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?

Being Scottish its just football. Only banter, definitely dont hate England or English people. But insufferable if England win the world cup! 😂

Well the Scots were very enthusiastic about getting involved in that.

The issues in NI you could blame mainly on a Scottish king moving many Scots and English there.

I was taking some English friends on a trip around the highlands. We were staying in a small hotel with rooms, arrived a bit early and ordered lunch in the bar. We sat there waiting for food and were listening in as the landlord and a friend were bitching about ‘English scum’ who had just bought a property in the village. We walked out then and there. Unbelievable attitude. And a pretty stupid thing to say in front of people who were no doubt tourists!

I think Nicola Sturgeon is to blame for really pushing the hate to a different level.

Well, also the English did a lot of bad stuff. I don't want to deny that! James as the start of a Scottish line of kings is complicated because you had the same thing happen there as happens with a lot of Scottish Prime Ministers. The London takes over basically. So I can accept that if not James certainly his descendants were governing from England/London not as Scottish rulers. But trying to assign any sort of genealogical narrative gets stupid quite quickly.
I do get why Scottish people are pissed of at Brexit. The Welsh don't have much right to blame the English since they also voted for it in large numbers. I also, while I'm pissed of at Farage and the masterminds of that particular shitshow don't think there's much benefit in harbouring a grudge against the (usually deprived) areas of Wales and England that did vote for it. It's devicive.

I'm English but was always completely anti the sort of media shitstorm and drama created every tournament and the jingoism and violence that used to plague the game. You don't have to be anti-English but can be anti that kind of shit, as many English people are and always were. I would always support UK nations and Ireland in tournaments as well, if they are not playing England. Scotland were pretty poor this time though, hard to get behind. I jumped up and cheered when they qualified though.

Banter is fine. It's more fun of you have someone in the office who really wants England to win, and someone who really doesn't. On the whole, usually the jokes etc seem light-hearted and it's fine. Sometimes though there is an edge/a sudden flash of unpleasantness (my mum being called a Sassenach and refused a job because she was applying from England. Even though she was Scottish). I think also it's the sort of sentiment that can turn into more generalised xenophobia (as in not just anti-Enflish) or even outright racism a lot more quickly than some maybe appreciate...

Fellow Scot here. I just watched the England game and had the MN thread about it open as I watched. And there it was: another Scottish poster being quizzed by presumably an English fan " But you are Scottish". Can't bloody win. Don't support England get called names. Support England and get told you have no right to.

I had it when I lived in England.

So I was wrong on the result! Well done England.

Ignore them. I don't mind if you watch it or not. It doesn't bother me.

Scottish person here. I don’t hate the English or wish them to lose at football. I find the whole rivalry in sport thing very tedious. However football isn’t particularly important to me.

Yup! The ‘well we are much more caring up here’ guff as she protected an illegal immigrant from being deported, and handing over eye wateringly higher benefits and uncosted public sector pay rises while Scottish schools and healthcare go down the pan through lack of funding. And now she’s fucked off down to London to a country that’s far better run (even if that’s not saying much!).

I'm Irish.
I don't hate the people but I hate the government for owning other countries.

I read somewhere she lives in England now.

I'm English and I don't usually like the English men winning things (happy enough with victories for the English women, for the most part).

I suppose it's mainly because supporting England is so closely tied with English nationalism, Brexit, Tommy Wotsit, Farage, Reform etc.

And in regard to the Tour de France, those of us watching it for international colour were depressed by that long period of boring English domination, with Chris Froome in particular being such a drab cyclist with a very ugly riding style, and question marks over drugs etc.

Funny isn't it. I have noticed the difference between before she came to power and after. The hatred is another level.

This is what I was thinking. Colonialism, false sense of superiority due to long ago misused power (as power usually is when it's disproportionate) and a mismatch with not accepting current more minor position on the world stage.

Plus in a contemporary context "Brits abroad" in terms of the holiday maker stereotypes (the stereotype of drunken groups being loud and disrespectful, but also expecting everyone to speak English and to find familiar food in other countries etc.)

I suppose the OP is not talking about stereotypes about England outside the United Kingdom though, but about why Scottish and Welsh people might dislike England. I'd still assume it's historical about power misuse though.

I am sure plenty of Scots are twats on holiday. Everyone has a horrible minority.

Yes of course - stereotypes.

Also in non English speaking countries (and English speaking countries that are not part of the UK for that matter) most people are hazy on what the difference between British, English, Scottish and Welsh are and generally don't particularly care - it's not important to most people outside the UK (neither is the confusing to an outsider existence of northern Ireland as part of the UK).

People mix the nations of the UK up, so the English holiday makers they notice might be Welsh or Scottish - it's still a stereotype about "English" people though.

Why?

My son( Scottish) applied for a teaching post in Orkney and didn’t get an interview because he isn’t from Orkney!

I feel the hatred for Westminster and England has really pumped up since she was in power. Always there obviously but a lot worse. You don't think so? Weird she lives in London now...rather funny actually.

They don't think they are Scottish though and want independence.

There’s no hatred for the English. Just like there’s no hatred for the Welsh or Northern Irish who are also part of the UK.

England want to make it about them though.

She’s in England temporarily- writing.

Did she hate her Granny?