How to actually preserve British culture and values?

[constantcycle]

Seeing all of the flag-flying and marches in the name of "preserving British culture" and "promoting British values," I was wondering if anyone has any advice on how to actually do these things rather than stoking division and hatred?

I already support museums, visit the National Trust sites and national parks whenever I can, and buy from local businesses as much as possible. I love listening to British music and attending events with local artists. I do my best to buy local produce, and I love a good farm shop when I can afford them! I also take lessons in my local language, one of the several dying British languages people are doing their best to conserve. I'm thinking maybe I should find some volunteering opportunities too.

Is there anything more I could be doing, or that others may not have considered? I'd love to see this sudden surge in patriotism used for the good of British society and all of the diverse communities within it!

Britain as well as many other countries were colonised by Italy for a long time.
We were also savagely invaded by the Danes.
I don't hear many conversations about how terrible that was from Brits because its in the past and didn't involve any Italian/Danish people alive today. Hopefully we move on from the past and improve and learn from it.
What country are you from because I doubt theres nothing questionable in its past.

As a Scottish person living in Scotland, many, many of the examples above of "British" culture above just don't seem British to me, they are English. They don't resonate. Examples given of "UK Law" and "UK education" are just nonsense, such things don't exist.

I live in a community where a diversity of languages are spoken, be it Gaidhlig, Polish or Urdu. Where migrants and refugees are welcomed, where we look on in horror at, and protest about, what is happening in Palestine, Ukraine and elsewhere.

Scotland is a country people have long migrated from/to. From what I can see, we manage to preserve our Scottish culture whilst embracing new cultures too.

There is no such thing as UK Law.

I have thousands upon thousands of examples of Brits invading, pillaging, destroying and bombing hundreds of other countries in the last couple of centuries (and as recently as, ooh, a few years ago) if that would help?

@Gingernessywow talk about whitewashing. Are you actually aware of the atrocities commited in the name of colonisation? The fact that this is living memory?

Pretty much yes. If I moved abroad to another country and chose to make my life there. I would make sure I learned the language and integrated.

I wouldn't expect to impose my culture on them. Or expect them to change. That's not how it works when you choose to move somewhere.

I live in the North of Ireland and for our family we listen to Irish music, watch Irish films and documentaries. Learn our history and teach our kids as much as they will listen to lol. We cook Irish food and our children learn the Irish language in school. We take our kids across the border to visit other parts of Ireland.

Would you like to tell that to everyone at the last night of the proms yesterday.

Every year, it's taken over by the eu flag and the last couple of years, palestinian flags.

If flag flying isn't something that means anything or solves anything? would you like to tell the soft lefties.

Well to me culture is art, literature, music, architecture, our interaction with the landscapes around us etc. Britain has always been incredibly rich in all of those things over the centuries. I don’t think that’s the ‘culture’ that the marchers are interested in though! But equally I think many on the Left (and I would describe myself as Left) are uncomfortable with highlighting British culture outside of the melting pot narrative.

Have we moved on from the Iraq “war”, the “war on terror” in Afghanistan, the Gulf War, Britain’s support of the Libyan insurgents in 2011, Britain’s ongoing military support of Israel etc etc? Because I don’t know how old you are but all of the above happened in my lifetime. You must have a very short memory. Maybe there wouldn’t be so many boats if Britain in particular stopped bombing everyone?

We have a flagshagger on our street. I came home on Friday evening to find an ENGERLAND!!! flag on the lamppost outside our house and a couple of Union flags a bit further down either side. Now the council by laws state no flags so I took the items down and binned them because I don't want a flag outside my house. If someone wants to fly a flag on their property that's fine with me (draw the line at Swastikas). Cue last night and undercover of darkness there is an anonymous note pushed thro the door that reads
'I want my flag back'
Er, who does? Anonymous note. Your flag? The flag(s) hung up illegally? Any name on these flags to say who they belong to? If people want to do this have the courage to do it in daylight, ask permission and knock on the door to ask for their item back.

@Gingernessy the vast vast majority of immigrants work and contribute, many in well paid and skilled jobs. Aslyum seekers and irregular migrants are a tiny proportion of immigrants.

Yeah that’s not how the concept of culture actually works. It does not exist in a vacuum. Culture changes as populations change, as landscapes change, as language changes, as even the climate changes. I find it interesting that what a lot of the posters on this thread deem to be culture is actually focused on activities that predominantly came about in the aftermath of the Industrial Revolution and the development of the British Empire. Do none of you care about 12th century Britain? Or Britain in the Ice Age? Or Stone Age? Or the birth of agriculture? How dare you.

You mean like - Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Russia, America, Iran, Israel, Palestine, Spain, Afghanistan, and several others. Why do you single out Britain?
Are you an anti British racist?

Watching less American tv? I see a lot of Brits adopting American culture ( language, speech patterns, foods even bbc now regularly features superbowl). There is a bigger influence from that side of the pond than any other culture. Then of course not adopting the Mediterranean diet, no patatas bravas or any tapas, sushi, ramen, when out. And avoid curries, Chinese take aways, shampoo, building or living in Bungalows, wearing dungarees or pyjamas (at leasþ dont call the. That (last 4 are originally Indian).
Bring back jellied eels I say!!!🙏

I hate to rain on your parade, @Dappy777, but the British army murdered unarmed civilians in NI (and no one was ever brought to justice), colluded with loyalist paramilitaries to commit other murders, and tortured detainees. And I’m writing this in a city centre that was looted burnt down by British crown forces during the war of independence. Rape and head shaving of republican women was widespread as an act of war but seldom reported. My grandmother was one of them. Many of these men were WWI veterans.

I lived in England for many years, and remain very fond of it. I’m deeply saddened to see what’s happening at the moment, and hope it’s a temporary aberration. There are lots of reasons to be proud of being British. But the mistaken idea that the British army hasn’t committed atrocities in its time isn’t one.

God what a pathetic response. Well I live in Britain and this thread is about Britain so I’m focusing on Britain. That’s usually how conversation works. I love how the whataboutery always begins when there is no adequate response to the point in hand.

That is how it works in many countries. It would be illegal for me to earn a bible in many muslim states, for example.

Culture does exist in a vacuum in many countries.

That poster’s point about how she’d rather fall into the hands of the British army rather than anyone else is so foul isn’t it? The British army strikes fear into the hearts of millions and millions of people around the world who have suffered at their hands.

Have you even visited any other countries? Ever? Because culture most certainly does not exist in a vacuum anywhere. And how did you go from “culture” to burning a holy book? It’s weird that that’s where your mind goes: rampant destruction of something others hold dear.

Let's not exclude Belgium who enslaved the Congo.

I'm aware of that.
To be honest I'm out.
Some posters on this thread seem to be demonising Britain as if every ill the world is down to our actions. No other countries have ever been involved in wars, invasions or conalisation obviously.

Good on you for taking it down. Out of curiosity how exactly did you remove it? I want to remove a couple from my street.

“I want my flag back” 😂 coward.

I give up!
Have a nice day in shit Britain.

That's because the Danes and Romans totally dominated tribes here and changed you fundamentally. We on the other hand survived you. You destroyed so much of us but we held on. We survived. Now we are you nightmare come true. My great grandfather and my grandfather both fought colonisation. I am your nightmare. My best friends mother lived through the mau mau massacres. A colleague speaks Russian because being hunted during the fight against colonisation in the late 70s, he fled and sought refuge in Russia (as no western allied country wouldntake him) where he got his education. He could not return to his home until after 1980 when we won the freedom. As late as 1986 most governments in the west still supported apartheid one way or another. And don't forget the traumas inflicted on Iraqis. I only hear about ptsd of soldiers who were there for months at the most and lost a couple of friends. Never of Iraqis who lost friends, families, neighbourhoods and then live through the toxins left behind with hardly any support. So yes, we will talk about it. We will mourn and moan. You can talk about the Romans and Danes if you wwant. We won't stop you and you won't stop us.
And we will come. By boat, plane, or spaceship. We will walk on water if we have to. Until there is justice and global equality.