A user guide to Britishness: Behaviours and social rituals
Ask an academic about identity and the nation and they’ll probably refer to themes of power, race, language or borders.
But our #RebrandingBritishness consultation project found that cultural trends and everyday behaviours were much more prevalent in our conversations, in particular how these contribute to the ways individuals personally identify with Britishness, and how others perceive us. Maybe that’s because collective behavioural traits are seen as less toxic or uncomfortable territory than more overtly political topics, although issues such as public service provision, welfare, historical imperialism, social inequality and exclusion, economic resilience and global supply chains, were also mentioned in our conversations.
Rituals of communication, and the ways we use language, is something that many people associate with the British experience. Brits don’t say what they actually mean! Of course, some of this stems from ‘politeness’, the idea that we don’t want to cause offence or be too bold or forthright in our interactions with others. This may come from a positive place, but unwritten rules of communication and inferences can also be exclusionary, generating insecurity in those who don’t understand how to receive or translate the point.
Using insights from the project on what it means to “be British”, we created a series of ‘translation totes’ which each provide a handy translation of the hidden meanings behind indirect and vague British phrases and regional colloquialisms. The bold colours encourage us to be bolder in saying what we actually mean, while the different typefaces convey British visual eccentricity.
Unspoken rituals also factor heavily in national culture — for example, is there anything less easy to navigate than the great British queue? What’s right and proper on the tube just doesn’t work at the kebab shop. However, everyone is expected to know the rules, and will receive a loud eye roll or sigh if you don’t!
To explain the rules of the game, we designed a pack of ‘Social Queue’ playing cards. Each suit is based on an iconic queuing scenario. The warm coral and dark khaki colours — a modern take on the traditional gambling motif of red and black — combined with the typewriter typography, represent the British obsession with orderly wayfinding systems.
Of course, Brits don’t always behave impeccably. One example is the cliché of Brits abroad… and the problem is the cliché is often true. ‘Britishness’ often brings to mind a hyper awareness of how Brits are perceived overseas: too loud, too orange, too drunk, and either ignorant or lazy in grasping foreign languages and cultural norms. Do we accidentally embrace, or actively seek to challenge these stereotypes when we go away?
Our beachwear collection uses binary black and white colours to emulate the loud and garish elements associated with Brits Abroad behaviour. The designs feature go-to phrases which might come in handy in key millennial holiday destinations. While the repetitive typography visually mimics the sounds of British attempts to communicate in a second language!
Many of these designs are tongue-in-cheek on the surface, but contain more nuanced messages about how people view national civic life and the ways in which citizens of different backgrounds relate to each other. The glib humour associated with these designs may also tell a separate story about the way we use humour and irony as a nation, and the mildly cynical or self-deprecating narratives that bind us collectively. What sort of country laughs at itself? Do you have to consider yourself to be relatively stable as a nation if you can be so overtly self-deprecating?
Tell us what you think in the comments below or on our Instazine at https://www.instagram.com/p/BvfOjdknI-D/
This article first appeared on the Millennial Labs Instazine, an Instagram-first magazine hosted by Common Vision. Our first Instazine edition draws on insights from Common Vision’s #RebrandingBritishness project, a year-long deliberative consultation with millennials across the UK on what “being British” means today. The project was supported by Sky Arts as part of the ART 50 documentary series which aired in 2019. Find out more: www.instagram.com/millennial_labs
Common Vision ( www.covi.org.uk ) is a think tank working to change the narrative around our shared future. We aim to revitalise public diplomacy by championing deliberative dialogue and encouraging established and new leaders to work together to turn collective social challenges into opportunities.
