[Foo.mp3]

I don't conceive of many foreigners as being British just because they've managed to secure citizenship/a passport etc. What the government says, out of egalitarian idealism/PCness, to help patch up the failings in the way our economy is structured, or with reference to obligations under EU/UN etc, is not the be all and end all as far as most of us Brits are concerned (even some immigrants!)..

People who are culturally distinct from my idea of Britishness I either don't see as very British, or don't see as British full stop if they have no heritage/lineage here; none of this is to say that I do not conceive of ethnic minorities as being British however, indeed some are arguably more 'British' than I, by my own standards

For me Britishness correlates with such things as:

• Standard of English (primarily spoken)
• Common values (founded in the tradition of the C of E but that doesn't necessarily mean being particularly religious/spiritual)
• A sense of modesty, humility, grit, and of the spirit of good sportsmanship and fair play
• A sense of individual responsibility/accountability
• A sense of collective/communal spirit, consciousness and conscientiousness
• A sense of our history, heritage, culture and traditions
• A sense of duty unto our fellow man, and unto queen and country

[Prestoria]

I was born in the UK to Chinese parents who were born elsewhere. Technically, that makes me (British born) Chinese, but to be honest, I feel more British than anything else. I don't think that having a British citizenship is what it means to be British, because I also have official Chinese citizenship but I don't strongly identify with the Chinese culture. I think the culture you were raised in plays a part in what it means to be British.

[PurpleSquid]

(Original post by bloomblaze)
Being of British ancestry is a requirement. You can be British without being born in Britain to be British.

You could be born in China to two British parents, but that wouldnt make you Chinese.

On the other side of the coin, there are many people who are born in Britain but dont come from British ancestry.

Well if I had British parents and I was born in China and lived in China I would classify myself as Chinese.
For the same reason, being of Chinese descent and being born in Britain would make me British. A British-Asian, of course - But still British.

Unless you mean being born in China but living in Britain? In that case I support your point.

[sarahsays]

SUNDAY ROAST AND TEAAAAAAA. a lot of tea.

[PierceBrosnan]

[Multitalented me]

Well I was born in England to Bangladeshi parents although I much prefer English culture than my parents forcing religion down my throat, eating rice all the time, having arranged marriages and parents comparing their offspring as a result of academic attainment. So would I be classed as British

[DontJudge]

This is what Britain means to me.

[DetectiveConan]

(Original post by TurboCretin)
I would hesitate to call someone British if they weren't born here, legal status notwithstanding.

That can't be right. Suppose someone is born in Germany by British parents and moves to the UK at the age of 6. She says she is British, she speaks English as well as anyone, her grandparents had always lived in the UK, she goes to a British school, etc.

I think being born in the UK is actually the last thing that matters. Self-identification (whether you think of yourself as British) is first.

[DetectiveConan]

(Original post by Foo.mp3)


I don't conceive of many foreigners as being British just because they've managed to secure citizenship/a passport etc. What the government says, out of egalitarian idealism/PCness, or obligations under EU/UN etc, is not the be all and end all..

People who are culturally distinct from my idea of Britishness I either don't see as very British, or don't see as British full stop if they have no heritage/lineage here; none of this is to say that I do not conceive of ethnic minorities as being British however, indeed some are arguably more 'British' than I, by my own standards

For me Britishness correlates with such things as:

• Standard of English (primarily spoken)
• Common values (founded in the tradition of the C of E but that doesn't necessarily mean being particularly religious/spiritual)
• A sense of modesty, humility, grit, and of the spirit of good sportsmanship and fair play
• A sense of individual responsibility/accountability
• A sense of collective/communal spirit, consciousness and conscientiousness
• A sense of our history, heritage, culture and traditions
• A sense of duty unto our fellow man, and unto queen and country

What does "British full stop" or "very British" means? British is a civic nationality and it has nothing to do with "lineage".

Also:
You make a lot of things up. Common values, modesty, sportmanship? wtf? and what does having a duty unto queen even means?

Nobody satisfies those criteria except people of a certain political persuation. And sometimes not even them.

In short, being British is as elusive and subjective a concept as being Nigerian. There are virtually no serious criteria upon which we may judge the "Britishness" of a person except language, education, common ties and, most importantly, self-identification.

[DontJudge]

(Original post by Foo.mp3)
For me Britishness correlates with such things as:

• Standard of English (primarily spoken)
• Common values (founded in the tradition of the C of E but that doesn't necessarily mean being particularly religious/spiritual)
• A sense of modesty, humility, grit, and of the spirit of good sportsmanship and fair play
• A sense of individual responsibility/accountability
• A sense of collective/communal spirit, consciousness and conscientiousness
• A sense of our history, heritage, culture and traditions
• A sense of duty unto our fellow man, and unto queen and country

The stuff you have outlined there are existant in majority of the other countries.
How does 'Britain' differentiate from all the other countries, in terms of positive culture?
i.e. In the olympics how will the start off the opening, knowing that it was British people who invented that?

Also note, Britain did not invent Alcohol, or cricket.

[No Man]

- To apologise to someone that bumps into you for being in their way
- To apologise to someone you don't know before asking someone an inconvenient question like asking for the time
- To apologise to someone when you didn't hear them
- To apologise to someone that's in your way so you can get past

I think it's only the British that do those things, although I wouldn't be surprised if the Japanese did too.

[Snagprophet]

Being British is about being unionist and should include all native culture from all over the UK and not just England. It's just a shame that people use it to mean English people because it makes no sense in the whole scheme of things.

[L i b]

Being British involves at least two elements:

1. Political status, citizenship etc.

2. Cultural status, identity.


You can have 1 without 2 and 2 without 1 quite easily.

[DetectiveConan]

(Original post by L i b)
Being British involves at least two elements:

1. Political status, citizenship etc.

2. Cultural status, identity.


You can have 1 without 2 and 2 without 1 quite easily.

I don't think you're British if you don't self-identify as British. So 2., identity, is a necessary condition for being British (it's not sufficient as you also need citizenship). You can't be British without it (though I am not sure I understand what "You can have 1 without 2 and 2 without 1 quite easily" means, exactly. If it means you can be British and have 1 but not 2, then I disagree)

[Astronomical]

Having an unexplainable desire for tea at all times.

[JordanS94]

You feel proud when you see Harry Potter because it came from a Brit

[AdvanceAndVanquish]

I think people who are seriously interested in this question should read the academic literature on nations and ethnic groups. It is impossible to define a nation or an ethnicity through any tick-box list of things such as language, ancestry, diet, religion, habits, etc. These things help develop the shared identity that is the essence of a nation or an ethnic group, but they do not themselves constitute the critera. A person is a member of a nation if there is a general consensus among members of that nation that he is a member of that nation. As such, it is theoretically a very fragile and/or nebulous concept, but in practice one which can prove remarkably durable and powerful.

[Annoying-Mouse]

(Original post by No Man)
- To apologise to someone that bumps into you for being in their way
- To apologise to someone you don't know before asking someone an inconvenient question like asking for the time
- To apologise to someone when you didn't hear them
- To apologise to someone that's in your way so you can get past

I think it's only the British that do those things, although I wouldn't be surprised if the Japanese did too.

You should see Canadians, I think they're worse than us in that regard.

[DetectiveConan]

(Original post by AdvanceAndVanquish)
I think people who are seriously interested in this question should read the academic literature on nations and ethnic groups. It is impossible to define a nation or an ethnicity through any tick-box list of things such as language, ancestry, diet, religion, habits, etc. These things help develop the shared identity that is the essence of a nation or an ethnic group, but they do not themselves constitute the critera. A person is a member of a nation if there is a general consensus among members of that nation that he is a member of that nation. As such, it is theoretically a very fragile and/or nebulous concept, but in practice one which can prove remarkably durable and powerful.

I am very much interested in the theories of nationalism and I doubt that "A person is a member of a nation if there is a general consensus among members of that nation that he is a member of that nation" settles anything. Your answer begs the question. The question was what makes one of a specific nationality. What are the "ingredients". And your answer here is basically "whatever the general consensus thinks they are". I question that there even exists such a thing as a general consensus on what it means to be British. It's already evident from the answers on this thread that people very much disagree about it. So on what basis is there going to be a consensus?

[Blackburn_Allen]

(Original post by DontJudge)
The stuff you have outlined there are existant in majority of the other countries.
How does 'Britain' differentiate from all the other countries, in terms of positive culture?
i.e. In the olympics how will the start off the opening, knowing that it was British people who invented that?

Also note, Britain did not invent Alcohol, or cricket.

No one is trying to compare which culture is better. So to ask what positive culture we have contributed compared to other countries is to spark a meaningless argument. Also, since when did a country have to invent something to embrace it? The whole of Europe embraced football and consider it a staple part of their culture yet none of them can have a claim they "invented" it. Last time I heard, you didn't have to invent something to celebrate it.

Being British, to me, isn't about skin colour, accent or birth place. Being British is to have a sense of pride with ourselves and upholding our age old traditions. Most of all, for me, being British means to have a sense of humour and be able to laugh at ourselves- something that is being missed with the current uprising of Britain-haters that seem to hate everything about the culture they were brought up in. Celebrating being British is not racist or xenophobic, nor is the humourous slandering of other nations, ie France and Germany.