Jump to content
House Price Crash Forum

There's No Such Thing As English Culture.


dogbox

Recommended Posts

0
HOLA441

DogBox,

you are right on this one....what is it that Orwell said:

"England is perhaps the only great country whose intellectuals are ashamed of their own nationality"

Taken from:

http://orwell.ru/library/essays/lion/english/e_eye

I was working at an international institution in Europe for two years and the repetitive anti-anglo drone got so tedious after a while.

I cannot stand this blindness to our cultures achievements - and how some f**kwit can say we have no culture, well what a load of b*ll*x! This is the kind of person that will look at some stinking tribe barely moved beyond clitorectomies, enforced child-marriages and bigamy/polygamy, and think how simply Maaarvellous and sophisticated their culture is, oh how wonderful.

This stuff really, really gets up my back.

The best thing to do to combat this kind of self-hatred is to think of the English (or British if Scots/Welsh can manage that...I certainly can) as a tribe...because that is what we are. A tribe just like any other bloody loin-cloth wearing tribe. Except that our tribe is technologically advanced, pioneered womens rights and the end of slavery, ushered in the industrial revolution, gave birth to the most balanced form of democracy in the world, erected a free society where anyone of any colour or shape can join (I defy anyone to name a more tolerant society than ours), have literally led the world in scientific matters, are frighteningly good warriors, are almost infinitely diverse in our private distractions, and carved out an Empire that stretched across the globe.

Of course we have serious cultural problems now, and these need addressing: but walking through the centre of London and seeing the sheer diversity of people for the overwhelming part just rubbing along together, all pulling in different directions and allowing each other to do so in true British/English fashion....this is still wondrous to see.

No culture? Please, take your mindless radio 4 navel-gazing uselessness and f**k off to another country.

Rant concluded.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 60
  • Created
  • Last Reply
1
HOLA442

I was trying to think of something quintessentially English and came up with....

sheds.

Sheds at the bottom of the garden, with Dad's tools inside, and the kids aren't really meant to go in, but are allowed to sometimes.

Sheds, where Dad goes for a bit of peace and a potter.

English women's lib can be traced back to when the first woman got her own shed.

I'm English - I've got two sheds.

My Dad's got three.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2
HOLA443
Its all about degree. I agree with your sentiment to an extent, but having lived abroad I was struck by how the majority of people all did the same thing and didnt act individually to the extent the English do. In the UK there are hobby groups that study lichen on gravestones, star watchers who stay up all night surrounded by high tech equipment, nudists, swingers, rockers, dance music fans, witches, car nuts, rocketeers, knitting clubs, moth watchers, bat groups, internet forums, reading groups, local drama companies, fishing, balloonists, divers, martial artists, walkers, flyers, police walkie - talkie listeners, train spotters, gardeners, hi - fi groups, collectors blah blah ad - infinitum.
Immensely varied hobbies rather than robotic mass indoctrinated conformist activities such as worship

It's pleasing to see that we do live in a country where one can do so many things, and I would not dispute that we can. But many of us do not. And I would dare say there are things in other countries that others can do which we cannot do. And that many in those countries also do not take advantage of their own unique opportunities. That is all about personal choice. Many of the things you list are available in many countries, and not in others, due to a variety of reasons.

Having the opportunity to do something does not automatically make one a free thinker and doer. Having the opportunity, failing to use it, doing something really mindless instead, and then complaining about those who make alternative choices most certainly does not make one a free thinker or doer (BTW I'm not accusing you of this Dogbox!). Much as it pains me to say it, Britain likes to think of itself as sophisticated because people could do extraordinary things, but then ignores these things, favouring "Big Brother". Chances are someone from a differnet culture could come to Britain, and see exactly the same thing as you saw whilst living abroad, and then return home thinking that their culture is so much better.

This is not even worth a response. Unbelievable.

Why is this not worthy of a response? i believe that there is still an enormous amount of unfairness and injustice in British Society (examples - normal honest hardworking people priced out of housing for others benefit just because of their generation, violece as the norm, low pay for the ordinary folk in extraordinary jobs like nursing, dissproprtionatly big pay-offs for those in power - business, politics, the 'right' social set. The notion of "fair play" in Britain has gone out the window (I cant remember if it ever existed), only to be replaced with "every man for themselves". The days of "the British are good at queuing" are sadly gone. Welcom instead to the days of growing authoritarianism.

You obviously have'nt travelled very far.

Actually, I'd say I'd travelled a fair bit. But I didnt need to travel to france to see corruption or unprofessionalism amongst police, I could see it right here is good old blighty.

As a younger man, I was frequently subject to harrassment by the police (before anyone aks, I have no criminal record, have never been arrested, because i have never done anything to warrant it). This is not neccessarily something about the British police - this occurrs whenever you give power to idiots, and the british police has had a few, serving alongside the many good honest offices, just as in many other countries.

As for rights for criminals, it is the rights of the innocent I am more bothered about.

We allow the press to maul our politicians

Its my opinion we have a government that is quite intollerant of fair and honest criticsim.

Our footballers (until recently) tended to play fairer than others.

You said it - "until recently"!

The BBC have complaint processes that are absolutely alien to other countries

I have never had a complaint (or even observation) taken seriously by the BBC. They are not even a shadow of their former selves.

Given your distain for English culture / lack - of, can you tell me which cultures you admire?

perhaps you'd care to read my original post again. As I said, I disagree with the assertion that Britain has no culture - I actually believe we do have many admirable qualities. But not many of the ones you listed originally! As for other cultures, many have both good and bad bits. No culture is perfect (including Britain).

@MarkG

That's what 'liberal' used to mean about a century ago. Today it means a PC nutjob who believes they always know best and should tell everyone else what to do, backed by the might of the state.

That's certainly what alot of people believe, and what the phrase has been manipulated to mean in common usage. The same happended with the way people described the "left" a few years back. Suddenly anyone not on the "right" was a "leftie", some sort of rabid fool. Many who would describe themselves (me included) as "Liberal" are not in favour of telling anyone what to do. Those who do enforce their views are not "Liberal", but are quite the opposite. Just as those with a pride in English identity have in recent times "reclaimed" the St George X, those with a belief in a liberal view should be able to call themselves that without a wholly innaccurate meaning being attached to it by those with contrary views. I fear in future years the phrase "libertarian" may be similary distorted to mean "those who seek to aid and abet terrorists by opposing tightening of control"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3
HOLA444
Someone I know actually claims that Northern Irish Protestant discrimination against Catholics is racism. It may not be very nice, but racism it ain't.

I reckon i would have to agree with this "someone" in a broad sense. The protagonists may all be largely of celtic stock, but the protestant's roots lie in Scotland. Religion is not the cause, but the badge by which the 2 camps can recognise each other.

The lines between race, ethncity and culture are all blurred, which is no doubt what makes these topics so popular.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4
HOLA445
5
HOLA446

The Jam - English Rose

No matter where I roam

I will come back to my English rose

For no bonds can ever tempt me from she

I've sailed the seven seas,

Flown the whole blue sky.

But I've returned with haste to where my

Love does lie.

No matter where I go I will come back to my English Rose

For nothing can ever tempt me from she.

I've searched the secret mists -

I've climbed the highest peaks

Caught the wild wind home

To hear her soft voice speak

No matter where I roam

I will return to my English Rose

For no bonds can ever keep me from she.

I've been to ancient worlds

I've scoured the whole universe

And caught the first train home

To be at her side.

No matter where I roam

I will return to my English Rose

For no bonds can ever keep me from she

An example of english art and culture. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6
HOLA447

Pretty feeble.

Report on the news just now - murder trial in Oxford where one British muslim guy kills his sister's boyfriend and claims it's an honour killing.

Multiculturalism, anyone?

Well you're the most racist person on here.

Racist.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7
HOLA448

and that's nonsense aswell. The St George's Cross (a Turk btw, but you already knew that) has undergone a massive resurgence since Jubilee/World Cup summer. It has been re-claimed, and rightly so.

Still, I'm sure these insidious liberals will find some other way of undermining good English values soon enough. :ph34r:

How can St George be a Turk??? He was born in the 3rd Century in Anatolia. The Turks didn't invade Anatolia for another 7 centuries!!!

He wasn't English but he definitely wasn't a Turk!!!

BTW the only home nation Patron Saint who was from the Nation he is the Patron of is...

St David!

B)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8
HOLA449
9
HOLA4410

I think you are confusing XENOPHOBIA with RACISM!

well you're a RACIST, a XENOPHOBE, a HOMOPHOBE, a MISOGYNIST, and probably a FASCIST.

And you probably read the Daily Mail.

well you're a RACIST, a XENOPHOBE, a HOMOPHOBE, a MISOGYNIST, and probably a FASCIST.

And you probably read the Daily Mail.

Well, you're not really. At least, I don't know if you are. You might be - but then it's not my place to judge, I know nothing about you, and what you do or believe in the privacy of your own home is your own business.

I just sometimes get sarcy because of the lack of decent debate you get in the UK about immigration, culture etc etc.

In conclusion, I have this to say on the matter: I believe that children are the future, treat them well and let them lead the way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10
HOLA4411

well you're a RACIST, a XENOPHOBE, a HOMOPHOBE, a MISOGYNIST, and probably a FASCIST.

And you probably read the Daily Mail.

Well, you're not really. At least, I don't know if you are. You might be - but then it's not my place to judge, I know nothing about you, and what you do or believe in the privacy of your own home is your own business.

A Fascist in buddhist terms means "To control the outcome of a situation"

Which means if Blair and Bush wanted a regime change in Iraq then they are Fascists.

Same for ID cards. They are trying to control the ownership of peoples indentity.

Basically, the Nazis never lost the war, they are still in control.... :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.




×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information