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.

People like Fig above getting sooooo offended.
Take it all with a pinch of salt. There are contradictory stereotypes on here. It’s just silly. If it’s not true for you well...So what?

I’m British/English born but not white. We also have many of these stereotypes about brits/english. Louts abroad etc

There are so many positives on this thread too. Why don’t you focus on those instead?

I think there are more positives than negatives actually. I see that when one miserable poster was challenged to do so above she hasn’t been back with the positive list. Maybe because she’ll realise what a long list it is.

Meh. We all have stereotypes. As long as they don’t cause us to behave in prejudiced and discriminatory ways in person I think having a teeny laugh at the English is hardly crime of the century

I'm irish & when I first moved to England I thought so many people were workaholics. 🤷‍♀️ really spending a ton of time on little details that didn't make a big difference overall to a project. I was very young then & that shocked me so much. The amount of people who's marriages ended due to workplace affairs because they spend their entire life at work! Over time I began to realise it was more presenteeism than anything & not much more was accomplished. I recently moved back to Ireland & that culture definitely isn't ingrained in the same industry here! There aren't really loads of differences though between the two countries!

We are just used to our weather. I remember visiting Madrid in February and just wearing a long sleeved jumper with t shirt underneath, and trousers. The Spaniards were all wearing puffa jackets and complaining about the cold.

@timeforanewstart, High tea is a meal that you only have occasionally, for example if visiting relatives who live quite far away and by the time you got there you had missed lunch.

Afternoon tea is quite different and would normally be a few sandwiches and a scone or small cake.

Tea - can either be afternoon tea or a late afternoon/early evening meal, eaten by families who didn't have a sit-down meal at lunchtime.

I grew up in a household that had the main meal (dinner) at lunchtime. Tea was 'afternoon tea' (small sandwich and a cake/biscuit) and supper was a lightish meal (e.g beans on toast or egg and chips) eaten about 7 p.m.

Also the washing machine thing, I have a utility now but people aren't putting their dirty laundry on the counter so what's the issue

Woodhull when visiting Australia houses which didn't have a utility had the washing machine in the bathroom, which makes more sense to me.

@WhatifIfeellikeacat

Since living abroad I've learnt to wash the dishes in the sink and use fresh water to wash each piece. With bowls you end up using the same dirty water to wash all the dishes. That doesn't actually clean anything past the first piece

I never understood how washing dishes in one soapy bowl and then wiping them with a towel would make them clean. Now they sell washing up racks everywhere so I presume people wash, rinse and put the plates/cups/cutlery to dry.

I want a science project on this! :)

I have been living here for the past 9 years with my British husband, I must say I love England, I love my Brit friends but it hasn't been an easy journey as it is very difficult to get into the friends circle- I understand that as they grew up in the same town, went to school together, some went on to uni, made more friends there, then more friends at work and the limit is over! When you come in any stage of this timeline, it is so difficult to get in. I love the fact that it is so OK when you say no to an invitation, no one takes it personally as in my country this is a very rude thing to do, almost unacceptable! No insisting no being offensive no confrontation and respect to others' lives and opinions- at least this is what I have seen where we live and I love that! Most of the times very light conversations mainly about the weatherI love the honesty most of the times but in some cases don't like the back talks-not so honesty.

@Nordman

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.

I'm Irish and this frustrates me too, I have walked in to chemists and asked for exactly what I need in perfect spanish, emphasis on the right syllable and everything, and they reply in English. Frustrating. I stubbornly keep going in Spanish though. That's not unreasonable when you're in Spain.

@MirandaMarple

That we smell of dairy.

I have heard this too. I have also wondered if vegans in general notice dairy eaters - maybe any vegans on This thread could enlighten us

I would also dispute that we don't say what we mean - there's a code in our language, which appears circuitous - maybe non Brits don't immediately 'get' the code, but we all know what we mean

@MrsHuntGeneNotJeremyObviously perfectly put 😊🇬🇧

@FatimaMunchy

Woodhull when visiting Australia houses which didn't have a utility had the washing machine in the bathroom, which makes more sense to me.

I don't think it is safe with our plumming and electricals in bathrooms and they are small and upstairs usually

I'm British but worked in lots of interational teams (though always London) they always comment on:

• good sense of humour and think we are funny
• drink too much alcohol
• don't say what we mean - overly polite
• more varied dress sense - for example my colleagues in Paris usually always wear black
• like all of our history sites like castles and green spaces
• like British TV and film
• find English breakfast disgusting

@EmpressoftheMundane

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!

You’ve been to Key West have you?

The NHS is patchy and there's definitely room for improvement - I've met some really awful supposed healthcare workers. They certainly aren't all angels. But, the beauty of the NHS is the fundamental principle that everyone is entitled to healthcare without being asked for their credit card first. That is a thing to be applauded.
Incidentally my SIL gave birth in America - nearly died, such was the incompetence of her hcp. And then got a whopping great hill for the privilege.
There's good and bad everywhere.

This thread reminds me of a football song (Millwall I think):

‘No one likes us, we don’t care’

I don't live in the UK. They all think we are crazy right-wingers and they laugh at us re brexit !

They also think we are dirty as we don't all have bidets

They also think we are really strange for eating so early at night and having gravy :)

They think we also have terrible dress sense

I can't say I can argue with list of it really ;)

@FatimaMunchy, this was the first result in my search.
www.thespruceeats.com/afternoon-vs-high-tea-difference-435327

My American friends all used to say how they'd heard how ugly all British women were. 😓

@garlictwist

An American friend told me she was really disappointed when she went to Scotland. She thought everyone would be ethereal fiddle players but instead they were all really fat, drunk, loud and poorly dressed.

Sounds like she met me

I was born outside the UK but married a Scotsman and am now an adopted Scot, lucky me! But I find it hard to determine national characteristics which are common to all parts of the UK.

I see the devolved nations as being very different from the English who are generally insular people with a misplaced sense of superiority and believe they are still big players on the international stage.

The Welsh are good folk but are happy with very little and seem to follow on the coat tails of the English.

The Scots are open-handed, friendly and self- deprecating. They are fiercely loyal to their friends and in the face of adversity, drink is the answer to all ills.

The Irish talk to strangers at bus stops and their young folk are the best looking in Europe.

@HappyDinosaur

I think, as an English person, rather than getting offended this thread should perhaps serve as a reminder of the inaccuracies of stereotypes - whoever they are applied to. I've lived in 5 different countries and all have had good and bad points, but none have been particularly as one would expect based on their stereotypes. Stereotypes always err on the negative side and are usually quite outdated in my experience.

this is a most insightful comment. thank you Dinosaur.

In France people assume British girls are easy because they wear short skirts, heels and no coats in winter when they go out clubbing.

Love the Brits...

Produced some of the best musicians in the world. (Def Leppard, Clapton, Bowie, Clash, Cure, Beatles, Stones, Queen, Elton, Billy, Police, The Who, Floyd, Zeppelin and on and on...)

Produced the best authors in the world. (Tolkien, Dickens, Austen, Christie, Rowling, Pratchett!!!, FHB, Heyer, I better stop or I'll be here all day)

Produced the best actors in the world. (Branagh, McKellen, Dench, Thompson, Mirren, Smith, Rickman, the list goes on...)

Best sense of humour in the world.

Most attractive accents in the world. (Would love Andy Serkis to read me to sleep every night!)

No more arrogant than anywhere else in the world, so I think that comment is just made by the spiteful (who actually come across as arrogant by making that comment).

As for the women not being beautiful, again I disagree. I grew up with glossy models being held up as the ideal, but they all looked the same and had no depth or character. And all had some form of physical corrections or airbrushing, so they somehow looked unreal. After a childhood of American TV/movies, I remember when I first saw Juliet Stevenson (in Truly Madly Deeply) and couldn't get over how naturally beautiful and interesting she was, as well as incredibly talented. And hands down, Judi Dench has got to be the most beautiful, charming woman the world has ever produced.

As for their 'horrible history', every country in the world has been cruel at some point to someone, whether their own people or outsiders or to nature.

And blaming the whole population for Brexit is as dumb as blaming all Americans for Trump.

Oh, and I adore the Queen, she's a tough nut!

When I worked in Spain, one of my Spanish co-workers said she was afraid to visit the UK because all the food would be covered in butter . To be fair, as a child, I was once given a peanut butter & butter sandwich in England, so I take her point!

Also overhead young Spanish girls saying that all British girls were fat & blonde.

I would recommend the book 'Watching the English'. Really fascinating, especially the part about 'negative politeness' (i.e. showing consideration for others by not imposing on them - the British way) vs 'positive politeness' (showing consideration for others by making them feel included - the American way).