Discovering Great Britain - Aronoff
The Londoners that I have met are much more polite and soft spoken compared to my experience with fellow Americans. For example, when we got on the train to Edinburgh, there were people already sitting in our assigned seats. I was wary of telling them because, back home at Cleveland, an angry reaction could safely be expected in this situation. Bracing myself for the worst, I told the man that he was sitting in my assigned seat. He simply replied, “Oh, I’m so sorry. Have a nice day!” I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of animosity in such a small reaction.
Another characteristic I have noticed about being “British” is British pride. In class, we have read satirical poems criticizing the hypocritical emphasis on “pure British blood” — hypocritical because British blood is anything but pure, it is a mix of many different ethnicities. What parallels with this is British people’s pride in their culture. From doing many tours of museums and landmarks alike, I have noticed from the people that they really do have a respect for their history. Are pride and respect the same thing? I would agree that many over here are deeply interested in their history. But this doesn't mean they can't be self-critical. For example, when we toured Parliament, our tour guide, eccentric as she was, raved about the history of Parliament and preached it’s global importance to a group of American students. I have also noticed that British people have a more diluted (wrong word?) view of their history than what other countries have learned about them. When we visited the museum exhibit devoted to the British East India company, it wasn’t necessarily romanticized, but there were some parts of history that were glossed over. For example, the exhibit barely mentioned the selling of opium and spoke about the colonization of India in gentle terms. This contrasted greatly from how I have learned about U.S. history because my curriculum revealed the good, the bad and the ugly aspects of American history without the “sugar-coated” effect. I also feel that Americans do not have nearly as much pride or respect for the government — especially under our current administration. Didn't Kate and Morgan help to demystify the British empire? Surely they provided a deeply critical commentary on British achievements.
Another way my view of being British was changed was my perception of cultural diversity. Seeing Britain, specifically London, in the media, I always thought of British people to be wealthy and, essentially, white. I thought of London as a Mecca for high society. However, since living here, I have seen the diversity not only with the people, but with the city, as well. For example, when we traveled to East London, I really was exposed to Bengali culture — there were shops, pubs and delicious restaurants everywhere. I loved tasting the authentic food at the Curry House. I have never had lamb curry so I was really stepping outside of my comfort zone — however, it was delicious! Also, in Soho, I walked around Chinatown, which had delicious Asian restaurants and cool cultural events. I love being able to walk around and immerse myself in different lifestyles.
To conclude, I had many preconceived misconceptions before arriving in London. I expected British culture to be relatively bland; I could not be more incorrect. I love experiencing the different etiquette of British people, compared to the virtually nonexistent etiquette of Americans (do you mean good vs bad manners? I must say this is a bit hard on Americans; I generally am treated very well in America even by strangers). I also find it extremely interesting learning their history through their specific lense. I hope to take all the beneficial aspects of British culture home with me.
Some interesting observations, A-