I am not from the UK-I am British

[bkk6060]

I played golf yesterday with my buddy and we met up with a guy on the course who was playing alone.

British gentleman nice guy and a good golfer.  Had a good time some laughs no problems in fact we exchanged numbers and hope to

play again in the future.

During one of our conversations, I happened to mention something about him being from the UK.

We were just talking generally about something not a confrontation or issue, I actually forget.

After I said this he corrected me and said: I am not from the UK, I am British.

?

I did not think much of it at the time but later started thinking what the deal was.

Is there some problem with this?  Maybe he was joking but it did not appear so.

I guess it would be like saying generally a person is from Europe but they decline and say no; they are from France, or Italy or whatever.  Or from the US and say no, I am from Texas.

 

So, is there some issue with this for future reference for me so I can be correct in my comments. 

 

[Bob A Kneale]

Just don't play golf with the pompous @rse again!

[BritManToo]

9 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

After I said this he corrected me and said: I am not from the UK, I am British.

I'm English, I don't want to include any Scots or Irish in my nationality.

Edited June 12, 2020 by BritManToo

[stouricks]

Doesn't being British mean you are from Great? Britain ie England, Scotland or Wales, whereas the United Kingdom includes Northern Ireland.?

 

[JonnyF]

I had kind of the opposite happen. At a conference I attended we all had to introduce ourselves and state where we came from. I didn't give it any thought and said I was from England, another English guy spoke to me over lunch and said it was weird that I didn't say I was from the UK.

 

I consider myself English (although I do have some Welsh and Irish blood). Others may say they are British, others may say they are from the UK. Not a big deal in my opinion.

[Pilotman]

I always refer to myself as English, hardly ever British. As I understand Thai, which admittedly is precious little, the word "angrit" is "English",  so it's easy to refer to oneself as English.  which I do anyway.  Filling in a Thai form this morning, it asked for my Nationality (British) and then my country of Birth (England).  

[Lacessit]

I can remember an Englishman telling me to be born British is to win the lottery of life. I responded Australians are born without class distinctions.

[Brer]

Your all POM’s to me.

[Keyser Soze666]

Are you still going to call your new buddy?

[OneMoreFarang]

This explains some of it:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/whats-difference-between-england-britain-and-uk-180959558/

 

[samsensam]

 

freedom for tooting!

 

 

[Keyser Soze666]

The man is an utter buffoon. Why, because if you are going to get all pretentious and narky about this type of thing (I've heard it all before btw) You wouldn't say 'I'm not from the Uk I'm British' you would say 'I'm not from the UK I'm English'...or swap English for Scotland, Wales, etc..

 

The man is an utter fool.

[petermik]

My understanding of "being British" is someone born in the UK to parents who are the same

 

and I,m proud to be one of them also

[Dmaxdan]

Maybe he has some gripe with the Northern Irish? 

[JonnyF]

16 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I can remember an Englishman telling me to be born British is to win the lottery of life. I responded Australians are born without class distinctions.

Would have been funnier without the final word.

 

Only kidding, Bruce. ????

[stereolab]

20 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I'm English, I don't want to include any Scots or Irish in my nationality.

1972 at basic Royal Air Force training, we are completing some paperwork, a brave soul asked the Instructor what nationality he should put down on the form, we had English, Welsh, Scots and some from the Commonwealth, the reply , which I recall vividly today, was that from today you are all BRITISH.

The subject never came up again, unlike on TVF.

 

[soi3eddie]

I'm perplexed with his answer. Maybe he meant he was not from the UK he was English. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland includes; England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (The UK). Now on the other hand if you asked a Scot, also from the UK, where they were from, what answer would they give?

[sidgy]

Quite possible, i have a friend not of the UK but british, he was born in Malaysia and grew up there with his British parents until he was about 11 or 12 years old

[Kelsall]

bkk6060 I had the exact same thing happen.  Still don't get it.

Edited June 12, 2020 by Kelsall

[Rimmer]

A post with an altered quote has been removed

[JonnyF]

9 minutes ago, stereolab said:

1972 at basic Royal Air Force training, we are completing some paperwork, a brave soul asked the Instructor what nationality he should put down on the form, we had English, Welsh, Scots and some from the Commonwealth, the reply , which I recall vividly today, was that from today you are all BRITISH.

The subject never came up again, unlike on TVF.

 

Good point, if I had to guess I'd say the guy was ex forces and therefore strong on his British identity.

[Raphus]

Personally the guy is up his own ass. But some people in the UK are very patriotic. If I ever said to a scotsman that he was British, I probably would get into an arguement. Likewise with an Irishman also if I said he was front the UK. 

There is some stupid pride with the country of origin within the British Isles and it seems to be a hereditary stigma that is passed down with generations.

Just dont play with him anymore. As he is obviously stuck in his colonial arrogant Victorian self. That he hasn't realised the world has and will continue to change.

[cyril sneer]

sounds like he doesn't want to be associated with IRA bombers, I don't blame him

[evadgib]

27 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

I had kind of the opposite happen. At a conference I attended we all had to introduce ourselves and state where we came from. I didn't give it any thought and said I was from England, another English guy spoke to me over lunch and said it was weird that I didn't say I was from the UK.

 

I consider myself English (although I do have some Welsh and Irish blood). Others may say they are British, others may say they are from the UK. Not a big deal in my opinion.

Many online forms omit ???????????????????????????? from their list of nationalities, even when they allow the use of; IoM; Jersey/Guernsey; Northern Ireland which can be annoying.

 

'Brit/Eng' used to suffice in the days before computers & political correctness butted in ????

Edited June 12, 2020 by evadgib

[Lacessit]

9 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Would have been funnier without the final word.

 

Only kidding, Bruce. ????

The class distinction thing in Britain/the UK/England does bewilder many Australians, such as how you continue to fawn over a family which is so dysfunctional it rivals Ray Donovan.

Getting back to the OP's original post, in Australia that person would be mentally labelled as a toffee-nosed twit. Or up himself.

[FarangULong]

47 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I'm English, I don't want to include any Scots or Irish in my nationality.

I've heard this variant before "I am English/Scottish/Welsh/(N.) Irish, not British", but never "I am British, not from the UK". Because unless you're Irish/from Northern Ireland, it doesn't even make sense, as the name is "United Kingdom of Great Britain AND Northern Ireland"...

 

And the other "version". I've heard a few times, is: I'm NOT (in a rather offended tone, usually) European, I am British.", and this was long before Brexit was even a thing.

 

So not sure what the guy was trying to say here? Maybe it was a joke, I would have had to hear him say it though... British sarcasm can be soooo super dry, it takes some getting used to, to hear the slight intonation difference. Could be that he was just taking the <deleted>.

Edited June 12, 2020 by FarangULong
bla

[Logosone]

If he was from Guernsey he was actually German for a short while.

[HashBrownHarry]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

I'm English, I don't want to include any Scots or Irish in my nationality.

I'm Scottish and we tried to get our independence, unfortunately it failed.

 

So the feeling is very much mutual.

 

England is like Pakistan / India / Africa / Middle east now anyway - Scotland is too cold 

[sammieuk1]

For the purposes of universal credit I'm Swindonian right now????

[GarryP]

1 hour ago, stouricks said:

Doesn't being British mean you are from Great? Britain ie England, Scotland or Wales, whereas the United Kingdom includes Northern Ireland.?

 

My son is British. At least according to his passport, but is not from the UK or any of those other places you have listed. He went to the UK for his grandmother's funeral though.