10 Modern Myths about England And the real Truth behind them
82Modern English Myths Oh how wrong they can be!
Every country in the world has a social or psychological worldwide image of it. Whatever the country you live in, it always has it's stereotypes. Or is stereotypical. Sometimes these stereotypes are true, but mostly they are completely false.
For some reason, modern myths and legends seem to grow up around them and become stereotypical. For example, when someone mentions Scotland, we automatically think of Tartan, Castles and a broad accent, that can't always be understood however lovely it sounds!
The last one is oh so true! I worked in an office where I had to talk to people on the phone. The main office was in Glasgow, Scotland. I could never understand a word they said! We used to have such a laugh, in the end my friend, we had become friends by then, decided in his wisdom to don a English accent, much to the hilarity of his colleagues! It was funny, and we continued doing this for all the time I worked there. We still keep in touch. But my point is, why do we always believe in the modern myth or legend?
Not all Scottish people wear kilts and carry the bagpipes, not every Greek island is always hot and sunny. Get my point? Good. So I am going to dispel once and for all the modern myths and legends that is talked about around the world about good old England. I think you are going to be surprised!
The Weather!
1. The good old English Weather!I thought I would start with the obvious! Many people, mainly tourists I might add, always presume that England is a rainy, wet soggy country. Whenever you see TV programmes from America, for example, they always portray poor little England as this sopping wet, miserable little Island where everybody runs around with big umbrella's, looking like drowned rats. And that is just the summer! This is so not true. In fact it couldn't be farther off the mark. England is divided into two halves. In more ways than one, I might add, but I am coming to that!
But seriously, the North of England does get it's fair share of bad weather. Evidently according to wildlife programmes that I watched recently, the North of England comes into spring six weeks later than the south, and starts getting winter a few weeks earlier than down south. Certain parts farther up the country, like Manchester for example, do have more than their fair share of rain because of the Lake District. This part of the country has a lot of woodlands and hills which draw the rain to them. Down south where I live, we are much luckier. Being at least four hundred miles from there, we get a lot more sun.
Over the last few years we have had very hot summers, and even on a typical summers day we have more sun than rain. Apart from three years ago when we had a bad summer, the usual summer season can be so hot, we don't experience rain for weeks. Over the last thirty years we have had to have a hosepipe ban because of the lack of rainfall. So if you are visiting England, especially down South, which includes London and the coast, and of course Cornwall and Devon in the West, make sure you pack a lot of summer clothing!
Stiff Upper Lip!
Now I am sure you know exactly what I mean about the English 'Stiff upper lip' syndrome! For those who have no idea what I am talking about, I will explain. Foreigners always believe that the English always take everything thrown at them with the good old 'fighting spirit'. This entails the fact that we never show emotion, even in the tightest corner, or the hardest situation. To some degree it is true, we are great at 'keeping going' through thick and thin. But we do show a lot of emotion. We get frightened, we get scared and we do cry! And of course we have bravery.
Usually the great armed forces that I believe are the best in the world. We also have a wicked sense of humour! Some would say it was a very dry sense of humour, but believe me when I say, it is fantastic! We are open and friendly, and mix with every culture that comes to live here. Of course we have the 'Upper Class' who tend to look down on the rest of us unworthy minions, but then again I am sure that every country in the world has those!
Love and Relationships
Notice I haven't added the S word! I don't want loads of ads popping up about, well, you know what! So I will put it in a way that I am sure you will understand! We discovered in the sixties that we could have any relationship that we wanted, mainly because the pill had come into being, and when we got over the shock of realising that we could do what we wanted to, we have been at it like, well, rabbits!
The English are not cold lovers and partners, in fact, we tend to have gone the other way! Especially the teens of today. They change partners like they change their socks! There is warmth and love and laughter, in fact it is a wonder that we are not over populated! So please dispel that myth, because if you come over here expecting everybody to eat English afternoon tea, and talk like a lady, you are going to be very shocked and surprised. Sorry about that!
The English Bobby (Policeman)
Every time I see a TV programme about England, made in another country, the one thing I always notice is how they always portray the good old English Bobby as a policeman with a tall hat, a bicycle and, this one will tickle you, the fact that he stands there and says ' 'ello 'ello 'ello, what's going on 'ere then?' He then pats the kids on their heads and helps old ladies across the street. Sorry, wrong again.
We are in the 21st Century. The Police wear modern uniforms, carry tasers and can get quite aggressive if you don't do as you're told! Don't get me wrong, they do a great job, but they are the same as the American police, and just about everywhere else! Sorry about that too!
Streets, Cars and Buses
Now here's the thing. Why does everybody always believe that we drive around in little Mini cars, the streets are always half empty, and the buses look like something out of the middle of the last century? The truth is that our street's are jam packed with cars, buses, motorbikes and just about everything else. The driver's can and do suffer with road rage, and there has been many incidents where the driver has got out of his car and punched another one who has been tailgating him!
The Buses are modern, in London we have bendy buses, which are split into two carriages with a well, bendy bit in the middle and they look really quite sleek. The street's are always full of pedestrians, car exhaust, people jostling and swearing trying to cross the street, and taxi's belting about everywhere! Just like America again! Sorry about that one too! Ha ha
Friendliness
Now it has been said that the English are not very friendly. That is absolutely not true. We are in fact, probably one of the friendliest countries in the world. We accept people. Simple as that. It doesn't matter where you come from, we like to chat. Oh do we! ha ha What comes across as being ignorant or unfriendly is, and please believe me, shyness. We are quite shy with strangers, but when you get us talking, we don't stop! Chatter, chatter, chatter! So, just start a conversation, we will keep you there for hours! So come on over!
North and South myths about Friendliness
This one you might not know about. There has been a myth about this for years. And it really gets my goat! (she frowns!) lol Evidently the people who live up the North of England are the friendliest in the country! Bunkum I say, Bunkum! I have spoken to nearly every county in England. I used to work in a call centre and had to phone around virtually everywhere. Whenever I spoke to someone up north, nine times out of ten I got the phone put down on me. I have been sworn at, badly, I might add, and to say the least, the Northerners are sometimes a suspicious and downright ignorant lot! Oh, don't get me wrong, not all of them.
In fact one older lady was so sweet she nearly made me cry! I could have hugged her! Everytime I had to talk to her, she wanted me to come visit, and she kept calling me lovey! But that was very rare. A northerner will always say, ' We tell it like it is, we tell you straight' Tell me about it! But whenever I phoned someone down South, they were friendly, helpful and full of laughter. There wasn't one exception. The most amazing thing about it was that it didn't matter what nationality they were, English, West Indian, or Asian. If they live down south they are so friendly and helpful. I would like to add that it is usually the middle aged Northern women who are so miserable! The men are great! So there. The truth will out! Ha
Disclaimer: No northerner was harmed in the making of this hub! And I forget to say that it was just certain areas up North that were bad, twenty miles away even in the same county they could be very nice! You know who you are! Hee Hee
Happy Mixed Marriages
Equality
The one thing about England that I would like to put right is the fact that we do live right up to date in a modern society. There are so many countries in the world who have lots of different cultures living in them, and they tend to stay segregated from each other. In England we inter marry in droves. There are of course certain citizens from other countries who still stay together in marriage, but the majority of the rest marry who they please. West Indians or Africans marry lots of English girls, and of course there are as many other mixed races too.
I have lots of friends who are either a black woman married to a white man, or vice versa. In fact when we watch TV and see a problem with this in other countries, we are annoyed and a little bit surprised. Our attitude is, black, white or Asian, who cares? We are people, and that's that! Of course there is racism. What country wouldn't have that? but it is a very small amount compared to other countries. We are equal. And we like it that way.
Food, Manners and Dress Code
We have a certain myth about England that always curls me up in laughter. People abroad always seem to think that we all eat afternoon tea, dress in cocktail dresses and are polite in a very posh and well mannered way. Sorry, wrong again! We hardly ever have afternoon tea, that disappeared in the fifties. When we go to work we wear trouser's and jackets, or skirts. When we are at home we slob about in jeans or combats. Ever since the seventies when equality between the sexes hit us, we now seem to have lost the posh manners that I would have liked to see. Of course the older male will still open a door for you. But any man under thirty would take your seat in a bus if you were pregnant! Trust me, I have seen it!
We eat breakfast when we work, or we have a lay in if we don't. We sit on the couch to eat our evening meal in front of the TV, and we snack whenever we want too! Don't worry, we are not all slobs! But this day and age we are just like anybody else. Of course once again there are the 'higher class', yeah right! lol who still probably do all the right things, but on the whole we are generally very laid back. Sorry about that too! Um!
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Nicknames for the English.
Like every other country, England has it's fair share of nicknames. The most well known are Limey, Tommy, and of course the famous Australian name for us. the Pom.
The word Limey comes from the late middle ages when we took to the seas and discovered new shores. And we all got scurvy! Scurvy is a disease that is caused by lack of vitamin C. It was one of the main scourges that took a lot of sailors lives. Until the English suddenly realised that we were not eating the right foods and started to load fruit onto the ships to eat. One of the first fruits we carried were Limes. Hence the name Limey.
The name Tommy, was started in the first world war. It is believed to have come from either the 'Tommy gun' which was an old fashioned machine gun. These two myths or sayings are true.
And finally Pom. The word Pom is used mainly by Australian people talking about the English. But this is a myth. In fact the word POM means either: Pomegranate, as in foreigners going a shade of pomegranate because of the sun. This was believed to be used recently because the English noted that actually the real name behind Pom is: Prisoners of Her Majesty! So in fact, when an Australian calls the English, Pom, they are actually referring to the original settlers in Australia who came over from England and Ireland in prison ships! It seems that when it is used in a derogatory manner, they are in fact referring to themselves! Strange fact.
So there we are! I hope that this clears up a few myths and legends about England, and if you decide to visit us, we will be really pleased to see you! And keep you chatting and chatting.....!!
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Manuermadmoghal, are you ok
Excellent information. Thank you so much for sharing your story. We all need to know. More importantly, you provided the guide book.
I spent a week in England about 5 years ago and from that indepth experience I can state with confidence that despite your refutation of the so-called myths, every one of the stereotypes is in fact the truth. I not only have that experience to verify the facts, but I am a regular watcher of the English reality shows on TV. These shows confirm again the so-called stereotypes. The shows that I watch are well known sources of acurate desccriptions of English manners and mores. The shows include:"Waiting for God", "The Last of The Summer Wine", "As time goes by", "Faulty Towers", "The Vicar of Dibley", "Keeping Up Appearacnes" and "To The Manor Born." You can see that I am well educated in English style and manners.
Fortunally the famous British humor isn't a myth.
Pats!
I was only joking!
Pats! Pats!
Really, I didn't mean it at all!
Pats! Pats! Pats!
--- :-)
Well written HUB! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Nell.
You certainly tell it like it is. I have lived here for twenty four years now, and I can agree with everything you say, except that Essex people are the friendliest.
There is good and bad in every race. That is the truth.
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Hi, Melinda, I just thought I would throw a few out there and see what you all think! ha ha maybe there is a bit of them still within the English, but not much, thanks as always nell
Hi, Lightining john, ha ha I have no idea why he did that, but I deleted it, didn't want the hub twice! thanks for reading it, cheers nell
Hi, daravuthz, thanks so much and I am glad you like it, cheers nell
Hi, david, nice to see you, you may well be right, there are certain parts of the English population that are still stereotyped, but I was basing this on the majority these days, I love those old TV programmes that you mentioned, the only trouble is with them is that they are nearly all 30 years old! Fawlty towers was made in the seventies, and the others that you mentioned are late 80s early ninetys, and it is a bit of an English joke, because they are all aimed at taking the micky out of the upper class. thanks so much and I hope you have a great Christmas! nell
Hi, Antoine, thanks so much for reading it, sorry, I haven't been ignoring you, my stupid computer decided that the snow was too much for it, and gave up for two days! I had been hoping to publish this for two days! I will be over shortly! ha ha cheers nell
Hi, christopher, I think what always gets my gall, is that the North is always portrayed as the friendly ones and the south is miserable! so not true! I think I may be slightly biased though because I had a northern woman working with me years and she was a right old bat! ha ha but it is true what I said about phoning people up north, I had no idea of some of those swear words! lol thanks again nell
Good information from you, Nell. Actually I never knew about this before. You open my eyes about what happen outside, especially in England. I really enjoy this hub very much. Thank you very much. Rating up.
Love and peace, prasetio:)
Oh no, Nell, now you’ve destroyed my entire perception of England. I loved those friendly Bobbies, and those old red busses and stif-upper-lipped ladies and gentlemen.... LOL.
There are also a lot of myths about SA, inter alia: Elephants walk in our streets. LOL! We used to call the English in our country ‘Red Necks’, because of the red jackets of British soldiers during the British-South African wars. There was a time Afrikaans parents did not allow their children to mix with the children of ‘Red Necks’, because of the wars and all the wrongs committed. But that was many decades ago.
Thanks for this much enjoyable hub and for rectifying my bent perceptions of poor old soggy England and its snobbish citizens. Only my best wishes to you :))))
Eternal gratitude for straightening me out on these matters Nell! I wondered how people tolerated that dreadful, gloomy, rainy weather year round! I think it's that coat manufacturer, London Fog, that must have perpetuated the myth for their own benefit! If I lived in that climate, I would have to have a London Fog coat! Re: shy - I had heard reserved rather than shy, but not rude. I too am reserved, and understand that completely. Thanks for the fun and friendly hub, Nell.
Great information Nell, and not many people realise that London is one of the driest cities in Europe. The west side of Britain is much wetter than the east! Anyway, back to my stiff upper lip!
Great hub! We live in the sunny southeast of England. The truth is that we usually have warm and dry weather in the summer - some years we have suffered a shortage of water.
We think that people in our town are very friendly. People who have never met chat to each other.
Well written and entertaining hub- voted up.
Another fab hub. Especially liked this bit: 'People abroad always seem to think that we all eat afternoon tea, dress in cocktail dresses and are polite in a very posh and well mannered way.' SO SO true!!!
Great hub, Nell! Enjoyed it very much.
My mom and I used to LOVE watching Fawlty Towers and Are You Being Served, probably all in re-runs in the 1980's..but we understood the shows for what they were--spoof and satire. Both of them were hilarious!
I would LOVE to visit, but it is not in the budget.
Funny--many moons ago, I belonged to a renaissance music and dance troupe--we performed at a local renaissance faire. One of the fellows was from England..we were practicing near where we all lived, in the San Francisco area. One day, it was very foggy, and he was grumbling about it being so cold and wet. I made the mistake of assuming (and now--I stand corrected--thank you!) that England had a lot of fog..and told him, "I would think you'd be used to fog, coming from London!" He retorted, "Yes--in the winter--not in bloody MAY!"
Thanks for a very enjoyable read.
Nell,
What a fun read...
As a former Bobby, working in the North East, I have to say, that after a little "outsider" resistance I found them the warmest, kindest and most generous people I have ever met. It was a pleasant suprise after the southern suburbs which were considerably less friendly.
Back in the late 80's I saw the force changing, with a more American influence coming in. Not a job I would ever want to do again!
One unusual thing about the weather. For the four years I was a student in Newcastle, no matter how bad the weather was during the week, most of the weekends were spectacular (I kept a diary), odd, but I loved that.
Happy Christmas Nell,
Chris
Great Hub! I lived in England for two years and loved (nearly) every moment of it. That was back in 1986-88. Had a very beautiful young English girlfriend so now associate the female English voice with all things sweet and sensual. England is a spectacularly beautiful country and hope to get back there someday. Nell, have you done post about the differences between the Queen's English and American English? I think that would be fun! Cheers.
Hi, prasetio, thanks so much, I am glad you liked it, take care nell
Hi, Martie, i remember reading about that! rednecks! ha ha I think we have all had wars with each other over the years, and hopefully we have all grown up and out of it now, elephants? ha ha I hadn't heard of that! yes it is strange how people see us English, when we are the same as every one else! apart from the posh nobs who think they are better of course! hee hee cheers nell
Hi, kim, thanks for reading it, it is funny isn't it? we all see each other in a specific way, I think that is what makes the world suspicious of each other. they should all join hubpages! ha ha then they would see that we all think the same and act the same! great for world relations! lol thanks nell
Hi, CMHypno, you got one of those then? ha ha you have to have a handlebar moustache to go with it! I tried finding a photo of that but it just looked silly! I know the east coast is hot, because I always went to Margate on holiday all the time, and I can't remember one day that it was raining! thanks again nell
Hi, 2patricias, if I remember right you live in Eastbourne? not sure, but yes it is lovely there, and we also get a hosepipe ban too! I love the isle of wight, it always seems to be boiling hot there! well, in the summer at least! lol thanks again nell
Hi, Dzy, it is funny because we used to have fog way back in the 1900th century! but in the 50s up north it used to get very foggy because of the coal mines and the chimneys, but of course now they don't get it either! I remember my friend going to New York for her honeymoon, and it was in the winter, she came back grumbling that 'how can the world say we have cold horrible weather when America was freezing? I have never been so cold!' so, I think it is funny how we always get it wrong, I always thought America was warmer than here, but evidently there are some states in America, can't remember which ones, that have much more rain than we do! aren't we silly? ha ha thanks again nell
Hi, Chris, I think the trouble with the North is that we do get resistance to start with, but down south we just accept people, of course we are not all friendly, we either like or we don't but we don't have that Northern mentality of 'soft southerners bah!' we just talk to anybody. I think that is what annoys me, the north call us soft, but we have to work three times harder because everything is so much more expensive! they don't seem to realise that. I remember a man coming down from newcastle and he was amazed and stunned to suddenly be plunged into the world of big money! he actually apologised! he said he would never call us soft again! lol thanks again nell
These is a very informative, well written hub.
Hi, PDX, thanks for stopping by, I never thought of that! what a great idea! lol cheers nell
Hi, SJKSJK, thanks for reading it, and your comment, I really appreciate it, cheers nell
Hi, fayehelen, sorry, I didn't see you there! lol thanks so much, I do wear a dress occasionally, well, sometimes... ha ha thanks again nell
Hi Nell. Good Hub. It's true there are a lot of stereotypes about countries which have no relation to the truth. Having said that, i have just come back to my castle after roaming around the mountains in my kilt playing the bagpipes!! Cheers. Michael.
Hi, michael, ha ha so that was you I spotted on my trip to Scotland? Thanks for reading it, cheers nell
This was a great fun hub.I loved the line,"They will take a pregnant woman's seat on the bus.haha.I always wondered about the word limey,now i know.What i loved most about your country is their togetherness,not one race above the other.I would love to visit England,but that will never be because i'm afraid of height,so i'll take your word.When i read that the Queen refused to leave England during WWII,i was very impressed.Take care.
Cheers
(:Hugs
Nell, what a wonderful read! I thoroughly enjoyed this. England is on my list of places to go and I've heard these myths, thanks for dispelling them - especially the one about the weather! I love the sun and warmth and hate to give it up on vacation. I've always been enchanted by England, in my head its sunny and green and the people are warm and inviting....thanks for confirming that! But, how could they not be, you know I do love you so!!!! Namaste'
Stereotypes are seldom corrected. There is usually just enough truth to them so that they are resistent to correction.
The media is often guilty of promoting stereotyping.If one has to deal with other nationalities, say in business then stereotyping would prove a hindrance.One early British TV series "The Avenger" incorporated a lot of British eccentricity. Although it was the delectable Emma Peel (Diana Rigg)that I tune it every week.Much of British stereotypes from that TV series have remain in my mind.
Happy holiday and a prosperous new year to you and your family
Hi Nell, i love your sense of humour and your hub makes sense too.
This is so true about the english:
"We are quite shy with strangers, but when you get us talking, we don't stop!"
i am english and i soo agree with you excpet i am very bouncy and will say hi to strangers all the time and i talk really loudly...i'm just kind aover-confident though lol. I think people in suffolk are really lovely people and their accents (a little farmerish) are so far from posh! people in america are considered posher than suffolk and essex people! -thats a good thing for us by the way lol...
If you've ever watched an episode of gilmore girls and seen rory's grandmother and lorelia's mother, you will see what i mean!! -- very very very posh american woman!
Cute, Nell - don't you think it's a lot like the myths of anything though? People talk about Seattle like they never have a sunny day - that's so much ridiculous banter! They have incredible weather but all you hear about is the rain. Same with different parts of our country here and hospitality.
I think with anything in life, you have to take all that you hear with a HUGE grain of salt - and then go check it out yourself! I'd love to check out jolly old England!
Hi, always, thanks for reading it, it is true I am afraid! about the bus I mean! I remember a man collapsing on a bus a few years ago, and nobody, apart from me, got up to help him! they didn't want to lose their seats! true story! unfortunatly! thanks again nell
Hi, Erin, thanks for stopping by, you are sweet! thank you, I hope I haven't put you of the English! ha ha we are a nice bunch really, it's just the yobs and the ill mannered that need a talking too! hee hee
Hi, david, thanks for coming back, maybe you are right! there is probably a little bit still in the way we are seen, I never thought of that! thanks again nell
Hi, SilentReed, I remember the Avengers well! I watched it more when it was in the late seventies and Joanna Lumney was in it but you are right! the bowler hat worn by Steed! and of course the fighting ladies who always looked so well dressed! thanks so much and have a great Christmas, and new year, thanks nell
Hi, kirutaye, thanks for reading it, we certainly do chatter on! ha ha I think we could talk for hours! thanks nell
Hi, O.O.T.W., thanks again for reading it, I am sure that there are posh people everywhere in the world, I love all the English accents, we should be proud of our different dialects, I live in a town where there are a lot of posh people and the locals have a totally different accent! lol thanks again nell
Hi, Audrey, it is funny isn't it? it is like a story I remember reading in the paper. an English couple went to Australia for their honeymoon, and when they got there they took their vows on a very high bridge! the funniest thing about it was they presumed that Australia was always hot! they forgot to check the weather, and they also forgot that our winter, was Australias summer, and vice versa! they booked it for July! lol when they got there they were stood on the bridge in freezing fog! ha ha sorry I couldn't help but laugh! hee hee if you do ever come over to England, give us a yell and we will meet up, I will show you Buckingham palace, there you will see the stereotype typical English! cheers nell
You certainly rectified the world here today hahaha You tell them girl. Don't let them get away with all that.
Haha this is a good hub! Reminds me of the sterotypes of Ireland. Apparently here we all have red hair, live in a field, wear knitted jumpers, live in cottages, and it rains 24/7...Now it does rain a lot but not 24/7.
Has anyone seen 'Leap Year'??? Jesus Christ...the most inacurate movie ive ever seen. lol
Oh wow you are so great with these hubs of yours!
Hmm... re-visited your hub, and remembering, when I was about 10 years old (a century or so ago--LOL!), my mom took me downtown (San Francisco) and there was a whole display of all things English. This included one of those famous double-decker red buses, and we got to ride it--was FUN to be on top of a bus! There were folks dressed up as Bobbies (no guns--only billy clubs); and one of the stores was handing out little cardboard folders containing a farthing, which had apparently been discontinued from British currency.
All of this helped cement the stereotypes in my mind from a young age. ;-)
Again, a very educational and enjoyable hub!
Hi, thanks everybody for your great comments, I will be back tomorrow to write personally, but my computer is really playing up! it's driving me mad! thanks nell
Everyone is someone's sterotype. Here in Oklahoma we're known for our dust storms, tornados, indians and year-round warm weather. When a military base was closed in Pennsylvainia all of the civilians who were transferred to Oklahoma they sold their winter cloths knowing, as everyone did, that Oklahoma was never cold. They regreted that dicision when winter came and the temperature in Oklahoma City dropped to the lowere teens(C).
When I was in Europe in '56 I encountered a soldier in a bar who claimed to the German girl that he was chatting up that he was from Oklahoma. He was obviously Black but insisted that he was American Indian. Unfortunately he couldn't quite pronounce the name of his tribe correctly. He informed the spell-bound young woman that he was a Sher'-oh-key indian. I assme that he meant Cherokee(Chair-uh-kee). If she knew any better she didn't let on. I didn't either. The stereotype of Oklahoma Indians seemed to serve him well enough.
I really enjoyed the hub. Lots of new things to learn. It was informative, full of humor and obviously refreshing. Thanks for sharing.
Great Hub Nell. Happy Holidays. I always wondered about 'Limey".
Hi, david, oh dear! ha ha I hope they didn't get too cold! isn't it funny? even within your own country there are so many myths going on, I wonder where they all started? it is a bit like chinese whispers, the game, when one person starts it of and it spirals, until years later people just presume it is real! thanks again nell
hi, saleheensblog, thanks for reading it, I am glad you liked it, cheers nell
Hi, sorry but I can't see who you are! as your picture hasn't come up or link, but thank you so much, have a great Christmas, cheers nell
Hi Nell, I just finished my Earl Grey tea and scones and I am now off to the chippie, on the way I will post my letters in a red pillar box and phone my friend from the red telephone box. Then I will walk home in the rain, I will be wearing wearing wellies and a sou-wester as the weather here is rather poor at the moment. Then I will watch Corrie and do my knitting in front of a log fire. :) Not really :)
Hi, 2uesday, when you put it like that, maybe I was wrong ha ha! no to the earl grey tea and scones, yes to the chippie, yes to the letters, no to the red phone box, maybe to the rain, yes to the wellies no sou-wester, and maybe to the corrie! ha ha I can't knit for the life of me! hee hee maybe we are a little obvious though? especially the chippie! thanks for the laugh nell
Well, I say, if you don't like the Brits, who can you like? Nice post!!
Hi, ha ha we like you Americans too! thanks for reading it, and have a great Christmas! cheers nell
Nell I do appreciate your setting the record straight. Awesomely funny and beautiful!
Hi, Micky, thanks so much, I just wanted to put the facts straight, the trouble was that I think now that maybe we are a little bit like our stereotypes! ha ha
..well after reading a hub this good - and it's one of my favorites of all time because you have put so much heart and soul into it - and quite frankly I have also learnt something new here too - I would like to move your hallowed score up to '200'
...and please accept my sincere best wishes for a happy new year with happiness and health and peace and contentment ........ and thanks ever so much for what you do - and you do it (believe me) so well!!!!!
Hi, epigramman, thanks so much, when I got started on this it just seemed to get longer and longer! lol I found so many things it could have gone on and on! And a happy new year to you too, I hope this year finds you even better luck on Hubpages! thanks nell
Hi, Nell. I have best friend from Scotland and I really like his accent. I think it is quite refreshing from American Accent, but maybe it is because English not my mother language.
Thank you for the info, dear. Great hub! :)
Hi, Freya, glad you liked it, and it is nice to see you, cheers nell
Hello Nell,
I found your hub really interesting. The only think that I must say is that I have two points to complain about. One, I live in Manchester and it doesn't always rain here. Two, we in the north aren't all grumpy. Truly. Most of us like a good laugh and can be just as polite. I guess being rung when you're in the middle of something might make some people annoyed, but generally, we are all friendly. You need to just pop down to the local butchers for a barrel of teasing and laughter or the library. The two spots I go to when I'm having a bad day with my writing. They always make me smile.
x
Hi, home witch, thanks for reading and commenting, sorry! lol it wasn't so much manchester though, as more Tyne and wear type of thing! it is just that I have worked with a couple of people from there, and oh my goodness do they moan and complain! ha ha I don't know anybody in Manchester, sorry about the rain thing, too much Corrie street! ha ha I am sure that everywhere you go people will have a laugh. I think the point that I was making is that if someone from up North comes down here, we are so used to foriegn people or different English dialects we take absolutely no notice, we are just friendly, but northerners always seem to be going on about ;soft southerners'! If I went up there with my accent would they be as friendly? Umm, not sure. The point as well I wanted to put across was that it drives us mad to think we are called that! ha ha everything down here is so expensive, in my town a loaf of bread cost 1.50, a pair of jeans, 70 pounds at least, and a house at least 250,000 pnds, and that is an ex council flat! so we only get minimal wage, 4.50 in some places in my town, so if calculated, we would have to save for two hundred years to get a house! so I was just trying to balance it up! lol but I am sure that the majority of up North are lovely, sorry if I sounded like they weren't, take care nell
Dear Nell,
Thank you for responding to my comment. I really did enjoy the myth busting, but then, you created a few which I just felt needed busting of their own :)
I can't really speak for all of the north of course, but Manchester doesn't have hang ups about southerners, not at all, really. We have the largest university in Europe here, so we are very used to outsiders. It's funny, but in my social circle of friends, I only have three northerners, one from Liverpool, one from Warrington and one poor solitary Mancuian. The others are from Essex, Oxford, Nottingham via London and so on. It's actually quite a diverse mix of people from all over Britain. And I'm not saying that purely because I mainly socialise with university or ex-university people. So if you ever decided to visit us with your lovely Southern accent, no one would bat an eyelid. Promise :) My best friend has the poshest of Oxford accents, she's lived her for years and has got on fine :)
I always hear the food is bland like biscuits and gravy. In fact, I almost never hear anything about the intensity of flavor coming out of England,... is that true? I'd like to go there, but I like my cuisine "robust" or maybe that's just American?
Hi, where on earth did you hear that? lol so not true! for a start we never eat biscuits and gravy, your biscuits are different to ours anyway, our biscuits are your cookies, we don't have the other American kind, but mostly we have the best chefs in the world, and cook the nicest food, so come on over! you will love it! cheers nell
Thank you for debunking some of Britain's popular myths. It was a very well-written article. And, I do hope to get to our former colonial master one of these days!!
Hi, Rich, lol I hope you manage to come over, you will love it! thanks again, nell
The North/South thing is the other way round. Northerners are far friendlier than people from the South, which you'll find if you visit. If Nell's only experience of Notherners is them putting the phone down on her, that might be because they don't want to buy double-glazing or car insurance at 7pm when they've just got in from work. It's a curious fact that most of the big call centre companies prefer to use Northern accented operators to sell their products, particularly people from Scotland and the Northeast. I wonder why that might be?
Hi, James, thank you for reading it and commenting. I think the main reason why I feel this way is not because of the attitude from listening to people at work on the end of the phone when trying to sell anything, it is because I worked with a northern woman who was the nastiest person I can honestly say I had ever met! lol I know I shouldn't judge everyone from just one person, but according to her everything up north was so much harder and also she spoke to us as though we were dirt! apart from going through our emails when we were away from our desks, she would deliberately try and get you the sack! she succeeded with three people! but apart from this influencing me, I am sick to death of hearing the northern people say, 'soft southerners'!! it drives people mad down here. the reason? we are not all rich. we don't all live in huge houses and sit in offices or have an easy life, there are a lot of poor people down here, or on minimum wages. Down south, we have to work harder and longer just to earn the same amount as up north, the reason is that up north everything is so much cheaper. for example, I am on social at this moment because I cannot find a job, I have worked for nearly thirty years and have nothing to show for it. in my town, you can't buy a t shirt for less than 60 pounds! jeans are 150 pounds and boots 200! if I want to buy a house, there is nothing less than 180 thousand pounds worth of tip, in other words one bedroom in a bad area. the minimum wage is approx 5 pounds! even bread is 1.50 pence, and if I wanted to learn to drive, it is 30 pounds a lesson! I was just trying to point out that not only are we sick of being called 'soft' when we are so obviously not, on average we would have to work at least 30 years longer to get the same things as up north, we are also very very friendly. To be fair, I think the trouble is that the media have jumped on this, 'poor hard working northerner' thing, and rich south, when I am sure that we are all probably in exactly the same boat! when I was talking about northerners, I didn't mean Scotland, I just meant England. To live on 186.00 a fortnight down here, is murder. I am going to write a hub about the differences in price soon, between north and south, so if you are interested, come back in a couple of weeks and take a look, you may be very surprised! lol and we are friendly, honest! lol thanks so much for taking time to read it, cheers nell
If not for Doctor Who, then you probably would have blown my mind. Great hub, loved it!
Thanks for reading it, IamMaster, I am glad you liked it, cheers nell
It's been years since I was in England. I think it was in late November. I didn't think the weather was bad at all, but I remember seeing some of the natives shivering seemingly out of habit. I liked London because no one bothered me. Other people minded their own business. The only exception was this one guy who I used to cross paths with every morning near the King's Cross tube station. And, he'd have something to say - friendly, though - and he was clearly in a hurry to get to work, so it wasn't at all frightening.
And, then there was the British Museum. I have been to a lot of places in W. Europe (I used to travel a lot before the police state set in here in the U.S. with the airports - it got bad in the late '90s and now lots of people don't travel because of all the perverts in uniform), but I never saw anything like the British Museum. I was awed at Unter den Linden in Berlin, but it was nothing like this. I couldn't believe all of the Egyptian and Greek relics. You haven't lived until you've spent, at least, a few hours there.
I chat with some people from England and your police state is well under way. I've talked to lots of citizens who have been brutalized by cops for no reason. The same here, of course.
When I think of England I think of London and how big, busy and populated it must be, but when I see England on a TV show I watch called Last of the Summer wine, there are rolling and grassy hills and it seems sparsely populated. So I dont know what to think lol. Great hub!
Hi, Phoenix, its both! lol london is such a busy place, but just a few miles away we still have the little villages just like in Last of the Summer Wine! I live in a small village, not as small as the tv program, but its pretty small, we also have a river which is really popular, and if you walk up it for about a mile you can be sitting in a field all on your own with nobody else around! bliss! thanks for reading, cheers nell
msorensson Level 3 Commenter 17 months ago
The one that made me laugh the most is the Streets cars and buses...yes, we do believe that.lol..
The others we have outgrown, pretty much...