Strange comments about the U.K.

[Lessando]

I often just read threads without posting. But I read one thread on here recently that made me think, and I wanted to start a new thread about it.

There was a thread on here a while ago, it was titled "Do you feel lucky in life".

About one hundred posters came on and wrote a similiar thing, they all wrote

"Oh yes I am so lucky to have been born in the U.K." and they wrote things like

"I won the lottery of life by being born in the UK"

I was surprised at the fawning over the top comments, because they are in stark contrast to how I have experienced living in other countries. Living conditions in many other countries seem to me to be a lot better than living conditions in the UK.

I have lived in other countries and right now I am living in the UK for a year . Don't get me wrong , there are things that are nice about the UK.

What I really wanted to discuss is why do some people in the UK seem to think it is the best country in the world.
But, if you go outside of the UK, a lot of media outlets talk about the UK in a very negative way. Do people know this happesn?

So many other countries are doing better economically than the UK is. Living conditions are better. The last EU country that i lived in, i barely saw a homeless person.

In my current city in the UK, homeless people come up to me and ask me for money all the time. Every single day.

I lived in an EU country last year. The media outside of the UK always reports negatively about the UK. They usually say that the UK is a very bad place to live, especially after Brexit.

Im not really saying if I personally think the UK is good or bad, obviously I am just one person.

I more wanted to discuss the discrepancy between many people in the UK thinking it is the best country in the world and they are lucky to live there, and the media outside the UK who report that the UK is a terrible place to live in.
Any thoughts on it?

Why do you care? Frankly I don’t see what difference it makes if international media says negative things. It’s what Brits think that matters.

That thread did surprise me as well - so positive and yet so often we get “I want to leave the uk” and a raft of threads about how bad everything is / how expensive , no health service, scared to go out

perhaps asking the specific question made people reflect

It just made me think about a lot of things. It is very interesting.

I think anyone who can't see how incredibly privileged we are not to be born into a war zone, a country without woman's rights, be born into acute poverty etc isn't very self-aware.

I don't really buy into the idea that there is any single "greatest country". I think that's the route to dangerous and toxic nationalism. But I am certainly proud of my country. I think our diversity is a particular strength.

I work in mental health care, and did some of my training in another European country. I was stunned by how much more compassionate and forward thinking attitudes are in mental health care in the UK. I don't think we always see our strengths.

Yes. And?

"The international news media" - no such thing. Different outlets, owners, editorial policies etc. don't you understand the differences?
"People in general" - well, that's so vague as to be worthless evidence.

I feel hugely lucky to live in the UK. It is not perfect by any means but we have running water, access to medical care, equality laws, a welfare state etc.. The UK is not perfect by any means but I'm not sure anywhere is these days.

They’re allowed to think so. What’s the problem?

International news media is a correct umbrella term to describe various international news outlets.

The reporting on the UK has definitely been very negative recently.

This is exactly what I think
I am not saying that the UK is some sort of Utopia but compared to some others we are fortunate to be born in the UK
This is not to denigrate other countries , but to recognise that our lives could have been so much more difficult if we had been born elsewhere .
It is about gratitude not xenophobia

Yes, that's exactly how I feel, really.

I think a lot of EU countries have a vested interest in telling their citizens that the UK has become shit post Brexit to deter their own citizens from demanding a similar referendum.

For me, life in the UK is pretty much what it has always been. But there is a lot of negativity and discontent. The reality is that most people live quite well and those that need state benefits are amply supported.

Is life in - say Norway or Sweden - better? Yeah probably but nonetheless I’m not interested in moving there. I don’t speak the language and my family and job are here.

People are allowed to be happy with their lives.

Really? I see loads of UK bashing threads on here. The fact remains in the UK we don’t have huge swings in temperature or tornados or months of ice and snow. So we are very lucky. The country is fantastically beautiful with a wide range of scenery, again very lucky. There is so much going for the UK.

Again, who cares? It’s what Brits think that matters.

I didnt say they are wrong.

There were so many of them saying the same thing. That they were extremely lucky to live in the UK

I just thought it was interesting , specifically as outside the UK I have heard people saying that they are sorry for people that live in the Uk, and they would never live in the UK.

I just thought that the sharp difference in opinions is interesting

Well of course European media portray Brexit and the consequences for the UK negatively. From a European Union perspective it would be strange to portray the departure of a net contributor as a good thing or risk any further departures. I’m not a Brexit fan but it’s pretty obviously not going to lead to positive portrayals or news about UK abroad.

If your opinion of the UK is so bad, please feel free to leave.

I think in the context of the thread mentioned, when people express gratitude for being born in the UK they mean being born in a rich, democratic country with a good human rights record and social safety net, and are speaking generally rather than specifically.

I’m British and living in the US. There are lots of great things about being here at this stage of lives, but I know where I’d rather be if I was poor, sick or elderly.

I think people like being ‘home’, so I have lived both in Australia and the US and enjoyed the experience (sadly not had chance to live in another European country).

However, after a time I got home sick. I missed my family, friends and certain things that I love about the UK.

Do I think the U.K. is ‘better’ than other countries. No I don’t. I can see where things are very very wrong here - the litter, the way we treat our rivers, the lack of facilities in local communities- to name a few.

But I love my country also - it is familiar to me and it is actually a safe place for my kids. Where I live crime is low, no risk of guns, no risk of war or extreme weather etc.

But I know we are no better than other countries and maybe ‘worse’ in terms of poverty, unemployment and social inequality.

I think rather than putting ourselves or others down we should aspire to do better. To focus on building our communities and improving services to our best ability. Let others countries focus on themselves and we focus on us (if you know what I mean I know we are a global world now).

A very predictable comment.

I will leave, but on my own terms, and in my own time .

I want to achieve a certain length of time and achieve certain goals in my job here first .

I lived in an EU country last year. The media outside of the UK always reports negatively about the UK. They usually say that the UK is a very bad place to live, especially after Brexit.

😆 of course. Because they’re still in the EU. If they’re a smaller newer in the EU country it’s totally worth it. But France, Germany, UK mostly give (or gave) to the EU and saw not much in return. So of course if someone left the club you have to be in, they’re bad, it must be awful etc. No surprises there.

The UK is a fantastic country in lots of ways. As are other countries. But the UK and London unbeatable. Well.. maybe Italy wins . I’ll give you Italy.. 🇮🇹 ❤️