Curious - what are the distinctions between England, Great Britain, UK

[cultcross]

Re: Curious - what are the distinctions between England, Great Britain

One part of the South I lived in was the West Country, bordering Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire. And most people from around there had never been beyond Bath.
Take the piss out of Northerners and their accents all you want, but with your stereotypical West Country folk? Gimme a break
And talk about casual racism there. But then I honestly don't think most of the people I knew there had actually ever met a non-white person in their life.

As a Londoner by birth and a Home Counties boy by raising, I too have noticed the remarkably insular nature of the West Country. A significant national trip involves going to Birmingham. When I mention I'm intending to drive to London and back in one day I get incredulous looks. Not saying that's necessarily a bad thing, in my experience it hasn't led to any particular negative personality traits, it's just remarkable, especially sitting at one end of the M4 corridor. But if there's anywhere in Britain where people still grow up, marry, get a job and have babies, who grow up, marry, get a job and have babies, all without leaving a single town, it's the West Country.

 

[ITL]

Re: Curious - what are the distinctions between England, Great Britain

I moved from The Spiritual Womb Of The North down to a small town in Wiltshire back in the early 90's - quite the culture shock, I can tell you! It was a very insular place, but I got on fine with the locals. Well, most of them.

 

[Deimos Anomaly]

Re: Curious - what are the distinctions between England, Great Britain

There's a graphic I have lying around from ages ago that illustrates this whole thing.

I believe it's on my imageshack somewhere, but that is about 60 pages long and I'm too tired to pick through it now.

Tomorrow maybe.

 

[Deckerd]

Re: Curious - what are the distinctions between England, Great Britain

But if there's anywhere in Britain where people still grow up, marry, get a job and have babies, who grow up, marry, get a job and have babies, all without leaving a single town, it's the West Country.

That's why they're all gnomes. Ask Pingfah.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

Re: Curious - what are the distinctions between England, Great Britain

I hate Southern Fairies.

 

[Pingfah]

Re: Curious - what are the distinctions between England, Great Britain

It's true actually, I have met a number of people who have never left Cornwall, there's a 24 year old girl at work who has only left the county once. Mind you, she also thinks Thursday starts with an F, so I try not to listen to anything she has to say.

I've never met anyone who has never left their town though, although they certainly exist.

 

[Deckerd]

Re: Curious - what are the distinctions between England, Great Britain

Yeah but they don't pretend raw tripe is a delicacy.

[sorry, aimed at Tacky]

 

[All Seeing Eye]

Re: Curious - what are the distinctions between England, Great Britain

The furthest i've ever been is Blackpool and Skegvegas.

Well not really, but it's my most 'regular' weekend holiday destinations.

 

[Pingfah]

Re: Curious - what are the distinctions between England, Great Britain

What is really the furthest you've been then?

 

[All Seeing Eye]

Re: Curious - what are the distinctions between England, Great Britain

What is really the furthest you've been then?

Globally, Malia in Crete.

Nationally, Torquay is probably the greater distance.

 

[Pingfah]

Re: Curious - what are the distinctions between England, Great Britain

Well you can't get a great deal further than that from where you are without leaving the country.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

Re: Curious - what are the distinctions between England, Great Britain

Well you can't get a great deal further than that from where you are without leaving the country.

Actually I just remembered that I went to Jersey when I was about 6, so it's actually Jersey.

 

[Vanyel]

Re: Curious - what are the distinctions between England, Great Britain

I'll preface the following by saying I haven't read the full thread, so what I will be saying may have been said before.

Well the misunderstanding of governments and state/country relationships inside a country is on both sides of the Atlantic. During my time in London I had to explain that Dallas was a city in Texas and not the other way around. I also had to explain to one rather irate man that the US Supreme Court could not create or pass laws. Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances seemed to be a concept with which some were not familiar.

To be fair the irate man was to be drunk.

 

[captcalhoun]

Re: Curious - what are the distinctions between England, Great Britain

i'm from the West Country and lived here all my life. although i'm the only one in my immediate family to have done so, as my dad was in the Army and mum lived in N. Ireland and Hong Kong with him, my one sister was born in HK and both lived in NI.

i've been out of the county to Bromsgrove, Bristol, Bath, London and Wales. i've never been outside the UK.

 

[Jim Steele]

Re: Curious - what are the distinctions between England, Great Britain

To be fair the irate man was to be drunk.

That would annoy me too, some bastard trying to drink me.

 

[jamestyler]

Re: Curious - what are the distinctions between England, Great Britain

Well the misunderstanding of governments and state/country relationships inside a country is on both sides of the Atlantic. During my time in London I had to explain that Dallas was a city in Texas and not the other way around. I also had to explain to one rather irate man that the US Supreme Court could not create or pass laws. Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances seemed to be a concept with which some were not familiar.

I always find it quite odd... there are a few people who have no interest in the US, but there seems to be a lot of people I've came across in the UK that know more about the US than their own country. I can only assume it's due to the high profile TV shows.

i've been out of the county to Bromsgrove, Bristol, Bath, London and Wales. i've never been outside the UK.

Bomsgrove... home of one of my favourite pubs which is host to Albert Day - a holiday dedicated to just getting drunk.

 

[captcalhoun]

Re: Curious - what are the distinctions between England, Great Britain

i went there for the finals of a schools general knowledge quiz competition. my school's team came second in the final.

forgot, also been to Oxford.

 

[Sci]

Re: Curious - what are the distinctions between England, Great Britain

This has given me horrible flashbacks of American tourists who assume Scotland is either an English state or still in some kind of war with them.

Yup. Not just Americans though, I've had to explain a few things to Italians and Poles about Scotland's, er, relationship with the union. Like convincing my auntie Jenny (from Rome) that she didn't need to take her passport on a day trip to Newcastle.


Slightly off topic, but I have to commend you Sci for knowing a lot more about our dinky little country than most people who live in it (me included). I knew you were something of an anglophile (read: Whovian ) but your post was mighty impressive.

Thankee. My interest in Great Britain goes back as far as I can recall; my great-grandmother came over from St. Leonard-on-Sea in East Sussex in 1911, and she raised my grandmother, who raised my mother, who raised me, so I've always felt a cultural connection with Britain.

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

Re: Curious - what are the distinctions between England, Great Britain

In what way do you mean? Why is it we see Parliament sitting in London and not Edinburgh, why does the Queen speak with an English accent and not Welsh for example?

While I agree with your point generally, these same questions applied to the United States, our capital, and our next leader, would lead one to imagine that the District of Columbia and Illinois (or Chicago, if you prefer) were the international faces of the United States, whereas we're more likely to be known for New York, California, and perhaps Texas - and none of these places to the extent that the United States is thought of synonymously with them rather than with its whole.

To be honest, I've picked up on more stereotypes associated with locale in the US than in Ireland (the island). Florida, full of the elderly and swamps, full of gators and guys on those fan driven boats hunting rabbits. California, full of hippies and a street full of gays. Texas, full of people with guns, steers and absolutely no queers (heaven forbid). Rhode Island is not somewhere you want to be associated with, in any way shape or form. But people in Martha's Vineyard seem to be fond of boating and wine drinking. Detroit is a hell hole, inhabited only by African-Americans and autoworkers.

Ask me about all the little bits of Ireland, even confining ourselves to Northern Ireland alone, and I couldn't come up with as long a list.