The English gave the world not only tea, but also football along with football hooligans
As the BBC notes, what is considered natural and unquestionable behavior in one country is perceived across the border as inexplicable eccentricity or even blatant violation of all rules of decency.
There is a country in the world called England. Yes, England is a country, since the United Kingdom is a union of four countries: Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England. England has no government of its own, unlike the other three countries, but that has never bothered anyone.
And so in England they wondered: what habits of the English irritate their neighbors? The History channel, in an attempt to find an answer, conducted a survey in Wales, Scotland, France, Ireland, Germany and, just in case, in England itself. Several interesting things came to light.
About one in three French people, if not hate, then have a very negative attitude towards the English. In Germany, despite everything that happened in the 20th century, only about one in seven feels such feelings.
What exactly irritates England's neighbors? The list is quite long, and the French and Germans are annoyed by roughly the same things. Both dislike left-hand traffic in Britain. The English have noticed this: when you drive off the ferry in Dover, in the first few kilometers of the road you will see signs on the wrong right side. They say you must drive on the left.
In both countries, England is associated with football hooligans. Although this phenomenon has been almost eradicated in modern England, and in Holland or Poland fights around stadiums now happen much more often, no one has forgotten that this phenomenon is an English invention.
The French and Germans do not like that the English are convinced that all foreigners speak or should speak English. At the same time, they themselves are in no hurry to learn a foreign language. Strictly speaking, this is not a prejudice, but a reality. In almost every corner of Europe you can see English people entering a cafe, shop or restaurant and immediately starting to speak English to the staff. If they are not understood, the English start speaking louder, as they are sure that not knowing English is so incredible that their interlocutor is obviously just hard of hearing.
In Germany and France, they are also convinced that the English drink too much, and when they get drunk, they start behaving aggressively. For example, singing something in chorus on the street and, if possible, in the middle of the night. English children, the French and Germans believe, are also extremely ill-mannered and behave terribly.
In France and Germany, they believe that English food is inedible and that is why the English douse any dish with ketchup and insist that food without french fries is not food. This prejudice does have some basis. However, not everything is so bad here: London has long become one of the culinary capitals of the world.
The favorite food of the English, judging by sales statistics, is curry, pizza and kebabs. But yes – sometimes in England you can find all three, created together with french fries.
Both the French and Germans believe that the English are too arrogant, overly proud of the royal family and constantly drink tea. As for tea, they are right. In England, they really believe that tea is a universal remedy for all occasions. For example, the first thing the midwife said to my wife right after our son was born was: "Would you like some tea?"
In Germany, people also believe that English humor is too sophisticated and therefore incomprehensible. Here the English just chuckle, not too loudly, unless they have had a good drink and it is three in the morning.
Residents of both countries also sincerely do not understand why the English voted for Brexit.
When it comes to the English's closest neighbors, things get even more complicated. The Irish complain: the English consider the Irish to be drunks and short people and call them leprechauns regardless of their actual height. Leprechauns are such stocky and sleepy magical little people from local folklore. And, of course, everyone remembers the complex and bloody history of relations between the two countries.
In Scotland, they also do not forget the English conquerors, but overall the English are not strongly scolded for the past. What most outrages the Scots is that Scottish pound notes are often refused in English shops, despite being legal tender throughout the United Kingdom.
Many Welsh people, when asked about the English, replied: "They killed the Prince of Wales." Don't worry, Prince Charles is alive and well. It is about Llywelyn the Last. In 1282, he declared war on England because he was tired of the English king Edward I constantly trying to conquer his domain. It was a fatal mistake. Eight months later, he lost the war, and the English cut off his head. Since then, Wales has been ruled by them. And to rub salt in the wound, Edward I gave his son and heir the title Prince of Wales. The heirs to the throne have held this title to this day. More than seven centuries have passed since then, but the Welsh have not forgotten the insult.
The survey was conducted at the request of English comedian Al Murray, who is launching a whole series of TV shows under the title "Why Don't They Like the English?" At his request, the English themselves were also surveyed. They answered the question of what they dislike about themselves. The English usually do not engage in self-reflection, but here the survey results turned out to be interesting.
The list turned out almost the same as in Germany or France. The English are dissatisfied with their lack of foreign language skills, football hooligans, drunken singing on the streets at night, poorly behaved children, and the fact that french fries accompany every dish.
But there are differences as well. The British dislike that in this country people automatically and without thinking form a queue, that everyone constantly talks about the weather and apologizes to each other. The last point can be verified empirically: if you step on someone's foot in the subway, the victim will immediately apologize. Unless, of course, you are dealing with a tipsy football hooligan, who, along with his ill-mannered children, is shouting a song in which not a single word can be made out.