I don't like Welsh people

[snowstone]

Said to me, a Welsh person born in Wales, married to a Welsh man, with two welsh children.

By my own father?!

He and my mum are looking at moving houses, I was asking about where and he mentioned they were a looking more at a specific county further away from me. I asked if they'd consider my county as we see them quite a bit. My dad said that my county is too Welsh, and the main draw of the other county is that it's much more English and he fits in better with English people, Welsh people are a bit odd and he doesn't like them and wants to be surrounded by English people.

Told him to move to fucking England then! My mum said I overreacted but it was just quite a grim thing to say to be honest, made me look at him a bit different. They were visiting for Christmas Day and the whole atmosphere turned a bit after that and they left earlier than planned. AIBU to be pissed off?!

Born n bred in England - some Welsh via both GMs, although my M & D didn't give a fig. Technically 1/6 of me is Welsh.

I've learned some Welsh (from S4C) so can understand a few phrases.

And unlike other posters, I really have had the "Oh shit, let's change from English to Welsh" when I've visited a shop or a pub. 🥱

The difference between southern welsh and northern ("gog") are fascinating to me.

@snowstone Start talking to him in Welsh only. He won't know what to do, say or think. 😵😉

Did you have a sign on your forehead with "I am English" on it????

I think you’ve proven your dad’s point OP

He was “snarling his mouth up”

op you obviously despise him 🤷‍♀️

I hate your dads attitude. I'm from pembs and I'm a native English speaker. I'm not less Welsh than any other Welsh person- English main language speaking Welsh people are the majority of the Welsh population.

@Ursuladevine He did snarl, I saw his face, he looked disgusted! What a strange assumption to make that I despise my father because I said that he snarled.. he did snarl. And no I don't despise him generally, I didn't like the comment he made.

He has his opinion. Was blunt and i wouldn't be happy about it myself but it is up to you to decide if his values are not acceptable in your life.

Does he have any Welsh friends or are they all English people who moved to Wales?

I’m from Pembs. DH’s aunt and uncle moved to my village from
England. They don’t like Welsh people because the locals weren’t friendly to them (because the aunt and uncle are knobheads).

Oh no

The love you have for him and the positive relationship just oozes through this thread 😂

You start a thread about this

but not about fact he and your mother refused to attend your child’s nativity play because it was in Welsh?

It's racism, isn't it? You wouldn't accept that kind of nasty blanket criticism of any other race, so why is it okay to say it about the Welsh?

I think you're right to be furious, and good for you for speaking out.

Good question. Yes and no?

I’m not familiar with Brixton, or with the specific counties in wales that have been mentioned, so I don’t know if it’s an equivalent comparison. I feel like Brixton is much smaller in terms of area, so opportunities to find a likeminded community would be easier - ie taking a bus 5 miles to see friends rather than driving across several counties. So less opportunity for resentment to build up?

If a white person was living in a majority black community, socialising mainly with black people, and constantly being made to feel as if he was an outsider, then I guess those same feelings of resentment could be expected. Obviously, it’s completely unacceptable to express that as “I hate black people” though.

He doesn't like all Welsh people?! Like, all of them?
What does that even mean?

Bet he wants to move to South Pembrokeshire. 🙄 with that attitude he can probably stay put mind, there's enough arseholes here as it is

This.

I'm English/Scots married to a Welshman and the only prejudice and blatant racism I've experienced is from the Welsh towards the English.

Its unacceptable either way.

Op, I’m very curious as to why you father thinks the Welsh are odd? He says he doesn’t like them because they’re ‘odd’. But nothing specific. Can you ask him to give you examples? Maybe you could get to the root of his hostility and make him see it’s wrong to condemn a whole group of people. It may be he’s had a bad experience with just two or three people and he’s cast a whole group as odd and unlikeable.

There’s plenty of places I wouldn’t consider living in, but because they are too remote, have too much traffic/summer tourism, or have poor job opportunities. Not because I hate the residents as a people.

The Welsh can be snooty about what part of wales you're from. Was at a craft fair in Denbigh this summer talking to a stallholder, said we were from the Conwy Gwynedd border. Asked if the traders did fairs our way. She said they got a bit of stick about the quality of their Welsh speech/accent when working that way as did anyone from mid and south Wales. 😅😅

You're in the minority then! I'm English and went to college in Wales and the Welsh fucking hated us and made no secret of it either.

Odd, as I know a LOT of people who have been very happy for 3 or 4 years at University in Bangor, Aber, Cardiff, Swansea and NONE of them have ever come up against this as an issue.

I am Welsh and have encountered some of this over the years. My mother in law once spent quite a long time telling me a 'funny story' about how fil had surprised her with a weekend away and she'd insisted on turning round and coming home when she'd realised the destination was in Wales - 'to be honest, I just really didn't want to go to Wales'. I don't have much of an accent (bit of a lilt sometimes), but she seemed to have completely forgotten I was Welsh.

My own parents can be a bit weird in the way you describe your dad op - my mum fixates a bit on her English blood (her mum was English). My dad would make a weird show of supporting England in the football (because we lived in England) despite being as Welsh as it's possible to be (also Carmarthenshire - Llandovery).

One DC went to a welsh university, the others to English. No-one noticed anti Welsh but science degree so many international students.

The English universities, the sheep jokes are unoriginal now. DS even was asked about the sheep girlfriend when working in the Caribbean

I've lived here in North Pembs for over 20 years now, the locals were a bit tricky at first with accepting us into the fold, but it didnt take long and we all look out for each other now in my local (largely farming) community.

I'd say its the other way around to what your dad is presuming in Pembs, in my local town where i work, its mainly the English that are knob ends, theyre largely really arrogant and treat us locals so rudely! mind you the vast majority are 2nd home owners and moneyed, and they dont give a crap about the local communities..

Its the snotty attitude not the 'Englishness' that is the problem,
think maybe this may be the problem with your dad, and that may remain the same regardless of where he lives!!

Really? 🤨

You’ll hear English words interspersed in Welsh speakers conversations because the Welsh equivalent of the word doesn’t exist, a touch of Wenglish if you like. But I’d be surprised into silence if people were actively switching.

I say this as a non-Welsh speaking Welsh woman, so no skin in the linguistic game.

This was a college in Wrexham. Maybe university students have grown up a bit. I remember Euro 96 when England were knocked out by Germany and the Welsh were celebrating as though they'd just won it themselves. There was some real xenophobia going on but then again Wrexham is a shithole, I'd probably be pissed off if I lived there too!

'But yes he wants to move to "little England" Pembs because he doesn't want to be around welsh people and that's what he loves about Pembs.'

Little England? You both sound as intolerant as each other tbh.