Are the British “cultured”?

[Astronutty]

A (Swedish) friend recently made an observation to me that she found the British to be very cultured. This surprised me so I asked her what she meant. Her point that with the wide access to libraries, book stores, BBC radio, museums and so on, she found the UK to be more cultured compared to her native Sweden. She’d studied at UK University and found most undergraduates were engaged in politics and the world around them.

I’d always thought of France as a more cultural place and didn’t think UK stood out in that regard.

Would you consider the UK a cultured country?

No

No.

and I agree that France is far more cultured.

I imagine there’d be significant variation depending on income, education, background, location and socio-economic status. All of this affects access to information, education and overall “cutural” opportuies. The nation isn’t one homogeneous group.

I don’t think you can generalise really. It’s like everything some people are, some aren’t. And I would say it will be the same for any country.

Sweeping generalisations about anything is a load of nonsense

Clearly she didn't meet the farmers in my local pub.

You can't generalise for a population for any of the mentioned countries! Yes we have access to many resources, often free or subsidised for those who want it yet many choose not to be interested. The world I've moved in was full of "culture" yet I know of people who haven't even heard of the composer's whose work I've seen performed, have never been to a gallery and certainly don't listen to radio stories for instance - I showed a friend with failing eyesight how to access bbc sounds and the radio plays just the other day, she didn't know they existed! My young adult DD's debate politics happily but not convinced they are typical, they have been brought up in academic circles

No. Quite the opposite!

Yes of course. The Brits have lots of culture. You don’t notice culture when you live in a place as you are it. It’s in our history, our TV, our music, our humour, the things we do, our behaviours, our sports, our royals, our libraries, our theatres, our museums, our historic buildings, our countryside, our clothing, the way we speak, our schools, our work places, our political system, our radio.
everything humans do is culture. It can be good, bad, neutral, mean different things to different people.
every country has a culture and every family has cultural practices ( things they do), every workplace and school has a culture.
I think we’re blessed in this country with our particular culture. I like European culture generally but I like all countries culture. It’s why we go on holiday , to experience another culture different from our own ( plus the sun of course).
if you have ever felt homesick , it’s because you are missing your own culture. It’s why we feel at home somewhere too.

I wouldn't say so. Not generally. But I like her observation about access to libraries and museums etc. Does she mean better access than in her country? Because I'll take that as a compliment.

agree.

Library in my city is very big and well used by all ages.

The BBC does churn out very high quality stuff but how many people appreciate that? Most people I know can’t distinguish between ITV and BBC quality in historical dramas for example. How many people listen to radio 4 and discuss it? I remember being laughed at at work once for mentioning an interesting programme I’d listened to.

I’d love to go to the theatre more but can’t afford it - tickets + babysitter cost. Sometimes go to NT Live at local cinema but screenings always seem empty and I can’t find anyone to go with - no one is interested!

I think your friend is right in that there’s lots of potential and resources. But also students are quite a restricted group to get an impression from and are probably a period of life where they’re more engaged and able to make bigger use of resources. Poll a group of tired out mums of young children or a workplace where degrees aren’t essential and I think you’d find much less or more dormant engagement.

Some people are incredibly cultured, others not so much.

I suspect it's the same in every country 🤷‍♀️

Yes, people in some parts of UK are very cultured, politically aware and have access to massive amounts of free museums, education and diverse experiences. However there is a huge poverty gap that is increasing and has changed how and if people interact with culture.

UK certainly has the option to be very cultured and I feel native Brits don't appreciate it and are too lazy to seek cultural opportunities and would rather blame the government for not bringing it to them

Generally - no.

Class distinctions are too entrenched in Britain to allow a free flow of cultural exchange and experience. So many people look down on, or patronisingly tolerate, any cultural activity they consider working class; so many others fiercely resent anything they consider elitist.

So essentially engagement in cultural pursuits, here, is undertaken primarily to mark one’s place in society, rather than purely for enjoyment, enlightenment, transformation.

As someone involved in the creative arts at a professional level it’s exhausting and depressing. We have a government that has no use for ‘culture’ unless it can be bought and sold - and a national arts administration that consequently frames every single creative enterprise in terms of ‘measurable’ social benefit - because that’s the only criterion that results in money being made available.

No. We’re not cultured.

Very interesting thread. I'd agree with all the posters who said that the UK isn't a homogeneous identity. How are we defining culture? Is it in terms of high culture (opera, ballet, radio 3) or low culture (soap operas, Take A Break magazine, superhero films etc).

I think for me culture encompasses all the things I've listed above. HeroicallyFound and Sashagabadon sum it up brilliantly. I would say you are cultured if you can answer yes to the following: are you engaged with the world around you? Do you interact with the output of any of the following: writers, musicians, artists, actors (of all of any genres). Are you curious about how mankind expresses itself?

(And yes, I think the British have one of the most vibrant, complex and challenging cultures of anywhere. I am really proud to live in this incredible country despite its many shortfalls).

Lots of Brits do take advantage of our free culture though. Try visiting a museum in london during half term. It’s packed to the rafters with families getting free culture. Yes there are tourists but vast majority are Brits.
there are also free events in lots of places and opportunities for cheap tickets for theatre etc.
panto is culture and lots of families love it.
parks are culture and they’re always packed.
TV is culture and us Brits watch a lot of TV.
Beach day trips are cultural. Ours involve a funfair ride, icecream and fish and chips and getting sun burnt. That is cultural too.
most small towns have a small theatre with things going. We’re very lucky to have so many theatres and libraries.

My friend was definitely talking about her experience in university educated circles so no doubt that contributed to her view as Brits as a cultured group.

"As someone involved in the creative arts at a professional level it’s exhausting and depressing. We have a government that has no use for ‘culture’ unless it can be bought and sold - and a national arts administration that consequently frames every single creative enterprise in terms of ‘measurable’ social benefit - because that’s the only criterion that results in money being made available."

Yeah, this hurts. The fetishisation of STEM and the hostile culture for arts and humanities is massively depressing. The recent controversy around studying maths to 18 was another excuse to bash the humanities.

Thr UK has a larger population, and greater population density, than Sweden. That means it's able to support a larger number of cultural institutions and therefore looks more cultured. Whether than translates to a greater portion of the population talking an interest in and advantage of what is available is harder to say.

No. The British have contributed, and continue to contribute massively to culture in the sense of the arts across the board (music, visual arts, literature etc), not forgetting institutions like the NT, the BBC, the major art galleries, the BL, BM, ROH, ENO, orchestras, arts festivals etc etc, but in terms of whether on a general level, you would say the population as a whole could be considered highly ‘cultured’, no, definitely not. There’s a far stronger correlation between social class and ‘high culture’ than in many other societies, which limits participation even when access is free (‘not for the likes of us’/ ‘art is for nobs’), and there’s also a strong strand of philistinism in British society.

Typically working class activities are cultural. They are working class culture. I hate this idea that only “high brow” activities are cultural. Everything is.
panto is good example , it is traditionally working class but everyone can go at Christmas and have a good time. There are a variety of price points too.
or you can see the nutcracker in the royal Albert hall. I actually have tickets for this coming Christmas. Seats are threat but they were£20 . Not super cheap but pretty good value. You could also spend £200 quid on a better seat. But the cultural aspect is the same.

And yes, absolutely to this.

66 million people in the country - officially. Very difficult to generalise beyond pointing out that, if you're poor and/or don't live in London or another major conurbation, your options for being cultured are far fewer than they were before 2010. You only have to look at the large scale defunding of galleries, libraries and theatres in poorer areas.

Also depends what you mean by culture. I grew up in a city dominated by football culture, it took until I was at university with a flatmate who was studying fine art before I knew anything at all about art or music. It will also depend what university she's at and who she hangs out with.

Err “some parts of the UK”?🤨 I think you will find that culture can be found in every area in the UK. And the narrow minded can be found everywhere too.

It depends on education and background.

For a big part of the population ''culture'' is rubbish reality TV, celebrity gossip and whatever nonsense the Daily Mail prints...

The UK has always made a huge contribution to fashion, art, music, literature, films but I would say that we have more people who are poorly educated and not very literate/numerate compared to many other EU countries.