I am not from the UK-I am British

[GinBoy2]

Ok I'll throw some gas (or should I say petrol) on the flames.

 

I'm American, but in all my time interacting with 'Brits', the English guys will about 50% of the time say they are British rather than English.

But not one of the Scots I have known has ever described themselves as anything but Scottish.

 

Oh that 'United' Kingdom!

Edited June 15, 2020 by GinBoy2

[ravip]

4 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

Ok I'll throw some gas on the flames.

 

I'm American, but in all my time interacting with 'Brits', the English guys will about 50% of the time say they are British rather than English.

But not one of the Scots I have known has ever described themselves as anything but Scottish.

 

Oh that 'United' Kingdom!

Yes, Great Britain as we all know.

[Lacessit]

2 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

Ok I'll throw some gas (or should I say petrol) on the flames.

 

I'm American, but in all my time interacting with 'Brits', the English guys will about 50% of the time say they are British rather than English.

But not one of the Scots I have known has ever described themselves as anything but Scottish.

 

Oh that 'United' Kingdom!

Scots refer to the English as Sassenachs. It's not meant to be complimentary.

[StreetCowboy]

On 6/15/2020 at 7:35 PM, Lacessit said:

Scots refer to the English as Sassenachs. It's not meant to be complimentary.

It's meant to be divisive, not insulting.  We use our word for the English, not yours.  It's meant to be complementary.

[StreetCowboy]

On 6/15/2020 at 5:06 PM, GinBoy2 said:

Ok I'll throw some gas (or should I say petrol) on the flames.

 

I'm American, but in all my time interacting with 'Brits', the English guys will about 50% of the time say they are British rather than English.

But not one of the Scots I have known has ever described themselves as anything but Scottish.

 

Oh that 'United' Kingdom!

When asked "where are you from?", I'll say "The UK", or if it's someone that is familiar with the countries of the UK, I'll say "Scotland".

When asked if I'm British, I'll say "Yes, Scottish".

When asked if I'm English, I'll say "Scottish".

I don't want to condemn the English for the government that they have forced upon the country, but it is a struggle.  I have no great admiration for the SNP, but of all the governments in the UK, they are not the worst.

 

[GinBoy2]

13 minutes ago, StreetCowboy said:

When asked "where are you from?", I'll say "The UK", or if it's someone that is familiar with the countries of the UK, I'll say "Scotland".

When asked if I'm British, I'll say "Yes, Scottish".

When asked if I'm English, I'll say "Scottish".

I don't want to condemn the English for the government that they have forced upon the country, but it is a struggle.  I have no great admiration for the SNP, but of all the governments in the UK, they are not the worst.

 

It can take you down of a bit a rabbit hole with national identification.

 

Now every US State is a sovereign nation, who just happen to have ceded some responsibilities to a Federal Government.

 

Now if someone asks me in the US 'where you are from' I'll always respond 'I'm a Californian'.

Overseas however I don't think any of us would say anything other than, 'I'm an American'.

 

Although Texans may be different, they march to a slightly different drumbeat!

 

Even within the weirdness that is Europe, I don't think I've met a Bavarian who didn't say he/she was German. Even the super weird Belgium, the Flemish & Walloons don't call themselves anything but Belgians.

 

The UK is pretty unique in this respect 

Edited June 16, 2020 by GinBoy2

[StreetCowboy]

3 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

It can take you down of a bit a rabbit hole with national identification.

 

Now every US State is a sovereign nation, who just happen to have ceded some responsibilities to a Federal Government.

 

Now if someone asks me in the US 'where you are from' I'll always respond 'I'm a Californian'.

Overseas however I don't think any of us would say anything other than, 'I'm an American'.

 

Although Texans may be different, they march to a slightly different drumbeat!

 

Even within the weirdness that is Europe, I don't think I've met a Bavarian who didn't say he/she was German. Even the super weird Belgium, the Flemish & Walloons don't call themselves anything but Belgians.

 

The UK is pretty unique in this respect 

Unlike the United States of America, or Los Estadus Unidas de Mexico, the countries of the UK existed as separate nations before conquest or the Union of the Crowns, and so are acknowledged, in some circles (like UEFA) as countries in their own right.

As a parent, I am quite proud that the many of the american territories seem to be doing well for themselves, and working together since they left the nest.

[sidjameson]

On 6/12/2020 at 10:14 AM, BritManToo said:

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

You're not Terry from the likely lads are you?

[nausea]

Guys from N. Ireland saying they're British is a political statement, I'm guessing most catholics would say they're Irish. For me, in practical terms, any guy from N. Ireland is Irish. Nothing political about it, just a statement of fact. Yeah, this whole UK thing is pretty weird. I'm English I suppose, I was brought up in the Midlands; equating me with a Welsh or Scottish guy, or even a southerner or northerner? It's a very tribal society, has been since Caeser's time. The UK is more a federation of tribes than a nation; united by certain common characteristics.