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AIBU?

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Original poster

To not really like or approve of St George's Day?

226 replies

BlueDressingGown · 21/04/2015 21:04

I don't like it and I don't really want my children to participate in our village parade.

I don't really give a monkeys about 'patron saints' and am not of the faith that initially made him a saint. I don't believe in saints. I don't think people should be sainted. He was nothing to do with England and never came to England. (I'm also not English, by the way, but now living in England, but that's not why I don't like him!)

I also feel that this day gets seized on by English nationalists and used to stir up racist feelings regarding people who 'aren't really English'.

OP posts:
SunnyBaudelaire · 22/04/2015 10:20

There's a lot of it about Fish.

OOAOML · 22/04/2015 10:30

This is bizarre - is anyone forcing you to celebrate? I wasn't aware there were huge celebrations, but a village parade sounds fun. Lots of towns and villages have a Gala day over the summer, do you object to those as well?

Think yourself lucky it is in April with more chance of semi-decent weather - in Scotland St Andrew's day is at the end of November. And re the public holiday aspect - the only people I know who get the day are civil servants, schools and everyone else are still at work.

I would agree that St George's Day cards sound bizarre - but then there are lots of weird cards about in the shops that I wouldn't bother sending.

Also - there may be a religious history to this, but I don't think that's uppermost in most people's minds. Do you not have Easter eggs or Christmas presents? After all they're fairly religious.

850Pro · 22/04/2015 10:34

BlueDressingGown, if you dislike English traditions, then why not leave England?

WindMeUpAndLetMeGo · 22/04/2015 10:36

At George's day is one day where (hopefully) the England flag can be flown without it being racist etc (yeah, wishful thinking!). It's about England and being English not multi cultural or anything else.

Regardless of its origins or whether you approve or not, the traditions of this country are being stripped away from us in case we offend someone, so I say fly the flag and give a Vicky to anyone that has a problem with it

SunnyBaudelaire · 22/04/2015 10:38

" It's about England and being English not multi cultural or anything else."

You see , saying this right after saying 'without it being racist' is what puts people off St Georges Day.

WindMeUpAndLetMeGo · 22/04/2015 10:47

It's one day about being English and celebrating England, those who don't like it can do one as far as I'm concerned. This country is so concerned about of rending others that it's forgetting its own Identity.

SunnyBaudelaire · 22/04/2015 10:50

I have no problem with 'celebrating England' but once you start on about 'celebrating being English not multi cultural' then ....hmmm....we are on dodgy ground tbh.

WindMeUpAndLetMeGo · 22/04/2015 10:50

People ARE called racist for flying the England flag and the UJ, yet it's perfectly acceptable for councils to fly foreign flags?!?!

Schools are stopping doing nativity plays because the religious story may offend some people, where does it stop?

GratefulHead · 22/04/2015 10:50

Well I am celebrating it, anything to reclaim our flag from the racist nutters.
I love Emgland, I don't care what the day is called to be honest as long as it celebrates us.
DS's school are having a non uniform day, suggestion is that they wear a red or white top. I am looking for a top with a dragon on it. He takes in a £1 which along with the others collected will be donated to our local hospice. What's not to like.

SunnyBaudelaire · 22/04/2015 10:52

the thing is windmeup, the St Georges flag has been appropriated by some pretty dodgy groups and individuals, unlike the Union Flag.

SunnyBaudelaire · 22/04/2015 10:52

"I am looking for a top with a dragon on it."
maybe a Welsh rugby top, lol

WindMeUpAndLetMeGo · 22/04/2015 10:54

So we just tar everyone with the same brush?

Hakluyt · 22/04/2015 10:55

"People ARE called racist for flying the England flag and the UJ, yet it's perfectly acceptable for councils to fly foreign flags?!?!

Only if they are racists!

Schools are stopping doing nativity plays because the religious story may offend some people, where does it stop?

No they aren't

WindMeUpAndLetMeGo · 22/04/2015 11:01

Will rephrase to "some" schools.

Why is racism only acknowledged when it's English/British and against another nationality? There is so much anti-English/British crap that gets swept under the carpet

HesterShaw · 22/04/2015 11:04

I think the OP was hoping that everyone would agree with her in a ‘look how inclusive and non-racist we all are’ manner.

^
What she said.

Hakluyt · 22/04/2015 11:08

Will rephrase to "some" schools.

Details please

Why is racism only acknowledged when it's English/British and against another nationality? There is so much anti-English/British crap that gets swept under the carpet

Details please

SunnyBaudelaire · 22/04/2015 11:10

yes give us some examples.

SolidGoldBrass · 22/04/2015 11:14

Look, the best and easiest way to squeeze out the unpleasant connotations of something is to make a big deal of the nicer ones. Therefore the purveyors of plastic tat and greetings cards are doing a good thing in bigging up April 23rd, in an alliance with brewery chains, with the idea of making it fun for anyone who wants to join in. You know, just like St Patrick's Day is for everyone who wants to put on a green hat and drink a pint of Guinness - inclusive fun.

Those of you who are whining - if you are on holiday in a country that's not the one you generally live in, and some sort of national festival takes place, do you join in? Or do you shut yourself in your hotel room and sob with horror at the blatant nationalism? While I haven't been to every country in the world I have the general impression that most national festivals are open to visitors and deliberately accessible as they are supposed to be enjoyable.

Jelliebabe1 · 22/04/2015 11:23

Suppose you don't celebrate Christmas then, seeing as you aren't religious? Or Easter???

Collaborate · 22/04/2015 11:26

I've always had the greatest of respect for Billy Bragg on this subject in particular. His words are worth reading on the subject.

www.billybragg.co.uk/press/story.php?ID=57

Grantaire · 22/04/2015 11:32

sunbathe is my new favourite MNer.

4 indeed.

We should 4 more.

I miss 4.

sunbathe can be patron saint of 4.

Oh and I love St George's Day.

meowth · 22/04/2015 14:08

Ignore it! I mean, I'll be celebrating because I'm proud of where I'm from and I love this country. BUT you CAN love this country and not care about it's saint day.
I also celebrate St Patrick's day. I'm not irish, never been to ireland.

UnoPan · 22/04/2015 14:18

The link bewtween the flag of St George and racist nutters has been massively eroded - the first time it was 'okay' to fly the flag en masse was during the 1996 Football European Championship which was held in England - and introduced us all to the little flags that stick out of car windows etc. That seemed to ensure the Union Flag- NF,BNF link was finally buried.

UnoPan · 22/04/2015 14:22

"Celebrating England" does mean celebrating multi-culturalism though! London is just about the most cosmopolitan city in the world, for example. England is a land of refugee/immigrants and their descendants,taking on an-ever evolving English identity.

Buxhoeveden · 22/04/2015 14:36

It rather depends where Uno. A St George's day celebration with large doses of multiculturalism-centred content shoe-horned in could look rather odd in parts of Shropshire, Cumbria, Cornwall, Somerset, IOW....

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