A random response of mine to a portion of Lard’s debut Relevant Podcast has started a train of thought that might be worth exploring.
The podcast, which was introducing Lloyd as a new staff member at Relevant, included quite a lot of banter about Britain and Britishness. It was all very light hearted and funny, but did seem to indicate a bit of a blind spot about what the US-based podcast hosts understood about the UK. One of the guys said most of what he knew about Britain was based on TV reruns of Mr Bean.
I gently suggested that Lloyd was going to have to educate his American colleagues (dontcha just love ‘em?)about what constitutes British culture….beyond Mr Bean. It did make me think, though. What is British culture…I mean what is it, really?
Ruby Murray?
Match of the Day on the telly?
Who knows?
….and is London a country all of it’s own, with it’s own culture, which is distinct from the rest of the UK?
Top fellah, Phil Hoyle offered the following comment:
I mean, living in London, the culture is largely multi-culture. Is that an acceptable summation?
In generic terms, I guess the pub would have to feature. Tea, of course. Roast dinners? Fish and Chips? Reality TV? Binge Drinking? Cynicism? Sarcasm? Irony? Love of the underdog?
What’s your take on it?
3 comments:
I think British culture's REALLY hard to define...
Is it Match of the Day, Sportscene, or Scotsport? What's our national football team?
I wonder if our American friends might understand a bit better if they saw the UK as being a little like their Federal system... one country overall, but a number of smaller, semi-autonomous parts making it up... each of which might have its own culture?
Dunno - I think I'm rambling.
I know who MY National Team is! ;-)....and it ain't those guys in the white shirts! :-))
..wait! Unless the white shirt has got a pale blue cross on it! ;-)
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