Young people not so proud of being English

IronGiant

When did the "World Wide Web" open people's eyes to a whole world out there?

That I suspect is why our young don't feel proud to be English.  Pride has little do with it IMHO, they probably don't feel English in the same way older generations did or do.

EarthRod

That no doubt plays a part, as does travel to foreign countries. There has been a huge increase in overseas travel since our grandparents time.

Strong flag-waving nationalism is much more prevalent during times of war or times of real hardship. Since the end of the cold war England has seen very little of war or real hardship.

Toko Black

I agree that overseas travel, especially the dramatic increase in speed and connections of it have had a significant impact on many people in terms of opening their eyes and minds to the wider world.
However, only a minority of those traveling are actually really seeing and connecting with anything more than holiday resorts, tourist traps and presented 'historic landmarks' etc.
I am aware that you have traveled broadly for non-holiday related reasons and therefore will have experienced a very different side of things, having real conversations with locals you work with and how things operate for the actual people who live there, rather than how they are polished up and presented to the tourists in their holiday bubbles.

What the internet has given us along with all the spam and fake news, is real dialogue and communication of ideas and feelings of regular people in many different and varied cultures.

One thing I found that is a very surprising and mostly overlooked phenomena, is that of multiplayer computer games ability to connect people of different countries and cultures.
When you get past the teenage boys slinging insults at everyone and having meltdowns when they loose, you have players and team mates that often form a regular social circle within certain types of games to work together - and in the down time while waiting to start a quest or bobbling about picking up between groups, you often find gamers chatting away about anything and everything.
There are lots of young people for whom it is the norm to be chatting away with people in several different countries and learning how similar we all are.

When confronted with ideas and arguments about national pride, historical differences, hostility or wariness between nations or groups etc, many young people are finding that it contradicts their own experiences through playing, chatting and generally socialising with such a diverse number of people with different national identities.

Bl4ckGryph0n

I’m still absolutely flabbergasted by what I’m reading and the negative connetations towards pride. Why does it have to have such a negative view?

You can be proud without putting others down, it’s not a contest.

But hey, perhaps it is my cultural background that provides a very different perspective with huge national celebrations like Queens and Kings day, Sinterklaas, and a huge friendly and recogniseable supporter army. And yes there has also been national shame, despite me directly not doing it, my ancestors who were directly involved in the VOC, or much more recent my colleagues in Bosnia to name two.

But generally hell yeah I’m proud. And I have and still are travelling the world. Ive actually lived in 17 different countries. Appreciating and understanding and valuing others and other cultures does not detract to me that I can still be proud of our own nation.

Lol no wonder my Aussie friends call some of you whinging poms But hey that is why I am here and successful, so many opportunities to grab...

Toko Black

Maybe you are still confused by something that is quintessentially British:

The dichotomies of being proud AND humble, of having a distinct distaste for bragging, vulgar displays of power or wealth.

We tend to be proud of the underdogs winning, the heroic sacrifices people make and the quiet professionalism of getting the job done without seeking glory, recognition, power or wealth.

Take for example the Iranian Embassy Siege - the SAS went in and showed the world not to 'fudge' with the UK. It was the sheer skill, professionalism and bravery of such men who for years we didn't even know their names that made us (most of us including me) feel extremely proud.

We tend to be proud of the fact that some of the aspects of our culture seen as highly fair, progressive and just in terms of laws, scientific knowledge and inventions and our language has influenced the world more than any other nation and arguably on a par with the ancient civilisations of Rome, Greece etc.

At the same time we are humbled with shame and distaste for the attrocious acts of oppression, theft and the callous greedy colonialism in the way we treated the indigenous populations as essentially sub human.

As a diverse nation, there will be those that don't have or display those particular traits and responses to different aspects of our history and current events.

There will be those that share those traits on a general level, but through a lack of information or knowledge of some of the more negative things our nation has done, will not attribute the need for humility and reflection to temper any pride where others are more subdued and humble.

There will be those that simply don't share those particular traits either through having their own distinct personalities or having been indoctrinated into different set of traits by their family, peer group or community - or simply having grown up elsewhere under a different set of social traits.

There will also be those that through ignorance or personality share those traits and are aware of the negative things our nation has done, but refuse to seem them in a negative light because they do not see the lives of those we did it to as worthy enough, if at all of being counted.

Hence why, given the subject of national pride, patriotism and celebrations of our nation and it's history and traditions, you will get a spectrum of responses from patriotic zeal to cold indifference both in general and in respect to specific events or topics.

Bl4ckGryph0n

So you are proud? So what the fudge is all this nonsense about then?

Sonic67

If ever you doubt this country, look at how many would rather live here than their own country.

Sonic67

This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,--
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.

                                                                                 

Taken just now at Leek.

Zoom in and you might see some abseilers.

Toko Black

Proud of WHAT ?

I am not proud by default just because something is British, is or has been done by Britain.
I am proud when I have something to feel proud about, ashamed or indifferent at other times purely dependent on exactly what we are talking about.

Sometimes I am proud to be British, sometimes I am not depending on what has just happened in the world and our part if any in it.

Sonic67

Young people need to visit a few more ****hole countries to appreciate this one.
Replened our abseilers with water, now everyone here is queing up for some. Jerrycan is empty.