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.

If anyone, Germany. We only finished paying back our WW2 debt to the States fairly recently, certainly post 2000. For a war we didn’t want to enter, half a million people killed but we were obliged to defend Europe and rightfully so. I’m very proud of England.

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?

Other than WW2 none of the above have happened within living memory so people won't feel resentment.

No, we don't generally hate the countries who hate us, because we were the ones who were the colonisers or the rulers in those cases. Obviously we've had wars with other countries, but that's not quite the same as being ruled by them. With the French it was too long ago for us to be more than jokingly pissed off about it. With the Romans not even that.

We have a jokey hatred of the French but really we can’t get enough of their gites, vins, fromages et sang froid.

prob cos we’re all half French anyway

How about the Romans, Angles, Saxons, Vikings, Normans..........?

But that was all too long ago for us to hold onto a grudge, unlike some others we could mention. Our strategy now seems to be to make fun of anyone who annoys us, which diffuses the problem. Since the French are our nearest neighbours, they probably get the most ribbing. However (and I see it as a positive), the people we make the most fun of is........ourselves 😄

I remember grandparents hating on the Germans and saying Japanese are evil based on WW2 but subsequent generations not holding any malice based on WW2

I remember my parents generation hating on the Russians - called them commies -

and my generation hating on the French for the Calais / small boats crisis but equally admiring the French for chic clothing, beautiful patisserie and va va voom !

Guilt

As someone with Irish family, it's more because so many in England don't actually understand the history.

Jewish British people hate the Germans in general

Haha, agree

I love the French; in fact I love all Europeans actually!

As an English person I’ve also had very warm receptions in India, Myanmar and the States.

🤣🤣😂🤷‍♀️

Had to happen .. I was pleasantly surprised it took so long

Here we go

I'm not going anywhere but where would you like to go?

I've never met anybody from Japan but if I'm being 100% honest, having at a formative age read a couple of books about Japanese war atrocities, I've never quite been able to culturally disassociate them from this. I am very aware of this prejudice however and know it's wholly unfounded in modern society. I have no such feeling about other cultures related to the World Wars.

I think I probably have some sweeping feelings about counties who still have poor human rights records.

Name a nation, any one, which has done England dirty?

No I don't hate any country. I currently despise some leaders of some countries, for sure. But can't ever justify resentment against an entire race- not logical.

Yes but I want to exempt Wales from that as the Welsh are bloody lovely, absolutely hilarious and very self deprecating (in my experience)

Germany doesn't seem to get the most love but that's not surprising.

Yes. And the Spanish. The way they treated the South Americans.

Germany.

I'm English and have relatives who were in both world wars but it's fair to say that I don't hate anyone. I think that generally speaking English are tolerant because we're an island so have rarely been invaded. Unlike say Poland whose borders are have fluid historically speaking.

Because, despite what the media and the Government would like you to think, the vast majority of English people like to get on with everyone, no matter their status, nationality, colour, race or religion.

I often wonder if it comes from an innate sense of superiority over other nations🤣🤣

The Barbary slave trade struck fear into the heart of coastal Britons for over 300 years.

It's not like the UK hasn't seen its fair share of invasions over the centuries either.

I think overall the British are some of the most calm and rational people, with a seemingly inbuilt sense of fair play. So I guess it's only natural they don't hold a grudge and attempt to hold people account for things they never had any part in.

www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Barbary-Pirates-English-Slaves/