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.

OP, are you seriously basing your view of the entire population of the UK and it’s attitudes on what you’ve read on MN?!

@FreshFreesias

People all around the world are rising up to protect freedoms that governments are taking from them - not just the UK.

usual libertarian nonsense.

@Pelleas, thank you for your explanation. Things are making more sense to me now.

By bathroom, I meant a room with a shower, washbasin and toilet. A three bedroom flat here would have at least two of those. Makes for less queuing in the morning

MN isn't representative of the UK. No online forum is representative of any country. You have a self-selected group of posters and you have lots of pressure groups, businesses and political groups trying to use social media to create a narrative and to push their own agendas. You would be better speaking to people in RL.
We often laugh with friends in Europe about the complete disconnect between media/social media and the reality.

By bathroom, I meant a room with a shower, washbasin and toilet. A three bedroom flat here would have at least two of those. Makes for less queuing in the morning

Yes, anything built recently - I mean within the last 20 years - would be the same over here, normally an en-suite to the master bedroom and then a family bathroom/shower room.

It's usually older properties that are low on them - but, if there's a large master bedroom it's not unusual to put in an en-suite by making the bedroom smaller. People sometimes add a second toilet under the stairs if it's a two-storey house.

Well, it’ll obviously be that we’re a nation of moaners then. I use MN to vent and complain because it’s anonymous and I wouldn’t see myself as THAT much of a whinger but my history of MN posts may portray otherwise.

Of course there will be cultural differences.

However, you can’t meaningful compare “real life” in your limited group in your country, with an online group in another.

MN is not remotely representative of my real life social circle.

If I dare to mention Brexit... I know ONE person who openly says they voted for it. A small business owner who used to be a partner in a city law firm, who is more intelligent and clued up about politics, business and economics than almost anyone I know.

My husband works in a bar in a deprived north west town - and knew with way through vote would go!

Neither of our direct experiences were the same as MN.

@HarryHarry1

I haven’t said anywhere that it’s just the UK doing this. Please don’t try and argue with things you think I’ve said just for the sake of it. It’s really tiresome when people do that on Mumsnet.

“Please don’t let the thread become off topic. This is a UK bashing thread in a flimsy disguise, not a thread to point out flaws elsewhere”

OP hasn’t been back since. What a surprise (thought nobody).

@Sakura7

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.

And you’d know that by watching? Oh we know what hardship looks like, don’t you worry about that.

But I’m really wondering how you know what you know from the distance of another (far from perfect) country.

I've been surprised by the anti mask stuff.

In general, I really like the UK 'personality', at least as it comes through to an outsider.

Lots of whip-smart women who are funny, sharp, and determined. Men too. There's.a real ability to use irony. Less gratingly sincere than some other places 🙂

Of course, what also comes across is that the UK, like other Anglo sphere nations, has been colonised by American discourse, which is sad.

Generally, I've always had a positive view of the UK, despite being aware of the many problems it has (as has anywhere). I lived there for a while and didn't really fit in, but I'd have loved to!

It'd be a bit boring if the threads were entirely of the, 'Which is the best make of nappy rash cream?' variety, wouldn't you say? I avoid the politics threads on general though.

I think the problem is often outside the UK moaning is taken as a serious complaint.

Whereas in the UK having a moan is just cultural, we like to complain, we like to run the situation down and say how shit everything is

Doesnt mean it actually is, dont take it seriously

*in

I'm another person whose been living elsewhere for yonks and only know the UK through the BBC and mumsnet. I don't totally blame the conspiracy theorists in the UK what with the disastrous leadership from the government.

Where I live, the chief epidemiologist gives a conference every night and is wonderfully clear. He is the first to say that masks are not anything as important as keeping a safe distance and frequent hand washing. The only mandatory rules are for businesses, individuals are not stopped or harrassed.

If I lived under the weird ever changing rules of England with the rule-makers being the first to break them, I too would seriously doubt the truth of covid.

@Elsewyre

I think the problem is often outside the UK moaning is taken as a serious complaint.

Whereas in the UK having a moan is just cultural, we like to complain, we like to run the situation down and say how shit everything is

Doesnt mean it actually is, dont take it seriously

The problem is that it doesn’t matter if Brits are serious about their moaning or not. It’s the fact that it’s fucking constant and therefore tiresome.

these observations are interesting.
it would be more enlightening to know which countries the posters are speaking from.
i see a great change in attitudes generally among people in britain now from when i was young.
maybe it's the same the world over, i don't know.
definitely more selfishness, individualism, materialism.

"The problem is that it doesn’t matter if Brits are serious about their moaning or not. It’s the fact that it’s fucking constant and therefore tiresome."

Yeah humans and thier talking is shite