Britain and British Culture

lochnessmonster:

We wouldn't go to a Frenchman and repeatedly call him Eurpoean and say your from Europe would we?
Scotland have their own government now, as do Ireland, I hate the term British because we are separate.

I would, actually.

Then again, that's just me. I am principally European, and secondly British, and English at the same time as both.

Furthermore, I don't think devolution is a good enough reason in itself not to call Scottish people and Northern Irish people British. I mean, what about Welsh people? They have the Welsh Assembly, I think they might object to being left out. In addition to that, there is no English Parliament or Assembly, yet to say there is no such thing as an 'English' identity because of it wouldn't be true.

I think whether devolution exists or not, and to what degree it exists too (because, good as the Scottish Parliament is, it does not have the ability to fully govern Scotland) doesn't mean that you can't still have a national identity. Welsh people were still Welsh and Scottish people were still Scottish before 1997.

I do think that people abuse the term 'British' and just refer to English people. I also think people refer to 'England' when they should say Britain. A prime example of this would be The Oxford History of England, which is actually a history of the Britain as a whole. I can understand why people make the mistake, given that 80% of the population of Britain do live in England, but it's still an unfair generalisation.

Still, we think of Robert Burns as a Scottish poet and of William Shakespeare as an English author, so I think it works both ways. In Literature particularly, they're considered very separate things.

I have no objection to the term 'British', but at the same time, if people want to opt out, then I'm not particularly bothered. It's your national identity, so whatever, do with it what you please. It's a matter of choice and I respect that.

I never really used the term British until I came to mibba, actually, because it seems a commonly used term here.
I would describe myself as English if someone asked me, I wouldn't say British. Similarly, if I was describing someone else I'd say they were Scottish, Irish, Welsh, etc., because saying British doesn't narrow it down that much to me :shifty.

I am proud to consider myself Scottish, British AND European.

I love the posh side of british culture, but the slightly ghetto 'southern' sides of Britain make me nervous. :tehe:

Eh?

What sense are you using ghetto?

The poorer areas are Northern.

I don't really think the devolution argument is particularly thick. I mean, the Scottish Parliament isn't even a real parliament. It's an assembly.

Being a Londoner, i like the fact that there are great places like Camden Town- the mecca of alternative stuff, Greenwhich Market- with the freakin' sweet food market and the flower market at Columbia Road- so pretty!
And of course what brit would i be if i didn't like my tea and scones?

however the only annoyance is that when you're using the underground, be aware that people will attempt suicide by throwing themselves on the tracks which can be very catastrophic when you're running late for school! although it's on a probability scale of 50%.

creamyTEA:

Being a Londoner, i like the fact that there are great places like Camden Town- the mecca of alternative stuff, Greenwhich Market- with the freakin' sweet food market and the flower market at Columbia Road- so pretty!
And of course what brit would i be if i didn't like my tea and scones?

however the only annoyance is that when you're using the underground, be aware that people will attempt suicide by throwing themselves on the tracks which can be very catastrophic when you're running late for school! although it's on a probability scale of 50%.

I'm from East London. It happens on the District line all the time.
Either that or there's some problem with the trains one way or another.
I don't know how it's going to cope with all the people coming from the Olympics.

Question ~~

How many of you actually know the national anthem?
Or a national anthem, anyway. Whichever you prefer.

Personally, I don't. I could learn God Save the Queen, but I'm probably never going to sing it so why bother? On the other hand, I can pretty much recite William Blake's 'Jerusalem'. I owe that more to the fact that I adore William Blake than to any patriotic leanings, though. xD

I know a bit of it.

God Save Our Queen
God Save Our Gracious Queen.

And...

Up to Hamden we Rush
Rebellious Scots to Crush.

I prefer the alternative with the same name. When i was a kid, I thought it was a spendid idea because I didn'd understand it was a punk thing.

But I used to know Flower of Scotland by heart but my memory is too full of Gallifrey to remember much else.

Bloodraine:

Question ~~

How many of you actually know the national anthem?
Or a national anthem, anyway. Whichever you prefer.

Personally, I don't. I could learn God Save the Queen, but I'm probably never going to sing it so why bother? On the other hand, I can pretty much recite William Blake's 'Jerusalem'. I owe that more to the fact that I adore William Blake than to any patriotic leanings, though. xD

I know most of God Save the Queen - learned it in primary school. I also know Flower of Scotland, though I hate that people now sing it as a racist slur against the English.

^ I hate when something relatively nice as a patriotic thing gets used as propaganda.

Bloodraine:

Question ~~

How many of you actually know the national anthem?
Or a national anthem, anyway. Whichever you prefer.

I know the Welsh national anthem, Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, but I wouldn't know the English if you asked me. (:

I don't know all the verses of the national anthem.

The Doctor.:

^ I hate when something relatively nice as a patriotic thing gets used as propaganda.

I agree. I also hate it that some people think not being racist means you hate your country. ::Ranting: I'm from Scotland and whenever anyone says anything anti-English (fairly often ) I get really angry and tell them off, and they say things like "Whatever happen to patriotism?!".

There's a difference between being pround of your country and hating all the others!!

^ That's why I have grown to despise the BNP so much. I luckily got my to not support them but change her mind to UKIP as she doesn't want the pound or too much immigration.

I mean, UKIP is the BNP without the racism. And hypocrisy.

But patriotism is a difficult topic. I mean, I love my country but I am not going to go mad over it and let it consume my whole life.

Patriotism is to love your country. Within reason.

^ Yes, I love Scotland, but I don't hate other places!

I'm not patriotic much anymore, lately we haven't had much too be proud of.

Sruti Is Awesome.:

But patriotism is a difficult topic. I mean, I love my country but I am not going to go mad over it and let it consume my whole life.

Patriotism is to love your country. Within reason.

Schaunard:

^ Yes, I love Scotland, but I don't hate other places!

You guys took the words out of my mouth. :|

lochnessmonster:

We wouldn't go to a Frenchman and repeatedly call him Eurpoean and say your from Europe would we?
Scotland have their own government now, as do Ireland, I hate the term British because we are separate.

Would you call somebody from Bretagne a Breton?
No, you'd call them a Frenchman although there's a good chance their native language isn't even French, but Breton language.

I think that to love the country you were born in just because you were born there is a little selfish and maybe a little conceited.