What do you think?
I have to do an emergency run to Borders book store fairly frequently as my Mother, a voracious reader, becomes a bit twitchy if she runs out of reading material, and starts perusing the back of cornflake packets in an attempt to satiate her lust for words. And then starts mooooooooooaaaaaaaning in a most irritating fashion until you go to the book shop and buy books for her.
So, on Monday I obediently trotted into said store with a list in one hand but knowing that if said books weren't in or a sensible price yet, then I could pick any good crime novel (as long as she hasn't read it before...and there's the rub) and she'd be a happy camper. I picked up one she wanted and discovered it was on a 3 for 2 offer, so then chose another with the same offer, and then spotted this book by Kate Fox. And after a cursory flick, I was immediately hooked and bought it for me. Me, me, me.
Ms. Fox has made an anthropological study of the English and our particular national traits and quirks which make us decidedly English. She does point out that she hasn't lumped everyone together and said 'Watching the British' as that would mean that the Welsh and Scottish don't have a separate cultural identity, which of course they do. However, there is a fair bit of crossover with our cultures of course...so this book does apply to those nations as well (on the whole).
I have only just begun reading it and am enjoying it thoroughly already (I'm an anthropologist ...who knew!? LOL). She makes mention of the fact that people who have lived here and have had their cultural upbringing based here for many, many generations past, may not even be aware of their own national traits because they are so deeply ingrained.
Which got me to thinking. What do you think our national traits are (before I read any further in the book and discover them all)? What makes us quintessentially 'us'? What habits do we as a nation exude to make us different from the French or the Americans or the Spanish? What are the hidden rules of our behaviour? What do you think?
All I know so far is that she spent a long (and stressful!) day at Paddington Station (a) bumping into people, and (b) queue jumping. Poor woman. I bet she got a roasting.
Answers in the comments please, and then I'll let you know as I read it if you are right :D Oh...and she also says foreigners who live here or have spent a bit of time here are quite good at pointing out our traits because they are so blatantly obviously different from their own cultures. So this is open to anyone who reads this :D
11 comments:
Sounds like something I need to put on my Christmas list.
Something very English and Welsh (don't know many Scots so can't include them), but definitely not the Irish - why do we apologise when someone bumps into us, or steps on our toe? Or is it just me LOL!
Linz said that to me on the phone as well (that trait I mean). I wonder if she'll mention that one?
I'd have to say using the weather as a conversation starter! :o)
Absolutely! That's the whole first chapter (which I've now read... and she points out that there are social rules that we have even, for doing just that...talking about the weather). For example, what would you say if someone said, "Oh it's cold today isn't it?" as a conversation opener?
And Americans think we're barking mad because we're obsessed with the weather BUT, she points out, that they miss the point. What we're actually saying is, "I want to talk to you, will you talk to me?"
Haha sad aren't we?! :o) I see 'we', but I am not English, but consider the obsession with the weather a British thing, not just English.
We had a very very rough Avon lady a few years back. I didn't know her, other than attempting to support local people trying to make a living. I really can't stress quite HOW rough this person was, and she was delivering an order to us in the snow. DH answered the door to her, and she said "I'm f****** freezing in this b****** snow". A couple of years later she was on the front page of the News of the World for seducing the 14 yr old son of her next door neighbour whilst he was babysitting for her, and becoming pregnant with twins!
How's that for talking about the weather to open a conversation LOL.
PMSL!!!!!
Oh dear.
Well, she does give special mention to snow in the book and how we are completely preoccupied with it when it does happen! So no wonder she was so vociferous! LOL!!!!
I think there must be more English / British behaviour patterns than saying sorry and talking about the weather. This book is an inch thick! LOL
ROFL at Deborah!
Do you think that 'not speaking to people on the Underground' is a British thing?
I often wonder if people in other countries strike up interesting conversations with strangers on public transport, or if they obey the unwritten rule that you just ignore everyone?
I did try and strike up a conversation when I was commuting once: but was looked at as if I was an escapee from an asylum: it's just not done, is it?!
Oh I have two stories about this. I think I'll blog them instead of have them lurking in the comments. Off to blog now :D
We love to queue..can't bear people pushing in or getting ahead of us...but hate waiting more than 9 minutes!
I think we are very polite...we say sorry when we walk into someone.
And we have a great sense of national pride especially at sporting events :)
can't wait to keep reading more about this book! my gram was from Cotswald...came to the US after WW2 and I loved everything about her! and we definitley got some British vernacular into our daily language from her.
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