Anyone else hate British cuteness?

[Dogstile]

i love how this is four pages of 'no, your an idiot.'

This is exactly what I was going to post. I'm adding nothing to the discussion, but i'm still going to add "WHAT THE HELL". I'm british and I read harry potter and in the later books all cuteness is gone. What some of the characters go through is torture.

 

[YawningAngel]

As an American, I do like British culture, especially comedy, but I can't get over their obsession with making everything cute.

I'm not even sure if cute is the right word, it's just the best word I can muster. They don't just apply cute names to things like the Japanese do, but apply cuteness and expect everyone to take it seriously. I can't get into Harry Potter, though I'm sure it's brilliantly written, just because non-magic users are referred to as Muggles. To compare, the Final Fantasy series has creatures called Moogles, but FF doesn't force us to take them seriously.

Again, it might just be the fact that I'm American. I'm used to mystical things sounding sort of Asian or Middle Eastern and putting apostrophes in random places. An ancient secret society should be called Kal'sur and the mystical weapon should be Dor'salim. So if non-magic using people in the HP universe were called Cara'sin instead of Muggles, maybe I wouldn't be posting this on the net, but as it is, Muggles is a word that forces me to accept the fact that I'm reading a book written for an 8 year old even though the later novels grow with the audience.

As it is, I hate British naming of Fantasy things. Posters should feel free to add their own grievances.

It's a children's story, what did you expect? If you're approaching the book as an adult and expecting serious literature you're missing the point.

 

[orangeban]

Uh, never heard of British cuteness, I'm British and I've heard of British dark humour, and satire, and just plain old taking the piss out of things, but I've never heard of British cuteness. It would bizarre if in Harry Potter the muggles were Ir'norda or whatever, cause that would be weird. I think muggles makes sense, it sounds like a sort of slur against non-magic people, and a sort of slur that I could actually see created.

 

[00slash00]

yeah i kinda expected this to be about cute british girls or something. its a fact, the accent makes even unattractive british girls seem hot

 

[orangeban]

Remember Lord of the Rings, the granddaddy of modern fantasy? British, not particularly cute.
And 'muggle' is actually kind of a racial slur withing the Harry Potter universe. The word itself is a tad strange (originally the books were for a very young audience), but the connotations are anything but cute.

So yeah, I join with my countrymen in asking what the hell?

Uhm, Muggle is not a racial slur in the books. They even have "Muggle Studies". You're thinking of Mudblood.

If you look at the later books, the dark wizards certainly treat 'muggle' as a slur- they see them as lower forms of life, creatures to be eradicated. I always saw it as kind of a holocaust reference.

Yeah, I'm a massive geek.

And I don't like to have to watch a bloody ad just to get my captcha and make a forum post.
Huh, my captcha seems to agree with me, it's 'axe to grind'

That still doesn't mean "Muggle" is ever used as a racial slur in the books. The Death Eaters and certain Ministry officials certainly believe the magical community are better than Muggles, but their name never became a slur. Mudblood, however, was referenced time and time again as being the racial slur.

Maybe it's not a racial slur, but it's sorta like that thing where homophobes say like, "Those *gays*" and the emphasis they put on the word gays (which isn't a slur) makes it really sound like a slur.

 

[Hugga_Bear]

i love how this is four pages of 'no, your an idiot.'

This is exactly what I was going to post. I'm adding nothing to the discussion, but i'm still going to add "WHAT THE HELL". I'm british and I read harry potter and in the later books all cuteness is gone. What some of the characters go through is torture.

Several times, literally. In the 7th film (Deathly Hallows part 1) you even get a scene where Emma Watson is being tortured off screen, you still get to hear her scream and watch as she's silenced with a tear rolling down her cheek and her body lightly twitching.

But y'know. It's for kids right?

How is muggle 'cute'? It's intended as a derogatory term, it's likeness to moogle is coincidental and meaningless, it's like saying rape is close to rope therefore rape isn't bad. wtf?

 

[TurboPanda]

Is it me or does everyone get annoyed with Americas obsession with making everything sparkly? Like in Twilight every time Edward steps into the sun it reminds me i'm reading a book written for hormonal 14 year old girls.

Im sorry i was just taking 1 aspect of a book designed for kids and applying it too an entire culture.

 

[Daveman]

lol, you're going to pick out "muggles"? It's cutesy because it is an insult meant to mock them, it's meant to sound patronising.

Other than that this is a book for children where the main character's parents are murdered so, yeah, you've got fuck all for an argument mate.

 

[Prince Regent]

The British are just being British. It has nothing to do with cuteness.

And here I though this was about cute things from England (or Great-Britain).

Not quite the same.

Spoiler: As this is British but not English.

 

[hedges1001]

british, cute?
our local football team's manager is an open fascist

 

[Sizzle Montyjing]

Is it me or does everyone get annoyed with Americas obsession with making everything sparkly? Like in Twilight every time Edward steps into the sun it reminds me i'm reading a book written for hormonal 14 year old girls.

Im sorry i was just taking 1 aspect of a book designed for kids and applying it too an entire culture.

Let's do that with EVERYTHING!!!
Don't you just hate the fact that all italians have moustaches, which is true because it's in Mario.
I mean honestly, get a shave...

 

[maninahat]

I don't know about cuteness. What gets my goat (as an Englishman) is they way in which we always try to fall back on the belief that we have the supreme sense of humour. Yes we have good comics, but it is kind of annoying how we pretend it as a corner stone to our country. It isn't. Every country has good comedy, and yet no other country pretends that their sense of humour is their most defining quality.

 

[XHolySmokesX]

Well this is the first i've heard of britain being cute, and i've lived in england my whole life!

If i had to describe the british i would say there are a lot of cynical people that haven't got the faintest clue about how to be happy (I blame the governemnt, and the weather) but for those of us that do, were a bunch of lively light hearted funny as hell mother fuckers that know how to have a good time.

As for the muggles thing; it doesn't sound cute to me, sounds more like a derogetary term like mongrel.

 

[Gasaraki]

... are you sure you're not thinking of Japan?

 

[Agent Larkin]

The British don't make things cute. They just happen to be the second most sarcastic people in the world.

 

[maninahat]

Another Brit here to join the chorus of "what the crumpets!?" but in a vaguely welsh accent

WELSH? Get back in the cage!

 

[Cheesus333]

Whilst I appreciate your attempt to create an overall picture of our country's vast and varied literary history spanning many, many centuries based on one recent children's book series, I... can't finish this sentence seriously, sorry.

Harry Potter, despite objections from some of its fandom, is a children's book. Of course adults can appreciate it too, but that doesn't change the target demographic. Any appearance of cuteness is a woman understanding her audience. And while we're on the concept of so-called British cuteness, I think Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell might have something to say.

Spoiler: They wrote/illustrated The Edge Chronicles, a series of very good books aimed at children and young teenagers. Let's have a look at some of these creatures.

Spoiler: Angler

Spoiler: Clodwit

Spoiler: Recently-killed Skullpelt

That last one creeped the fuck out of me when I was smaller. British fiction =/= cute. I'm done now.

 

[Daniel Allsopp]

As an American, I do like British culture, especially comedy, but I can't get over their obsession with making everything cute.

I'm not even sure if cute is the right word, it's just the best word I can muster. They don't just apply cute names to things like the Japanese do, but apply cuteness and expect everyone to take it seriously. I can't get into Harry Potter, though I'm sure it's brilliantly written, just because non-magic users are referred to as Muggles. To compare, the Final Fantasy series has creatures called Moogles, but FF doesn't force us to take them seriously.

Again, it might just be the fact that I'm American. I'm used to mystical things sounding sort of Asian or Middle Eastern and putting apostrophes in random places. An ancient secret society should be called Kal'sur and the mystical weapon should be Dor'salim. So if non-magic using people in the HP universe were called Cara'sin instead of Muggles, maybe I wouldn't be posting this on the net, but as it is, Muggles is a word that forces me to accept the fact that I'm reading a book written for an 8 year old even though the later novels grow with the audience.

As it is, I hate British naming of Fantasy things. Posters should feel free to add their own grievances.

Compare, if you will, the word Muggle to that certain racist N word. They sound similar, no? In America, the N word is used in the same way you might call someone "bro". In the UK, it's a poisonous word, and most people will want to strangle you for using it.

Also, fantasy books that use words such as you said.. To me, those books sound really nerdy. HP is written to appeal to everyone, even people who wouldn't be caught dead seeming nerdy. That's why it's so popular.

I suppose cultural differences explain this.

Edit: Just to make this clear, I am a nerd and admit to such. My favourite book series is Eragon.

 

[maninahat]

actualy muggles sound like a racial slur to me. Not exactly that cute.

Quite a lot of our racial slurs sound kind of cute or silly. Words like "Nig Nog" and "Wog". In fact, the term "Ching Chong China Man" used to make my Chinese ex laugh, despite being well aware of the spite behind it.

It's all about familiarity with the term. George Bush was somewhat amused by having shoes thrown at him, because he hadn't grown up in a society where such an act is the greatest possible insult to bestow upon someone.

 

[SinisterGehe]

Mate, I've got no idea what you are talking about.

Most things that come out of Britain are tremendously dull and seedy and dark as far as art and entertainment goes. The British are one of the most cynical people in the world.

Oh come to Finland, it is even more cynical, it is even more north, colder and darker... Tho we don't have that much rain, but they are replaced with long fall and Lots of snow (Up to 1,5 meters in southern Finland and "up to" -30*Celcius weather) We all wear black, drink black coffee, are serious and like building things from concrete, even out forests look depressing, let alone the towns...

And British cuteness? A what now? I think you should study etymology bit more.