Hello,
This post may be considered inappropriate even for the airing cupboard because I have very little good to say about my 1 year in the UK. This is a rant, so I do hope that no one takes anything I say personally. It is strictly my subjective opinion and personal experience.
There are several things that I enjoy about the UK, so I'll address that first:
The weather. It's very changeable, but not as extreme as the climate in my native region of the US. The flowers and trees in the UK countryside are beautiful, especially the roses, which are spectacular. I'm fortunate to be residing in what is considered a lovely part of England, so it can be picturesque. I love the public walking trails, the historic buildings, the country landscapes, the woodlands that are more hospitable to humans (no bears, wolves, or rabies, for example.)
The twee-ness of things. The small hobbit-like homes, small appliances, all perfect for a small person like me. Some of the tv programming is quite good, lots of educational programs, and the British sense of humour is always appreciated.
I like that most people tend to mind their own business, though this isn't always the case and that has been a rude awakening.
People take their holiday time off from work. It's not all work and no play, more like play and work as little as possible since most shops close early, often unexpectedly. But the pubs seem to keep longer hours. The drinking and smoking culture is alive and well. It's somewhat surprising to see all the recycle bins overflowing with booze bottles and cans each and every week. Is there anyone who doesn't drink a bottle of wine every day? Oh, but you "Americans have such large portion sizes and eat too much sugar & live on fast food". Sure, GB. Keep telling yourselves that if it makes you feel better.
Some of the food is really good quality. No high fructose corn syrup to avoid.
Now for the ranting. Anglophiles read at your own risk. Strident, obnoxious opinions and gross generalizations ahead.
The ignorance. Two UKs could fit in the State of Texas. The US is a massive nation compared to the British Isles. Moreover, history did not start when Europeans arrived on Turtle Island.
The Inferiority Complex. Feigned humility and self-deprecation seems to mask a culture-wide belief that Great Britain is superior. It's the Imperialist mentality, and it's comical to see a Brit when on her/his high horse (while at the same time attempting to mask her/his arrogance). There are of course plenty of genuinely humble and good-hearted people in the UK, but this is a rant, so not highlighting any such positives.
The lack of personal boundaries and respect for personal space. This is perhaps the most annoying thing about Britain. I am conscientious and try my best to stay out of the way, but my goodness, British people are pushy. And the whole "British love a queue" thing is a myth. I literally have had people cut in front of me in line, oddly enough it's the more mature people who--one would think should know better. Perhaps it's their early senility setting in, but nonetheless very rude.
Then there's the adults who walk with their friends and children to school and they walk 3 and sometimes 4 wide and literally do not consider that there are other people sharing the sidewalk. My child and I are invariably the ones to yield and walk single-file or make way. Some pedestrians show common courtesy about sharing the sidewalk, but they are
always the singletons. I've had over a year of this and it's
definitely a thing.
Just this morning an older woman startled me when she was hot on my heels. It was early and few people were about and I was walking at a good pace and quickly stopped to look at something in a shop window and BOOM there she was barely an inch way from me glaring at me stone faced as if I'm in the wrong somehow for merely pausing--even though I was off to the side, not blocking anyone. (Apparently she was walking into the shop and clearly was so arrogant and/or inconsiderate that she couldn't be bothered to either slow down a tad allowing for personal space or have the courtesy to walk around me). Again... Push, push, pushy and inconsiderate.
The issue over personal space must be an American thing. I value my personal space and will do my utmost to respect the personal space of others. I will not nip at anyone's heels like some kind of rabid sheep dog or push up against anyone in line, or walk so slowly while taking up too much room on the sidewalk. Of course there's rudeness in the US and everywhere, but it's definitely worse here in my opinion. I love to walk and don't have any issue with keeping pace with the traffic, but I'll never get used to walking so fast that you are invading personal space and bumping into others and then proclaiming "
We Brits are so polite. We are always saying sorry, sorry" Uh, yeah. Because you're steaming around like maniacs and
should be sorry. Why not try genuine politeness and consideration and be a bit more respectful and conscientious, which would make it less likely that you'll bump into others in the first place. Clearly, the problem is me. I simply cannot fit in with the way things operate here, nor do I want to. I blame PBS. Had I not watched all those programs depicting polite & orderly British society I would have been more prepared for everyday reality in the UK, which I liken to Bergen Town in the movie Trolls.
Maybe it's because there is so little space, relatively speaking. The roads are old and narrow and not updated. Many are in horrible repair and pose serious safety hazards. Cars will literally drive up on the sidewalk (pavements) because most roads are so narrow and there's little parking, so cars are often parked along the street. I've been walking to school and cars drive UP on the sidewalk near schoolchildren. Unacceptable and outrageous. Never mind the cars that speed past the school in the mornings and afternoons. It makes me want to cry. Why is there so little concern for the safety of young people? Isn't it just common sense and decency to slow down near a school zone. Many of these people are the parents dropping off their children.
Driving - People drive really, really fast and do not seem to think pedestrians have the right of way. Again, what kind of sick person drives up onto the sidewalk that children are walking on?! I've seen this many a time, so it's a thing. Nobody seems to mind, so it's important that I leave the country asap. I realize that I have no right to complain because I am a visitor, but I must face the truth that I simply hate living here and am really angry with myself for not realizing how much better we had it in the US.
Dogs are treated better than some children it seems. It makes me feel very uncomfortable the way all too many teachers speak to children. It's horrible, like it's the 70s when it was still the widespread belief that children should be seen and not heard. I've had experience with 3 different schools here and all the teachers are constantly nagging and harping on children for ridiculous inanities like keeping your hands out of your pockets and underlining the date with a ruler. It's bizarre. Again, no respect for personal space & liberty and waaay hyper-controlling, which in my view creates inefficiency. Are there kind and wonderful teachers in the UK? No doubt. But forcing children to wear uniforms and then have boys and girls undress in the classroom together for PE is without question unacceptable. The worst part is no one seems to care. This is one of the many ways that the dominant culture inculcates a disregard for personal liberty and perpetuates poor personal boundaries and a lack of respect for one's personal right to privacy.
There's dog waste everywhere. Sure, some people are super conscientious, but wow, so many aren't. Lots of people have dogs yet no land so they walk their pets in town and let them use the sidewalk as a toilet. It's of course not the dogs' fault. But why are these people breeding all these dogs if they don't have the proper space for them? Whatever. I'll be leaving soon and will never return, so I couldn't care less at this point.
Litter. Shocking amounts of litter. What is it, the class system? Is there a deep-seated resentment against landowners and the land itself as a symbol of privilege thus many people have no qualms about polluting. Who knows what's going on in this culture, but it's disturbing not to mention disgusting. This is probably a good place to mention the culturally acceptable habit of vomiting in the street of the UK. I'm middle-aged and have never once witnessed anyone vomit in public in the US. I can't tell you how many pools of vomit I have had to step over here in England.
The inefficiency of things. One small yet perfect example is the door at one of the more high-end grocery stores. There's one big doorway. There are no separate ENTER and EXIT doors. People just bumble about in chaos. I've been observing this for some time looking to see if there's some kind of system, but nope. Even my spouse, who is fed up with my complaints about living here was shocked the other day when an older woman walking into the store literally bumped into another woman and neither said a thing.
Condensation on windows.
Mold/mildew
Limescale
TV license fees.
The anachronistic monarchy
Fewer opportunities, no thriving industries other than the tourist/service industry that pays peanuts. It seems like the only profitable company in Britain unrelated to the finance industry is Dyson. Really? How many hoovers and exorbitantly overpriced hair dryers do Brits need? According to a recent news report Dyson is getting into the electric vehicle business but will manufacture in Singapore or some other country. Maybe if the teachers in the UK spent less time harping on students about underlining the date they could foster more creativity and inspire some ambition. You know, like the fat Americans.
. In some of the grocery stores here they have an American section. It's limited to products like Twinkies, oreos, and soda (people really do believe that American only eat sugar. Yeah, that's why we have such good teeth in comparison.
. I literally cannot find non-dairy creamer here in the UK. It's cow's milk or nothing. The vegetarian selection is not nearly as good as in the US. But whatever helps prop up the British sense of superiority.
Lots of people living pay-check to paycheck judging by all the adverts for loans.
Gambling is encouraged.
Lots of phone scammers and scammers in general.
People smoking cigarettes in front of primary schools.
High prevalence of petty thievery and vandalism. There's even a full-time security guard in one of the local grocery stores. My goodness, what kind of barbarians live in this country. These people can't be trusted not to steal anything? Clearly this indicates that the economy stinks and is broken. So much corruption in the financial industry here.
Most of the accents on TV grate on my nerves. It's funny, because it's almost customary in the US when meeting someone from the UK or Australia to compliment the person's accent. Why Americans tend to be so fond of the British accent I'm not sure, but I'm so tired of hearing it. I literally spend hours each week watching reruns of Pawn Stars and Swamp People just to hear the mellifluous sound of Americans. It seems to me that Americans build people up and Brits tend to tear others down (Perhaps that's why people feign humility here, to avoid being knocked down). It's perfectly acceptable to criticize American and Americans -- but not okay for any American to criticize the UK and mean it. There's definitely a competitive thing happening with some older British people, perhaps leftover from the Empire that once was. But that's why I felt the need to post this rant. After listening to all the complaints about America, the Trump bashing, and so on I wish the Brits had to listen to Americans give the same back to them -- but they won't, because most Americans couldn't care less, and that's probably why there's so much resentment on the party of some UK natives. Plus Americans are simply way more friendly.
My apologies for this long, obnoxious ranting. Maybe the moderator will see fit to delete it, or maybe I will though I doubt it. I think I desperately needed a change, which is why I wanted move to the UK. If I had it all to do over again, I would have instead travelled more in the US. I have gained an all new appreciation for the US and Americans.
