What does England and Englishness mean to you and your generation in 2012?

by vdshjffjdhgdfh (student)

Harry YandleEnglishMr Evans

You have been approached by the Editor of The Independent newspaper to write a short article on what England and Englishness means to you and your generation in 2012.

Tikka Massala and Halloween mark the death of English culture

Britain has moved on from the tea drinking, fish and chip eating, Morris dancing farmers that stereotypes would have us believe that all Britons are. However, in doing so, I believe that we have lost some of the finest traditions which are fundamental in creating the England that I know and love. Some of the English quirks which I was most proud of have been abolished in lieu of more modern and quite frankly less-English ones. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for modernisation, but I believe we are at a stage where globalisation is happening to the detriment of English culture. Chicken Tikka Massala has trumped Fish and Chips as the nation’s favourite dish; we celebrate Halloween more readily that St. George’s Day; even our language is tainted with Americanisms; more and more our English identity is being taken from us and replaced by something unrecognisable. The problem seems to be that England is incredibly multi-cultural and diverse; in fact, over 20% of the English population are foreign-born. This phenomenon both displays the tolerance which encompasses the inherent welcoming nature of Britons, but also means that people are less likely to see themselves as being English and indeed causes the notion of what it is to be English to change.

It has been a troubling year for our generation: we are the rioters; we are responsible for the highest number of under-age pregnancies our country has ever seen. Hell we’ve even seen the end of the iconic Harry Potter series and in my view, that’s enough reason to start rioting in its own right. We are known worldwide for our excessive inebriation and lewd behaviour. And yet, despite this, Englishmen are still considered across the world as well-mannered romantics. This kind of resilience is part of what makes the English, English; the English who go out walking in the pouring ...

This is a preview of the whole essay

Our own national anthem demonstrates the pride and patriotism that the English used to have: “God save our gracious Queen”. We will soon be celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in which we will see a glimpse of what it truly is to be English. However, our parents could be the last generation to feel so passionately about celebrating our monarch. Already other countries seem get more excited about royal events that some people do in England. For example, 22.76 million Americans watched the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in comparison to only 24.5 million people in the UK. I hate to say it but our generation is becoming less and less interested in England, as we do not actually have to think in terms of our nationality, and particularly not in a patriotic sense. This is partly because of the internet which has connected us to people all over the world, a benefit which previous generations did not have. However, the fact that we are better connected to the world means that we are less dependent on our own, meaning that we are disconnected to the notion of being English. We must also take into consideration that a vast period of time has passed since the last World War, as it is undeniable that war sparks fierce patriotism and unity amongst the people. At that time, you could be truly proud of England’s military prowess, but now in a post imperial society Britain seems to have to changed into a weak and quasi powerless nation. We can’t even be proud of our own football team anymore. Our English identities are especially relevant at the moment with a possible Scottish devolution which forces England to reflect on their own sense of nationhood and position in the union.

The problem is that there is a stigma attached to being proud of England: you are automatically a racist BNP activist who wants to get rid of immigrants if you hold England in high esteem. What we need are people who can wear a suit with the Union Jack on, without being judged by all the politics which come with such a standing. It is crazy that we live in a society where it is deemed impolite to voice your pride in your own country. Until we get rid of this reproach, English will always be seen as the forbidden identity and soon the willowing number of nostalgic people will die out, leaving only the monotone blank identity. That is not England.

29th April 2012