Question for the British Members

[jayjay]

Just a thought that came into my head that might make an interesting question. Do you identify yourself by your constituent country or by the nation as a whole?

I suppose the foreign members could chip in if you want if there's an equivalent sort of thing in your country (States v USA perhaps, though Americans tend to be way more patriotic so might be a more one sided discussion).

 

[kimahri]

The words 'Britan' and 'British' really **** annoy me. They are words used by super psychotic retarded patriotic people (like Neal) and this annoys me (unlike Neal).

 

[Snoo]

I tend to identify with being from my local area (Youngstown) and state (Ohio) more often then any other. While I am obviously American, and I do love my country, I haven't been to another country (I'm dieing to go to Europe).. so I definitely wouldn't say America is better unless it simply pisses off stuck up assholes who generalize.

Actually, that's the only thing that annoys me.. generalizations are just **** stupid.. whether it be about a country, a region, or a race.

You Brits tend to be victims of that quite often it seems.

 

[T0M]

The UK is a country in every sense that matters, it has its own armed forces, currency, internet domain, passport, embassies, dialling code etc etc etc.

I always put British when a form or whatever asks for my nationality.

This is an issue I used to be intensely passionate about, now I can't be bothered to argue about it as much, but fact is fact and I'm at peace with that. If Scotland or the others REALLY want independence then they should research into what it'd actually mean for them.

 

[Hixee]

Technically I'm British, but I don't really think twice about what I actually identify with. I guess I'm used to saying I was British because that's what I put on forms and things like that.

I'm proud to be from England/UK/Great Britain, but what I call myself doesn't really matter to me like that.

 

[jayjay]

I guess for me, although legally and technically I'm British, I'd think of myself more as an Englishman.

 

[kimahri]

I KNOW MY TRUE ANIMAL SIRIT. I AM A BRICK (W\ Fox tail and Cat ears) ON THE IN SIIIIIIIIIDE

 

[jokerman]

It's entirely dependent on who I'm talking to and about what. Anything official, it's British, otherwise I'm English. Unless I can gain an advantage from being British, such as supporting national sports teams. I'm all for being British if being allied to the Scots or Welsh mean winning something.

 

[Ben]

The country is Britain, so I'm British.

Plus, I'm half Welsh and half English, making me actually, properly British.

 

[Dave]

I class myself as British because I fear saying I'm English creates a stigma, and not a positive one at that;

 

[furie]

Legally I'm British. Simple as because you have to have something.

Like with anything utterly unimportant to me, I'll decide what I classify myself as, and how strongly I'll defend it based on situation and how much I can amuse myself by pretending to care.

I like Britain (I've not been to Ireland, but England, Scotland and Wales I've seen a lot of) and it's a place I feel comfortable in. I understand the UK. However, I also loved Austria, Sweden, Norway and the US. I don't understand them so I don't feel quite as "at home" there, but I'd be just as happy living in those countries and being Austrian, Swedish, Norwegian or American. It's just a place I live and a label I have to be given based on that. I don't really give a stuff about "national pride" or anything.

So big fat meh really

 

[Patrick]

If I'm speaking to someone abroad I refer to myself as being British, because it's what I'm used to and in my opinion we have more to be proud of as Britain with the British Empire, Army etc.

The patriotism of the Scottish for example really irritates me, how they constantly try and disassociate themselves with the rest of Britain, I was at a race meeting recently and a Scottish driver won, when they played God Save the Queen on the podium he started singing Flower of Scotland over it which really irritated me. We have much more to be proud of as one nation.

 

[kimahri]

"I'd rather be proud of the things I do instead of what I am"

or something along those lines...

 

[Gavin]

In the U.K., I'm Welsh. Ouside the U.K., I'm British or "from the U.K." because I can't be **** ed to explain it. Having said that, Europeans have always known Wales when it has come up in conversations. They haven't known a great deal about it admitedly (why should they), but they recognise it as different to England at least.

Here come the generalisations, but further afield (U.S.A and Asia) people tend to think it's all just England. Actually, that's not true; they tend to think it's all just London. I'm not in any way patriotic about being Welsh (half English really, but born and grew up here), but sometimes the ignorant assumptions annoy me.

Last summer quite a few people in San Diego asked me if I liked living in London. My response of "do you like living in New York?" fell flat on its arse obviously.

 

[Mysterious Sue]

Isn't 'Welsh' the Anglo-Saxon word for 'foreigner' though

 

[ciallkennett]

People from Scotland and Wales who live or visit the England annoy me as they go "Oh, I'm Welsh/Scottish" like I didn't know that already, and they're proud to be that. If I go Wales/Scotland and say I'm English (in the same manner as when they come to England), it's almost pitiful, so **** the system.

I'm English and proud.

EDIT: I put the UK by accident Changed now

 

[Gavin]

^I know what you mean. I hate it when the Welsh and Scottish visit the UK!

With that sense of British geography and politics, you should just move to America.

 

[Nic]

If a form asks me what nationality I am, I'm "British". As Furie said, legally I am. I have a British passport, for example. However, conversationally, eg if someone on holiday asks me, I'd automatically say "English". No great political reason, just rolls off the tongue nicely, and people are more likely to understand.

As per Gavin's experience - when I was in LA we got chatting to this guy in the hotel bar, as you do. For some reason, one of us mentioned Wales in passing. He looked at us all confused and asked where we were talking about. After many attempts to explain it, he still looked at us as if we were talking about somewhere on another planet.

 

[Gavin]

^It's not that I'd neccasarily expect anyone to know much, if anything, about Wales; I'm not that deluded. It's more the whole "UK = London" thing that annoys the **** out of me. You don't need to know anything about a country to know that there must be at least some kind of population outside its capital city.

 

[Mysterious Sue]

The UK and England are both countries in their own right (if you don't believe me, look up 'United Kingdom' on wiki)

Outside of the UK I refer to myself as British because that is the nationality on my passport.
Inside the UK I'm English because that's my country of residence. I don't live in Scotland, Ireland or Wales. The England/Wales rugby match I went to at the weekend would be very dull if both teams were called Britain!

On the subject of explaining where you come from in the States, I always just say London as it's easiest (although technically, I live in Surrey). Or I tell them that I was born in Kent (an area of countryside quite far East of London). It's just a useful point of orientation - everyone knows where London is.

I once had to try and explain to some African kids who'd never seen a globe, where the UK was - now that was an interesting conversation (I also showed them a video of my friends playing in the snow!)