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?

And yes, I know Dee, is an Irish surname, like many of us we have this mixed heritage, my married name is Irish in origin but that's the most common element of our heritage as we really do live up to a London upbringing very multi cultural.

Of course I would!

I don’t dislike it, though I’m not keen on Jack Dee. Prefer Stewart Lee.

But many MANY of your posts have been very much -English people are disliked the world over - So if you would also take that personally, why do you still share the view? THATS what im asking really.
I mean I haven't experienced it the world over, personally, but I have heard ABE many times from the other home nations.
I was trying to point out the discrepancies in the reasons given for why people are saying they dislike English people. Do you disagree with my points or have another reason for disliking us?

You don't seriously believe that 100% of those viewing Spanish or German TV are from those nationalities? That no foreigners live in either country?

I don't get your point anyway.

I agree with your points.

Here’s the thing. I don’t dislike you. I think this whole “ABE” has been overblown on here. Can I give you an example?

Rupert Lowe and his crass comments about Dunblane has shocked people all over the UK.

But if you look back at the documentaries about that awful incident, the people who started the snowdrop campaign are a mix of Scottish and English parents who all lived in Dunblane.

I don’t think we should extrapolate football “banter” to a hatred of English people as a whole.

It’s just a football thing.

People from the four nations live and work with each other.

I can’t speak for other nations world wide.

But it IS a thing.

The point is that German TV is broadcast to Germany. They can use ‘we’ when talking about the German team.
Our TV (the BBC and ITV) is broadcast to England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Each have their own teams. ‘We’ is not appropriate when referring to the England team.

Given the level of hate towards England football, I doubt those nations would be tuning in.

I think in my experience it means that the mother hates the 'English' collectively as a nation, but likes individual English people once she gets to know them in real life.

So guilty until proven innocent.

Strong “some of my best friends are black” vibes.

I very much suggest you read history. Highland clearance tradgedy was result of Scottish land owners clearing land to raise more profitable sheep. The same injustice was perpetrated on rural population of England by English landowners. This was a class issue, not the English clearing the Scots off their land.

Scotland and Wales are tiny populations and are vastly, vastly overrepresented compared to most English regions (including ones with far larger populations) in terms of funding, TV attention, visiting sports competitions etc.

Other regions don’t have their own BBC TV channels as Scotland and Wales do.
England has about 85% of the UK population, it makes sense that they get just a touch more attention than countries with 8% and 4.6% in terms of sports teams.

I guarantee you that hearing Scottish football results on the radio in England is as grating as the English coverage you get up there. And I’m quite sure the old firm get more TV and radio time than a team like Aston Villa, from a region with a larger population than the whole of Scotland.

What there is in the UK as a whole is a massive over representation and focus on London (and now Manchester). That’s said, Edinburgh gets more government attention, money and international events than nearly everywhere else.

Chip on the shoulder Scots need to realise that we’re all in the same boat, the vast majority of the population of England are not landed gentry ruling classes in control of the country at the time of historic wars, or now.

Scottish people aren’t any more different to Londoners than people in Cornwall or Hereford or Northumberland.

And with 130% of the central government funding per head that many English regions get (thanks Barnett), it’s the English that should be resentful of the Scottish tbh.

And there you go. THAT is why we’re hated. No willingness to understand, empathise or care. Always an excuse.

NB. I’m English.

Can you link to examples of “hate”?

Scotland and Wales aren’t regions of England.

Totally agree, ths is what living in Scotland as an English person can be like.

Neither is Northern Ireland

Where in Scotland do you live?

Exactly. But the poster only mentioned two. Probably forgot about NI.

The poster didn't say they were.

Almost half of the people of Northern Ireland (including one of my parents and one of my grandparents) don’t consider themselves to be British and don’t hold British citizenship because of the GFA. Why would an Irish person support England?

They said Scotland and Wales are though. Which is ironic really as the only one of the four NATIONS which doesn’t have its own parliament is England.

Tbf the Northern Ireland one is more out than in 😂

I know! 🤣