What do you dislike about your country's culture?

[WomenHour]

I would say the binge drinking culture of the UK

Particular to my area of the UK
Flags. Nepotism. Gurning about everything and never looking on the bright side.

Particular to the UK as a whole
People not wearing proper clothes. Tracksuits everywhere. Everywhere. Why is every second person wearing a saggy grey pair of bottoms and a hoodie? Put on some chinos and a nice button down shirt and a pair of braces, for the love of God. I was a Goth in my teens, never in a million years did I think I'd end up like this, but even a pair of jeans and a tshirt, something, anything.

Bad language - I'm Scottish , effing and blinding is seen as a bit quirky, showing character - but fxxk me a constant stream of vitriol and use of the C word in public regardless of kids around.
No you are not proud of your Scottish roots, you're an ignorant axxxhole , shutup.
And litter - were so proud us Scots - yet the locals pick up cans and McDs trash on a weekly basis - scumbags.
We're also calm, laid back people as you can see

UK

1. The complaint / compensation culture. The number of threads on here wanting to complain about their doctor being mildly rude or not giving them the care they want is utterly depressing.

2. people who are perfectly happy drinking Nescafé also feeling the need to spend £3 a cup at Costa.

3. the lack of appreciation for the outdoors, ie very few people regularly walk in the great outdoors and have an appreciation of nature

Chauvinism, sexism (especially when perpetuated by women), racism, the attitude to guns and Christian fundamentalism-in the US

'The whinge-badgery of the UK these days, absolute abdication of personal responsibility for so much, seems as if your life is not the perfect peach you want you need to COMPLAIN about it'. I think this is absolutely fostered by the media, who've worked out that people lap this stuff up.

'The lack of collective responsibility. There are a few who ‘do’, whilst the rest just expect.'

Both of these in spades.

Added to them the pride in lack of education. I've never read a book and it never did me any harm kind of attitude. It's embarrassing. While saying that they're better than people in any other country.

Definitely littering and fly tipping.

Always someone else's problem. Lack of personal responsibility and plenty of selfishness. Thinking the law doesn't apply to you.

The lack of insight in the older generation of how much tougher it is for the young to get a house.
The weather is awful so that has an influence on culture...people are so much more outdoorsy and athletic ( and slimmer) in Spain.

The sheer number of humans everywhere

Also the lack of trying to reuse things and constantly buying me included but not so much since lockdown

Not ubiquitous but the 'snowflake' rhetoric. Often said by people as an excuse not to make any effort to be non discriminatory or accommodate people who don't want or need exactly the same things as themselves in any way. (And I always know when my DF has visited pubs of a certain chain because he starts spouting this type of clap trap. I tend to shrug and tell him I've not been following the news much.)

The UK.

• The expectations of a large amount of the population of this country. "I expect YOU to do this for ME!!" If you don't do that, you are selfish. No bugger off, you just aren't that important.

• The terminally offended. You can't cough these days without offending someone.

• Everyone is a winner syndrome. No you didn't come first, you aren't a winner, get over it. If you want to win, try harder. That's life.

• Wealth, why is it frowned upon? Someone makes a stack of money from taking a risk and doing something (legally), good luck to them. If they pay what's owed in taxes, there shouldn't be an expectation that they have to then spread more of it around.

@veryvery- yes, I can’t abide the term snowflake!

You can't cough these days without offending someone

Well, I hope you don't cough in their faces!

Probably loads of things. But when I saw the thread the thing that came to mind was how in the UK is not a very society /community minded country. I think most people are quite self interested and as long as they're OK not very bothered about others. I do think there are many countries like this though.

Ireland - the parochialism, and attitude that Ireland is obviously the best place ever and how dare I say anything against it??

England - the school gate kleek who are all smiley nicely to your face but complete arseholes in reality (and their kids are awful too) - they are too insecure for independent thought.

@malificent7

The lack of insight in the older generation of how much tougher it is for the young to get a house. The weather is awful so that has an influence on culture...people are so much more outdoorsy and athletic ( and slimmer) in Spain.

Yes! The generational devide is a big issue. But I suspect is very common across the world. Or maybe the challenges are but in some places older people have more insight.

Re the weather I do agree. Even bits of the UK where its warmer like Dorset or Cornwall I feel that effects the culture.

Uk - the food, I wish ours was healthier and less stodgy.

@veryvery

You can't cough these days without offending someone

Well, I hope you don't cough in their faces!

Oh yeah, forgot about.

I would say "you can't fart without offending someone", but to be fair mine can be very offensive.

I agree OP, people drinking too much is probably the thing I dislike most about UK culture (along with fat men showing off their sunburnt beer bellies - yuck).

The arrogance of some brits, eg expecting everyone to speak English and not bothering to try speaking local language when abroad

To be fair though, in a lot of countries, as soon as you open your mouth, they hear your accent and speak English to you anyway.

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

lol yeah definitely no serious cyclists in France, Belgium, Spain or Italy

UK:

• insularism, expressed as ignorance, suspicion, and barely veiled contempt towards the rest of the world.
• also the class system, which is just another internal layer of insularism.
• and the general "every man for himself" culture, while a few old boys networks constantly take advantage of this to fill their own pockets. "Divide and rule" in action...
• political ignorance. Most people in the UK seem to have very little idea of how the states works, how laws are made, who has which powers and responsibilities... And how all this can be done very differently, and arguably better. The British voting system for general elections is an archaic disgrace, and a reform is long overdue, but it will never happen because it suits the powers that be AND people know/understand too little to see it for what it is (remember that referendum?)
• the "free" gutter press

My birth country: stifling nanny state, and ingrained sexism (and general lack of tolerance towards people who don't follow outdated social norms)

UK, littering,vandalising anything and lack of care or ownership by people of anything outside their 'bubble'.

@isabellerossignol I have a mate from there and one thing I’ve learned about from her is the obsession with FLEGS. And people wanting to know if you’re Protestant or Catholic.

@Cattenberg

English/British exceptionalism. We’re not a superpower anymore and we can’t expect special treatment. It doesn’t matter how firmly we make our demands or how much we “believe in ourselves”.

This delusion is really holding the UK back. The rest of the world has moved on from the days of the British Empire and WWII. Why can’t we?

Totally agree with this and this perception has totally ruined the UK. Our past isn't really anything to be proud of either, so I don't understand the attitude of some people who want to revert back to the 'good old days'.

I think binge drinking culture is waning here. Celeb culture will go the same way soon. I am embarrassed by Brits abroad though.

I find the attitude towards young people very odd. We are quite dismissive and hostile towards young people as a nation. Young people are now growing up in a time where you need a degree to get a low paid job which tons of other people apply for, a house costs 10x your annual salary and you need to be able to save for a decade to get a deposit, but you can't because you won't be able to pay your rent. If you want a family, you are continually exhausted because you both need to work full-time to make ends meet, but you still aren't much better off than people who don't work because of childcare costs. But young people are apparently useless 'snowflakes' that need to toughen up and stop spending their money on crap. This usually is spoken by someone who buys shit loads of crap on Amazon and QVC and has received a healthy deposit from their parents when they were buying a house which was about 4x their annual salary.

UK-
class system
little sense of community
unhealthy attitudes alcohol and food

Italy-
behind UK on multiculturalism
not very 'outward looking'
materialistic