for me
And maybe the boy
Everyone talks shit about our country. I'm just glad we still live rent-free across the globe.
The fact that Britain lives rent free across the globe is the main reason everyone else is still shit talking
The thing is they always do it about the silliest things.
"Brits can't imagine spending their entire holiday in the car".
"Brits don't like spicy food".
"Brits have bad teeth(probably becoming true again!)"
"The NHS (from a country where people owe at least $220 billion in medical debt)
If they were like "er why are your high streets just chicken shops, bookies and charity shops" then it would be a bit more awkward.
As a country we're generally good at laughing at ourselves.
It's just irritating when the jokes aren't even applicable.
"Brits can't imagine spending their entire holiday in the car".
...why would you want to spend your entire holiday in a car?
Americans taking the piss is normally just them revealing they've never been outside Nebraska.
Sometimes Europeans take the piss from a place of actual understanding and then you're left doing some soul searching.
90% of the time it’s “nationalism is a cancer, and you shouldn’t act like you had any part in what other people did just because they were from the same place as you.”
But whenever England are involved in sport in any way it’s immediately the white cliffs of Dover, the battle of Trafalgar, a ploughmans and mainlining The Clash.
So what if we eat beans on toast, LOOK AT OUR FUCKING MONSTER PLUGS YANK
Gammon energy 😂
Not taking yourself seriously. Gunning for the underdog. An appreciation of nature and animals. Helping people. Supporting the vulnerable. A sense of humour. Sweating / moaning about small stuff. An enjoyment of arts and culture. Deep enthusiasm for a hobby, whether it be football, painting or train spotting. Eccentricity.
It’s exactly why I moved to the U.K.! The Brits are a bunch of people who occupy themselves with things that make life slightly more bearable and worthwhile. I also deeply appreciate the stiff upper lip attitude. You guys are resilient as fuck!
You forgot understating disasters, ie when the first nuclear bomb falls we will be in a bit of a pickle, or when we used to have IRA threats at Victoria Station it was more of an issue that the train might be delayed.
Oh and apologising to everyone about everything (even the lamp post you just walked into) and thanking the bus driver.
Thanks driver, bye bye driver, bye bye, byeeeee, byyyeeeeeee byyyeeeeeee
Well, I just discovered that I need a British passport
This is an excellent summary, add to it, a healthy sense of curiosity and innovation, an ability to stand in a storm and chime 'whatever' and grin and bear it.
An attempt at manners although this sadly wanes. A mostly fair outlook, although this is lately abused.
A need to explore and to appreciate others afar, through our similarities whilst also noting in the diary that we are better at most other things.
Simply carrying on and taking lifes happenings on the chin, as most have one, a few have two.
A healthy proportion of us will soon have lettuces on a shelf to see if they will last as long as, whatever, as we are still purile infants and stick two fingers up because we can.
Lot's of love too, and sometimes silly ways of manifesting it.
Eccentricity had become way less acceptable by many lately and I'm not happy about it!
I've seen two trends over the past decade or so in which it seems supporting the vulnerable is no longer a priority for the state or for much of society:
The austerity measures that have been in place since the great recession have disproportionately affected the vulnerable, and I still don't think we have a sense of how much those without a reliable career or a strong safety net are struggling. Healthcare seems to be becoming more and more privatised, seems like renters are tranferring the majority of their incomes to landlords, and there's no grand plan in place or a vision being articulated to redress this.
There's been a broad pushback against wokeism, which is seen as a cultural transplant from the US that doesn't have a huge amount of relevance in the UK. However, while woke analysis lacks rigour and for the most part articulates societal problems and possible solutions in a way that is untethered from reality, people here have forgotten that the goals of wokeism are still centered on redistributive fairness and justice. By being turned off by the methods of wokeism, it seems that the purpose has been buried as well.
Other countries are doing a far better job of supporting the vulnerable.
A strange combination of believing things should be just, which is why we love queuing so much, and not making a fuss, so we do nothing if someone doesn't queue.
we do nothing if someone doesn't queue.
Yes, you do.
You tut and mutter and complain on social media.
My favourite of these will always be people complaining how busy the beaches were during COVID from the number of people they saw while they were at the beach.
Same with people who complain about other people on the road when they're in the car stuck in traffic
As a non English person who's moved over here with my wife, I find myself being scolded by my other half for calling dicks out and making a scene. There may be some truth to it though, as one of my first visits to London walking from one venue to another in shoreditch, we went down a street that had about 10 kids (10-14yo roughly) who rode past, and one of them slapped me on the back of the head as he rode... which I responded to angrily, and was quietened down by my wife as "a lot of kids over here carry knives and get away with far too much if they're ever caught at all"... it makes sense now, but still... I wanted to go full "It's always sunny in philadelphia" mode on those kids...
In school I was told it was Tolerance and Multiculturalism.
In reality. I find it to be, quietly getting on with ones own thing while minimising fuss, especially to others. And if fuss must be caused, it should be done quietly and outwardly politely as possible.
That enters every faucet of life in a way I don't think pervades other cultures quite as deeply.
Tolerance of others is a British value though
While our laws and systems are tolerant, culturally, we are not tolerant. We are generally considerate and we expect others to be considerate as well. So we queue politely and we turn our music down out of consideration for the neighbours and we only use our car horns when it's absolutely necessary.
I lived in Cairo for a few years and people were less considerate, but much more tolerant. I saw a car pull up to the building opposite and hold down his horn to let the person (on the 4th floor) know that he was waiting. Nobody complained. It was OK to do that sort of thing in Cairo. I was teaching English there and one of my students travelled to London in the summer with her kids and couldn't understand why her neighbours had called the police about the noise of her children playing in the evening.
The general population, very tolerant and i would propose UK is actually the least racist country in the world and some of the most kindest ppl out there. Our ruling elite however are a bunch of colonising, self serving, manipulative maniacs and always have been. Reading about our history during the dark ages the way the ruling elite wouldnt even let folk hunt meat because they wanted it for themselves, taxed ppl to high heaven till they couldnt squeeze anymore out of them so they decided to invade other lands and milk them instead. Actually disgusting when you think about it.
Yeah but not exclusively. Feels more of a modern western thing.
Ah the faucet of life, where one fetches the water for the tea of wisdom.
facet ffr
Nobody I don't think has mentioned our unique and difficult to understand/replicate sense of humour
I might be British but I am also autistic and those two sides of me are in a constant battle when it comes to both being funny and understanding other people's humour lmao, definitely difficult
Yeah definitely; my cousin is autistic and he struggles with the sarcasm etc
I know I have a mild form of autism (Asperger's?) and can struggle with the dry humour from others but am good at delivering it.
He's the same, great delivery and can be very quick witted but confused when receiving it
I suspect compared to most nations it’s harder to be autistic in Japan because of the politeness, and Britain because of the sarcasm
Move to Germany, you will be in heaven.
I don't think it's that difficult to understand, actually I think one of the reasons it's so popular internationally is because it's unique but easy to understand and translates fairly well into other languages. It doesn't require a whole lot of cultural knowledge or linguistic capability - It's fairly simplistically self depreciating, satirical and absurdist and that's what makes it so unique.
I’m not British but I agree. I find your humour the best. I can’t replicate it but I enjoy it immensely.
I'd be happy to discuss over a cup of tea. Oooh, tea, a nice cuppa tea. Tea anybody? Tea?
Literally was putting the kettle on as I read this…
Sipping my 3rd mug of the day as we speak…
When you move house. All of your things will be in bags and boxes. But the first box to make it over will always be the box with a kettle and tea bags/coffee.
The house will be completely empty bar 6 unopened boxes. But the tea and coffee will be out, and the kettle boiling.
And that's when you realise, where the guck did I put the teaspoons???
Milk no sugar and reasonably strong thanks I'll bring the biscuits 😁👍
For me personally,
Going to see your mam and dad for a catch up, cups of tea and biscuits, going for walk whatever the weather, settling down in country pub in front of a fire, beer, walking hills, rivers, the coast, saying hello to your neighbours, smiling at strangers, having a chat about nothing to anyone, helping an old woman cross the road, brining in your neighbours bins, ice cream, sandcastles, fish and chips and amusements, days out at the beach, Sunday dinners, sport, dressing gowns, feet up, hard work, honest work, growing vegetables in the garden or down the allotment, feeding the birds, pets, struggle, hard won rights for the working class, accepting and celebrating difference, settling down and loving someone, starting a family, hearing kids laugh, watching them grow and play, playing pillow forts, hide and seek, wrestling with them, exploring a ruined abbey or castle, market towns, butchers, green grocers, bakeries, sweet shops, farms, cafes, cake, scones, corner shops, museums, art galleries, public parks, music, friendship, brotherhood, standing up for those that can’t stand up for themselves, law, justice, helping others, charity shops, volunteering, caring for others, street parties, garden parties, education, history, handshakes, self respect, community, Individualism and freedom.
This is an absolutely lovely write up. But the vast majority of your thoughts could apply to any developed western country (particularly in Europe).
I'm not knocking you at all, just merely mean there isn't really a lot unbiqitously British in there in my opinion
Why does it matter?
When someone says I'm proud to be British because of X, I take that as a reflection of their experiences of living in Britain and the things they're proud of based on the communities they've been part of.
The fact that someone else in another country can also be friendly or kind or whatever else shouldn't mean it can't be a value or point of pride for someone who identifies as British.
I think it's just when these general values are used in opposition to others, or posed as if they're uniquely British.
Like when somebody says they have Christian values and it's broadly the same as this, but the same 'help those less fortunate', 'be kind to strangers', 'don't murder' kind of principles are pretty much universal across all cultures.
It's not an argument in support of anything, because it's universal, but it's still a good thing.
It means I grudgingly share an island with all the other types of people outside the Peoples' Republic of South Yorkshire.
Oooh, you, Southerner, West Yorkshire is gods own country. I know you got Sean Bean, but we got Patrick Stewart.
Meanwhile, North Yorkshire distances itself with tweed and range rovers. East Yorkshire being forgotten about.
Come on, people. I'm sure we can all agree that any bit of Yorkshire will always be a million times better than being from (clutches pearls) Lancashire. For we come from the land of the tiny dogs and massive puddings.
Hear hear
And t'best tea
Taking my Labrador for a walk in the local woods that happens to have the ruins of an ancient monastery in it from the 11th century. You can just walk around it for nothing . It doesn’t cost money to go and see it , I can walk all over it and touch it . There aren’t any alarms anywhere or electric fences to stop me from going near it. There are no dangerous animals to worry about or extreme weather that means I have to hide under ground in a bunker for hours. It might drizzle a bit of rain and be a bit muddy but other than that, it’s really nice and relaxing . There are robins, crows , blue tits, blackbirds, red kites and pigeons going off in the background . Thats the image I get in my head when I think about being British.
When I was younger I considered 'British' to be a shared value of freedom of expression, hard work, high trust, fairness, and community.
All of these things are dead in the UK now for the most part. Now I'm older I realise that being British means you are just in this particular tax farm to buy yachts' for pedophiles. Which I will abandon at the slightest inconvenience to fend for itself.
I think you are just depressed
It's hard not to find a depressed person in the UK atm (for me). Everyone I know (friends & family) have been almost constantly depressed and struggling since the pandemic, especially with the insane cost of bills these days.
More and more, people I know, have a "what's the point in it all" apathy :/ It's been very depressing to see.
it's kind of similar elsewhere, covid was a big shock and then wars etc, it's been depressing.
Spot on
Pies. I associate pies with the UK.
I mean, baked beans, we eat more than the rest of the world put together, but I personally prefer pies to baked beans. So, pies.
Yes. Well and Ireland. I don't think I've come across what I would call a proper pie anywhere else.
Those heathens across the Atlantic (joke) seem to think a tart is a pie.
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It probably doesn't mean much to you unless you go and live in a different country, because things like that are about contrasts to other things. It's like a smell/ noise that you live with and get used to so don't really notice anymore. Maybe if people here spoke more languages we would get a better handle on it due to more exposure to other cultures.
Where I live in the south it’s more likely you’ll hear other languages being spoken than English, especially out in a high street or on public transport.
It actually feels good when I hear another English accent and voice.
Can confirm as someone who relocated to Luton for 2 years due to a company expansion project that was being undertaken. once you’ve lived in a place like that you really start to grasp what it is to feel “British”.
Shouting lager, lager, lager, lager, mega mega white thing, mega mega white. That probably sums it up for me.
It says where I was born. That’s about it really.
Proud of my heritage , proud of what the country built... but , what it means is a hard question because depending on who you ask you will find why what was once british has gone and been replaced with an inferior brit
Saying sorry, sorry.
I won't lie, it doesn't mean all that much to me.
I identify more strongly as Scottish, than British.
British to me feels a more flag-waving, tea drinking, queuing, waving to the Monarchy, stereotypical "as seen from other countries" view that I personally don't align with as strongly.
I identify more strongly as Scottish, than British
Not an uncommon view, last published information shows that 62.4% of Scotland's population identify as 'Scottish only'.
What does being Scottish mean to you? I'm English and moved to Scotland a couple of years ago and if I'm honest, can't really tell much of a difference. In terms of identity and heritage, I get why it's important. My brother-in-law if from the borders and sees himself as a direct descendent of reivers and thinks that means he's more free spirited and naturally rebellious. He might be. However, I suspect that identity probably inspired his spirit and his rebelliousness was defined in relation to his more staid compatriots.
I lived in a small town in Shropshire before I moved here and before that, I lived in Manchester for a bit. Where I live now is more like Manchester than rural Shropshire, but I think that's got more to do with the relative affluence of the area.
People always struggle to answer this question because we’ve been teaching that nationalism and being proud of where you’re from is a bad thing if you’re English or British but perfectly acceptable if you’re from anywhere else.
All you ever hear nowadays is the atrocities carried out by previous generations, washing over any of the positives.
Having said that, everyone seems to be able to spot a Brit a mile off when we’re on holiday, as clearly we’re not the same as other Europeans. So there must be something that gives off our identity be that in the way we dress, carry ourselves, over intoxicating etc.
To me it’s the land that brings hope and glory, it’s the home of the worlds most beloved sport, the home of some of the worlds greatest inventions. We have produced a language that has brought communities together, you can go to a lot of places in the world and be able to communicate even basic things and be understood.
We are all about democracy, rule of law, individual liberty & tolerance.
I was born in the UK and have a British passport that's about it
I was born in one country of Britain, to parents from other countries in Britain spent a lot of time as a kid holidaying and growing up all over so I’ve never identified with any constituent country but rather Britain as a whole.
I replied to someone else agreeing with this sentiment as this sums up my upbringing. I feel like calling myself either ‘English’ or ‘Scottish’ as a betrayal (probably too strong a word) of the other, so I’m British! Made choosing a national football team fun in our house!
Tea, and emotional repression.
I struggle with this concept. I honestly don’t know what it means to me, it’s just something that I am? It’s just like being fair skinned, or dark haired, or green eyed, or a bit of bitch, or scared of confined spaces.
It could well be a neurospicy thing, but I just don’t get it.
Edit: this is in no way me saying that it’s meaningless or that if it means something to you, you’re wrong. On the contrary, I’m a bit jealous. It means nothing to me and probably me alone.
I was born in the British isles.
Being cold 6 months of the year, being over worked, under paid, barely able to afford the necessities yet saying 'good thank you' when someone asks how you are
It is just where I was born. If I travelled to another country and someone asked me where I was from I would descibe myself as English. Connotations that person has of Brits would then be applied to me.
I don’t see myself as British. I’m English.. not that I’m any more or less proud to be either 🤷🏼♀️
I see myself as British rather than English, but also I'm not any more or less proud to be either. Funny old world.
I see myself as British rather than English
As the dominant part of the UK, British is generally conflated with English to the point they're often used interchangeably, which would maybe explain why you're more likely to feel this way.
"British accent" is generally used to refer to English accents, not Scottish, Welsh, or Northern Irish, for example.
"British law" which doesn't exist, is used to refer to English law, not Scots law or Northern Irish law.
Being British means driving a German car to an Irish bar to drink Belgian beer, then grabbing an Indian, Chinese or Italian takeaway on the way home to sit on a Swedish sofa watching American tv shows on a Japanese tv.
It’s the land mass that I was born on.
I'll moan about evert mild inconvenience but never do anything about it.
Tea, tea cakes, tea time
*eats Celtic popcorn*
Being British to me means simply not giving a toss about anything, look around the world and you'll see so many countries complain about absolutely everything while us Brits just get on with it, and 9 times out of 10 we'll take the piss out of it mostly.
We find a laugh in everything, no matter where you go in the UK you'll find the same people who will find a laugh in everything, and those who don't and those who complain about every little thing are just miserable and don't appreciate everything we do have.
There are very few things us Brits actually take seriously, America is the perfect example of people taking everything seriously.
Know how to respond to the question "Cup of tea?" (Preferring coffee may mark you out as a spy from the continent)
Having an opinion on what biscuits to dunk in said tea.
Moaning about the weather, irrespective of what it is actually doing.
Being stoic and cheerful no matter how bad things get. Tea helps. Gin is better.
I’ve heard it said that asking someone about their own culture is like asking a fish to describe water. I’m British because everywhere else I’ve been to feels alien. Similarly things that seem normal to a Brit will feel strange to other nationalities.
As a foreigner living among you and observing you I think some quintessentially British things are: self-consciousness to the point of awkwardness, dry wit / banter, taking work seriously but not too seriously (able to make little jokes, small talk in between shop talk), a genuine interest in the world beyond your island (I believe it's why the British empire was so powerful, you incorporate what you admire elsewhere and it makes you stronger, no condescending attitude towards foreigners but more like healthy curiosity, with exception of extremists but those are few luckily), respect for tradition is quite common to the point that even the counterculture has its own traditions and heritage. I love living here, I feel you are too negative about yourselves sometimes, it's a lovely place.
Having good manners, being polite and maintaining composure and decorum at all times.
Being sarcastic, never had an issue till I started working with more non brits who don't get it, or find it rude.
Banter, booze and dry humour
Overly saying please and thank you.
Catching a strangers eye contact and doing that awkward tight lip smile and nodding our heads.
Drinking lots of tea and then proceeding to moan that we don't know why we keep needing to use the toilet every 5 seconds.
Everyone wishing it's Summer when it's Winter and then wishing Winter would hurry up and come during the Summer. Our weather is never right.
Sad to see so many negative comments here.. This is a great nation that has given the world an awful lot that people should be proud of.
Being generally unhappy with the state of affairs, but keeping a stiff upper lip and not grumbling about it. Also the ability to (and insistence on) forming an orderly queue.
British means nothing to English, Scottish, Welsh or Irish folk.
Watching the rain out your kitchen window as you wait for the kettle to boil.
I'm ethnically Arab and to me being British just means having things in common with other British people.. being Arab is a bit different because Arabs have a bit of an obsession with lineage, but to me the feeling is the same.. I feel Arab because I have stuff in common with Arabs, I feel British because I have stuff in common with Brits.. to be precise, I have enough in common that someone from that group can identify me as one of their kind after a short conversation with them.. it doesn't really mean anything beyond that to me, merely an accident of birth
Being mixed-race and never feeling segregated 🙌🏼🇬🇧
Not personally experienced racism in over 20 years 🙂 We’re not perfect, but we’re certainly not a racist country. Makes me proud.
Being ashamed of my government and depressed that so many people don't care, or are just closet racists. Just shame basically
If I go abroad I want to pretend to be German or something
Fuck all, luck of the draw.
Calling everyone a cunt, and expecting them to know whether I mean it affectionately or insultingly.
A respect for the rule of law and fairness. Loving and respecting animals. Appreciating individual liberty and alternative lifestyles. Embracing tolerance and multiculturalism. Showing progressive leadership on the world stage (failing at this one currently).
Complaining.
Obsessing over the weather.
I was born in England which makes me English and subsequently British. I also firmly believe in an orderly queue and good manners.
Queuing, tutting and saying “right!” When it’s time to go home.
Everything, a dream I had to pursue and fulfill, in fact I owe Britain my life.
Complaining that it’s too hot, complaining that it’s too cold
knowing when to, and when not to have manners. knowing how to queue and how to have friendly/unfriendly but witty banter. knowing English. being proud to be British but definitely not patriotic at the same time lol. knowing and accepting our faults as a nation but looking for positive changes on the horizon. oh and loving to complain about the weather. oh and optimistically being grumpy most of the time. that ones a hard one to explain and kinda comes back to the wit statement. its a form of dark humour i suppose.
That we don’t take instruction till something serious happens.
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