Martha - I think you'll find a good number of England fans and English people DO still have preconceived ideas about Germany based on WWII, ditto Japanese.
The irony of accusing others of xenophobia when a significant number of English people are exactly that.
"British media is awfully biased towards coverage of England" this is also annoying, especially when non-English British teams/people are competing in sports competitions and doing better in those competitions yet the coverage of the England team is overwhelming. There's even been times when an England match has been shown in preference to a Scotland match playing at same or overlapping time. On BBC Scotland!
"It’s a mystery only to English people!" Yep!
"England on the other hand absolutely glorifies it's colonial past." This too - other countries that acted in similar ways don't look back on those times with pride but with shame. Something England seem incapable of. And it's certainly a more recent part of English history than 100 years! Many of the countries colonised were still asserting independence into the 1980's, Hong Kong only stopped being under uk rule in 1997.
"With all the negativity towards England and the English why is it that so many people are desperate to come and live here?" They're really not. No more than any other developed nation. And plenty of English emigrate too.
"...and nNina sums up, in a nutshell, why other nations think the way they do about England." Exactly - it's that unquestioning uncompromising arrogance.
During indyref there were PLENTY of English telling us to "fine fuck off then" and "you couldn't cope without our money" and "you would end up as a 3rd world country without us" both in the wider media and I certainly experienced it personally too (and promptly blocked them!). A quick search shows similar views were voiced on mn too.
"TBF - most of the population of the UK is English so most advertising will be geared towards the English" so that Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland = 10th of England's population means that those nations should be all but ignored by the media? Because that's what happens. Even just "normal" advertising - how many adverts feature a non-English hell even a non southern English accent! Newsreaders ditto, presenters of documentaries ditto.
News reporting - how often do events outside of SE England make the "national" news? Regardless of importance.
And it's actually become worse since the 70's! When I lived in England and visited Scotland I used to notice AS SOON as the tv/radio was on that I was in a different country, there's barely any difference now. Regional programming has been very much diminished.
And frankly "your reasons are bullsit because I don't agree with them" is a fairly typical response of the type we in the colonised nations of the U.K. Are used to.
"Without the English we wouldn't have the modern western world as we know it." Wow! Unbelievably arrogant!
"With the possible exception of Ireland, they'd be wrong. Where were all these English 'colonies' in Wales and Scotland?"
"What 'invasions' are you referring to?"
As mere summary:
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conquest_of_Wales_by_Edward_I_of_England
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_invasions_of_Scotland
Bit more complicated in Scotland as the final few years of Scotland becoming part of uk was a more economic/political colonisation than a direct battle led one. The battles/invasion happened earlier, making this easier for the English to do. But still scots were oppressed & subjugated by the English. Coupled with James vi betrayal of his home country.
"I would say England was colonised by the Scots." Nah he sold us out.
"Again, if anyone can point me in the direction of all those "English colonies" in Wales or Scotland, I'd be genuinely interested." That would be the whole countries - because the land was taken from the Welsh & scots owners and given to English nobility. Just as happened in Ireland.
The history of the U.K. is still being taught in England in a heavily Anglo-centric and anti Scots, Welsh, Northern Irish way too. With the border with Ireland under discussion due to brexit I've come across people on mn and in real life who thought the only atrocities committed during the troubles were committed by the IRA! I've never met anyone English who can name more than 2 scots monarchs, who know why William of orange was hated up here.
"Should the English bear an eternal grudge against Norwegians or Danes?" Are they still governed by or paying taxes to them? No.
We are still very much ruled by an English govt. even with devolution our hands are still very much tied.
RainbowsandSmiles - iirc there was even a recent mn thread about this with an English mner complaining about welsh people speaking Welsh in Wales - I think it was in a pub? Apparently the mere presence of an English person meant they should speak English.
I personally have visited - funnily enough English friends - who now live in the far north of Scotland and overheard English visitors complaining about the scots-Gaelic signage. "Completely unnecessary, they all speak English anyway". If they'd gone to eg
Plimmy - how did the scots treat the Irish badly? I'm a Scot of Irish descent on both sides of my family, the scots and Irish to my knowledge get along very well.
I've also lived in a few European countries and honestly correcting them that I'm scots not English has led to friendlier reception and better service.
As a Scot with an English accent I've been privy to conversations and comments made by English people about the scots (and Welsh and Irish and others) when they thought there were only English people present - the disdain and downright bigotry I've heard is truly shocking.