What do you mean, all British people are English?
I have always loved stereotypes. Having lived in another country where I made a lot of international friends made me compare myself with others in order to find similarities or as well differences. I’ve noticed that people tend to perceive stereotypes as something bad or disrespectful. But from my point of view, stereotypes are a wonderful way to get in touch with a different country and culture in order to find out how much truth actually lies in those stereotypes.
Admit it: When you think of Great Britain, what comes to your mind are the British as the biggest nation of tea-drinkers, the always rainy weather or that British people are so polite, you can barely handle it. Let’s face some of the common known stereotypes about UK and see if we can confirm them or if they prove to be false.
- The British are the biggest nation of tea drinkers in the world.
Nope. Unarguably, they are a nation of absolute tea lovers: they need their cup (or 20) of tea everyday, with milk and usually one spoon of sugar. But there are some nations that consume more tea per capita:
2. It is always raining in GB.
Well, as there is no dry-season in GB it does rain a hella lot in that country. But the average rainfall during their rainy months is in fact lower than the European rainy season average. But just in case, keep your umbrella 24/7!
3. They all have a British accent.
As there is the common stereotype about the terrible German accent when speaking English, there is also one about how the British all sound the same when speaking their language. We know better when we say that there is no such thing as the British accent, but several different accents and dialects depending from where you are, e.g. Welsh or Scottish accent sound completely different. So does the German accent differ from where you come from, just imagine sächsisch or bayrisch.
4. They love queuing!
True! Absolutely true! There are only a few things which offend them more than someone jumping the queue. For them it’s about fairness and manners, which is undoubtedly connected to their approved stereotype of being super polite!
5. The British cuisine is actually non-existant.
I guess, you could argue about this one. When it comes to fish and chips, you could find no better than in the UK. Additionally, in the last years, the Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Indian cuisine improved so much, you might find no better Indian food in India! Just don’t drink the wine from Britain! Otherwise, you might be surprised about the big offer of different cuisines in GB thanks to the mixed cultural inhabitants!
6. They love their Royal family.
When there are special events going on like Prince William’s marriage back in 2011 or the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II in 2016 the pictures on TV convey the unquestioning excitement for the royals of a whole nation, but of course there are a few Brits that either outright dislike or simply don’t care about that concept.
To conclude, stereotypes can be nice to get a first glimpse onto another nation, but as we learn more about its culture and people we master to judge ourself if they are true or plainly false. Just remember: If you can’t beat them, join them- And let’s be honest: We all should be a little more British when it comes to queuing correctly!
Other way around:
