Popular Post NurembergVillan Posted July 16, 2014 Moderator Popular Post Share Posted July 16, 2014 A few have mentioned wanting a thread about it, it gets alluded to in all manner of topics (I even mentioned our society as being a key factor as to why the English national team is so bad) and now its time to get it out in the open - just how "great" is Britain? I've lived abroad for about half of my post-University life, in Germany and Amsterdam. After being back in England for 6 years, on Sunday I'm off again - to live in Canada. Wherever I go I'm always very proud to be British. Certainly as a designer I find that it can regularly carry a certain amount of cachet. But I often find myself frustrated at the state of Britain now. Maybe I'm getting old, but swathes of British youth baffle me - celebrity culture seemingly being the only valid type, and a lack of morals across all generations being amplified by those in their late teens and early twenties. I've given up on our government, and their opponents. There isn't enough variety in what they stand for or how they execute their policies. It's too often self-serving rhetoric. Social media has many positives but has also caused many issues amongst the youth of our nation. There is no middle ground any more. No average. Everything is extreme - amazing or shit - or it gets filtered out. If you want likes or comments you can't just be average. The country has a drink (and drug) problem too. I've never been anywhere else that I've seen the level of street brawls and debauchery that you get in towns and cities across the UK on a Friday and Saturday night. It's like the vikings make a weekly return. BUT - there is still so much to be proud of. There is REAL culture here - music, art, design, literature. It's amazing. Architecture across the land is varied and beautiful. Our landscapes and countryside are unique and breathtaking. The diversity of our society and the influences this brings is likely unparalleled in any other country as small as ours. We are a people of courage, and honour, and creativity. In times of recession we give millions of pounds to charity, when we host sporting events they are gold standard examples, and our entrepreneurial spirit is perhaps the only reason we have any sort of economy apart from banking. We are a nation of philandering, coke-addled scumbags who cheat on our wives and girlfriends and fight strangers in the street. We make millionaires out of people like Dappy, Joey Essex and seemingly any 18 year old with a full-sleeve tattoo and the ability to kick a football in a straight line. We awarded Kerry Katona with Mom of the Year, and "Britain First" have 300k "likes" on Facebook, making them the most prominent political entity in British social media. We are amazing, yet crap. Genius, yet confused. We are "literally" Great Britain. Over to you... 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meath_Villan Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 It's just a rock with a load of people on it. Some lame, some not so lame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowychap Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 (edited) Without wishing to have a go at your post, NV, nothing about inventions (and why we ought to clutch our scots brethren to our bosoms)? Edited July 16, 2014 by snowychap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choffer Posted July 16, 2014 VT Supporter Share Posted July 16, 2014 (edited) The only problem is that with such a great (British) opening post from NV, there's not much to discuss. Pretty perfect encapsulation of what this nation is and stands for. Without wishing to have a go at your post, NV, nothing about inventions? I think you'll find most of the good inventions are Scottish, rather than British Edited July 16, 2014 by choffer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 I like that the weather is mostly cool and that there are no dangerous animals. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowychap Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 I think you'll find most of the good inventions are Scottish, rather than British Ha ha. I think I was amending my post as you wrote yours! Although, they're still as British to me as a Murray Wimbledon victory (and a Berners-Lee web) and so on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFC_Hitz Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 I'm going to join this thread when I'm less drunk. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAZZAM Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 All we got now is 'Great' History the rest is shit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowychap Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 (edited) .. Edited July 17, 2014 by snowychap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeyp102 Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Excellent post NV. I love and am proid to be British. Yes we have our faults but after all that we still hold a lot of interest throughout the world. Whilst the forces are getting smaller, they are still some of the most respected as people know that it is still trained well. The landscape is so different, we are multi cultural, we band together when the going gets tough. Overall to me yes Britain is still great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post The_Rev Posted July 17, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted July 17, 2014 Social media has many positives but has also caused many issues amongst the youth of our nation. There is no middle ground any more. No average. Everything is extreme - amazing or shit - or it gets filtered out. If you want likes or comments you can't just be average. I would be stunned, repeat, stunned if that were a phenomenon unique to the UK. You have basically just described human nature. Maybe it's took until you turned 30 to realise the world is full of bullshit but how many 30 year olds thought the world was going to hell in handbasket when you were 18? How many 30 year olds thought the same when they were 18? This whole is Britain still great thing is bollocks. It's the same as it ever was. Thinking we have left some golden era behind is nostalgia for something that never happened. It can be dangerous too because it's the kind of emotion that groups like the EDL try to tap into. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonLax Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Social media has many positives but has also caused many issues amongst the youth of our nation. There is no middle ground any more. No average. Everything is extreme - amazing or shit - or it gets filtered out. If you want likes or comments you can't just be average. I would be stunned, repeat, stunned if that were a phenomenon unique to the UK. You have basically just described human nature. Maybe it's took until you turned 30 to realise the world is full of bullshit but how many 30 year olds thought the world was going to hell in handbasket when you were 18? How many 30 year olds thought the same when they were 18? This whole is Britain still great thing is bollocks. It's the same as it ever was. Thinking we have left some golden era behind is nostalgia for something that never happened. It can be dangerous too because it's the kind of emotion that groups like the EDL try to tap into. Very much this Mr Rev. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rovers13 Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 The only thing I'll say (because I'm not british) is I really don't think today's youth are much worse than yesterday's youth, or decades ago youth. We tend to romanticize past times because the positive aspects get remembered more, (as long as there's nothing really bad) but in current times we see the issues all the time, and the press is all too eager to jump on the narrative that the young today are these lazy, morally corrupted people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amsterdam_Neil_D Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 The Villa and Britain have been pretty much dying together over the last 15-20 years. Used to be something in the world, now both in the big scheme of things little players in a big world. Leaders: In 70 years we went from Churchill to a red faced gimp posh boy with questionable friends and no morals. Owners: One of the greatest football clubs in the world, bought as a toy for a Yank to play with like a cat with string, got bored. I think it works the same for almost every subject out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFCforever1991 Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 (edited) Britain has an identity crisis. Edited July 17, 2014 by AVFCforever1991 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Great thread. Could almost have been called 'life, the universe and everything'. I guess one cool calm statistical way of looking at it, would more people like to join Britain than leave it? We have part of that answer in the net migration figures, the other part will be delivered in the Scottish referendum, which, I sadly expect Scotland to bottle and vote to stay part of the union. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post villaajax Posted July 17, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted July 17, 2014 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troon_villan Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 (edited) Great thread. Could almost have been called 'life, the universe and everything'. I guess one cool calm statistical way of looking at it, would more people like to join Britain than leave it? We have part of that answer in the net migration figures, the other part will be delivered in the Scottish referendum, which, I sadly expect Scotland to bottle and vote to stay part of the union. Care to elaborate on that last part? How will I be bottling it? Edited July 17, 2014 by troon_villan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brumerican Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 I am sure the "Great" in Great Britain refers to the size of the mainland . It has nothing to do with things like national achievements etc. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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