What do other nationalities think of the British

[Baggingarea]

For non UK MNers, what are your general impressions of the British?

I was watching a documentary recently and a Spanish man said our houses are all dirty. I'd never heard that before but can see why someone might think that with muddy weather etc etc.

What do you think about us? Promise I won't be offended (no racism/sexism/general bigotry though please). Can't vouch for others though.

I’m finding these comments about people from other countries being rude/hostile to English people whilst warm and welcoming to Scots/Irish people quite shocking.

What would we think of English people who were rude and hostile to foreigners? I would judge them to be racist and ignorant to be honest.

Oh also, regarding the Portugese guy who said English woman generally arent adventurous in bed. I reckon he was playing you to make you be "adventourous" in the way he wanted.

SqidgeBum, that is shocking but in my experience it is not true, perhaps I am surrounded by educated people but I don't think it is that. Many of my peers and friends were brought up by informed parents where political discussions, particularly in your teenage years were common. We were exposed to the arts and it was a very important aspect of our lives so encouraged to learn instruments, frequented the theatre, took part in amateur dramatics, visited art galleries, travelled. I posted this last night but English culture is actually very much influenced by folklore and mythology. It is a powerhouse of children's literature as a result - The Chronicles of Narnia, Winnie the Pooh, The Hobbit, Harry Potter, much of which evolves around ideas of magic and folklore. Many of us have these classics in our childhood library and we continue to read these books to our children. It was never as God worshipping as Catholic countries and there is a rebelliousness that came from that and manifests in ways that externally maybe seen as 'slutty' - fashion has always been original here and teenagers don't tend to dress like their parents in what some refer to as chic and elegant but to Brit teenagers maybe boring and practical. Maybe, our houses aren't spotless but IME that comes back to what else you have going on in your life, I know that my Mum was too busy composing and writing poems to always be fussed about a tea stain on a kitchen top. A spotless house was and still is amongst my friends seen as a neglect of the mind and perhaps the enrichment of your children. Put it like this it is not something we would want to be known for. I whole heartedly agree that the English are not obsessed with the aesthetic but that comes back to brains being as important, if not more important, than beauty.

DM's side of the family are not British. Negative comments that they have made include:

We have a strange way of dealing with death which comes across as cold. They find it odd that we use euphemisms for someone dying, like "passing" and how we don't like to bother people in the aftermath of a family member dying - whereas houses are full for days in their country.

We are too reserved and can't express our emotions.

They believe that we don't seem to place as much emphasis on family values, because we don't seem to have the same sense of obligation and duty. I didn't go to a cousin's wedding (who I'm barely in touch with) because it was midweek and I worked out that by being self employed/loss of earnings for three days, flight and spending money, I would have been about £1000 out of pocket, and they genuinely could not understand why I didn't value my family and also that I was embarrassing my mum by not going.

We moan about everything.

Brexit is utterly incomprehensible.

But they have also said the positives are:

We have a wonderful history and beautiful countryside.

We have a good sense of fairness and are very tolerant (although I think this has become less the case over the years).

The younger women on DM's side of the family have commented with a mix of envy and curiosity about how DP and I are unmarried and don't want kids, and how that seems completely acceptable to society.

There is a varied and vibrant culture, especially in the arts.

@ConfusedcomMum

I just remembered another difference in cultures. When I used to live with my very traditional Indian MIL, she used to wash down the walls of the house occasionally wirh soapy water as she used to do back home. I remember thinking 'you're going to ruin the paintwork doing that !' But then I saw how gross the water was in the bowl and ever since I got my own place, I do the same thing. It makes a massive difference and actually keeps the paintwork looking new.

Oh lord I tried to wash some stains off the wall and it washed the (admittedly rather cheap) paint right off!! Had to repaint!

Please can people state which countries they are from. I would like to know where the bread is better, where schools have enough time to shower after PE, where they have better dentists etc.

Well of course the Irish, Scottish and Welsh are perfect paragons of virtue don't you know... sigh. I wonder how any of us English dare to leave the Island at all when we're so universally despised.

Oh, sorry we're supposed to find it entertaining aren't we, and not to be offended to be thought of with such pity and contempt.

FWIW my Irish granny was a far bigger snob than my English granny.

Oh and why doesn't someone print off this thread and show it to those poor deluded souls who risk life and limb to cross the English channel in a rubber dinghy - they have obviously had such exemplary treatment in mainland Europe and yet still feel that it's worth the risk to get to this God forsaken dirty hell hole (oh hang on - they're obviously heading for Scotland or Wales aren't they!!)

Another positive from a thread the other day. We are moving towards blind recruiting whereas someone from continental Europe thought this odd and said they needed photos on CVs to determine whether the person was a good fit by their picture. Maybe we are a freer nation when it comes to appearance and the rest of the world could learn from us.

@Ginfordinner

Far from being a light hearted thread a la Bill Bryson “let’s poke gentle fun at the Brits”, it has turned into “let’s slag off the dirty, arrogant, fat ugly English” with lots of downright nasty and rude comments. And posters are deliberately not saying where they are from because they will get as much back.

I don’t identify with most of the stereotypes on here, and don’t know anyone who fits these stereotypes

1. How many people who hate the English have actually lived here?
2. If you are “forrin” and hate living here, why are you still here?
3. I don’t understand the hysteria about having washing machines in kitchens. Housing is expensive here, and most of us don’t have room for a utility room
4. I don’t understand the hysteria about having carpets in the home. I vacuum and clean my carpets regularly. We are a pet free and small child free home, and we don’t wear shoes indoors, so they don’t get very dirty. We also live in a cold, damp part of the country, and heating bills are expensive, and a carpet helps keep the house warm
5. When we travel abroad we avoid the kind of places that attract the “typical English stereotypes” and have found the locals welcoming and friendly. We never have AI holidays, instead preferring to immerse ourselves in the local culture, eat the local food, drink the local wine and see the sights
6. Some people eat boring and unhealthy diets, but we have embraced the different foods, wines and beers from all over the world, and have a much more varied and interesting diet than many countries. The Italians, in particular have a reputation for being very precious about only eating local, regional food for instance

However, I agree:

1. That we have an obesity problem, and too many people eat too much of the wrong foods
2. That far too many people have an unhealthy attitude towards drinking, and just don’t know when to stop.
3. We are rubbish at languages, but that is because language teaching in schools is so dire, and so many people find it pointless learning another language (an arrogant view IMO)
4. Our shops aren’t as good as they used to be because far too many mumsnetters people think that going shopping is beneath them, and ordering online is a morally superior thing to do (just my impression from the many shopping posts here)

And I am a massive tea drinker and I voted remain

I've said good things and bad things, have said in my post that I'm dutch and I lived in Kent in the 80s. I love England (don't know the rest of the UK) but you're not perfect. You have a great sense of humour, good at preserving old buildings and culture, lovely storytelling but your overall diets are really bad (crisps shouldn't be normal for lunch!), you do have an obesity problem and in many countries obese is -rightly or wrongly- seen as ugly and you have an inflated sense of how important you are in the world. And I wouldn't be surprised if the filthy houses thing has to do with the widespread use of carpetting. You can't properly clean carpets so in some countries that is seen as being dirty. And your politicians seem only interested in themselves, not in what's best for the country as a whole.

Still can't wait for this pandemic to be over for a long London weekend. I wouldn't want to move to the UK though, I don't like that your tax rate is being kept so low instead of making it higher so you can use it to make the standard of living, education and health services better. There is no point in argueing that everything needs more money if you're not willing to elect the government that will make you pay a bit more to do so.

I’m from Florida. 30 years ago, everyone assumed all British people were “frightfully posh” with images in their heads of upper middle class English Southerners from novels and old movies.

Move forward, and after 20 years of British tourists, they think loud, rowdy and drinking to excess, the women dressed provocatively. Also sunburned and swollen.

I remember my mother saying to me, “they aren’t what you think...have you heard of Lad culture?”

Always funny because a certain section of British society really looks down on Americans, particularly rural working class white people. Then you live in the UK for a while and you realise this culture has deep roots in the mother country. It’s just that these manners and mores are reviled in the UK, while there is still grudging respect for some of this rough and ready attitude in the USA. After all, look at the surnames on the wall of The Alamo, or the men who first landed on the moon. This behaviour is maladaptive for a modern, developed welfare state, but just perfect for subduing continents, North America, Australia. My money is on “common” Brits, USA rednecks, and Aussie our backers to be the ones to survive the Zombie Apocalypse!

I am originally from Italy (but been living in England half of my life). Just to comment on the 'dirty houses and people' I think this is mostly something from the past, related to the presence of carpets in bathrooms and the fact dishes didn't get rinsed.

And I don't agree at all about the comments I still hear about the cleanliness!
However, to bring clarity on the point here's some few things:

• carpets are seen as 'dirt catchers' as they can'/don't t get washed every day.
• in Italy you don't eat on a table that is not covered with a clean table cloth. Cutlery put directly on the table in restaurants is something many people get horrified about.
• there are no bidets in the bathrooms, meaning people don't wash their bits multiple times a day after using the toilet.
• generally speaking in Italy people tend to bleach every surface in their houses within an inch of its life, they are very house proud.
• there is no eating potatoes with skin on in Italy. You peel the potatoes. Always. Skin is dirty.

I will try and think about other examples of what people have commented on during the years!

I am English but live abroad. I was saddened to come across the following thoughts about us, over and over again:

dirty houses because of lower cleaning standards
poor personal hygiene. Everyone here showers at least once daily
rude - or at least very cold
poor sense of humour (they just don't get us - their loss!)
we eat far too much junk food, especially adults (here chocolate and crisps are for kids and even then just for special occasions) and, as a result, we have a huge number of overweight people
we have no sense of style
we are all drunkards (personally I barely drink but I can see the difference in the amount of alcohol regularly consumed here vs at home)

However London is a huge attraction, especially to younger people. Older people also like the idea of travelling around Scotland and Ireland.

They refer to all Brits as 'English' and don't get why get get so annoyed when they do that.

@ user

that's fascinating. The whole table cloth thing - i used to do it but found it impossible to clean the bloody things properly. That's what I stopped.

The potato skins is fascinating too. Is it really dirty if it's just been in the ground though? Definitely taught here that it's the healthiest bit of the potato. Slight obsession with jacket potatoes too.

@mathanxiety

Most of the Americans I have encountered have been appalled at the thought of boarding school, especially for quite young children.

Those who have visited the UK for holidays after a steady diet of British crunchy gravel TV shows have returned pretty horrified at the public debauchery and noteworthy lack of manners.

Also, the lack of trust in society in general - the metal shutters on shops, the prominently placed house alarms, the suspicion of people knocking on front doors, the loathing of teenagers - a society where everyone seems to be at everyone else's throat. Granted, this was from a professor of sociology who notices stuff like that.

I mean, some of this isn’t just stereotyping, it’s just outright bollocks, isn’t it? You really know an American professor of sociology who has apparently never seen or been aware of the existence of metal shop shutters, security alarms, fear of groups of youths, social inequality and associated unrest anywhere in the US and thinks this is entirely a UK phenomenon? Really?? You know people who have apparently never encountered bad manners until they went to Britain? I love the US and I’m engaged to a Detroit boy, but land of joy, harmony and refinement it is not.

Rorosemary, I just gave quite a lengthy explanation as to why a spotless home is not necessarily a priority, in fact it's almost a bit embarrassing as it demonstrates a shallowness for appearances over substance!

Maybe all these wonderfully clean home owners in other countries need to bloody stop pouring bleach over everything. How selfish.

@Goldenbear that's lovely to hear! Being a teacher, I know there are many many families who immerse themselves in knowledge and culture. I teach so many kids who are way more clued up on things like politics and literature than I was at their age. Stereotypes, like those pointed out on this thread, arent actually real. I was simply making an observation about the education system that I see while working in it compared to working in the Irish system, and my DHs family, who I will admit are very limited in their travel and cultural experience. They have a shocking ability to ignore everything going on in the world. Not sure how they do it tbh.

Also, for those getting annoyed at the posts here and taking them as foreigners hating the British, you do understand that OP was asking people to state what stereotypes other countries hold of the British, right? It's not that people actually believe these things now, especially if they now live in the UK. Its ideas that are in their home country of the UK. For me, when I moved here, everyone assumed I was staunchly Catholic and drank Guinness, or at least had the ability to drink anyone under the table (irish). I hate Guinness, the Catholic church, and I am on the floor after 3 glasses of wine. Its all stereotypes. Some are true, some are not.

I think I live down to several of these!

Wide back, wonky teeth, low standards on house cleaning, drink a lot of tea & have learned to be more reserved because of living in London, also often keep my shoes on indoors if they are not actively muddy.

I'm not a hooligan though and am also very much not posh.

I lived in America for a few years and have to say people over there always said nice things about the English as well as the Scots and Irish (they often thought I was Irish).

@Ginfordinner- Germany is the place of your desires... but it's expensive to live there. But it's probably because they have a higher strand of living overall compared to the UK.

@Frazzled13

Some of these are oddly specific. At least three people have mentioned Brits not rinsing soap off dishes when doing the washing up. Are there really widespread stereotypes about how different countries wash up?

The first time I ever saw this was my English Mil. At first I thought she’d just been absent minded, but then it became obvious that that’s how she did the washing up.

My family back home thinks everyone lives in London, women don't know how to cook/clean and parents encourage their young children to be sexually promiscuous from a young age There is also a very strong stereotype that when a child turns 18 the parents pack up their belongings into a suitcase and then throw them onto the streets At the same time they really look up to the Brits, everyone is very rich and successful and goes to Cambridge or Oxford!

*We have a strange way of dealing with death which comes across as cold. They find it odd that we use euphemisms for someone dying, like "passing" and how we don't like to bother people in the aftermath of a family member dying - whereas houses are full for days in their country.

We are too reserved and can't express our emotions.*

I think a lot of this comes from "delicacy of feeling" which the Victorians were big on. Not intruding on people's grief. Everyone being different, presumably if you had a very close friend you'd reach out to them for a heartfelt chat if you wanted that, but until then everyone apart from the chief mourner(s) would not be barging in.

We see a lot of crassness these days - the race to be first in announcing deaths on FB even before the next of kin know people being so tone-deaf they actually ask mourners "how did they die"

Oh yes and part of the lack of hygiene comes down to not washing are meat/chicken prior to cooking it. We use salt, flour and lemon juice.

raw meat/chicken

Having been in a few hotter countries I wonder if part of the cleanliness issues are due to climate - in India if you left any crumbs on the floor it would be surrounded by ants in seconds. In sub-saharan Africa and anywhere with a more tropical climate you need to keep the floor spotless if you dont want cockroaches.

I think there's some truth to this as luckily we don't have as many scary reptiles & insects (!), maybe we can 'get away with it' a bit more IYKWIM. But also it's their culture -if everyone is doing that much cleaning then you do too. I remember in the early 80s, most of the men on my road used to wash their cars on a Sunday (London). It was just 'the thing to do'.