National stereotypes

Societies change over time. Many things which are often regarded as typically
British derive from books, songs or plays which were written a long time ago and
which are no representative of modern life.

One of the most popular beliefs that

TRUE Brits love talking about the weather Lera

Brits love small talk and their favourite topic has to be the weather outside.
Commenting on the rain or sunshine is always a great conversation starter for them.
Great Britain is an island, and therefore blessed with an unpredictable maritime
climate. This means there is always something to discuss! In fact, it is often the case
that the weather would change twice or thrice within a single day, with weather
forecasts informing people by the hour, rather than by the day. That is why it is no
strange occurrence to see an Englishman leaving his house on a bright sunny
morning, tightly wrapped in a cloak and carrying an umbrella! The constantly
changing weather conditions do provide people with a safe and varied source of small
talk in order to avoid the much dreaded awkward silence in social encounters.

TRUE: English people drink tea all day Vika

Many of Brits do love a cup of tea (or 20) a day. Each Brit consumes 1.89 KG
of tea per year according to 2009 figures. However nowadays this stereotype is
somewhat out-of-date. It is true that is prepared in a distinctive way (strong and with
milk), but more coffee than tea is now bought in the country’s shops.

FICTION The English have terrible teeth

This stereotype of the English people probably originated from the popular
comedian shows across Britain, which would often accentuate a certain character’s
flaws for comedic effect. Unfortunately, many foreigners still think this stereotype to
be a fact.

TRUE: English love to queue

Although no-one in their right mind loves to queue anywhere, many British
people will state that they would prefer forming an orderly queue than the type of
‘free for all’ policy they may have seen adopted in other countries (although this in
itself might be yet another stereotype!)

FICTION It constantly rains in England

Perhaps the most popular stereotype about the British isles has to do with its
notoriously bad weather. All over the world people are convinced that it rains
constantly all across the country. The bad weather has turned into the trademark of
England, but it’s more a myth than reality. In fact, the climate in the region is soft and
humid, because, even though the isles are located in the north, they benefit from the
direct influence of the warm ocean current Gulfstream

Britain is a land of tradition

One of the most popular beliefs are that Britain is a land of tradition. At the
level of the public life it is true. For instance, the annual ceremony of the State
opening of Parliament carefully follows customs which are centuries old. So do the
military ceremony of “trooping the colour”, “the changing of the guard outside
Buckingham Palace.

However, in their private lives, the British as individuals are probably less
inclined to follow the tradition than are the people of most other countries. The
country has fewer local parades or processions with genuine folk roots compared to
some other countries. The English language has fewer sayings or proverbs that are in
common everyday use. The British are too individualistic for these things!

TRUE: Britons love to celebrate Royal occasionsй

This is definitely true as Royal Weddings and Jubilees are lavish occasions which
millions of Britons love to celebrate by waving Union Jacks, organising street parties
and donning fantastic Great British fancy dress costumes! Indeed, as 24 million
viewers watched the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Princess Catherine on TV
last year
TRUE British love of animals
British love of animals is worth mentioning. It is often said that the British treat
their animals as if they were people. Well, this is true. One of the most common things
that people do is to be employed. And so, on British railways, are cats. The names of
Olive, Katie and around 200 others appear on the company payroll, officially
recognized as employees. Their job is to catch rats. There is usually one cat per
station. Their pay (tax free) is food, and they also get free medical treatment.