What makes you British ? (middle-class, condo, loan)
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I've resurrected Moose's thread as I was in the supermarket last night wondering about our tendency to over-apologise and how widespread it is/ what our American friends think about it.
Last night while shopping, I apologised for the following:
- someone else getting in the way of my trolley
- someone else nearly crashing into my trolley
- getting something off the shelf while an assistant was stacking it (oh I am so sorry for keeping you in your job)
- not having put down a "Next customer" divider thing for the person behind me, as I didn't notice in time so they had to get it themselves.
When I had a car accident about 10 years ago, even though we all know now to admit fault, both parties immediately started apologising, it was a veritable festival of sorriness.
What are everyone else's opinions of this phenomenon? Is it a British thing? Does it happen a lot elsewhere?
What do you think about it? Is it hilarious? Stupid? Quaint? Cute? Insane?
I think we say "excuse me" more often here but I do hear "I'm sorry" occasionally. And I'm assuming a trolley is a shopping cart?
I think we say "excuse me" more often here but I do hear "I'm sorry" occasionally. And I'm assuming a trolley is a shopping cart?
Oh yeah, sorry. Shopping cart.
I was just interested in the idea that we tend to both apologise for other people's misdemeanours - like if you bump into someone they'll more than likely apologise too.
I was just interested in the idea that we tend to both apologise for other people's misdemeanours - like if you bump into someone they'll more than likely apologise too.
Oh I would definately apologize if I bumped into someone or even if they bumped into me. Rather embarrasing type of thing. Along with saying excuse me.
Oh I would definately apologize if I bumped into someone or even if they bumped into me. Rather embarrasing type of thing. Along with saying excuse me.
My family suffered from Anglomania, a common condition among French aristocracy (that's one of the thing besides wealth-that one is lost-) that separates us- a divide, a chasm- from common provincial nobility : my grandparents had English furnitures, English clothes, English pictures on the walls (a Constable-style oil of the Abbey of Westminster in the XVIIIth Century, "The Adventures Of Mr.Pickwick" illustrated in children's rooms), British nannies for the children, English language compulsive during meals, Christmas pudding, and so on and so forth! My father went to High school in Cambridge, and yet our blood is as French as the Windsor's is German.
Yet although I've never been very often to the UK, I share with the anglo-saxon world, through my education , probably more things (or at least as much) than with the average French guy.
My family suffered from Anglomania, a common condition among French aristocracy (that's one of the thing besides wealth-that one is lost-) that separates us- a divide, a chasm- from common provincial nobility : my grandparents had English furnitures, English clothes, English pictures on the walls (a Constable-style oil of the Abbey of Westminster in the XVIIIth Century, "The Adventures Of Mr.Pickwick" illustrated in children's rooms), British nannies for the children, English language compulsive during meals, Christmas pudding, and so on and so forth! My father went to High school in Cambridge, and yet our blood is as French as the Windsor's is German.
Yet although I've never been very often to the UK, I share with the anglo-saxon world, through my education , probably more things (or at least as much) than with the average French guy.
English language during meals? Gosh. That's very strange. I can't think what would be appealing about our culture against French... times change, don't they? I hope they didn't eat traditional English food instead of French!!! That would be a tragedy...
So was this all imposed on you as well, or just the generation before?
More on my father's generation, but I remember that once, when I had "come of age to behave like a gentleman", my grandfather wanted me to have "luncheon" at his private men's club (dubbed the "Jockey club" of course) -with plush armchairs smelling old leather exactly like those Londonian counterparts-and I showed up in (clean) jeans and shirt -no tie, no blazer : he gave me a sharp slap and sent me back home.
End of story.I had not the fabric of a "gentleman".
But I'm somehow thankful to my family to have given me British flair and tastes (there is nothing in France which compares to Lyle's Golden Syrup or Marmite...)
More on my father's generation, but I remember that once, when I had "come of age to behave like a gentleman", my grandfather wanted me to have "luncheon" at his private men's club (dubbed the "Jockey club" of course) -with plush armchairs smelling old leather exactly like those Londonian counterparts-and I showed up in (clean) jeans and shirt -no tie, no blazer : he gave me a sharp slap and sent me back home.
End of story.I had not the fabric of a "gentleman".
But I'm somehow thankful to my family to have given me British flair and tastes (there is nothing in France which compares to Lyle's Golden Syrup or Marmite...)
Goodness. Poor you! I always find it slightly strange when people are expected to behave by the rules of something undefined but never have it fully explained what exactly they're meant to be conforming to. Well done for surviving it anyway!
There is nothing in England that compares to the French sensible approach to wine and the importance of good olive oil, cheese and bread. We English can be utter idiots by comparison. Respect to you.
What makes us British is that we (generally) have good manners. We have been living in the US for 8 months now and my kids say that they have noticed that people don't say please or thank you. My 13 year old said she felt she was going the same way and felt bad about it. I told her to hang on to the good manners, apart from being courteous, it definately pays off. It is amazing what you can get or how you can calm situations, with a please and a thank you. I'm flying to Dallas tonight, do you think if I say a very proper English please, that I might get an upgrade
I find the Texans to be very polite, mostly, and in fact in supermarkets situations they apologise even more than the Brits!
For example, if you take an item from a shelf near someone, they will step back and say "oh excuse me" as if they were in YOUR way, when in fact you have been 2 feet away - but maybe entered their personal space - ????? And if you hold a door open here for someone, make sure you hold it waaaay wide open and step back so they have plenty of space to pass, otherwise they don't think you are waiting!!
One thing that really confuses me here is the response to a 'thank you'. I always thought Americans always answered that with a big 'you're welcome!' - but here you get 'mm-mm' or 'u-huh' in reply. Very odd
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French or Brit ?
My family suffered from Anglomania, a common condition among French aristocracy (that's one of the thing besides wealth-that one is lost-) that separates us- a divide, a chasm- from common provincial nobility : my grandparents had English furnitures, English clothes, English pictures on the walls (a Constable-style oil of the Abbey of Westminster in the XVIIIth Century, "The Adventures Of Mr.Pickwick" illustrated in children's rooms), British nannies for the children, English language compulsive during meals, Christmas pudding, and so on and so forth! My father went to High school in Cambridge, and yet our blood is as French as the Windsor's is German.
That's very strange. I can't think what would be appealing about our culture against French... times change, don't they? 
