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.

Tbh, I'm English and my opinion of 'Brits' (and let's face it, in this context, it does just mean English) is very similar to some of these.

I can see exactly where these generalised opinions come from because I hold some of them myself.

It's embarrassing.

SoVeryQuiet I don't think so. Just roll with it, who cares! I've adopted some very British pastimes, like sitting inside in my carpeted "front room" drinking mass produced Prosecco with my bra undone (maybe I've developed a wide back 😆)

The best fresh baked bread is from the Co-op I disagree their French bread is pappy shit. It's pre-baked and is not good quality bread. It might be better than Kingsmill. I see the shit people buy from the local "bakery" - they call it sourdough - it really isn't - it's pappy shit, but they sell loads of it - what do I know! 😂 Plenty of people must be happy with it otherwise they wouldn't sell it - but it isn't proper bread - it's full of crap!

@timeforanewstart

If you put this post up about any other nationality it would be frowned upon but its ok to bash the british according to some And also judge everyone who lives here the same

Frowned upon! If this thread had been about any other nationality there would have been uproar after the first post and it would’ve been removed shortly afterwards. I bought stereotyping nationalities was unacceptable across the board?

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.

@Spudlet

It’s interesting that several of the more negative stereotypes on here are ones that I’ve seen applied to several other nationalities too - specifically ones about cleanliness, and about the appearance of women of those nationalities (I won’t say which as I consider them to be rude and hurtful). The stereotypes in question certainly don’t reflect my experiences of those nationalities and I’d consider them to reflect very poorly on the people who spout them, but there’s a definite theme there - around ‘dirty foreigners’ and so on. Perhaps xenophobia speaks a universal language... Now there is a depressing thought.

I was thinking the same. The comments about hygiene are very similar to stereotypes in England about other countries - a nearby European country springs to mind the most (as above, I’m not agreeing, just saying that that stereotype definitely exists).

If this thread had been about any other nationality there would have been uproar after the first post and it would’ve been removed shortly afterwards.

You may have missed a few long and harsh threads here recently on the topic of the Irish, full of the usual slurs, which were allowed to stand.

@Elcantador

Sadly in our patriarchal world women's value is often based on looks so rating an entire nations women as either attractive or ugly is misogynistic. Ugly British men hadn't been mentioned in the thread, the focus was on women and that's because men aren't scrutinised and objectified in the same way.

@ForthPlace

My Dutch bestie says...

We are an absolute laughing stock over Brexit
We shop online too much (even pre-Covid)
SM has taken over - when do you meet and have real friends?
Lack of community
Run down high streets
Poor quality products, cheap shops, fast fashion, tacky
Indoor rather than outdoor
Unethical in terms of the environment
Unfit
Mono cultural and single language
Over inflated sense of Britain's importance
No common sense, we rely on rules.

Not a great list...

Going to attempt a reply to your dutch mate as a naturalised Brit

I am ashamed of Brexit and handling of it and all people I know are. The govt is not the majority.
Online shopping is the way forward!
Social media is universal among the younger generation.
Decorum precedes many things so maybe there isnt that same sense of warmth but there are communities, look at your local Facebook group, charities and neighbours coming together..
High streets run down because see online above + rent from landlords atrocious (only debt-fuelled private equity backed chains can afford resulting in samey high streets)
Most of our products are imported we have hardly any manufacturing. It's called trade
Depends where you live, there is lots of countryside in Britain
Yes we are behind Nordic counterparts as profit motives rule, but there will be change... expect more green energy etc
Unfit - yes we have a drinking culture. But I certainly dont get the continental obsession with ironman and marathons. We have superior team and spectator sports.
Monoculture... London is far more cosmopolitan and diverse than Amsterdam.
English is the best language.
Agree with the inflated ego, but some call it pride.
Yes we like rules (see decorum) but see how we debate endlessly about every rule and ideology behind each rule?

First of all my mother is French and I spent every school holiday there until I was 16 (where I was subjected to constant abuse and hostility because I spoke with en English accent ) and I hated every minute plus I've lived and worked in numerous other countries as a medical professional so I’ll tell you my experience of that : the US obsession with guns, Police, Customs Officials, Immigration Officials, Private Security guards in supermarkets with guns plus the shocking level of obesity. And graffiti, literally everywhere. Blatant and open racism in Southern France. Misogyny in The Gulf States. Incredible rudeness and racism in Australia. In fact, I would say Australia is the most racist country I’ve ever been to. Yes, I earnt a lot of money and met some lovely people, especially in Texas and Honolulu but I was so glad to come home and you wouldn’t get me on the Eurostar for all the tea in China.

Scandi country here, the usual comments I get from my friends and relatives is that uk has a really interesting culture, great country to travel to in terms of sightseeing, history, world class events and experiences. Excellent higher education. And of course the best football teams....

But also many think uk is unsafe, lots of violent crime, terrorism, corruption etc. and lower standards of housing, primary education, general living standards, hygiene, health provisions and food.

-Inflexible thinking
-Too much "go by the guidelines and rules" no leeway
-Funny 😂 great sense of humour
-Homes can be bit dirty especially ones with house pets or ones where you don't take your shoes off but then there are some homes, it is immaculate

• I don't understand why you don't rinse your dishes and leave it soapy?

-I don't understand why you don't rinse yourself or kids and come out of the bath soapy? -I don't understand why you share your bath water with others? If you want to save water, then just have a shower

• Limited cuisine but thank god it's an international country where you can have the most amazing food with decent size portions but you do the best fish and chips

-I don't understand why you have such heavy breakfast and baked beans -Very diplomatic and good at holding your emotions -Genuine

I was born here and I love this country and it's people. I can't think of anywhere else around the world where I would call home. I love autumn and winter, rushing home in the rain when it's dark and walking into my warm terraced home having dinner in front of the TV with great TV programmes. Living life but taking it slowly as it isn't a fast paced country unless you're in the city. I love the architecture, the history, the countryside, the seaside and the culture. 💙

So, where do you buy your bread ffrom @knickybricks? Or do you only make your own?

No common sense, we rely on rules.
I agree with that one myself, especially on the roads.

Isn't it strange that not many people in the world like us Brits (English even less) yet most people want to come and live here.

The irony @Noidea2114

I think a lot of the negativity comes from Britain's colonial past - if we hadn't oppressed and marginalised so many cultures we would be singing from a different song sheet.

I asked my European colleagues this exact question the other day and they were very positive about how kind British people are with their politeness. I loathe the tradition of small talk but couldn't exist in a culture where shouting over one another is seen as being passionate rather than rude.

Humour and sarcasm were also mentioned

Our VERY odd traditions. Apparently other countries DON'T have gurning competitions, I wonder why?!

Also our acceptance of other cultures was plauded. It's hard to see that with brexit and what feels like a rising xenophobia, but even compared to the much-celebrated Nordics we are much now accepting of other cultures than many other nations

The breadth of our language - English has FOUR TIMES the number of words as French! We have many hilarious and odd phrases, personal favourite being "well, bugger me sideways" to express surprise

I am a native Brit by the way, who has been trying to think of the things I like about British people. I think I have some answers now.

Can't understand the sense of humor here too, Brits seem to laugh at nothing. I think Scots Irish and Welsh are different then English from my experiences so far.

Isn't it strange that not many people in the world like us Brits (English even less) yet most people want to come and live here.

We really don't.

I lived abroad for a lot of years and had a Dutch boyfriend for a while (we weren't in Europe, so we were both abroad). He said English girls were known for having big tits and low self esteem so were easy to get in to bed. I have little guts abc he worked hard for the privilege of seeing them, lol

Most other people saw us as either stiff upper lip or football hooligans, bad teeth and arrogant.

Also for the posters who said you can't get decent rye bread in the UK, try the Karaway bakery brand on Ocado. It's expensive but very nice quality and stays fresh for ages.

I work with lots of people from various European nations, eg German, Swedish, Dutch, Belgian, French, Spanish etc and they all, every single one, think the Brits have lost our minds over Brexit. They see it as a completely incomprehensible act of self-harm. They look at us with the same bafflement that we have for gun-obsessed American rednecks who vote for Trump.

KenDodd I watched a documentary about the 2012 Paralympic games the other day. It was upsetting, what our country has become since.

Was in Sweden in Feb. Everyone commented on brexit. Were at great pains to tell me how foolish it was. I made sure to say that I fully agreed it was a stupid thing to do.

Well you don't take even solicited criticism lightly .