Embarrassed to be English

[Traballi]

Got ancestry results back recently and apparently I'm 98% English, tiny bit of Irish but not even Scottish or Welsh. It wasn't a surprise as already looked into family history and been here for centuries.

I'm actually embarrassed of my English lineage to be honest. What's there to be proud of with our appalling history of colonialism and more recent dallyings with the far right and flag shagging?

I see the British flag up where I live and I honestly cringe. I'm also married to someone who is from a country we have a history of conflict with too so that doesnt help although DH doesnt hate us excessively (won't name country in case outing but with our history of wars/ conflict/ invasion, it could be dozens of places lets be frank)

I guess I've had a different perspective on Englishness over many years through the people I know from overseas and I speak other languages too. I also went to a Catholic school (in England) which taught us about slavery and what happened in Northern Ireland. None of which was nice about the English (teacher was Irish). I'm grateful for these perspectives though as I wouldn't want to be brainwashed into being a blind patriot.

I have friends with strong Irish and Welsh roots and they have a real sense of identity to hold onto with it, ancestral languages that they're interested in and a feeling a pride.

If you're English, it's hard to feel like that unless you're in Tommy or Nige's crew, which makes me even less inclined towards patriotism tbh.

Does anyone else feel like this? It's a bit sad really. I'd love to at least be half something else to cling to that identity instead and ignore the English but.

Luckily my DC is only half English and has two other nationalities through DH, and is being brought up in Wales so will probably feel more Welsh. I'm also obtaining a passport from another country through DH soon and I'll be using that for all overseas travel as soon as I can so I can appear to be from there instead.

AiBU or do others feel like this? Being English just isn't cool.

I won’t be ashamed of what violent men did before I was even born, when I was a child or when I was looking after my children. It’s just not my guilt to bear. It’s interesting though as my Philippino colleague has told me horrific things the Portuguese did to her country in her view they are the ‘baddies’ of her culture- yet we never hear about that - or what Holland or Spain did respectively to similar countries.

I don’t listen to any news channels any more - from BBC to SKY as they all have an agenda - to scare people to death and cause division

Thank you I was looking for something like this

so sick of people saying we were the leaders in abolition - and the naval boats!! So sick of it

britain only did things things that benefitted them and individuals!! And wasn’t the abolitionist also slave owning at the time? Sure I heard that somewhere

and the compensation being paid to slave owners!!!!

At least you aren’t German. They’ve got Hitler to deal with.

Well said that woman.

As a Scot, I think you are being absolutely ridiculous. You should be proud to be English. Learn some history, get a backbone and grow up.

I’m heartened to see that 90% of the responses are telling the OP they’re being ridiculous and to “stop being a prat” as one poster so eloquently put it 😂

I think the tide has definitely turned - people are sick to the back teeth of this BS.

Let’s collectively rejoice in our Glorious Nation! 🇬🇧 😂

I’ve never understood this need to be proud of your heritage or place of birth which is 100% an accident of birth. Be proud of personal achievements, be proud of your kids, be proud of how you decorated your living room but pride in a country? It’s weird. It’s a lump of land.

Agreed. All the fault of 19th century nationalism.

I doubt she's even English. Well I hope she's not because we've got enough of the enemy within. Boring thread that's been done to death. Time to hide this garbage.

Perhaps you just hang around with like-minded English haters? My Irish ex-bf certainly didn’t hate the English, and neither does my very close Irish friend (who is married to a very English man). Both live in England, because England is a better place to live than Ireland, with more opportunities and far less sectarian issues to deal with.

And the Guardian hasn't really sold its soul to the Russians or anyone that will keep the lights on.

By all means, you don’t have to be proud, but being ashamed is pure cringe. It’s pure posturing.

Hmmm I smell bullshit. OP is English, my arse!!

There are more slaves now than at any point in history, OP. Gain some awareness and be grateful for where you are...

excellent post.

I sincerely hope you are rage baiting and not this historically illiterate.

But in case you aren’t, if that is the lens you choose which people’s/empire’s history isn’t one of colonialism and oppression? The Romans? The Aztecs? The Egyptians, The Yoruba? The Sudanese? The French? The Ottomans? The Vikings? The Rashidun Caliphate? The Brazilians? The Prussians? The Abbasid Celiphate?

And more importantly what people, what civilisations have not also suffered those same conditions?

The Romans, the Saxon’s, the Angles, William the Conqueror and the Normans, the Vikings all conquered England, all pillaged, took slaves, colonised and changed the language, culture and customs.

The real test is what England gave the world and surely you are not so blind you cannot acknowledge that.

ed. Spelling

I think the UK has a complicated past and fair amount to be ashamed of, but equally very proud of. Done a lot of good for the world.
Recently, the UK had been riding on it's history of being a decent country but I honestly feel that is ending. I am embarrassed some times, how the world must see us, just as the world judges the USA now.

Feeling embarrassed or ashamed of your country is virtue-signalling pants.

If I was French or Belgian I'd be proud, despite the oppression of Algeria or the Belgian Congo. If I was German, I'd be proud to be German. That's healthy and how it should be.

You think you’d have something up your sleeve if you were so convinced about something from the 1800’s.

FYI none of us were there so…..

Good point.

Do you own an iPhone perchance OP? Because:

It is widely alleged by human rights organisations and news reports that the iPhone supply chain, particularly for raw materials and component manufacturing, is linked to forced labor and child labor. While Apple officially prohibits such practices, independent investigations have repeatedly found evidence of them within its supplier network.

@dynamiccactus- I am privileged in that I speak another language fluently and mine and my extended family are part of the multicultural make-up of this Island. This includes those from the colonies who fought alongside the British and also refugees who have gone on to raise children who have worked as doctors, scientists etc and contributed a lot. We also manage to travel overseas several times a year because cheap air-travel means we have not been isolated for quite a while. I can get to Europe and back for the price of one train ticket between my northern city and London to visit family.

This OP makes me so sad.
Firstly it's obviously just someone trying to stir up hatred of the country.
Secondly because England is such a wonderful place to live. OP, if, in the small chance she is a real human, needs to look around her.

She needs to see all the hardworking people here, the public servants who give their all in Education, the NHS and the military and emergency services., the farmers and food producers who give us such fantastic local foods, the millions of volunteers who give up their time every week to help make the country better.

There are so many things I could add.

Open your bloody eyes OP.

I know what you, op, mean.

We as a country have done some terrible things. We have some terrible prominent English people too who dominate the news.

Good things and people do exist - but bad news sells papers.

Could be worse though - you could be American!

Next summer I’ll be at a large sporting event in France ( so not the World Cup) if the last one is anything to go by they’ll be 2000 American women there. It’ll be interesting to see if there is as much USA USA chanting as the last one we went to in Italy in 2016.

Sorry but isn't this nonsense. English isn't just the negative things you cherry pick from history. Theres a lot of good too.
Stop being so self indulgent.
I am not even English myself.
It is disappointing though to do a DNA.tedt and find nothing interesting!

I'm Irish and I think you should be proud of your British heritage. I think English people are very kind, intelligent and measured.

I do believe that certain countries carry generational trauma. England was probably the most powerful coloniser but this was driven by the crown, not the ordinary man.

And you are only looking at the last few hundred years. I read a book that detailed King Henry the 8ths takeover. England was totally and devoutly Catholic before then. The land wasnt privatised...it was owned by monks and religious orders. The people rented it by giving 10% of the crop every year. The word pauper didn't exist as these places opened their doors. It was actually an incredibly peaceful time.

History appeared to get extremely brutal after that. Between the 16th - 18th century, 50,000 - 100,000 English people were publicly killed at Tyburn alone. England knew how to do gruesome, and I do think this trauma stays buried. England was terrible to its own people. That kind of trauma didnt happen in many other countries, and it was definitely a way to control.

Apologies for going off tangent but I do think a really interesting history is buried.