What is British Culture?

I have in my time on ATS encountered a lot of people question me on what British Culture is, suggesting we have no culture at all.
This thread is British Culture.

1. Pomp and Circumstance, the British are one of the only countries where we can get away with sounding posh (even if we are not (: and that is something which is recgonised all over the world), we are a very proud country.
Watch this video to get a feel of the patriotism.
An event which is enjoyed by people all over the world, lots of people from former British Empire colonies visit this event everytime it is on, you will see South Africans, Americans, Republic of Ireland, even Germans!!


2. British Stiff Upper Lip.
Insult us and expect to get a barrage of hate back right at you, we are strong willed and don't back down, we have been invaded by numerous super powers, Rome, Normans, Saxons, Vikings, we are a country born out of the strongest of the worlds warriors, not even Hitlers bombs could dampen the British Spirit.
A truly incredible speech by a true Englishman.


3. British Sense of humour, we love our humour here in the UK, we can find something funny in almost anything.

I quote:"Once Churchill was speaking in Parliament and was slightly muddled and incoherent in his speech. A rather unattractive lady MP on the opposite benches declared to Churchill: 'Sir, you are drunk!'. To which he replied 'Madame that may be true, but in the morning I shall be sober whereas you will still be ugly'.

Heck we are still cracking jokes in Parliament, a must watch for comedy value.


LOL!

4. Football, like it or not we are football mad, we don't care who we are playing we will watch, even when we dont play good at all we still come back for more.
This video was rated the best goal ever scored at a tournament by the FA


5. Acceptance, we accept anyone, Race, Religion, sexual orientation, we welcome you, but you must pay your way, and respect our law and way of life, we are very defensive of our little island.

6. Everything else, Tea, crumpets, our slang, its what makes us Brits, Brits.

Being British means taking pleasure in small things. Like a cuppa when you are soaked and freezing on top of Mt Snowdon or a pint of warm cider with a dead wasp in it while you watch the pub cricket team.
All the rest is just stuff that happens and could happen to anyone.

Moaning and queuing pretty much sums us up. That and our dislike of everybody else.

Originally posted by DisbeIief
Moaning and queuing pretty much sums us up. That and our dislike of everybody else.

i think the moaning and dislike of everyone is a bit of a scouse thing.. brits in general are very accepting of other people and cultures..
i think its a shame though we have lost alot of our culture in the last 10 years or so, with multiculturalism and political correctness.. we cant even fly our own flag in england anymore,
the 90's though that was different, thats when we were proud to be british!!

It used to be good. We were the envy of the world. Freedom coursed through this sceptred Isle.

Now it is a culture of Big Brother, pandering to the whim of every mini minority, ultra restrictrive gun laws, 24hr celeb tv, and red tape...

What went wrong?

Crumbling away to be another insignificant European country.

Emasculation.

reply to post by Misterlondon


I'm not scouse and spent a lot of my life away from this area in the forces.

Brits are generally a bunch of moaners who want everyone else to do something about the things we don't like. You don't really want to get to know us as we sure aren't really interested in getting to know you. Unless that is you're prepared to do something about the things we don't like and then we might pretend we do until you've done them.

If you've got nothing good to say - talk about the weather.


Looks like rain again....

I am not from however I spent a few years in the UK and got to know many brits and actually were full of just as much culture as where I am form and am now. Its funny some have mentioned relaxing with some cider, as I come from a culture just the same.

Being British is about driving a German car to an Irish pub for a Belgian beer.
Then on your way home grabbing an Indian curry or a Turkish kebab to sit on a Swedish sofa and watch
USA shows on a Japanese TV, and most of all being suspicious of anything foreign.
Oh and only in Britain can you get a pizza to your home faster than a ambulance.
Only in Britain do banks leave there doors wide open but chain pens down to the counter.
Also supermarkets make sick people go to the back of the store for prescriptions whilst healthy people
get there fags at the front of the store.

Originally posted by syncelebrity
I am not from however I spent a few years in the UK and got to know many brits and actually were full of just as much culture as where I am form and am now. Its funny some have mentioned relaxing with some cider, as I come from a culture just the same.

That is so funny, an american that thinks they have culture.

Originally posted by petdog82

Being British is about driving a German car to an Irish pub for a Belgian beer.
Then on your way home grabbing an Indian curry or a Turkish kebab to sit on a Swedish sofa and watch
USA shows on a Japanese TV, and most of all being suspicious of anything foreign.
Oh and only in Britain can you get a pizza to your home faster than a ambulance.
Only in Britain do banks leave there doors wide open but chain pens down to the counter.
Also supermarkets make sick people go to the back of the store for prescriptions whilst healthy people
get there fags at the front of the store.

Er I'm pretty sure the English invented Curry, we might watch US shows but your best ones have brits doing awful accents and starring in them. Oh and fags are cigarettes over here and the pharmacy in my supermarket is at the front.

But carry on.

reply to post by petdog82


This is so true and sums it all up totally!!! Not looking at the swedish sofa, and japanese TV

reply to post by DisbeIief



The shops here have the pharmacies at the back and the cigarettes at the front??

Oh and the 'class system' in place in the UK

The best thing about being British is the fact you dont have to wrap yourself up in the flag and hark on about the Last Night at the proms and all the other twaddle to still feel proud to be British.

But, I think Doug Stanhope says it best about nationalism. Caution strong language.

Originally posted by blackcat99
Oh and the 'class system' in place in the UK

according to David Cameron and George (Gideon) Osbourne, there is no such thing as class anymore. Some people lap it up.

reply to post by DisbeIief


I am not American I am from southern Ireland thanks

reply to post by woodwardjnr


Yes that is coming from the upper class people who live in their own little world - oblivious to us middle class people..., and god forbid the working class people

I was born in the UK but don't consider myself British, I refuse to claim the nationality of a country I feel nothing for. I go out of my way to hide when I hear English being spoken in my village and don't mix with other people from the country. WHY? because I have seen enough moany, bitchy, back stabbing Brits to last me a lifetime.
Brits accepting of other cultures? I'm sorry but thats rubbish. Brits come to live here in Spain and turn areas into British encampments, don't bother to learn the language and complain about everything. I have been in a situation where a vehicle I was in slightly scraped some English peoples vehicle. They didn't know I could understand them and started mouthing off in a very nasty way about the Spanish, showing their true colours indeed.
What else? Oh yeah, not content with trying to destroy other countries culture, Brits also have to do each other over however they can, ripping each other off and so on. They also don't respect the law of the country they are living in by not registering on the town hall list(which means the community in general loses out on money to been spent on public serves - and guess who are the first to complain when services are cut?) Working illegally, not paying taxes? yes, more British behaviour.
As for politeness and manners, maybe some individuals behave in that way but I know perfectly well that their is a disgusting binge drinking culture amongst young brits, which culminates in fighting and vomiting in the streets, even the females(i won't call them women because they don't deserve the respect).

People from the US, I'm sorry to destroy any illusion you have about British people, but it isn't the fairyland world you like to imagine.

PS. OK, I admit I drink a lot of tea. And before you all start freaking out I KNOW that not everyone is like this, but thats the snapshot of life I see with my own eyes girls and boys...

Oh and dare I venture into the 'not allowed to put up Christmas decorations' in case it upsets our multicultural society..., and the political correctness that has gone completely over the top