Why does there have to be a Scottish/English rivalry?

I kind of want to study in Glasgow, but I'm worried that i'll be knifed or something. Does anyone have any experience of living and studying in Glasgow (or even just Scotland)? And how do the Scots treat the English students?

Yeah, ill personally be waiting to smash you on the face with a bottle of Irn Bru!

Who are the scotch indeed.

I read this article earlier http://www.buzzfeed.com/georgepitt/20-reasons-why-england-is-better-than-scotland-j74q
and it really gets on my nerves.

Very unsportsmanlike booing the English during the six nations tonight. Glad we won

In my experience, the "rivalry" exists mainly in the fevered imaginations of SNP activists, and more generally in the less well-educated echelons of Scottish popular discourse. This article is more a reaction to the current situation, the upcoming referendum, and so on. For the most part, English people simply don't think about Scotland that much.

On the other hand, many Scots buy into a kind of glib Scottish nationalism that has emerged in the last couple of decades, which the movie Braveheart exemplifies (hence the SNP promoting Gaelic as the native language of Scotland, when in fact the majority of that country's inhabitants spoke Scots, a language that's basically English with a few dialect variations. Also, the tendency to behave as though the Highland culture is authentic Scottish culture, and completely ignoring the lowlands Scots). This is a kind of bastard nationalism that views itself primarily through the prism of Scotland's relationship with England and a sense of grievance arising thereof, rather than a positive nationalism based on a healthy respect for one's own country and culture.

Being originally from Australia, it reminds me a lot of the putative rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne. Melbournians have a huge chip on their shoulder, and are constantly comparing their city to Sydney and blathering on about how Sydney is superficial and status-obsessed etc. Sydneysiders rarely think too much about it, and see Melbourne as a nice place to visit, but they don't obsess over it. It's also a lot like the anti-London sentiment in the North, many Northerners go on and on about how awful, crowded and status-obsessed London and the southeast are. Londoners simply don't think about it that much.

To the extent that a rivalry can exist, it should be a kind of sibling rivalry; the kind of banter-y, good-natured and ultimately familial relationship you see between the UK and Australia. The SNP tendency to view the union of England & Wales, and Scotland, as exploitative, and the English as carpetbaggers and jack-booted conquerors, is juvenile as it is misconceived.

You really have no idea what you're talking about do you?

I kind of want to study in Glasgow, but I'm worried that i'll be knifed or something. Does anyone have any experience of living and studying in Glasgow (or even just Scotland)? And how do the Scots treat the English students?

Is that the best you can do? Make a positive contribution, agree or disagree, or pipe down. I don't think people are particularly interested in a comment that is the internet forum equivalent of an annoying, vocal whine.

Or perhaps you should stick to simpler subjects, like (judging by your comment history), football, Kanye West and anal sex in porn movies?

I read this article earlier http://www.buzzfeed.com/georgepitt/20-reasons-why-england-is-better-than-scotland-j74q
and it really gets on my nerves.

I know quite a few Scots who slag England off at every opportunity. It seems to have flared up more since Scotland want their independence. But I understand their point of view, apparently when events like the European Championships & World cup come round, they get bombarded with adverts telling them to support the Three Lions & to buy the new England kit. Imagine how annoying it would be for us to have another country plastered all over our nation.

How do you feel when you see the EU flag? You'll walk past it very frequently in any major city.

I'd imagine only in capital cities. I live in Leeds, so it's fine. Don't see what this has to do with thread really.