Being British
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What does being british mean to you?
When I was growing up I had a great sense of pride in my country, Britain, where I was born. Since I have studied history I have realised that the truth is that we have no more and no less reason pride than any other nation. We’ve had our share of heroes - often flawed - and our share of innovators and great leaders, but we also have had feckless rulers, demagogues, pirates and despots, and, of course, football hooligans who have given us a terrible reputation throughout the world and are not a source of pride. But I am proud of this extraordinarily ubiquitous language. That separates us from all other nations, because it is becoming the world’s mother tongue. Randy, United Kingdom
If we must define ourselves through nationality, then I define myself as British for this reason: strength, pride, fairness, stubbornness and the British Monarchy! Esther, United Kingdom
British characteristics are contradictory - eccentricity with privacy, pride with self-effacement, pragmatism with tradition. We’re a people of innovation, on a permanent nostalgia trip. Tim Staddon, United Kingdom
It is to respect your country and the people in it. To respect the beliefs and rules and see it as a second country - if an immigrant. And treat it as you would your own; be prepared to live within these rules. To be able to obtain a passport and to enjoy British culture but at the same time contribute to the society ideology and culture from your background. Many of us are happy to have this input. Feel free to live your culture and live in peace and make friendships with people. Chris, Bath, United Kingdom
Being British myself I find that this notion has many aspects. Although I have an Iranian father, I was born and raised here. However, I feel there are still some issues to be considered. I myself have had some difficulty with my name in the past when applying for jobs etc.. However, I am proud to be British in a multicultural society, and feel being British is about integration, tradition and progress. As a nation our economy is booming, and our way of life has improved over the years. We must therefore I feel embrace our identities as British people, look back at our cultures, histories and achievements and blend them into our proud heritage that is being British. Colour, creed and religion are all aspects of modern British identity, so embrace them and work towards keeping Britain a proud nation that continues to succeed in the international world economy, as well as our own nation, building a fair, just and tolerant society. Shirvin Zeinalzade, Highgate, United Kingdom
what makes a person British?- I’ll tell you: A free market economy. Individual Freedom Limited Government National Parliamentary Democracy Personal and Family Responsibility The Rule of Law. Strong National Defences. Peter, Cheltenham, United Kingdom
Several things: valuing unhurried, charming, (and at times frustrating) eccentric behaviors; displaying and expecting civic responsibility, broad tolerance, and an understanding of a morality common to humanity; fostering lower-case conservativism, cheery optimism, and persistence; understanding that the "small" things in life are the truly important things, and knowing that sweeping, deterministic utopian ideologies always lead to hideous and tragic dystopias; and hoping and believing that when it comes to important, common matters most people are decent most of the time. James E. Davis, Jacksonville, Illinois, USA
I am English and British and in many ways proud of this. I do, however, consider myself more of a European and see this as the future rather than clinging to the past. Much of what once differentiated Britons from other races is now almost irrelevant in a modern multi-cultural world. "Britishness" needs to evolve and to take on the best of the immigrant cultures rather than highlighting the differences between ethnic white Britons and the new British subjects. Sadly many people who propound themselves as British display xenophobia at its worst. Keith Widdop, England, United Kingdom
Being British is being able to moan about anything and everything, and not truly appreciate anything. The weather, the nhs, the roads, the schools, the crime levels - no one can be satisfied with anything. Oh yeah, and there’s the monarchy. Everyone seems up for ousting them, but I think for once we ought to be proud and more than content with our royal family. They are British - a unified family with moral values. Shahid Hussain, United Kingdom
To be British is to be multicultural. The 4 nations that make up Britain, each with their own cultures, the many peoples that conquered us in our ancient history and the many we conquered in more recent times have all contributed to our multi-cultural culture and multi-lingual language James, United Kingdom
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