What sterotypes do you think of when someone talks about Britain?

[xXGeckoXx]

I'm British.......
The main stereotype in my eyes is the rain and the gloomy weather (which I love). Tea is a perk and britains dark humour is the best.

Te British also have a rather strange obsession with beers which originated with the monks in the middle ages (I think).

 

[countrysteaksauce]

Bad teeth, and every sentence must include at least one bloody and one guvnor.
Also driving on the wrong side of the road, though thats fact and not really a stereotype.

 

[Clarkarius]

Lets see the most common British stereotypes...

1) We all drink tea
2) We all live some where between the 19th and 20th century
3) We all supposedly have a problem with our teeth
4) We all love cricket
5) We all have a picture of the queen in our living room
6) That our country likes going to war
7) We are incredibly patriotic
8) We all wear bollar hats and carry umbrellas everywhere
9) A British actor is almost always the villain
10) We all live by victorian values

And the list gose on...

But to be honest stereo types only act as a blanket term in which others who know little about a country/culture/movement can relate too; and although this can sometimes be offensive (or even racist at times) nearly everyone in the world is guilty of making gerneralisations at some point in their life. For example take any TV show, book, film from any where across the world and nine times out of ten, if there is a character from another country, they'll probably be based on a stereotype.

 

[MrGFunk]

*snip*

I see your bowler hat, and raise you one Earl Grey

Brilliant. Earl Grey is my staple tea. I'm such a stereotype.

At this moment. I am laughing. And I want to know why everyone thinks we've got bad teeth.

I blame Austin Powers but I don't Mike Meyers started it.

 

[GodsOneMistake]

I just think of normal white dudes who say things like bloody

 

[Schneebly]

In my opinion, the British stereotype is illustrated clearly in this story from the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy story (this is a summary not accurate!)
A man goes into a train station, buys a packet of biscuits with a newspaper and sits down at a table with another man reading a paper. A few minutes pass when the man is horrified to see that the stranger on the otherside of the table has opened HIS packet of biscuits and has started eating one. Without a word being said the man takes the next biscuit. The whole packet of biscuits is consumed in this fashion with each man taking a biscuit in turn, without either of them saying a word. Finally, the stranger gets up and takes his newspaper and the wrapper of the biscuits with him. The man looks down and sees his packet of biscuits intact. He then is struck with the realisation that he has eaten half of the stranger's biscuits!! His packet was hidden all along.
The sheer fact that they said nothing during this process just shows the innate politeness that we British/English people have.

 

[llewgriff]

Well us Welsh are seen to be sheep shagging, mining, singing rugby playing ruffians. Quite true but we sing damn well and you know the saying 'Once you go sheep you never go baaaaack'.

 

[NoxBANDIT]

As far as I see in telly it seems that most people think that us brits talk either posh or with a cockney accent. Not true. Though we do drink tea a lot, most of the stereotypses aren't true.

 

[Bluebacon]

No sex please, we're British! That's an old stereotype. Then there's the bad teeth, constant tea drinking, clipped precise BBC accents and bowler hats, suits and umbrellas. It's good being British.

 

[quiet_samurai]

Hello govna', I'll sweep your chimney I will, I will!

 

[WittyName]

pip pip tally ho, lets all go play cricket then have barley water and scones to celebrate old chap

im british so i can make that joke

Sounds about right.

 

[minarri]

I used to think that Brits had bad teeth but then I moved to Japan. :|

I dunno really. Nowadays when I think of Britain I think of things like rainy weather, the range of accents, and quirky humor. Sadly enough I believe the guys of Top Gear are hilarious.

 

[Snugglebunny]

I think of fired food....weird....

 

[Insanum]

Well, i had a rather amusing conversation where an american guy was insistant i was australian (im english).

Also, how do you describe a crumpet? I love em caked in lurpac

 

[Nargleblarg]

Well...uhhh...ehh...I........just watch this video to help me explain

http://www.hulu.com/watch/3516/saturday-night-live-hedley-and-wyche

 

[Biek]

Another thing that pops mind whenever I think of Brittain:

Spoiler

INNIT

 

[Lexodus]

Don't most people think we all have really bad teeth or something?

English Teeth, English Teeth!
Shining in the sun
A part of British heritage
Aye, each and every one.

English Teeth, Happy Teeth!
Always having fun
Champing down on bits of fish
And sausages half done.

English Teeth, HEROES' Teeth!
Here them click! and clack!
Let's sing a song of praise to them -
Three Cheers for the Brown Grey and Black.

-- Spike Milligan

 

[Spaz91]

I imagine people who drink tea and eat crumpets while talking to each other about why they hate the US.

I'm British And I have done that.

When I thik about British stereotypes I think of all the retarded ones that have been made. Bad teeth, for example, doesn't make sense as free healthcare and have less dental problems than in the US (look it up). The bad guys in films tend to be British because Americans seem to couple Britain with Imperialism, obviously they have never heard of economic Imperialism. Obviously i think of 'the main difference between USA and UK' on /b/. I can honestly say I have never seen anyone wearing a bowler hat except as a joke. As for the posh people drinking tea and talking about Polo, most people in the UK drink only white cider and think Polo is a type of mint.

 

[Nargleblarg]

I actually have a question now that I think about it why is every other escapistee english or australian I've just noticed it alot I mean I don't have a problem with it or anything but do they just advertise the escapist alot there or something?