Perceptions of the UK from MNetters abroad...?

[HarryHarry1]

Just curious...

I’m from the UK but I’ve lived overseas for a while. My only real connection to my birthplace now is through Mumsnet. From reading people’s posts on here I’ve started to notice real cultural differences between British people and say, the people where I live. I’m thinking especially of the amount of complaining I’ve seen on here about the coronavirus - about having to wear a mask, or people not wearing masks, or not being able to see family or friends, or places being shut, etc. I’m not saying people don’t have the right to complain - it’s a shitty situation for everyone. But I’ve noticed that people where I live now seem to be just getting on with it without making a fuss. They have accepted the new rules are just part of their lives now. They seem to have much more of a stiff upper lip about it than we do. Obviously they might be going home and complaining on social media too but I don’t think so somehow.

Anyway it made me wonder what other cultural differences (real or just perceived) people overseas have noticed about Britain from reading Mumsnet.

DeliciouslyFemale 😂

I don't think it's the loony left complaining about masks is it?

Anyway don't bother to reply as I'm going to hide this thread now, I can't bear hearing how crap we look from the outside in addition to seeing how crap we look from the inside. Too dispiriting.

Most people in the U.K. are being sensible and sticking to the rules.
Mumsnet is in no way a cross section of the population.

MN does give the impression that life is endless misery for many but IRL (in my experience) people just get on with things mostly.
Totally agree. The world according to MN bears little resemblance to my real world.

Agreeing with you from Ireland OP, but we've been watching in bewilderment since June 2016.

Of course there are lots of lovely sensible British people, but the UK does seem to have a high proportion of paranoid, entitled whingers who have no idea what real hardship looks like.

@Shetoshe

The main thing I notice is the...em... "frugality" with money? Where I live people are mostly over generous with money. Stinginess is a huge no-no culturally. I think the British attitude to money is very different. That's not to say everyone's a tight-arse obviously but there definitely seems to be a cultural divide in that respect.

I notice this too. ^

Half the country seem to be paranoid, conspiracy theorists, mask refuseniks, and the other half seem to be petrified, tying themselves in knots to follow the rules.

This is MN where the loony left rule.
Most people just follow the rules.
In the UK and the US at least, there is a correlation between right-wing and anti-lockdown beliefs. Bit odd to blame the "loony left".

I was thinking about his recently after reading a post that despite your Uk Mn Dare I say we do not know each other's social economic status Another maybe as they say it is online so people will say it as it is online more than in real life or person?
The UK come across as very set in ideas,

I've also been out of the country for years and I'm in one with no lockdowns or masks etc but I am astonished that a thread has been made basically saying 'wow I didn't realise the Brits were whingy toddlers, I'm so glad I'm in smugland now'

That's how it comes across OP. There are bound to be differences from country to country. An EU regulated banana shape does not extend to culture and tradition from country to country.

Boomerwang are you in Aus? Because your country does have a lockdown, maybe just not in your state.

The UK looks like a shitshow at the moment. Boris, the handling of Covid 19, Brexit. Not much looks good from the outside I'm afraid.

The British people, like anywhere, are made up of have loons, lefties and genuinely great people.

But no way would I want to be living in the UK now.

You're sort of up there with the US 🤐

I posted before I had finished
Any culture or country will be anti government too when rules and restrictions are in place for the people who can't think or see beyond themselves?
The governments fault bs is here too.
Uk looks beautiful
I google uk mn and it even has its own Lingo" which I find rather amusing
I am concerned by the many with anxiety on here is that a major issue or your society

@adawong

"This is MN where the loony left rule.
Most people just follow the rules"

I too, am puzzled by that. It's the 'looney left' that will challenge any change and the right that will follow the rules.

This is a forum for venting, complaining and seeking advice on. It's a bit thick to base an opinion via a forum of the UK and how we are coping with the changes. This is where people come to moan.

Our rules don't make sense. We should be questioning that. It is a matter of civil liberties, which should never be given up lightly. The evidence to keep playgrounds shut, but open up the skies and pubs should most definitely been questioned. The lack of hospital appointments and the amount of deaths we've had because of lock down should be examined. Our pubs are closing at 10pm, but we can go to many countries and do what we want and if it's Turkey we've been to (who aren't following any rules) we don't even have to isolate on return. The UK has always worked on a level of consent and research based rules, we aren't doing that anymore.

@HarryHarry1, where are you living now? Not having forums to bent on and not talking about things isn't necessarily a good thing.

As said, MN isn't real life.

@ReefTeeth

Boomerwang are you in Aus? Because your country does have a lockdown, maybe just not in your state.

The UK looks like a shitshow at the moment. Boris, the handling of Covid 19, Brexit. Not much looks good from the outside I'm afraid.

The British people, like anywhere, are made up of have loons, lefties and genuinely great people.

But no way would I want to be living in the UK now.

You're sort of up there with the US 🤐

No, I'm in Sweden, which has also seen an upturn in new cases. I have no idea what people in authority are like as I'm uninterested in them, I only have my community and outlying areas to refer to.

@DeliciouslyFemale

You refer to stiff upper lips and being tough during the war, but there is always something to whimper about when you read here, you seem to enjoy competing in misery, Adrian Mole style.

That’s so true, it’s embarrassing. I look at what people went through growing up during the troubles, with being blocked into your own streets by the British army/police for a full day, so an orange band can go by, checking under your car for bombs, because you were working in certain areas, closing the curtains, before you turn the light on in case you’re a target for one side or the other, people being lifted and held for days without charge, losing friends and family to both sides, etc.

I then listen to people around me now, complaining about their freeedom, civil liberties, face nappies, it’s only the vulnerable, etc and want to tell them to stop being so fucking pathetic and to go home and delete all their ‘be kind’ crap off their Facebooks. You’re being asked to wear a mask, keep your distance and wash your fucking hands. How hard is that. Yes, I know it’s also about jobs, money, etc, (I’ve been crippled by this financially, but I get on with it) but the main complaints is this nonsense about civil liberties and masks.

Don't pile on me, I do think you are lovely and where I'm from there are pearl clutching/always hard done by women gallore, too grin.

And some of you have a lovely, lovely sense of humor.

Wimp! 😂

Well said

I mean anyone who is going to generalise an entire country is probably a bit thick- let alone on the basis of an online forum 👀

You're sort of up there with the US 🤐

Yeah this. Brexit is a car crash and the Make Britain Great Again mentality is cringe.

I mean anyone who is going to generalise an entire country is probably a bit thick- let alone on the basis of an online forum 👀

But it’s not just an opinion based on a forum, there is also newspapers, online reports, Boris Johnson on TV ... etc. Why assume that it’s just based on MN?

None of the negative put downs of British people on this thread reflect the part of Britain I live in. Taking your point of view from what you see on and internet forums which is designed for venting and moaning, and from what is reported in the media which won't report people just getting on with it, because it's not drama filled and newsworthy, will most definitely skew your perception of any place in comparison to the true reality of what it's actually like to live there.

I think the Brexit result spoke volumes about 51% of the English people at moment. Racist, gullible (listened to muppets like Farage), lazy (don't want 'foreigners' but unwilling to do the work others do ie building/cleaning etc and too uneducated to do professional work like Doctors etc. Just laying about on benefits and moaning about everything else.
Just IMO. Not everyone now.

British people just love to moan. It’s part of their culture and identity. They moan about the weather, their jobs, their kids, politics, their food...it’s just a relentless round of moaning. At least when Brexit hits they’ll have something proper to moan about. Fuming they’ll be, and loving every second of a good, weapons-grade, moan.

@Allusernamesalreadyused
I'll preface my message that I voted to remain but, Brexit voting wasn't confined to only English people.
51% of English people didn't vote to leave in the Brexit referendum. 51% of people across the UK who voted in the Referendum voted for Brexit. I very much doubt 51% of referendum voters are lazing about on benefits too. Not everyone on benefits is lazy while I'm at it.

Im in Denmark. 95% are happy with the way that the govt handled corona. I think one of the msin differences is that the danish pm was decisive, communicated clearly, discouraged panic buying and is now isolating following a trip to Belgium I think. She showed real leadership and statesmanship whereas Boris is a fucking incompetant fool.

The thing that really annoys me is the lack of collective selfworth. Working conditions are absolutely awful for a LOT of people in the UK. People are tired and angry, but at the wrong people eg EU which tries to improve workers rights. The welfare state shouldnt have to subsidise wages - wages should be high enough to live on. But there was a thread the other day from someone saying she thought she should ask for a payrise since she has 10 yrs experience and the jobdescription changed from the job she was previously expected to do. My god the race to the bottom! Youre lucky to even have a job. If everyone in the Uk valued their time and labour and stopped doing unpaid overtime then I think the economy would collapse. Also stop trying to fix things at work - its usually your managers problem. Thats why they get paid more than you - to deal with this stuff.

Stuff Im jealous of: the range of activities for kids, especially cultural ones. Friendliness. Pubs! Humour. Good tv. Excellent atms. Cider.

yeah yeah shitty british people off we go.

Have we had the 'this is how brilliant scandinavia is' anecdata yet?

My comments are based on actually visiting the U.K. and talking to friends and family there, nothing to do with mumsnet or anything else online

I posted before I had finished

Your second post didn’t make any more sense than your first.