What do you dislike about your country's culture?

[WomenHour]

I would say the binge drinking culture of the UK

The way we (UK, particularly England) mock our traditional culture. Morris dancers, maypole dancing etc all get seen as embarrassing hobbies for those experiencing mid life crises. Most other countries celebrate their traditional culture, are proud of it and promote it where possible.

Tall poppy syndrome -Australia

Expecting everyone abroad to speak English is not unique to the English. Lots of other Europeans abroad expect everyone to speak English! It's very obvious in places like Russia where a lot of the local population haven't been taught English, but it can be seen everywhere.

Or is it only arrogant when it happens to be your native language?

Uk - fly tipping and graffiti. Both are endemic where I live and it makes me really sad.

Colonialism Are we just saying words now.

I like boiled potatoes too. New or old. With lots of butter and some salt.

Disconnect from the land/countryside/nature.

Litter, especially over lockdown. England.
Parents thinking they 'own' their children, into adulthood. Cyprus.

Government being on the back foot too often eg:

• The lack of actual business acumen in this (and previous) governments
• Lack of clear and honest communication
• Unable often to put themselves into the shoes of the ordinary person who just wants to do the best thing (in whatever job they have) for themselves and their families
• Inability to take the lead from UK private business owners/leaders or delay in involving other professionals/experts - like the military (eg provision and distribution of PPE in the earlier stages of Covid19)
• Lack of genuine negotiation skills with other world leaders (eg Brexit)
• Inability to own up to mistakes. Maybe they'd be thought better of if they held their hands up when necessary ...

"Springiscoming12

And regionalism! I never understood the snobbery towards different areas/cities which to me seems to be based just on where they are located i.e. southern = good / northern = bad"

Surely you meant southern=bad Northern= good?

Cronyism and the "I'm untouchable" arrogance of the elite, which is unfortunately not without foundation.

• Ireland

(Golfgate is a prime example of the latter, following on from Haughey, Ahern, Lowry, Anglo and so on. It never ends).

@1Morewineplease

I don’t get how brits abroad feel that “foreign food” is ‘ muck’ and that hotels and complexes abroad should sell fried fish/ burgers/pizzas and chips and breakfasts should be full English.

Also don’t get why cyclists need to wear an armour of Lycra but on the continent, people just get on a bike.

Is that even still true though or a stereotype.

The recent development of a culture of unquestioning kowtowing to authority, groupthink, humourless policing of other people's thoughts (NZ).

To the Kiwi being snidely informed about Māori culture by a foreigner upthread- bahaha.

The ambulance-chasing and sad-face people wanting millions in compensation from Company X because they broke a fingernail on their packaging and the trauma has meant they need counselling and will never work again.

Every Government letter is bilingual. I've got no problem with the Welsh language but it should be an opt in option. The amount of wasted paper the vast majority can't read must be staggering. On the plus side Wales is very high on the waste recycling table.

Sectarianism and Anglophobia - Scotland.

Scotland (maybe just my part)

-can't celebrate success, need to bring people down
-aggressive inverse snobbery
-painfully anti-english

Glad to see booze culture and litter topping the list, as they were top of mine.

But I'd also add:

Racism, especially the way UK racists defend it with "But they .... cook smelly food.... play loud music .... have too many children ....commit crime" etc, etc. You're a racist, mate, just own it, don't bother trying to justify it.

The distrust of "intellectuals" and artists.

Tabloid newspapers full of celebrity non-news.

NZ - the racism.

UK - I don't like the way a lot of people parent (sorry) I don't think children/teens are expected of much and that culture of low expectations can be really negative, even from very loving parents.

@haveagoodyear

The patriarchy, homophobia and outright sexism.

I hate that it's a tradition for women and children to bow to men when they enter a the room (certainly in my family line).

@haveagoodyear Where are you from?

General negativity. I remember when I was getting my first car I was met with: 'oh that's going to be expensive!'; 'why do you need one in London?' and so on. My American pals: 'oh exciting!'; 'what colour are you getting?' and 'when can we go for a ride?'. Instead of the 'can do' attitude I grew up with in America, I was faced with all 'can't do' here.

Scotland- sectarianism (Glasgow specifically). I can’t believe this shit is still a thing. It’s so toxic and miserable.

Boiled vegetables and overcooked meat 😂

Too much booze and a general tendency towards dourness, staying in your lane and staying in your house. I think the weather is to blame for a lot, though. I’d love to live somewhere warm where you can go for a lovely passeggiata in the evening and socialise but that would be a very rare occasion here! We’re so buggered for vitamin D.

I'm in Ireland and there is lots to love - a genuine pride in education, quite an open world view, curiosity about other parts of the world.

However, I don't like the unwillingness to be critical (in any meaningful way) institutions such as the HSE (a truly dysfunctional organisation), the acceptance of cronyism and corruption and 'Mammy" culture - the expectation that all county women will morph into Mrs Doyle at menopause and cease to have any interests, ideas and needs of get own, preferring instead to be brewing pots of tea and foisting ham sangwiches on passing GAA teams. A lot of very accepted sexism.

A question for the kiwis, I've never been to NZ. Is there no such thing as Maori culture? That seems... unlikely.... 🤨

Since British exceptionalism has already been said a lot, I will say the pandering to the aristocracy. Especially the royals.