Generalizing the People of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom is a very well known country due to its history connected to ancient Europe and how it has become one of the worlds most powerful countries. Apart from having a neat accent, what do people who live outside of the UK really know about their customs or ways of life? I, as a person who grew up in America, only know a very small amount of accurate information in regards to the English and their customs. For example, one of the most widely assumed habits of the English is that of their love of drinking tea. Tea is the staple drink for the English, whether they drink tea regularly or not, this has become one of the most standard characteristic that practically all people think about when they hear the UK being mentioned. Another presumption of mine has to do with the fashion. Due to all the English celebrities such as the royal family especially Kate Middleton and other people such as actors, it seems as if the English have a classier sense of fashion and maybe dress themselves better than some people back in the States. Along with that, there is also this idea that the English take better care of themselves, whether that may be mentally or physically they seem to have a better sense of what it means to take care of one’s self. A widely known story in pop culture that is that of Sherlock Holmes. First written about by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, comes a story about a fictional investigator, which has over the years been adapted into several movies as well as a tv show. Although Holmes himself is a very unusual person, not likely to be encountered in England, his partner John Watson on the other hand seems like an ordinary person so from whichever adaptation you see you can get a general sense of how a ordinary English person could act or think. Another common theme has to do with the unpredictable weather. Although not very different from Ohio’s weather, the change from hot to cold or sunny to raining can happen in a matter of seconds. In addition of that, the English always complain about the heat during the summer months in which the temperature reaches nowhere near as hot as it does in the States. We also have to consider the fact that there is practically no where in England that has any air conditioning even though they consider their summers a pain. And finally one of the most important assumptions has to do with the admiration of the Queen. Queen Elizabeth II is the longest reining monarch in history, ruling since 1952 which in total is a 67 year long reign. Not only has she become one of the most important figures in politics but also to the people of the UK. Due to her long standing reign and just her character in general, she as well as the rest of the royal family has become fond to the hearts of the English.
