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?

Nope Ive never felt like that.

That's not what happens. It's a wider smile, more joking in the service etc. No one is saying "oh thank god you're not English".

I find that only ignorant and nasty people judge others based on something like nationality. People are people. Some are nice, some are cunts - it’s the same all over the world.

Mr Monkey is Irish - he reckons the warmer welcome (which is on occasion absolutely a thing) is simply down to the perception of Irish culture cemented in the 1990s with the expansion of Irish theme pubs - people see the Irish as outgoing, friendly, like a party etc...

Every one borse town in Europe seems to have a "Irish bar" so for many Europeans Irish just means fun, up for a party.

They are not "demonising" anyone. They just up their 'friendly' vibes.

I'm replying to you and other posters who said that you were more liked , when they found out that you were not English.

You're the one that said it.

Got to say I hate this too

Ive been to 3 European destinations this year and not encountered any animosity from the locals. But then again, I’m quite well behaved.

No. Never experienced this. In fact other Europeans seem keen for the opportunity to practice their English, tell us about their trips to London and the Lake District and pontificate about which Premier League team they support.

But of course this is MN where being English is apparently the worst thing in the world.

I'm an English person who lived in Germany for many years, and my experience was that a lot of Germans are Anglophiles rather than Anglophobes. In 20+ years I never experienced the slightest hostility from anyone because of my nationality. Entirely the opposite.

I'm fascinated by all these people on the continent who apparently know the difference between England, Scotland and Wales and treat people differently because of it. In my long experience of living in Germany, most people treated England and Britain as though they were the same entities. Of course they'd heard of Scotland and Wales and knew they existed, but I'm not sure if most people realised that they were separate countries with a separate history from England. Listening to German commentators during a football match when the England team were playing, for example, they often switched between talking about 'the English team' and 'the British team' without any apparent awareness of any difference.

And the idea that most non-native English speakers, unless they've spent lots of time in English-speaking countries and are almost native speaker fluent, would be able to identify the difference between accents is laughable. As though your average continental European would have the faintest clue whether some random person they encounter is English or Welsh or Scottish or Irish, or indeed Scandinavian or Dutch or any other nationality in the world who can speak good English. Yeah right.

I think another things that's interesting is land boundaries, and how countries were formed in history in Europe.

We still see Europe as forty something different countries. When we have a huge amount in common with each other

The USA is roughly the same size as Europe , and they are just one country.

Don't be ridiculous.

On MN being American is the worst thing in the world.

But that is the absolute crux of your post. If they said F off scumbag Brits apropos of nothing then that's not on , if they rolled their eyes or tutted at your poor pronunciation and the fact that you were eating a full English then that's not really hostile and I'd do the same and I'm English!

Perhaps I'm more in tune with that sort of thing, coming from a country where for years people hated each other because of their religion, a mere accident of birth. I don't start arguments where there are none to start.

What do you want me to say? "How dare you be nicer to me now that you know that I'm not English?"

Did you stand up for Northern Irish people when a small sector of the population were bombing and shooting the shite out of each other?

And you extrapolated that to the person saying "thank God you're not English". That doesn't happen.

What a lot of nonsense.

I am English and travel around Europe a lot, both on holiday and on business and have never experienced hostility. If you think people don't like you it's either because of your behaviour, or you are imagining it.

As for those claiming everyone is horrible to them until they explain they are Irish/Scottish, you are either imagining it or you are projecting your own prejudice on others.

100% this 👆

I've been in Spanish restaurants when a black person walks in, the attitude of the staff, the looks they give each other. In fact we stopped going to Spain, the racism was awful. We go to Greece now, they are lovely and welcoming to everyone.

It depends how they act, you get what you give out.

I have not encountered hatred, more a response of 'why is your country so stupid' regarding Brexit and when Mr Johnson was Prime Minister. Which I agree with and make it clear if needed.

Not been to typical holiday resorts though.

I think that has a lot to do with the scale of colonisation involved and the current attitude to it e.g. British nationalism (generally more prevalent in England and NI) tends to glorify the Empire, be proud of it and hanker after the glorious days of British rule of half the known world while Spaniards are ashamed of how they subdued their colonies and continue to pay reparations as far as I know?

The British are European though?

It's an anti English thing, as soon as people in other countries around the world hear you're Scottish not English the attitude switches immediately to welcoming

Except I didn’t say it, nor did any of the other posters that are backing me up again and also correcting you. It’s a phrase that you created in your head to try and prove your point which is… well, a little bit embarrassing.

You're being disingenuous.
Nobody has said anybody is horrible to them until they explain, they are saying that people become slightly warmer AFTER they explain.
That is a very different thing, and it would help if it wasn't willfully misconstrued for the sake of histrioncs re prejudice and xenophobia.

I have been to Spain recently. I stayed this time in the more Spanish area and not the main touristy bit.
I did notice that most of the restaurant staff were more friendly with the other Spanish guests than the English guests.
They were fucking miserable to be fair and it wasn't until other Spanish guests sat down that I noticed they smiled more and had conversations with them.

Bullshit, I've experienced it many times over the years.

It's not "hostility" or anyone "being horrible" to them. It's just that they become more chatty than they had been up to the point where they realise you're Irish.