I used to quite enjoy this TV programme because it sometimes exposed perceptions of we British that aren’t always obvious to us.
In my experience, a consistent observation from continental Europeans is that we have difficulty in acknowledging the loss of Empire and politically at least still behave like we still rule half the world. It’s a fair comment. No matter what the stats reveal over our relative tininess, I do consider the UK as a heavy-hitting major global player and I’m not sure if I can ever change that.
This perception is amplified by living in NZ, where British culture is still dominant, even though the actual direct influence has long gone. It’s a sobering thought to consider that less than 200 years ago, this small group of islands in the Pacific had absolutely no exposure to our northern hemisphere ways. And now we have all this – because we cane along and took it over by force.
In day to day life, Maori and Pacific Islanders as a rule tend to be respectful and courteous about the British but it’s fair to say that it does stop short of actual affection. The longer I stay in NZ the more I realise that we British have low levels of self-awareness about this. Like the boss in an office who genuinely thinks he’s the funniest guy alive because everyone on his payroll always laughs at his jokes.
This manifests itself in many ways – the new arrival from the UK getting involved in a local football club and assuming that he will take a leadership role. Why? “I know football, y’see, it’s in me blood.” Never mind the fact that he’s a wheezing mess within 10 minutes.
Many a time in the world if work, someone will refer to their British working experience as a trump card to support their argument. I only notice it because I have done this myself.
I was talking to a Portuguese lady yesterday who lived in London for 6 very happy years. As far as she’s concerned it’s the friendliest place on earth “not straight away….once you get to know them”. Bill Bryson also said that British people rarely have serious conversations unless they are on a pre-agreed formal setting like a church or a courtroom. Even in business meetings. a natural ability to generate humour quickly happens.
Another interesting perception comes from Iran – where I believe we are often caricatured in political cartoons as a small fox in a suit and tie. We are seen as crafty, sneaky, and not to be trusted.
When people from other countries say nice things about us I lap it up gratefully and it becomes, in my mind, the Truth. This the direct opposite of personal perceptions when you remember a negative comment forever and let compliments wash over you like water off a duck’s back.
So I think for some of us National pride is an important part of *self* esteem. Which is bollocks isn’t it? Or is it?
Moose the Mooche says
“….. a small fox in a suit and tie”, accompanied by Mr Werrity perhaps?
Black Celebration says
No – not referring to great-larf Lozza either.
hubert rawlinson says
The boss in an office who genuinely thinks he’s the funniest guy alive because everyone on his payroll always laughs at his jokes.
= johnson
Black Celebration says
That bit indirectly came from a quote in Q magazine from, of all people, Bono.
I think he had a list of things that you can check to see if you’re an arsehole. One of them was – going out to dinner with friends and everyone around the table is on your payroll.
Mrbellows says
its kinda hard to shirk off the fact that Britain pretty much brought the rest of the world up to speed. Sorry.
Junior Wells says
so you should be
hedgepig says
Ah, we have a historian among us. 😒
hedgepig says
PS, I can see some of you thinking it. Don’t even try it with your “an” nonsense unless you want to sound like Brian Sewell.
Gary says
Very interesting post, BC. Here in Italy people tend to be a little disparaging about Brits, seeing them as either too reserved and self-repressed or as drunken hooligans. However, British music and cinema are still revered far more than any other country’s except America’s. And British news and politics are reported in the media every single day, as are American and, to a slightly less extent French and German. No other countries gain the same amount of coverage. I remember when a scandal about newspaper editor Rebekah Brooks and phone hacking was being reported here and I thought at the time there was no way the British media would give similar coverage to such a scandal if it happened in Italy. I think the continuing international dominance of the English language is perhaps the main reason for Britain attracting more attention than other countries.
count jim moriarty says
Dominance of the language is also, in my book, one of the main reasons why so many in Britain (and more specifically England) have such an inflated and wrong headed impression of Britain’s importance in the world. It’s the sort of misconception that was a major driver of Brexit.
dai says
Italians revering British cinema? Wow. What next, jealous of our food?
Gary says
The Italian film industry is in a dire state,. It hasn’t produced a worldwide hit since God-knows-when. 2013’s The Great Beauty, maybe? And before that? Apart from Paolo Sorrentino, how many contemporary Italian filmmakers can you name? Even on a national level, you can Google “Italian box office” for any recent year and you’ll be hard-pressed to find an Italian title.
As for food, despite all evidence to the contrary, I’ve never once met an Italian who believes that it’s even possible to eat well in Britain.
Kaisfatdad says
I am not disagreeing with you, Gary, but Italy is continuing to make small waves in the international cinema world.
Here are some Italian films that we have screened at Bio Reflex in recent years that I have greatly enjoyed.
Happy as Lazrarro
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6752992/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Dogman
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6768578/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
Human Capital
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2465578/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2
La pazza gioa
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4621872/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_3
‘And I do not find it odd that Italians, Swedes and other Europeans have great respect for British cinema.
Ken Loach, Mike Leigh and Bill Forsyth all cast a long shadow.
Gary says
Ah, but you is both somewhat of a cinephile and an Italophile, KFD. I doubt any of those films made much of a stir at the box office, either nationally or internationally. The only one I’ve heard of is Dogman. (Google tells me, for example, that Happy As Lazarro came in at number 174 in the highest grossing films in Italy that year, while number 1 was Bohemian Rhapsody).
When I say American and British films/music are “revered”, I mean among the hoi pollioi, the civilians. American and British films and music tend to dominate the popular charts and grab all the attention.
(It’s very true that Ken Loach is particularly revered here in Italy. Both by civilians and by cinephiles.)
Kaisfatdad says
When I was in Italy last a few years ago, Gary, I asked a lady working in a bookshop for film tips and she mentioned Virzi’s Human Capital, and her colleagues all agreed.
And then a while later, to my delight Reflexen screened it.
I loved it!
Mark Kermode didn’t!!
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/sep/28/human-capital-review-stylish-shallow-oscar-nominee
It’s based on an American novel and was later remade for the US market!
https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/human-capital-review-1203326894/
The show business equivalent of coals to Newcastle?
Gary says
I’m very much of the opinion that you should get yourself a Netflix and watch The Life Ahead. My film of the year (in an admittedly poor and Covid stricken year).
Kaisfatdad says
We have Netflix. I will watch it in the next day or two. Brilliant suggestion. Thanks.
BFG says
It’s interesting & these may be sweeping generalisations but here comes my two pennyworth.
As a country, we cannot seem to get over the loss of Empire, which is propped up by a large portion of self-mythologising over WW2. Granted we were alone for a period of time but the Nazis were defeated by Hitler’s hubris and the help of the USA & USSR. Particularly the sacrifice on the Eastern Front from the USSR. Churchill’s stated aim that history would judge him well because he was going to write it certainly worked. A great if flawed war leader, he was booted out sharpish when it came to post war actions & wishes of the people. Even the much vaunted & largely media created “Blitz Spirit” was a construct that is called upon to battle everything from Covid to the EU.
Coupled with that is I feel the disintegration of the Union which has gathered pace over the last few decades, fuelled by a pro-southern & London bias in government & the media. When I lived & worked in the South East I thought it was a bit of northern moaning but having moved to the East Midlands, the scales have fallen from my eyes. The ending of the post war consensus and the death of one nation Toryism has hastened this fracture. The current mob are no more Tory than Jeremy Corbyn but it is the only mainstream electable party that they fit into. I would also argue that Thatcher wasn’t a Tory but that’s for another day. Whatever the failings of the devolved governments, there is a different political culture emerging in Scotland and Wales. I’ll leave NI to Colin H but that is a special case built on proximity to terror, sectarianism & corruption.
I feel the perception of the Scots & Welsh is of an England moving away from looking after it’s citizens (or as Rees-Mogg would have it, subjects) to becoming a more selfish & insular country & this is something that these 2 nations can’t stomach. Speaking as an exiled Scot who has lived in England longer than Scotland, this saddens me greatly. FWIW, I don’t think we Jocks can claim to be too pure on thd Empire side either, having enthusiastically conquered, built & enslaved much of the Empire.
It might sound a touch trite & simplistic but speaking as someone taking great delight in Scotland qualifying for the Euros, the English sports media gets on every Celt’s tits with almost constant reference to 1966 & a running theme from English football commentators being how often they can shoehorn that into their commentaries. I speak as that rarity, a Jock who wants the English team to do well & one whose children identify as English (just wait until the reading of my will!!) but Good God it is tiring to hear this trope repeated ad nauseum.
The perception of the UK is not helped by the quality of the politics at the moment. The current front bench must be one of the poorest in history. Their is no intellect, gravitas or awareness of how to run things. Journalists & professional politicians, they make decisions based on abstract ideas as if government were an extension of the debating society or a smart Oxbridge tutorial. I am conscious of my position as a headteacher, trying to make the best of government incompetence makes me slightly jaundiced & I won’t go into the announcement on staggered starts & mass testing, the information for which I received an hour before we closed for Christmas & 4 hours after I told my staff to do nothing over Christmas. Just to say that the language emanating from my office was most unbecoming for a head.
They were chosen for their adherence to a flawed idea based on some of the points raised earlier and a baffling belief in British (English?) exceptionalism. When it comes to dealing with practicalities, they can’t.
Much of Britain & Europe looks on aghast. We cannot hang on to the Special Relationship either because it’s not that special. The US does not have allies, only interests. We will soon fade if we cannot provide that bridge to Europe that we have done in the past.
My perception of the perception of Britain is that it is a broken nation led by corrupt, venal & facile individuals, rapidly losing its status in the world but Mike Scott puts it a lot more tunefully.
Black Celebration says
It’s hard to look beyond the current batch of political leaders but one day they will all be gone and by then we might have something better.
Boris Johnson is, hopefully, the last of the Etonian/Harrovian mob who ease themselves into positions of power. I find it really hard to believe that the leaders of tomorrow are watching this and thinking “They’re impressive. I wanna be just like them…”.
Boris Johnson definitely has an electable charisma which carries him through but he’s not an inspirational leader. He doesn’t have an organised mind and we can clearly see that.
I think he’s our first “loveable oaf” prime minister. British leaders who have been admired globally in the past have had principles and a sense of purpose. Johnson thinks that the office of PM immediately gives him similar gravitas but we can tell that the weight of this responsibility seems to pass through him as if he is a hologram.
Because he is bored by detail and enjoys winging it, things happen *to* him. If he paid attention to events as they develop, his unique perspective as PM with unlimited resources means he get in there early and develop strategies. But he doesn’t bother with that.
So next time he makes out that he’s just one of us – a plucky character, making the best of things – it’s worth remembering that he wasn’t elected to go with the flow and contract out the difficult stuff. The PM is meant to be a leader.
Freddy Steady says
@bfg you’ve not given this any thought really, have you?
BFG says
Only in passing!!! It was due to be a shortish post but I did go off on one somewhat!
Kaisfatdad says
National pride? As Brits who have moved to live abroad , Black, you and I can feel national pride about the country of our birth and the country we now call home.
For example
Jacinda Arden for you.
Greta Thunberg for me.
Taika Waititi for you
Ingmar Bloody Bergman for me!
Black Celebration says
Yes there’s nothing worse than an expat frothing on about the state of Britain.. After 21 years away it’s really none of my business any more.
Kaisfatdad says
Of course one till cares about the country where one grew up and has family and friends still.
And having lived in another country for a long time, one has a special perspective towards both. And can see the good and bad in both.
Dave Ross says
Watching Portillo’s Empire Journey gives a few clues to the Great British state of mind. My god our ancestors were absolute shits…