- •20 Food and drink 184
- •21 Sport and competition 191
- •23 Holidays and special 208 occasions
- •Introduction
- •10 I Country and people
- •12 I Country and people
- •14 I Country and People
- •2 History
- •16 2 History
- •18 2 History
- •It was in this period that Parliament began its gradual evolution into the democratic body which it is today. The word 'parliament',
- •20 2 History
- •22 2 History
- •24 2 History
- •26 2 History
- •28 2 History
- •30 2 History
- •32 3 Geography Climate
- •It was in Britain that the word 'smog' was first used (to describe a
- •36 3 Geography
- •38 3 Geography
- •40 3 Geography
- •Part of Snowdonia National Park
- •4 Identity
- •44 4 Identity
- •IrroubleatLllangybi
- •46 4 Identity
- •48 4 Identity
- •50 4 Identity
- •52 4 Identity
- •54. 4 Identity
- •5 Attitudes
- •58 5 Attitudes
- •60 5 Attitudes
- •62 5 Attitudes
- •64 5 Attitudes
- •66 5 Attitudes
- •In the history of British comedy,
- •6 Political life
- •68 6 Political life
- •70 6 Political life
- •72 6 Political life
- •74 6 Political life
- •6 Political life
- •78 7 The monarchy
- •The reality
- •84 8 The government
- •86 8 The government
- •88 8 The government
- •In comparison with the people of
- •9 Parliament
- •92 9 Parliament
- •94 9 Parliament
- •96 9 Parliament
- •100 10 Elections
- •102 10 Elections
- •104 10 Elections
- •I've messed up my life
- •Serb shelling halts un airlift
- •2 January is also a public holiday in
- •Identity 42—55
- •Illustrations by:
5 Attitudes
>
Land of tradition
A reputation for tradition
can lead to its artificial preservation - or even its
re-introduction. A notable example is the Asquith taxi. This was
introduced onto the streets of London in 1994. It is an exact
replica of London taxis of the 19305 (except, of course, that it
has modern facilities - and a modern meter!). It is deliberately
designed that way to appeal to tourists, who equate London with
tradition.
Similarly, when London's
famous red buses were privatized (sold to private companies) in the
early 1990s, the different bus companies wanted to paint their
buses in their company colours. The government ruled that all buses
had to stay red because that is what the people of London wanted,
and that is what the government believed would help the tourist
trade.
An
Asquith taxi
The British, like the
people of every country, tend to be attributed with certain
characteristics which are supposedly typical. However, it is best
to be cautious about accepting such characterizations too easily,
and in the case of Britain there are three particular reasons to be
cautious. The first three sections of this chapter deal with them
in turn and comment on several stereotyped images of the British. Stereotypes
and change Societies
change over time while their reputations lag behind. Many things
which are often regarded as typically British derive from books,
songs or plays which were written a long time ago and which are no
longer representative of modern life. One example of this is the
popular belief that Britain is a 'land of tradition'. This is what
most tourist brochures claim (> Land of tradition). The claim is
based on what can be seen in public life and on centuries of
political continuity. And at this level - the level of public
life - it is undoubtedly true. The annual ceremony of the state
opening of Parliament, for instance, carefully follows customs
which are centuries old (see chapter 9). So does the military
ceremony of 'trooping the colour'. Likewise, the changing of the
guard outside Buckingham Palace never changes. However,
in their private everyday lives, the British as individuals are
probably less inclined to follow tradition than are the people of
most other countries. There are very few ancient customs that are
followed by the majority of families on special occasions. The
country has fewer local parades or processions with genuine folk
roots than most other countries have. The English language has
fewer sayings or proverbs that are in common everyday use than many
other languages do. The British are too individualistic for these
things. In addition, it should be noted that they are the most
enthusiastic video-watching people in the world — the very
opposite of a traditional pastime! There
are many examples of supposedly typical British habits which are
simply not typical any more. For example, the stereotyped image of
the London 'city gent' includes the wearing of a bowler hat. In
fact, this type of hat has not been commonly worn for a long time.
Food and drink provide other examples. The traditional 'British'
(or
English
versus British 57
Even when a British habit conforms to the stereotype, the wrong conclusions can sometimes be drawn from it. The supposed British love of queuing is an example. Yes, British people do form queues whenever they are waiting for something, but this does not mean that they enjoy it. In 1992, a survey found that the average wait to pay in a British supermarket was three minutes and twenty-three seconds, and that the average wait to be served in a bank was two minutes and thirty-three seconds. You might think that these times sound very reasonable. But The Sunday Times newspaper did not think so. It referred to these figures as a 'problem'. Some banks now promise to serve their customers 'within two minutes'. It would therefore seem wrong to conclude that their habit of queuing shows that the British are a patient people. Apparently, the British hate having to wait and have less patience than people in many other countries.
English versus British
Because English culture dominates the cultures of the other three nations of the British Isles (see chapter 1), everyday habits, attitudes and values among the peoples of the four nations are very similar. However, they are not identical, and what is often regarded as typically British may in fact be only typically English. This is especially true with regard to one notable characteristic - anti-intellectualism.
Among many people in Britain, there exists a suspicion of intelligence, education and 'high culture'. Teachers and academic staff, although respected, do not have as high a status as they do in most other countries. Nobody normally proclaims their academic qualifications or title to the world at large. No professor would expect, or want, to be addressed as 'Professor' on any but the most formal occasion. There are large sections of both the upper and working class in Britain who, traditionally at least, have not encouraged their children to go to university (see chapter 14). This lack of enthusiasm for education is certainly decreasing. Nevertheless, it is still unusual for