To think most of what people call “British” is actually borrowed from other cultures?

[BlendedByEmpire]

From food to fashion to language, it seems like a lot of what’s considered traditionally British has roots elsewhere. Yet people still cling to the idea of a “pure” British culture. AIBU to think the whole concept is more mixed than most are willing to admit?

All the people who are leaving hearts on my posts, I imagine 😄

Morris dancing
Wassailing
The green man
Clog dancing
Northumbrian & Scottish pipes
Welsh choirs
Brass bands

Can I point out the North Sentinel Islands ?

To think most of what people call “British” is actually borrowed from other cultures?

Oh and look, how odd. You claim to be discussing how cultures form and evolve, but strangely only refer to Britain borrowing from other cultures, not other cultures borrowing from Britain 🤔

You are transparent OP

I definitely did a school essay along these lines and I did feel clever at the time. I also did a similar one debating the continuity between ancient and modern Greece. I can't honestly remember what I concluded but it will have been something along the lines of "it was both nature AND nurture!" but in a cultural context.

Its just another American talking point that has been imported and regurgitated here.

The powers that be think it’s a noble lie, but it’s a lie nonetheless.

Oh, this annoys me.
Why do people always list or only value old stuff when thinking of culture? It's not just us, loads of countries do it.
I went to South Korea last year and visited a site billed as all about Korean culture. It was all old stuff. I wanted to learn/see all about modern South Korean culture, K-pop and TV, video games and street fashion. There was none of that.

I’m simply pointing out that it’s always been evolving, like every other culture. If that’s not news to you, great. But judging by some of the replies in this thread, it clearly is news to others.

Beginning to think you’re on the wind up. That or your comprehension skills are very poor.

Absolutely not one of replies on this thread have suggested anyone believes British culture has not always been evolving.

A thousand or two thousand years of consistency makes that irrelevant Why do you care something was borrowed 2000 years ago?
It's nothing like a million of third world per year in recent years on to a small island.

This is obvious, surely.
the same is true of nearly all other cultures.

Go tell people in Japan this.

I have to say I don’t see a lot of desire to preserve Britishness. I do know what you mean that most things come from somewhere else. I think that’s part of the cyclical nature of history.

English language is a mixture of French and Germanic but all the European languages can be traced back to Latin and then to Greek. When do you get to claim something as your own though, just about everything has roots somewhere else?

Im Scottish and am assured that many things thst are traditionally Scot’s were in fact nicked from the Irish and rebranded but in many ways there was a shared Gaelic culture.

Law is quite an interesting one as the English common law had travelled well and is commonly used in many former colonies. I’m sure it was said it was said of the Romans thst most of their culture was copied from the Greeks but in law they were the masters. I’d argue the same applies but it’s very much English as opposed to British as much of it doesn’t apply north of the border.

Absolutely OP - e.g. classic cuppa tea coming straight from tea fields in our formed colonies in India. A lot of metropolitan especially British culture is very shaped by its former colonies especially. We took so much from those places.

The English language has produced some of the greatest works of literature, poetry and drama in history. We still produce great writers and our theatre is some of the best anywhere. Many of the great creative franchises like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and James Bond were created by British writers.

We are very good at creative stuff. British actors are wildly overepresented in Hollywood, not least because our drama and theatre schools are second to none. We have an incredible music heritage, with many of the 20th centuries most iconic and influential bands etc being British.

Half of the sports played worldwide are British: football, cricket, rugby, hockey, tennis.

We do tradition and ceremony like no-one else and we make it look good. Trooping of the Colour, the Lord Mayor's Parade, the State Opening of Parliament, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

All this wonderful creativity from such a small place.

The industrial revolution was partly powered by the conquest of America. The open veins of Latin America explains this really well.

Im Welsh and we have so much cultural heritage both tangible like our National buildings and architecture, castles, churches and other landmarks then our intangible heritage such as our language and cultural traditions, folk tales and songs.
Are you looking in the wrong places or are you just trying to create conflict?

What Japan, where its traditional to have KFC for Christmas?

And they took nothing from our culture? It’s the British doing the taking, and not the giving? Modernity was invented here. What do you think the world would look like now if Britain hadn’t taken its part in it?

What Britain has taken from the rest of the world is significant but what Britain has contributed to global culture is massive- its most dominant global language, systems of governance, music and art, the industrial revolution, science and philosophy. There is no need for angst nor anxiety as OP asserts and she can pack in her snide comments about nuance.

This kind of post-colonial cultural cringe is so annoying isnt it?

I also love all these things but don't you think that the reason these are global phenomenon and you think they are the best is because the UK has imposed its culture and language on 80% of the world through brute force for centuries? And dont you think there's a chance that's also because you may have quite little awareness of the amaaazing authors, writers, music, culture, dance, poetry etc in other places around the world because no one came over and made you learn their language and forced you to read their playwrights and you don't have to learn other languages or culture cos everyone speaks yours?

I disagree with you completely. Our culture and values are self-evidently good, which is why they’ve endured, and why others imitate them

One thing that often strikes me about different cultures is clothing. Some clothing (typically what women wear) is so impractical and frankly a health hazard.

I didn't know this. How the world is missing out!