The English: overweight alcopop-swilling cretins...

[westcoastdog]

A new travel guide has described the English as a nation of overweight, alcopop-swilling cretins, who obsess about TV, sex and celebrity.

The Rough Guide to England warned visitors that trying to talk to a stranger was often perceived 'as tantamount to physical assault' (How true!). Many towns across the country are summarily dismissed as 'identikit retail zones with overpriced, under-funded public transport'. It adds: 'England is a country where accent and vocabulary can stamp a person’s identity like a brand.'

As spokesman for the national tourist board Enjoy England said the comments would detract attention from the many 'fantastic' things about England. 'We get more than 30 million international visitors every year and they love our country,' the spokesman said.

'I certainly don’t think approaching someone in England would ever be a problem for any tourist.

'British people need to celebrate all the great things about our country, not put ourselves down.'

On balance, the guide spotted some great beaches and coastal beauty spots and claimed the English as typically 'animal-loving, tea-drinking, charity donors thriving on irony and Radio 4'. It also praised the 'thriving pop culture and dynamic fashion, music and arts scenes' and Britain's immigration policy on refugees. The guide's top three English beaches are Par Beach, at St Martin's on the Isles of Scilly, and Porthcurno and Polzeath, which are both in Cornwall. The guide lists 35 'things not to miss' in England, including afternoon tea, castles and Bonfire Night. It is due out next month. http://news.monstersandcritics.com/t...es_the_English

[Scribbler1]

A new travel guide has described the English as a nation of overweight, alcopop-swilling cretins, who obsess about TV, sex and celebrity.

I think the US actually deserves that description every bit as much.

It adds: 'England is a country where accent and vocabulary can stamp a person’s identity like a brand.'

Like a southern, New York, New England or West Coast accent does here?

'I certainly don’t think approaching someone in England would ever be a problem for any tourist.

I would agree.

It also praised the 'thriving pop culture and dynamic fashion, music and arts scenes'

In the 60's almost ANYTHING imported from England was considered the epitome of hip.

The downside, if BBC America is any indication, crap like "Footballers Wives" and such seem to indicate the Brits have been tainted by OUR culture's additction to soap operas and reality shows.
However, the fact that there IS a BBC America over here tell you there is still a fascination for things from the other side. I wonder if there is a CBS Britain over there?

[Matt W]

Hehe. The guide obviously talked to a lot of chavs. It's like anywhere....sometimes you meet the nice folk, sometimes you don't.

[jose]

If you like to travel WCD come visit Lewes, Sussex on November the fifth its a great party where the townsfolk take over the town for one night the police are there to control the crowds, but not the bonfire boys and girls, many times over zealous police have ended up thrown into the river :)
I try to be there every year

[Arawn-ap-Hywel]

A new travel guide has described the English as a nation of overweight, alcopop-swilling cretins, who obsess about TV, sex and celebrity.

Must have been conducted in any city or town centre on Friday night

The Rough Guide to England warned visitors that trying to talk to a stranger was often perceived 'as tantamount to physical assault' (How true!)

Must have been down south :)

Many towns across the country are summarily dismissed as 'identikit retail zones with overpriced, under-funded public transport'.

How very observant :)

It adds: 'England is a country where accent and vocabulary can stamp a person’s identity like a brand.'

It's most interesting to note the response too those whom have very little accent

As spokesman for the national tourist board Enjoy England said the comments would detract attention from the many 'fantastic' things about England. 'We get more than 30 million international visitors every year and they love our country,' the spokesman said.

'I certainly don’t think approaching someone in England would ever be a problem for any tourist.

Try approaching someone on a Friday night in any town or city

'British people need to celebrate all the great things about our country, not put ourselves down.'

Wowa I thought this was England only

On balance, the guide spotted some great beaches and coastal beauty spots and claimed the English as typically 'animal-loving, tea-drinking, charity donors thriving on irony and Radio 4'.

Now Radio 4 is a truely fine piece of England

[Scribbler1]

If you like to travel WCD come visit Lewes, Sussex on November the fifth its a great party where the townsfolk take over the town for one night the police are there to control the crowds, but not the bonfire boys and girls, many times over zealous police have ended up thrown into the river :)
I try to be there every year

For a second I thought you were talking about my state of Delaware. We have a town called LEWES in SUSSEX County. It's down near the beach but the locals don't seem to have any interest in taking over anything.

[jose]

http://www.lewesbonfirecouncil.org.uk/

[westcoastdog]

The Rough Guide was describing England, not Wales, not Scotland. It has been my experience that the Welsh and the Scots are much friendlier and far less preoccupied with one's "station," which is disclosed by one's accent. Social class in America is not divided by speech patterns, although currently a Texas accent is considered to be advantageous in business.

I reprinted this review because 1) I agreed with much of it; and 2) it's funny.

[The Fyrdman]

The Rough Guide was describing England, not Wales, not Scotland. It has been my experience that the Welsh and the Scots are much friendlier and far less preoccupied with one's "station," which is disclosed by one's accent. Social class in America is not divided by speech patterns, although currently a Texas accent is considered to be advantageous in business.

I reprinted this review because 1) I agreed with much of it; and 2) it's funny.

The Scot's and Welsh are as aware of class distinctions as the English. It's just that outsiders come expecting it of the English, so look for it, but their stereotypes of Scotland and Wales are quaint romantic ones. In the US, your social clefts are state, religion and race. In Great Britain, we havn't had a problem with religion for hundreds of years and race has only relatively recently become a division. So we have traditionally divided ourselves on class and, to a lesser extent, national grounds.

However, I will say that class conciousness is decreasing, and that's a problem. It's not on the decline because we're have all become wealthy, it's that we as a society are being atomised and divided as individuals, our concerns becoming hyper-individualistic. Where in the past, their was community solidarity, nowadays, we barely know who our neighbours are. All the better for controlling us.

It's divide and conquer people, and we're letting it happen.

[Chris the Chees]

The Rough Guide was describing England, not Wales, not Scotland. It has been my experience that the Welsh and the Scots are much friendlier and far less preoccupied with one's "station," which is disclosed by one's accent. Social class in America is not divided by speech patterns, although currently a Texas accent is considered to be advantageous in business.

I reprinted this review because 1) I agreed with much of it; and 2) it's funny.

I live in Wales, and thats simply not true.

I swear this is true, but if you go to a Welsh bar, some of them deliberatly start talking in Welsh simply to be rude and exclude people from the conversation.

And you are utterly wrong, accent has zero bearing on status. The days of aristocratic control are long over.

[The Fyrdman]

I live in Wales, and thats simply not true.

I swear this is true, but if you go to a Welsh bar, some of them deliberatly start talking in Welsh simply to be rude and exclude people from the conversation.

And you are utterly wrong, accent has zero bearing on status. The days of aristocratic control are long over.

I dunno about the accents...if I hear a Brummy I can't help but think their stupid, and I can't stop my fingers jamming themselves in my ears when some essex bint starts shouting.

More seriously, although the wealthy of this country don't try and adopt a particular accent these days, they do all go for BBC clarity, whereas your local chav has grasp of grunts and mumbles unpenetrable to the untrained ear.

[westcoastdog]

The English I observed still used accents to sort themselves out into social groups in the U.S. In some pubs that cater to the English here in the states, I've noticed that most of the accents are working class. I also have friends who are upper-middle class English, and I noticed all their friends are from a similar station. Those few with the proper Oxbridge accent seem to find each other although their numbers are relatively rare.

I was once at a dinner held in Belgravia and was sitting between two older ladies of the struggling landed gentry, property rich, cash poor. They were having an animated discussion about the proper men for their daughters. One insisted that "blood" was the only consideration, while the other's opinion was money, even if it its owner was some nouveau riche American.

If the comments here are true, it seems Britain is becoming American, where money talks loudest.