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.

My opinion of the NHS was asked a lot. It was presented on American TV as the face of all evil, run by the devil himself and controlled by government, in that the Prime Minister would receive a list of all treatments needed and make his choice of who got it. All NHS hospital ward photos were basically from war times when the beds were a foot apart and 100 people shared a ward. An interesting interpretation. Several people were shocked that I am in fact a cancer survivor (how could that NHS have saved my life?!)

Thanks for sharing. What an incredible attitude to have from a country where two-thirds of bankruptcies are down to medical bills!

Do they really think they have a better system?

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/nov/14/health-insurance-medical-bankruptcy-debtt_

"Having health insurance is often not enough to save Americans from massive debts when serious illness strikes"

*Things French people don’t understand:

• Brexit and Boris Johnson*

Who does?!😂

A lot of comments about British people not speaking other languages. The problem is that English is an internationally known language, so when you live in an English-speaking country there isn't much opportunity to use other languages. I actually speak six other European languages for my work, three of them fluently, yet whenever I'm overseas I can guarantee whoever I'm speaking to in their language will instantly answer me in English. Very frustrating! Come on folks, give us a chance.

Negative:

Politics
Can't cook
Sausage is strange with it's texture and does not taste special
Snobby
Class system is viewed as stuck in the old days, let the upper class get away with murder all the time
Not using central heating on cold days to save money
Stingy unreasonably at times
Heavy drinkers
Keep their hotel rooms the dirtiest compared to other Europeans( been told by many hotel staffs)
Loudest-Party animals
Football hooligans
Ugly women & man ( inbred due to class system...)
Generally untidy & living in dirty homes comepared to how Europeans keep their homes. In otherworld NOT housepride at all, not to mention the gardens ( except if you have a cleaner,who cleans for a good few hours once or twice a week)

Positive :
Friendly
Can laugh in any situations
Like to travel and explore
Charity work
Open about taboos

[quote Igglepigglesgrubbyblanket]@lazyfecker you should come round for a cup of tea [/quote]
I'd love that☕️🧉

Some of the kids didnt have winter scarves, the parents looked at me puzzled when i asked for them. I think Eastern europeans tend to overdress their kids and Brits are the opposite.

One of my friends (of Ukrainian parents) told me how she and her sister (born in UK) would be swaddled in layers at school and in the playground, kids (well boys) would go racing past in loose flapping shirts! My friend and her sister got more colds than the rest!

Dirty hotel rooms? Do you mean untidy because how dirty can a hotel room become?

• sitting on the floor at school. I find it unhygienic unless you change shoes. Bad for your back as well as children tend to look up the teacher who comfortably sits in her/chair.
• great sense of humour!
• too much obsession with the RF. For example, staying overnight in the tent to see the members of the RF.
• using word tea instead of dinner
• kids go to school in bad cold weather without tights or trousers
• very polite. You visit other countries and you realise how much you miss British manners
• British media shows maps of Europe excluding non-EU European countries. People also say Europe also meaning the EU countries.
• languages aren't learnt properly in the primary schools.
• it takes years to learn times tables because children aren't asked to learn them by heart
• great shops and supermarkets
• great customer service (mostly)
• Fish and chips are amazing
• British eat too much meat. You watch Come Dine with me, for example and people cook lamb or beef all the time.
• judging by FB and Mumsnet, many people watch their neighbours and snitch on them.
• British love their freedom 👍
• British are great. Stop having inferiority complex. Foreigners wouldn't come here if they didn't like Britain🥂

Ugly women & man ( inbred due to class system...)

All aristocracies did this across Europe and the Russians too. It was the only way to make dynasties and hang onto the money.

- it takes years to learn times tables because children aren't asked to learn them by heart

This must have changed since I was a kid. Definitely had to learn by heart!

Many British women are pretty. Stop this nonsense with ugly British women. It's a bit pathetic.

@lazyfecker

Ugly women & man ( inbred due to class system...)

All aristocracies did this across Europe and the Russians too. It was the only way to make dynasties and hang onto the money.

Hells bells, yes. The Hapsburgs spring to mind...!

This thread is interesting but not pleasant! I'm not British but I've lived in Britain for most of my adult life.
Things I like about the British:
Not pretending to be happy and cheery all the time ( I'm American. This is refreshing)
Being happy with small things - a cup of tea after a rainy walk etc etc
Radio 4
Music
Free museums
The NHS
Affordable, good quality food
Your sense of humor
Accents
The landscapes
Clutter being the accepted norm!
The history
People are generally friendly when you get to know them
I find the British honest and plain speaking - again, this is in comparison to my own culture rather than a universal 'truth'
... I could go on and on. Every culture has a bit of a superiority complex I suppose and it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking everyone who does things differently to you is wrong!!

One thing which I have fort to mention - leggings outside. Many women don't even realise that their leggings are see through.

I am American and I am not clean at all lol I don't like carpet and will rip them out

@Baggingarea

Agree after living abroad I got really upset when I came home that people I knew would try and ignore me in the street!

Although that said I've got used to it again. Sometimes it's just not a good time to chat!

Is good to know as I was taking it personally. Maybe I'm too friendly. Thank you I have learned something new to day

Architecture is beautiful
The countryside and Britain as a whole is very picturesque
Many beaches are really good and beautiful
British should be proud of living in such a beautiful country.

Ugly women & man ( inbred due to class system...) --- I worked on a lot of family tree including native Americans, and many of small communities share the same ancestors.

My brother unknowingly married his 3rd cousin (not first)

I don't recommend it but I do know it happens

@WhatifIfeellikeacat

Many British women are pretty. Stop this nonsense with ugly British women. It's a bit pathetic.

Yeah and it's illogical given that our genealogy is so heavily influenced by Europe! 10,000 years ago there was no one living here.

I am well travelled and have lived for periods in several different countries
I have never felt the need to deny I am English or felt people are rude to me due to my nationality. Yes some people are rude but they mainly seemed to be rude to everyone! If you are polite and friendly the vast majority are polite and friendly back.

I have an Irish passport too and have not been treated any differently when I travel with it.

I challenge anyone who thinks it is only English people who speak loudly in English and expects other to understand to visit St Petersburg. Its full of continental Europeans practically shouting at the poor wait staff instead of trying to speak a few words of Russian.

I think every nation has stereotypes a lot of which will have a grain of truth or be borne from misunderstanding. But some of the responses here are downright venomous and xenophobic. Especially interesting when they are accusing the English of xenophobia.

Before anyone jumps on me I am fully aware that England is not all of the UK. Just that most of the comments mention the English so that is what I am commenting on.

@Sqidgebum your SIL just sounds flat out ignorant and I think even the finest education system would struggle to help her learn. You have to spend a great deal of your life with your eyes shut to be that lacking in Geography.

And British women are very pretty too, I don't know what you are talking about

I just can't see why you would start this thread other than to bring out stereotypes both of British people and of people from other countries the British are being compared too.

People are different. I really don't think it's healthy to generalise and say xxx country does this. I also feel as we ful well know with what we sya about the government you can't possibly judge a population based on their government. Especially when your look at way less than 50% of the population voting for them.

I've given birth in the US and the UK and the Uk experience on the NHS might as well have been in a developing nation in fact I've had better care in more modern facilities. British maternity care is shocking. There was no in Labour and delivery and they didn't check this before inducing me, the delivery room was dirty, getting epidural meant waiting hours, back on an ward with dozens of other women and babies with no air con, women who had just had c-sections getting no help lifting their babies.

Exactly, Blueberries
Obviously there are women who don't look after themselves and drink/smoke too much but there are women like that in every country.
Ugly British is becoming boring as Karen. It's not funny anymore but a bit pathetic.

@Rockpapershoot

I've given birth in the US and the UK and the Uk experience on the NHS might as well have been in a developing nation in fact I've had better care in more modern facilities. British maternity care is shocking. There was no in Labour and delivery and they didn't check this before inducing me, the delivery room was dirty, getting epidural meant waiting hours, back on an ward with dozens of other women and babies with no air con, women who had just had c-sections getting no help lifting their babies.

The thing is private care in UK would be the better comparison to the US.

The NHS has many failings and needs to be overhauled but at the same time no one is excluded no matter their financial circumstances and for that reason it is stretched to the limit.

It may be great in America IF you're well-off but what about the others? People living on the streets because they went bankrupt paying for cancer treatments.