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Lt. Evans

British Stereotypes

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For a project I am doing I am looking into stereotypes of the British according to other foreign nationals and within literature and the media. As a British person I am very interested to hear what any of you might have to say, and don't worry I won't take any offence - this is work after all. Can you think of any British stereotypes, stereotypical British people or examples of either in the media or literature? Like Malcom McDowell's appearance in South Park or Nigel Pinchley in Family Guy:

 

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Hello - I'm a British Person

 

Perhaps even Lt. Malcolm Reed might be considered a stereotypical British character in some of your eyes, seriously everyone feel free to say what you think and discuss this in an open and insightful way.

 

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Americans think we're all polite and posh with bad teeth. We gave rise to America!

 

There was a girl who used to visit her grandad up the road from me, she was surprised by life here, she thought it'd be like the 1900's, theres so much about us americans are so ignorant of.

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Americans think we're all polite

 

 

I don't think that, almost every British person I have ever met has been rude. I live in the southern part of the US, so stereotypes are common for us as well

Edited by Gamera

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I hear the fact that us British talk really posh. Everyone seems to think we all drink tea every day and watch Coronation Street.

 

Maybe I'm not British, I don't speak posh at all. And I can't stand Coronation Street. :borg2:

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Americans think we're all polite

 

 

I don't think that, almost every British person I have ever met has been rude. I live in the southern part of the US, so stereotypes are common for us as well

 

I'm sorry to hear that. And I agree with you, I think part of the reason that America views Britain in the way it does is because its a secularised society. And the media push this image by acting like there are only Rednecks in the Alabama, Yuppies in New York and Beach Bums in California, e.t.c, e.t.c.

 

I guess because Britain is a close ally of the U.S and in some ways one of the main contributers to its ethnic diversity and creation of America; the British get it in the neck as well, just like Rednecks and Yuppies. That said I think we have it better than the Europeans who are supposed to all be gay and we're just supposed to be quite camp. The French are suppose to wear stripped tops, berets, have moustaches and live of onions, garlic, red wine and long sticks of bread. The Germans supposedly to all still wear traditional lederhausen (spelling?) and the Russian are supposed to wear fur hats, have beards, drink vodka and be tough.

 

I also think that part of the reason these stereotypes exist is because of the Second World War, when many people met foreigners for the first time and during which most English officers were very la-di-da, if you get my meaning, while enlisted men were very coarse and spoke is bizarre dialects. Likewise the French resistance fighters probably followed a least one of the stereotypes I've mentioned. After the war a lot of Germans pretended to be simple peasant farmers so they wouldn't be arrested for war crimes, which may have given rise to their stereotypes. As for the Ruskies; they arrived out of some of the most bitter fighting in the whole war, half-frozen to death, unshaven, unbathed and glad to be getting drunk. Also women were allowed in the Red Army which would have come as a shock to the Yankies and the British. Just some things to think about.

Edited by Lt. Evans

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I don't think that British people are all polite and stuff. My mom is British, and she's a... a bad word.

 

Then again, I've met several British people who were really nice, but in the same way nice Americans are nice. Just with accents.

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The only British folk I've ever met in person was actually a Leftenant in the Royal Navy and his family. They seemed quite nice, but also fit the Polite sterotype, but part of that is probably because of the "Officer and a Gentleman" thing. They all seemed to have rather good teeth, but I didn't pay attention to that. I always thought that the British Accent that he spoke with lent him an aire of sophistication, Kind of like a Bostonian accent.

 

By the way, Lt. Evans, just a note: it's spelled YankEE.

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I was just in London for a week off last month. It was my second trip there and my second to England. In 2002 I was in London, Bath, and the North Country for a week and a half. Most people were very nice, whether it was shopkeepers, waitstaff, hotel staff, policemen, regular ppl, etc. I met a 4th cousin in Reading on the 2002 Trip. I have lots of English ancestors, and one grandfather was born in Reading.

 

I think people are people. You can find nice ones, rude ones, smart ones, dumb ones, etc... anywhere you go.

 

As far as stereotypes, I guess Sherlock Holmes films and Agatha Christie books and films tend to paint a bit of a dark side lurking in the city and the rural areas, though much of that is set in the past. Films like Remains of the Day show the so very proper English Butler. Films like the Bridge over the River Kwai show British stoicism in the face of attack and captivity. And of course there's the varity of accents, Cockney, etc.

 

I personally find it amazing that the British put up with so many long lines with such good humor. Many people in London seemed to really be rushing everywhere but that can be true in US cities too. London is also very multicultural with lots of ethnic groups living there and lots of different types of restuarants. We ate at a Danish restaurant near our hotel. We also observed an orderly but loud demonstration of 10,000 Muslim marchers protesting the Prophet cartoons. So I see the people of England as varied and not to be put into easy stereotypes.

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I hear the fact that us British talk really posh. Everyone seems to think we all drink tea every day and watch Coronation Street.

 

Maybe I'm not British, I don't speak posh at all. And I can't stand Coronation Street. :borg2:

 

 

what about neighbours, the rumors we all get is that all the aussie soaps are like a cult over there.

 

by the way you gave birth to us aussies too, even though we are still technically under the rule of the Queen!

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Considering you're asking for opinions of other nations, you already have some pretty set ideas on how Americans view the British. I think you're letting this get a little more personal than you realize. Nowadays, stereotypes are used chiefly for humor, as exemplified by Nigel Pinchley, the Family Guy example you use. Stereotypes are usually just plain funny, and I've been able to laugh at those presented against Americans, Christians, men.....those pertaining to my identity. I truly hope as you read these, you too, are able to laugh. Honestly, I've never met a British person who actually fit the stereotype, so maybe that'll help you laugh at it as well.

 

As for the stereotypes I've come across via the media, there's: bad teeth, formal to the point of stuffy, hated by the Scottish and Irish, use colloquialisms that leave translators asking "WTF?", exceedingly class conscious, drink tea, deeply love the Queen, but despise the rest of the Royal Family, play cricket, prissy.......those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

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In 8th grade, my homeroom teacher missed most of the year after getting cancer and she was replaced by a young British teacher from Nottingham (yeah, I thought that was cool :borg2: ). He was a really nice guy. Totally different from the woman who had been our teacher.

 

He liked to run out during break and get soccer matches going. He also taught us some British games, like British Bulldog. Before long, even the kids who weren't in his math class were drawn to him. Great guy.

 

Until then my idea of what a Brit was like was based on the few examples I'd seen on television, which made british people seem sort of cold, proper, and elitist. Colin (his name, he allowed us to call him by his name....something else I thought was cool) totally changed my perception of what the british were like.

 

I think what I remember most was our conversations about movies. He was a science fiction nut like me. Until then I'd never heard of Dr.Who.

Edited by APW

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