Philosophy Now Forum

What typifies the UK? What makes it so special? Is it due to the structure of government? Its culture? If I stepped off the plane, what would be my first impressions of the UK?

PhilX

Just another city; the process of having your money extracted will start immediately.

If you arrive in London it will be misleading about the UK in the same way as any capital city. London is prosperous (at least the centre), liberal and very cosmopolitan, but also brusque.

In the rest of the country, as a visitor you will see beautiful countryside, with charming villages and handsome towns. Again, this is where the rich people live. You are unlikely to visit the ugly bits, which are as mean as their equivalents in your own country (wherever you come from).

Sorry.

Tea
Class
Moaning
Queuing
The BBC
The Queen
The Beatles
Saying Sorry
The Weather
Fish And Chips
White Van Man
Self Deprecation

Saying lovely.

As an American, you would probably think the English/British lacking in self confidence.

surreptitious57 wrote:Tea BEER
Class Equality
Moaninghavin' laff
Queuing Queue Jumping
The BBC ITV
The Queen Cromwell
The BeatlesThe Stones
Saying Sorry Saying fuck off
The Weatherwe'll whether the weather what ever the weather
Fish And ChipsSavoy Grill
White Van ManRolls Royce
Self DeprecationArrogance, racism, bullheadedness.

let's face it there is not one single thing that is owned by a culture that some other culture already has: Nothing!

Tea- China, India. Class, moaning, queueing, saying sorry, weather: every country on earth.

Hobbes' Choice wrote:

surreptitious57 wrote:Tea BEER
Class Equality
Moaninghavin' laff
Queuing Queue Jumping
The BBC ITV
The Queen Cromwell
The BeatlesThe Stones
Saying Sorry Saying fuck off
The Weatherwe'll whether the weather what ever the weather
Fish And ChipsSavoy Grill
White Van ManRolls Royce
Self DeprecationArrogance, racism, bullheadedness.

let's face it there is not one single thing that is owned by a culture that some other culture already has: Nothing!

Tea- China, India. Class, moaning, queueing, saying sorry, weather: every country on earth.

I doubt if the Americans could have come up with something like Monty Python. Americans make better stand-ups. If you think countries don't develop a unique cultural identity over time then I think you are deluding yourself.

Harbal wrote:As an American, you would probably think the English/British lacking in self confidence.

Not at all Harbal. However when it comes to sneakiness, no question about that quality of the British. The US is devoted to a policy of staying out of European affairs and expected the same from Europe with respect to our part of the world (the Monroe Doctrine). During this period of isolationism, it got involved in WWI mainly due to the sinking of the Lusitania (which the British sneakily kept stocked with munitions which attracted German attacks).

With WWII the US entered after Pearl Harbor which eventually led to NATO and US bases and further involvement of the US with the rest of the world. These are the things that VT from whatever shithole of a country she's from tries to avoid talking about. There are many other things about the English I could say (e.g. teaching the Indians to scalp). So if VT is British, she has to bear some of the shame. The UK isn't free from criticism.

PhilX

Philosophy Explorer wrote:

Harbal wrote:As an American, you would probably think the English/British lacking in self confidence.

Not at all Harbal. However when it comes to sneakiness, no question about that quality of the British. The US is devoted to a policy of staying out of European affairs and expected the same from Europe with respect to our part of the world (the Monroe Doctrine). During this period of isolationism, it got involved in WWI mainly due to the sinking of the Lusitania (which the British sneakily kept stocked with munitions which attracted German attacks).

With WWII the US entered after Pearl Harbor which eventually led to NATO and US bases and further involvement of the US with the rest of the world. These are the things that VT from whatever shithole of a country she's from tries to avoid talking about. There are many other things about the English I could say (e.g. teaching the Indians to scalp). So if VT is British, she has to bear some of the shame. The UK isn't free from criticism.

PhilX

I'm not British, which I've mentioned MANY times on here. You yanks don't seem to be able to get your head around the fact that there are people other than 'British' and American (do they teach you in school that there are only two countries on the planet?) I'm well aware of the evils the British empire committed.

vegetariantaxidermy wrote:

Philosophy Explorer wrote:

Harbal wrote:As an American, you would probably think the English/British lacking in self confidence.

Not at all Harbal. However when it comes to sneakiness, no question about that quality of the British. The US is devoted to a policy of staying out of European affairs and expected the same from Europe with respect to our part of the world (the Monroe Doctrine). During this period of isolationism, it got involved in WWI mainly due to the sinking of the Lusitania (which the British sneakily kept stocked with munitions which attracted German attacks).

With WWII the US entered after Pearl Harbor which eventually led to NATO and US bases and further involvement of the US with the rest of the world. These are the things that VT from whatever shithole of a country she's from tries to avoid talking about. There are many other things about the English I could say (e.g. teaching the Indians to scalp). So if VT is British, she has to bear some of the shame. The UK isn't free from criticism.

PhilX

I'm not British, which I've mentioned MANY times on here. You yanks don't seem to be able to get your head around the fact that there are people other than 'British' and American (do they teach you in school that there are only two countries on the planet?) I'm well aware of the evils the British empire committed.

Then why do you act British? And why are you prejudiced against the US?

PhilX

Philosophy Explorer wrote:

vegetariantaxidermy wrote:

Philosophy Explorer wrote:
Not at all Harbal. However when it comes to sneakiness, no question about that quality of the British. The US is devoted to a policy of staying out of European affairs and expected the same from Europe with respect to our part of the world (the Monroe Doctrine). During this period of isolationism, it got involved in WWI mainly due to the sinking of the Lusitania (which the British sneakily kept stocked with munitions which attracted German attacks).

With WWII the US entered after Pearl Harbor which eventually led to NATO and US bases and further involvement of the US with the rest of the world. These are the things that VT from whatever shithole of a country she's from tries to avoid talking about. There are many other things about the English I could say (e.g. teaching the Indians to scalp). So if VT is British, she has to bear some of the shame. The UK isn't free from criticism.

PhilX

I'm not British, which I've mentioned MANY times on here. You yanks don't seem to be able to get your head around the fact that there are people other than 'British' and American (do they teach you in school that there are only two countries on the planet?) I'm well aware of the evils the British empire committed.

Then why do you act British? And why are you prejudiced against the US?

PhilX

LOL. Can you not see the irony in what you just wrote? I suppose not.

vegetariantaxidermy wrote:

Hobbes' Choice wrote:

surreptitious57 wrote:Tea BEER
Class Equality
Moaninghavin' laff
Queuing Queue Jumping
The BBC ITV
The Queen Cromwell
The BeatlesThe Stones
Saying Sorry Saying fuck off
The Weatherwe'll whether the weather what ever the weather
Fish And ChipsSavoy Grill
White Van ManRolls Royce
Self DeprecationArrogance, racism, bullheadedness.

let's face it there is not one single thing that is owned by a culture that some other culture already has: Nothing!

Tea- China, India. Class, moaning, queueing, saying sorry, weather: every country on earth.

I doubt if the Americans could have come up with something like Monty Python. Americans make better stand-ups. If you think countries don't develop a unique cultural identity over time then I think you are deluding yourself.

Obviously you never saw the first two seasons of Saturday Night Live, with John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray and Gilda Radna.

I can also point out many Britons who never liked Monty Python and millions more, now who don't understand it. Cultures are in flux, and Python is out of date. Much as I love it, it is middle class, and classist, sexist, and occasionally racist. Not British at all.


I would urge you to listen to Kwame Anthony Appiah's 3 Reith lectures.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/article ... rn-culture

Hobbes' Choice wrote:

vegetariantaxidermy wrote:

Hobbes' Choice wrote:
let's face it there is not one single thing that is owned by a culture that some other culture already has: Nothing!

Tea- China, India. Class, moaning, queueing, saying sorry, weather: every country on earth.

I doubt if the Americans could have come up with something like Monty Python. Americans make better stand-ups. If you think countries don't develop a unique cultural identity over time then I think you are deluding yourself.

Obviously you never saw the first two seasons of Saturday Night Live, with John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray and Gilda Radna.

I can also point out many Britons who never liked Monty Python and millions more, now who don't understand it. Cultures are in flux, and Python is out of date. Much as I love it, it is middle class, and classist, sexist, and occasionally racist. Not British at all.


I would urge you to listen to Kwame Anthony Appiah's 3 Reith lectures.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/article ... rn-culture

I agree. It's out of date, but so is early SNL. It's just pathetic to judge it by today's PC standards. Imagine Benny Hill today. He would probably be imprisoned lol. Comedy evolves and dates quite fast.

Hobbes' Choice wrote: I would urge you to listen to Kwame Anthony Appiah's 3 Reith lectures.

I heard most of all of them and most of what I heard was hog wash.

Hanging on in quiet desperation....