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.

I love history and watch and listen to a lot of historical information/documentaries etc etc

When British colonisation or plunder is talked about its always approached with a tone of voice thats censorious, apologetic, horrified, doom laden etc etc

When Spanish, or French, Dutch, Portuguese, etc etc, colonisation is discussed or reflected on, its done with a much more neutral tone emphasing what the invading brought to those invaders but equally what the colonised benefited from, as well as the damage done but there isnt the same tone of voice used.

It happens every time, its quite remarkable.

Also, a side issue, whenever 'British' food is being discussed on social media normally but also in programmes sometimes, there is always a point made that curry, fish and chips etc is appropriated, its not British, the British stole it etc etc

Yet the same is never said about Italian food (Chinese and new world theft and appropriation), Spanish (new world theft and appropriation), I could go on

Instead we bang on about a Mediterranean diet. Er no, its a south American diet.

I think if any other people's dislike the English it's not because of what happened in the past it's when English people claim credit for bringing railways or cricket or modernity to countries with centuries of their own culture and inventions.

We (I'm mostly English) dont need to be ashamed of past events but don't need to be so defensive of different perspectives that we deny that anything ever was done by previous English leaders that we wouldn't do today.

Oh I forgot there do indeed seem to be some people on the internet who hate the Scots. Must be bloody southerners - many do seem to be Londoners - to want to take the Scots on, ie not the people near the Scots who would actually have to do it. Does this help?

Probably the US. Not that we feel resentful about the war of independence or anything, we're just so pissed off that they think they're so much better than us, when we know how much better we are in every measurable way (except meaningless things like sporting prowess, and the economy, and security and being a global superpower, and shit like that).

I've always found it quite odd that we have such a voracious appetite for American music and media (and all things American really) and yet we're simultaneously so entirely disdainful towards the US, and so certain that they're all a bunch of uneducated, gun-toting, Bible-bashing idiots.

I'm nearly 50 and remember my grandmother despising German people right up until she died. These days, my DC is best friends with a German child. Anyway, I don't harbour any resentment towards any nation/people. The only people I don't like are people currently causing problems (like Putin). But again, my DC has a good friend who's Russian, so it's really bad feeling against Putin, not Russian people in general.

British people are much more likely to hate their own politicians - past and present.

English and don't resent any other country.

Two WWs and one World Cup is top bants 🤣

England were the dominating force...hence the dominance of the English language worldwide. So English people probably don't feel as hard done by as nothing significant has been taken from them.

I don't agree with people getting angry with the current English generation as it has nothing to do with them. Or even the previous generations. Invasions and colonisations were led by the crown, not the common man.

No. I can honestly say that. Not anyone - I don’t blame anyone alive today for the Nazi atrocities or Kaiser Bill’s warmongering.

i know my history, so I do know about the bad blood between England and Ireland and I completely understand how harrowing that was.

What I don’t understand and actually feel very sad about is the way anti-English feeling is kept simmering in Ireland. I have Irish friends and I’ve got on well with all the Irish people I’ve met. I love many aspects of their culture- particularly the music.

Similarly with Wales and Scotland but I get that they resent being governed from Westminster. But I would not visit the Celtic nations now because of fear of anti-English feeling. It’s really sad - I loved going to Wales years ago, but things seem to be much more hostile now.

Looool! America is like a teenage version of our adult self. So cringe and needs to have the piss taken out of it, but we still secretly love it.

And they’re rightly considered to be racist.

Scotland is not governed from Westminster. It has its own Parliament that deal with all internal matters. The only things it doesn’t control are matters that concern the whole UK, eg defence

Just like the marches we keep seeing in Ireland and Scotland. I think there’s been one in Wales too.

I’m really sorry, I don’t know how we have misunderstood each other to this extent on these posts. I was agreeing with you

I’m sorry, I probably misread! Apologies both ways, then! Thank you for pointing it out nicely.

I would say there's animosity among many British people age 70+ towards Germans. Started 2 huge wars etc. Similar for same age group towards Japanese because of their cruelty as occupiers & towards prisoners of war in WWII.

I think English people were actually overly protective of Russians when Putin invaded, at pains to point out how he didn’t represent normal Russian people and they weren’t to blame. It seemed to completely miss that Putin is very popular and there isn’t much upset about the invasion, if anything being overly generous to normal Russians

I have not found that in my own family or people I know. But appreciate people can have different experiences.

America often complains about the Revolution

Say what?

Yank here. I have never heard an American complain about the Revolution. What’s there to complain about?

I don’t think we have any serious hatred towards any country. Growing up Germany was still hated when it came to the football and I remember my parents always moaning about German tourists when we went on holiday. Nowadays I think we’re the worst ones! There was still a lot of talk about ‘the War’ back then in the 90s but I don’t think that’s the case anymore. I was in France during the summer and a group of young Dutch children were shouting ‘Heil Hitler’ to a German boy. It really surprised me.

There is definitely a love-hatred relationship with the French.

I also hate Australia when it comes to most sports but again that’s definitely a jokey sports rivalry and nothing serious.

I do feel that a lot of people with negative attitudes about the English are forgetting that most English people weren't taking the decisions. They were essentially in thrall to the nobility until relatively recently (and to be honest haven't shaken the class system off). Parliament was run by the aristocracy for a long time.

My grandfather hated the Japanese but he fought against them in Burma and saw some awful things, my own father still has a poor opinion of the country due to seeing his father suffer with mental health afterwards and the trauma it caused.
I on the other hand have a great love for Japan and their culture and don’t see the point of holding grudges, these events all happened in the past and there will always be innocent people who suffer in war and in conflict but we can’t ever move forwards if we are always thinking of the past and carrying on past grudges.

I think you all have the wrong end of the stick - the Irish don't want you to atone for the sins of your fathers generation and before (yes it was that recent). What we want is for you to not try and minimise what happened, or to try and make out that England fared as badly at some point as well, as though that somehow makes it ok to have treated others the same way.

England fared worse.

I said what I said.

Most European countries were colonisers though. I’d never thought about this before but I wonder if say, S America hates Spain, or Turkey Germany, or if Portugal’s ex-colonies hate them?

I think Algeria is very bitter towards France, and the Congo towards Belgium for good reason.