Can English people explain how they feel about this?

[Green215]

As an English person, do you hold resentment towards any country based on historical grievances like war, invasion, famine, colonialism etc? If so, which; if not, why?

The reason I ask is because I’ve always found it odd how the English tend to be the only people in the world who do not hold such grievances.

Irish people are always complaining about British colonialism; many Scots and Welsh likewise complain about England on a historical basis; Greeks and Turks complain about one another; Africans, Indians, Arabs etc complain about European colonialism and American invasions; China complains about Japanese atrocities and vice versa; Russia complains about German atrocities; post-Soviet states complain about Russian occupation; France and Germany complain about one another; America often complains about the Revolution; Canada complains about the War of 1812; Mexico and Latin American countries and Caribbean countries complain about American invasions or interference or colonialism; some Australians resent British rule etc.

But, rarely do English people demand reparations or sing “rebel songs” or complain about historical grievances. Why?

I could understand if maybe some English people resented Germany due to the two world balls or resented America for things like the Suez crisis and the funding of the IRA. And truth be told, I have come across some English people that are like that. But, they are very few compared to the other peoples I described.

I understand that this is sort of an academic question, but I wanted to come on this forum to ask ordinary English people how they felt and I hope you can give some honest answers rather than sarcastic responses or not answering the question properly.

Case in fucking point.

i envy Italy their weather and beautiful buildings but other than than no

It niggles me a bit whtn people talk rubbish, but hey ho, us Scots are used to hearing it from our neighbours.

Interesting you say that about the English, although that's never been my impression as an Irish person. The English are grounded and well read. As far as I'm concerned the English, invariably, are the sensible ones in the room. Put it this way, if aliens landed on Earth and we had to pick a nationality to represent humanity to make an impression on the aliens so they wouldn't exploit us, the English would be near the top.

Your comment is definitely true about Germans. I read a great book (peer reviewed) by a US author who explained why Germany, despite being just 80 years from the Holocaust, was able to largely be without internal conflict, whereas america was not. The reason was Germans don't try and whitewash their history like america does. They own it, thus deal with it. There is a humility with Germans. There is no "patriotic history" equivalent in Germany like those advocated by Trump. More than virtually any other nation on the planet america should be very humble after the atrocities it has committed, starting with the dehumanization and ethnic cleansing of the Native people.

I made this comment recently to a typical ra ra ra ignoramus from america who was boasting about how great america was:

"You might have never gone without (refuse to believe that), but millions in america have. It has the worst "healthcare" in the Western world with millions unable to afford any. Stan Brock, a British philanthropist, started a charity intended to provide healthcare for the third world but ended up being based in america such was the need. Recently a kid in america died from asthma as he could not afford an inhaler. Last December a CEO of a health insurance company was assassinated. Then there is the cheap wooden housing, the poor quality cars, shootings (average of more deaths by firearm in america in 1 day than the UK in a year), home to the highest incarceration rate in the world, the unparalleled income disparity where the top 1% own 98% of the wealth (and the race disparity where blacks despite being 14% own just 1.5% of national wealth), the global leader in race law (white only citizenship, white only vote, white only schools to white only residents), the dehumanization and ethnic cleansing of the Native people, the enslavement of Africans by the "founders", all the racist documents that now come with a warning (declaration, constitution etc), the national anthem written by a slaveowner with a third verse that excoriated the slaves who fled the plantations and joined the British to gain their freedom, and on and on. With your ignorance ("we the best") it sounds like in history class you got the infamous education, patriotic (whitewashed) education, that Trump is trying to maintain. Any american (which is a white person per one of its many race based laws) with a semblance of history and world affairs would be very humble."

I could never have made the same comment to a Brit or a German (despite both nationalities achieving far more in the world than america) as Brits and Germans are too sensible, too mature, too grounded in reality, and aware of history and not brainwashed with a whitewashed version of it, to be making the ignorant claims of a typical american.

To further this point, this was how foreign people viewed other countries (Germany top, UK came third).

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22624104

The Celts, Romans, Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Danes, Norse and Normans from before the Romans in 40-something AD until the Normans in 1066. I mean technically the English never got out from under the Normans but here we are.

That would be the half danish Harold

Because EVERYTHING is about England in the UK! EVERYTHING

Yes, as it should be 😁
And you know nothing of my people.

Same. Fond mockery of all European neighbours absolutely baked in to my childhood and growing up - French, Germans etc. But then spend holidays over there mutually taking the mick in cafes. That European Community really worked for us.

I also suspect it’s a bit because English people believe that being born English is winning the lottery of life.

it 'amuses' me that while our kids are taught about the invasion, they gloss over those bits.

It's picked up a bit more locally where i live as the ruling family here was one put in by William.

History is one of my personal interest subjects, i'm currently listening to the audio book "unruly" by David Mitchell that goes into the history of our monarchy, and we just got to Williams arrival.. its very interesting!

Nice attitude. People died in their tens of thousands. And it wasn't the fault of the Irish.

I think statements.like this explain at least some of.any animosity towards England/the English.

Unless it was satire

What Scottish obsession exactly?

The last time we were colonised was 1066 and it feels a bit silly to hold a grudge against the French for something that happened so long ago.
My grandparents generation often had grudges against the Germans and the Japanese, but again that was 80 years ago and those countries are now wonderful places.

We haven't been invaded for a 1000 years but we did the invading/colonising. Belgium ran the Congo as their personal slave camp so prob some animosity there and the Vietnamese hated the French. But we seemed to assume a superior ity over everyone. Just lucky we were able to defeat other nations but lost America.

Are you forgetting that the Channel Islands are part of the UK?

I think statements.like this explain at least some of.any animosity towards England/the English.

Unless it was satire

@Goldbar sadly I think that statement sums up the views of English people. We’re told from an early age that we’re vile horrible people who’ve committed relentless atrocities throughout history, and we should be ashamed of ourselves for simply existing.

We’ve got to hang our heads in shame for the slave trade, despite it being over 200 years ago, and despite England abolishing it before many other countries. We have to hate ourselves for having colonies, despite France, Spain, Portugal and others having colonies that they never seem to express shame over.

I think this constant state of enforced disgrace is one of the reasons people are fighting back and being tempted by horrible characters like Farage. Like a child who is forced to stand in the naughty corner every day. Eventually they think “fuck it, I’m sick of this”.

Good point / I wonder if they feel differently?

Nope. My parents were Irish and felt lucky to live and work in England where they had nothing but good fortune and a life they could only have dreamed of in rural Ireland. I never once heard them make a disparaging remark about colonialism.

I don't think it's completely true to say the Normans changed our language. They added to it. We still use a lot of Anglo Saxon.

It was absolutely horrendous but it was almost 200 years ago.
My ancestors fled the famine and came to England.
I’m English.

Who do I get legitimately hate?

I literally couldn't agree more!

@readingmakesmehappy so if the places are wonderful it’s OK that they massacred millions of innocent people in living memory? But we’ve got to feel bad about something our ancestors did over 200 years ago? Can’t we have a “free pass” for being wonderful too? Or are we not wonderful? In which case, why do people risk their lives to come here?