AIBU to wonder if anti-English feeling is mostly about sport

[Batsratscatsgnats]

If you support anyone but England in football or other sports do you dislike English people generally or is it just in sports?

On a similar theme, I have a long term Swedish friend, and I’d bet £1000 now that next Saturday it won’t be Norway she’ll be supporting.

She was once with us when there was a news item about a cruise ship passenger being taken ill in Norwegian waters, and being transferred (dockside) on a stretcher to Norwegian emergency services.
Only they dropped her in the icy water! 😱🥶

Friend said, ‘That’s Norwegians for you - you just can’t trust them.’
I know I shouldn’t have laughed, but…..

So Scottish individuals didn't profit from slavery? What about David Livingstone in Africa? Suppose he was there being kind to the locals?

I don't think the Germany/Denmark analogy works really, as they are different countries with different governments with no governance over the other, and obviously completely different languages. Of course the Scottish government has devolved powers, but ultimately it's the government of the UK (the four nations) which is responsible for defending and protecting all four nations.

Comparing the constitutent parts of the United Kingdom to 2 random countries in the EU is ridiculous. Germany and Denmark don't share the same government.

@CommasSaveLives The English arrogant, we're not at all. We're known for our love of queuing in an orderly fashion and not making a fuss. In a restaurant when asked how the food is we always smile enthusiastically and say 'lovely thank you' even if it's diabolical.

The money that was used to set up George Watson's College (very successful Edinburgh private school) came from the slave trade. I'm sure Watson's won't be the only one.

Hating the English is on par with hating white people, hating men, etc, they're held to be totally acceptable, were someone to totally hate another nationality, especially from further east, I think we know what they'd be called by the pseudo-caring people especially on MN the home of hypocrisy and double standards.

I think you're arguing with the wrong person. I meant the refusal to accept that Scotland played a big part in the Empire is weird, embarrassing and ill informed.

Xenophobes will use any excuse in the book for their xenophobia. It's best to ignore them. They're dimwits.

This.

Same for me here in Wales.

My point, made more succinctly!

Of course there is!

Typically anyone who is not English wants anyone to win but the English!

I see that we managed to beat Mexico at the Azteca despite the shenanigans from the Mexican fans and being one man down. Great result!

Oh right. Sorry about that. A bit tired!

Agreed. And many of the same people who will have all kinds of justifications for hating English people would be catatonic with rage if you substituted in another nationality.

Some are like that and some are no but I guess there is a David and Goliath mindset in many cases - which is true of the English also - with the smaller British nations being much smaller and holding much less influence than London

I really don’t think it’s understandable at all. By that same topic it’s fine for Jamaicans to hate Scottish people or Indians to hate the English, Welsh and Scottish.

It’s just xenophobes justifying their xenophobia.

It’s literally makes zero sense. “The French” / “The English” is the people. You cannot claim “ I hate the English but I’m fine with English people - it’s one and the same.

And who is this “we” in terms of hating the French? I don’t. In fact France is my second team in any footballing event.

I haven’t said anything about who you should support. I was challenging your classist suggestion that university educated people cannot be bigoted knuckle draggers.

Ok? Now read about British history in the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.

Very much the BRITISH empire with Scottish and Welsh people being enthusiastic participants. It’s Britain’s history of colonialism not solely the English.

And I still don’t get why people in 2026 are still holding bitterness with people in the modern era because of past events. I am a child of British colonialism and still don’t hate English (or Welsh or Scottish) people in the modern era.

I don't hate the English. Or any other nationality for that matter. However, read up about the Irish famine, how the Irish were treated, and Ireland's independence. I'm assuming that's where some generational undertone of "hate" comes from.
I'm assuming similar in other countries. I'm not up on history details though just speaking from my own Irish upbringing. I don't believe that history is taught in English schools so many English people don't realise the suppression that was very recent, only just over 100 years since Ireland independence. That's very recent in historical terms. For instance My grandparents were born in an Ireland that was under British rule.

I agree there is a ridiculous contradictory though, as in Ireland you'll have the same scumbags "hating the English' yet they heavily support English football clubs, so ya those people are just driven by thuggery not actual opinion or historical feelings!!

Again, I personally don't hate any nationality. I meet and form an opinion on individuals based on how they behave not where they are from or the colour of their skin.

On a lighter note Harry Kanes interview is very funny.

Yes Scottish and welsh people were part of Britain and so involved in the British empire. So were people of almost every nationality / including people whose citizens were enslaved

and Scottish people did help set some of the laws and rules - but they were primarily driven by the rich and powerful and the directives tended to come from London

Scottish and Welsh were involved in the British empire as colonisers. Rather different to the subjects that were colonised.

This is just a Scottish person trying to pretend they did not have much to do with Empire and if they did they were forced into it by London which is a lie.