What scares you about Britain today?

[reverend]

Only the Brits could have a thread that complains about people complaining!!

yay go UK!

[thenomad]

Well I know what would make me happy. To hear that the entire ZaNuLabour government burnt to death while the fire brigade was busy attending some homo parade!

[VikingHumpingWitch]

Ah, that's just the English way though, we are permanently on our default self-deprecating, must not sound too positive or I sound like a pushy bugger, not too bad thanks setting. I think it's charming.

[reverend]

charming it is, it's also very practical, if your convinced things will always be pooe then its a plesant suprise when it turns out well!

of course if you want to believe everythings great then its so dissapointing when you find its all pooe after all!

[flatandy]

Jan 22, 2009 12:37:03 GMT VikingHumpingWitch said:

Ah, that's just the English way though, we are permanently on our default self-deprecating, must not sound too positive or I sound like a pushy b*gger, not too bad thanks setting. I think it's charming.

You've been away too long. You've forgotten how horribly stifling it is. Can't possibly say something is good. Must, instead, find the faults in it.

[dwad]

I genuinely feel that there are few greater pieces of luck in the world than being born British. There's lots wrong but only a handful of countries better.

As for scary, not much except Derren Brown. He's like an advertising dream.

As for annoying I think people can be too insular/introspective/self interested and it manifests in things from road rage to benefit scroungers and city fund managers. That said I think this is a universal condition for some humans and it was ever thus.

All in all I feel very lucky to be British and even more lucky to be Welsh.

[VikingHumpingWitch]

Don't recall being stifled by it before either. Before I left the main thing that I disliked about my fellow countrymen was the growing intolerance.

Anyway I think you're over-exaggerating. Lots of people talk about how ace stuff is.

[flatandy]

I think people talk cynically. But even worse, though, are scared to do anything at all that might be even slightly visible (unless they're religious and do stuff for that reason), because they're afraid of the vilification, because they fear it will be seen as ostentation and pushyness, which are the two great sins of British life.

[Libby]

I love being British and i wouldn't want to be anything else. Having said that i am not particularly enthused with Britain at the moment! Too many benefit scroungers, too many immigrants milking the system, not enough pay for care sector workers, nurses etc., a country that currently is riddled with pessimism, lousy weather - other than that it's pretty good!

[flatandy]

Anyway, all that said, it's still not scary.

Britain is not a scary place. There's really very little scary about it. That's possibly it's greatest redeeming quality. The people aren't scary. The traffic isn't scary. The hospitals aren't scary. The scariest animals are probably sheep or cows, not tigers or green mambas.

[VikingHumpingWitch]

I really don't agree. I've had friends who are doing up their houses of late and fcuk me, if they would talk about anything else for 5 minutes I'd fall to my knees in gratitude. Not that I resent it or owt but grouting and carpets just don't flick any of my switches.

[VikingHumpingWitch]

And the traffic scares me, but that's because I've been away from it in a country with lower speed limits for long enough that 35mph feels way too fast.

[reverend]

must be like driving in treacle over there?

[flatandy]

Jan 22, 2009 12:54:08 GMT VikingHumpingWitch said:

I really don't agree. I've had friends who are doing up their houses of late and fcuk me, if they would talk about anything else for 5 minutes I'd fall to my knees in gratitude. Not that I resent it or owt but grouting and carpets just don't flick any of my switches.

If you think talking about grouting is ostentatious, then you really are very, very British. It's very, very dull. But it's hardly glam.

[VikingHumpingWitch]

Jan 22, 2009 12:58:01 GMT flatandy said:

If you think talking about grouting is ostentatious, then you really are very, very British. It's very, very dull. But it's hardly glam.

Not glamourous, but you were saying the other day about how people are looked down on for doing up their houses and I'm just thinking that if that were so, they wouldn't all have been on about it for hours and sticking endless photos of the work in progress up on Facebook and so on.

I do see what you mean and there is a tendency for people to think that if you actually care about anything then you're some kind of bleeding heart and it's much cooler to be "I don't give a toss" about it all, but I'm struggling to think of anyone other than posters on this board who does this.

[ricklinc]

I've noticed another little trend that seems to be designed to sneer at dissent. Anybody who dislikes the current anxiety about the rights of minorities, the castration of the police force, nu labour's latest stupid law, etc is denigrated as being obsessed with the past. It appears to be a variation on the old label ploy but even lamer. Possibly a good method of identifying the complete cnuts on this board.

[mids]

I do agree with Dwad though, much as I hate this government and what they're doing to my country, being British and being Scottish is as good as it can possibly be.

[Beachcomber]

If you think talking about grouting is boring - try doing it for a living !..... every bloody day

[radge]

Oooh some one mentioned Derren Brown. HE SCARES ME!!!! he could control the whole country without anyone noticing!!!

[VikingHumpingWitch]

Have to say I've become much more appreciative of Being English (for that it is what I am, not British) since I moved abroad. And being born a Londoner is one of the greatest gifts of life.