Do Europeans hate the Brits?

[Floofydawg]

We're in Spain at the minute and have encountered some pretty hostile behaviour. Not so much from the Spanish, as we speak the language, but from other Europeans. We've been coming here many years and I've never before encountered such hostility. It got me thinking, do many Europeans dislike the Brits?

I'm in Ireland (the UK part of it), but are we really European? Culturally European I mean. I think we are quite different in that regard.

Generally speaking Europeans are multilingual, we are not. They seem better connected with each other in the continent than with us. We have a different legal system to the rest of Europe, we drive on the left unlike the rest of Europe, we use miles, yards, feet and stone, they do not, and now being out of the EU we are also outside of their Parliament.

We kind of lump all Europeans (from the continent) together. I wonder if any of those from the continent have a similar attitude to us?

The Empire is long over, but Britain is a cultural superpower and Brits abroad haven't had to adjust much to fit in the way other nationalities have to. We live in an Anglo dominated world (you only need to see the (sad) transformation of Eurovision with most songs now being sung in English).

I'm not saying that they do. I'm not criticising anyone or any country.

Lately I'm hearing the Island of Ireland a lot. Which is what Ireland and Northern Ireland are.

I think it''s a bit of tongue in cheek flattery when you get the comment abroad about "oh, you're Scottish/Irish/Welsh etc, I prefer you to those English barstewards" etc, etc.

If you behave well and be polite and respectful people generally respond well hopefully, whatever your nationality.

Absolutely this. I teach French, German and Spanish and try to teach my students cultural cooperation rather than stupid stereotypes. I've rarely encountered hostility from any Europeans, though obviously some are more reserved than others. I find it hard to believe this 'They're super friendly once they realise you're Irish' thing. Most likely it's confirmation bias or just that they warm up the more you talk to them, as most people would.

Besides, most Brits would not be very good at distinuishing many specific European accents from each other. I seriously doubt the rest of Europe is great at distinguishing accents from different parts of the British Isles.

I guess that depends on how you interpret the meaning of the song…it means different things to different people, and always has done…in 1740 when it was written the major colonial powers were France and Spain who’s navies were dominating the global seas and colonial expansion. In that context, it referenced Britains resistance to enslavement by colonial invaders during Saxon times as an exaltation to the new King to ensure the nation (and its beleaguered Navy) would survive and thrive despite the odds not being in its favour…

Also to add, personally I’ve found that Western Europeans tend to be much more accepting of the British, Eastern Europeans and people from the Balkans are more likely not to be. I’ve worked with many and lived in Russia as a child.
I’ve found if you speak the language of the country you’re visiting or at least try the basics, they will have a lot more respect for you.
I learnt Russian as a child and my mum used to send me into the shops to buy the groceries when we lived over there. They would give me a much lower price than my parents who didn’t speak the language at all 😅

I was referring to myself. I’m both Irish and British - NI born and bred.

Geographically correct, however politically incorrect.

I thought everyone in NI was British but apparently not!

Not noticed this at all. Been to several locations in Europe recently, although none obviously typical " brits abroad" hotspots so maybe that makes a difference to local perceptions.
Whilst Caucasian, the impression of me also wouldn't be I was obviously British as I have very olive skin so maybe that might make a difference. Who knows.

If its a thing it could depend on a lot of factors.I just know I haven't seen it personally.

"Generally speaking Europeans are multilingual, we are not."

Totally varies from country to country doesn't it. Yes, most are better than the UK, but language skills in France can't be compared with those in the Netherlands.

"They seem better connected with each other in the continent than with us."

Again, it depends. Scandinavian countries are well-connected, but you can't say that Belgians are better connected with Greeks, for example than with the UK.

"We have a different legal system to the rest of Europe"

I suppose you mean civil law versus common law, but still it varies a bit from country to country.

,"we drive on the left unlike the rest of Europe"

as long as you don't count Cyprus and Malta as being part of the rest of Europe

"we use miles, yards, feet and stone, they do not,"

We have also used metrics for a very long time.

"and now being out of the EU we are also outside of their Parliament."

Well, yes, but there are also many other European countries that are not in the EU.

The UK is not exceptional.

@spuddy4 , . We were speaking in Welsh.
I've been told a few times 'I didn't realise it was a completely different language. I thought it would be just a few words here and there.'

@Calliecarpa , I was on holiday in North Africa and when I said I was from Wales he said something in Welsh to me.

Yes, people often think Welsh is just a dialect of English. I was showing a film in Welsh to some international friends and the subtitles weren't working. Some were adamant they'd be able to grasp enough of it without subtitles!!

I think this is actually a very good point. Just a few weeks ago, I got chatting to a young man with an American accent in a supermarket queue in my town in the north of England who turned out to come from Texas. I said something like 'oh wow, you're from Texas, that's amazing!' I wonder now if he got the impression that I like Texans much more than people from any other state in the US. I don't, at all. I was just being polite and friendly in an effusive kind of way. I wouldn't be surprised if all the 'oh, you're Scottish, how fantastic!' responses are something similar. And I'm still not convinced that most people on the continent know that Scotland is a whole other country and not actually part of England, and are not in any way intending to imply 'I like Scottish people much more than English people'.

I’m amazed at this. Every year for several years dh and I stayed in Athens for a few nights, followed by 10 days or so in Nafplion, in the Peloponnese - both mainland Greece. We’ve explored that general area fairly extensively, too, and have never met anything but pleasant, friendly people. Ditto when we’ve stayed on islands - Skiathos and Crete among others.

Anyone born in NI can choose. My DH and his family would never identify as British, although they do of course recognise that they live in the UK.

Likewise others would never identify as Irish - although some found that that resolve weakened post Brexit.

The right to choose is very important here and is a cornerstone of the peace process.

I think your question is interesting. I think the idea that the rest of Europe is homogenous, and Britain alone is somehow different and therefore not really European is not right though. I think there is enormous cultural difference within Europe - and if anything that is where the EU notion of some European super state is uncomfortable. Do Northern European countries perhaps have more cultural connection with each other than they do with southern European for example? I understand the language thing. With English as the default language for international business for so long, I agree that generally Brits did not have the impetus to learn other European languages. However, the widespread use of English connects us across the continent more than it divides us surely? (Also parts of Britain are bi-lingual - Wales for example.) But culture is much more than language and road sides…Common faiths? Commitment to liberal ideals?These are deep-rooted beliefs that bind people. Is Britain still a cultural super power? I’m not sure. I thinking America may be still, and increasingly Asia…and Abba sang in English in the 70s….

@Gwenhwyfar , I get told it's a dead language or asked if we have words for things like computer and broadband.

I wouldn't go a few miles south to the Irish part of Ireland and question whether they're culturally European.

I think it’s hilarious that many of you actually believe that those you encounter in other countries can tell our accents apart or even know or care about any differences between England, wales, Scotland or Ireland or any other holiday makers, they will, like any of us become warmer to people who treat them politely and with good humour, wherever they are from.

England gets a lot of shit, but it’s a great country, the same as Scotland, wales, and Ireland and Northern Ireland, any of us living in any of these countries should count ourselves lucky that we won the birth lottery. There are complete cunts from all these places, as this thread is proving, but the majority are lovely and love all of the uk and look out for each other, just ignore all the twats who seem to think a postcode or accent changes things that much, there are always issues, but believe me it could be far worse, now shut the fuck up and if your lucky enough to be going on holiday remember no one knows what region you are from and if they ask they will happily chat about cities they like, Liverpool for me last week as a waiter says he loves the culture and wants to visit here. Just stop with all this shit about being better because you have a slightly different accent, we all move about these days, it shouldn’t matter anymore!!!!

Hate is never for no reason
Depends what happened. The whole Continent I'm sure admires Britain
What exactly happened on your dinner table?

Nope! Legally you can be British, Irish or both since the Good Friday Agreement.

brexit didnt help

No prejudice here. I am married to an Englishman and as a family we have travelled a lot. Both DH and my DC have commented that people respond well to my Scottishness abroad. It's not that they are nasty to them, just much warmer to me and generally more interested in Scotland as a country.