I HATE ENGLAND

AA Gill doesn't like the English.

"One at a time, I don’t mind them. I’ve loved some of them. It’s their collective persona I can’t warm to: the lumpen and louty, coarse, unsubtle, beady-eyed, beefy-bummed herd of England.

Although I live here among them and have done for virtually all my life, although I sound like them, I’ve never been one. Never thought of myself as one. After more than 50 years of rubbing up against the English I still resist assimilation. I don’t stick out, but neither do I fit in. My heart doesn’t syncopate to Land of Hope and Glory. I don’t want three lions on my chest or the cross of St George on my windscreen."

Can I just say that I have huge amounts of respect for the English, I dispute the entirety of Gill's English-bashing proposition, and I would heartily recommend that if he hates the English so much he takes himself off somewhere more suited to his tastes. I'm looking forward to his next article..."Why I hate the Irish", I'm sure the Sunday Timed would LOVE to run with that.

Comments

[james orr]

There is an endemic self-loathing in the English liberal middle classes, and particularly in those who live south of Watford.

They're really really really hacked off that they're not French.

[David Vance]

James,

..and Muslim.

[james orr]

DV - LOL!

Voulez-vouz ponder the merits of a un fatwa over a bouteille or two?

One's little Normandy weekend retreat is only two hours from Calais in the Land Rover. There's a divine little boulangerie in the village old bean. ;-)

[David Vance]

....and a charming little Mosque to worship at - ah to be in Paris in the Spring...

[Ross]

"here is an endemic self-loathing in the English liberal middle classes"

In AA Gill's case self loathing seems entirely appropriate.

[Dumb Brit]

Is it really that much of a problem? There's a great big world Gill can go and be an idiot in. Maybe he'd feel more at home if he painted himself dark brown and went to live in the Sudan...

[Gerald Hartup]

After reading your comment about A A Gill I followed up the link.

Clearly Gill is actually very fond of England and his criticisms could easily be seen as back handed compliments.

His analysis of the English attitude to war and football humour is very interesting.

[GaffaUK]

Who cares what AA Gill thinks? As self-loathing in the Soutern English liberal middle classes - well I can say I am from South of the Watford Gap, Liberal and English and have to meet any fellow Liberals who are self-loathing or want to become French or Muslim. But nice divisive comment there James.

Try reading the Daily Mail and see how much self-loathing there is towards this country. Apparently this country have been going to the dogs for sometime now.

[David Vance]

Gerald,

As I say, I look forward to a few similar "humourous" articles entitled;
"Why I loath the Irish"
"Why the Scots are parasites" and
"Why self loathers always get a welcome at the Sunday Times"

Naturally, these would be steeped inback-handed compliments!

His title was provocative, that much I know about it. But try substituting another nation than English in this article and it would be a hate-crime. But if it's the English that are being abused then that's OK for the self-loathers and liberal hypocrites out there.

[Gerald Hartup]

David
It is quite possible that the headline is not that of Gill.

I agree that there are gross double standards about hate crime.

However, the text of Gill's article shows that he does not hate England or the English at all.

If I was a foreigner reading Gill's article I would conclude that these people were, taken all in all, not at all a bad bunch.

[mick hall]

A A Gill's article was spot on and I doubt few rational Englishmen would be offended with it or disagree with much he wrote. Gill was spot on about English humor and even an old lefty like myself laughed out loud about the German whose dad died in a Concentration camp, although the hissing he claims to hearing at an Arsenal-Spurs football match took my breath away..oppps.

The reason he gave for why the English queue and disband their armies immediately at the end of a major war had the ring of truth about it, did it not ? and seems perfectly sensible to me. [RIR?]

I would suggest if anyone seriously believes Englishmen south of Watford are self loathing and wish to not only be French but muslims to boot would do well to have a chat with a few english men instead of putting their own desires onto them.

all the best

Mick

[ernest young]

"here is an endemic self-loathing in the English liberal middle classes"

I didn't get the impression that it was 'self-loathing'that AA Gill was writing about, it seemed to convey a pretty general dislike of Brits en-masse, and Brit humour in particular.

His observation that Brit humour is 'aimed', seemed to be relevant, and that it is largely at the expense of others, seemed accurate, and who can deny that at times, it is quite spiteful and cynical? - it is meant to hurt, but always with the rider that, it was just meant, 'in fun', or, 'wassup! can't you take a joke'.

I think the writer was metaphorically holding a mirror up to our society, and reflecting some of that Brit humour back at us, that some commenters 'couldn't take it', seems to indicate that, they too find Brit humour a bit too sharp for their collective tastes.

Somewhere along the way they seem to have lost their sense of humour!.

[Robert]

If you read any of Gill's articles you'll see that he's the absolute antithesis of the liberal self-loathing Guardian reader. And if you read past the headline on this one it's quite a thoughtfull examination of one aspect of Englishness. Or perhaps it's the mention of a sense of humour which is causing scratching of heads in Ulster. Ever watch Paisley or Adams making an attempt at levity? Even more chilling than when they try to be scary.

[dearieme]

I know he's wrong and unfair and all that; but still I remember the first time I played rugby versus an English side. We win the scrum, our fly-half hoofs the ball, we chase and their full back, the dozy plonker, gets himself slightly out of position, faces the wrong way, puts his weight on his heels, stumbles and spills the ball. In our side, such incompetence would have earned him some asperity. But what do his team-mates say? "Bad luck, Marcus". You have to wonder.

[BB]

One gets the impression that the people who have criticised this article didn't actually read it (or at least didn't understand it).

[Colm]

Agree with you bb

The title of the article was not an accurate summation of the actual text, which did not demonstrate a hatred at all. It was a fairly well observed article but I disagree with his main premise that the 'rules' of English life have been put in place by people who know they would otherwise be unable to control their aggression. I think that is a bit far fetched.

[Emily]

"But try substituting another nation than English in this article and it would be a hate-crime."

That's a lie, David. You know you could substitute the US and there are dozens of papers that would tolerate the most stereotypical half-truths you can imagine.

(Not that this is what the author of the article in question has necessarily done; I haven't read it aside from David's excerpt.)

[David Vance]

Emily,

I SHOULD have said "try substituting another British nation" :-) That said, you're right. I HATE AMERICA is the Number One Euroweenie rant. Mind, I hate euroweenies!

[Antony Mycroft]

AA Gill should have made a greater distinction between those who live in these Isles who are English, and those who are not 'entirely' reared as English people. I don't mean the new ethnic communities.

There are thousands upon thousands like Gill who were not raised the English way but who were born here. My parents were born in India and I was raised in London much like a Portuguese Catholic for my early life. I am of mixed blood: Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, French, Irish and English, and generally speaking, I look and behave like an Englishman. But my cultural experience is markedly different. I am from the last gasp of Colonialists. I see the English through this prism of an 'other ' culture, of old Empire, and I see them quite clearly. But it is not that I reject the English. It is they who reject me and my overly complicated background. There is always a worrying need among Britons to dumb things down these days in this country.

I see their foibles, hang ups, negatives and positives. They are indeed a marvellous tribe of doers. Or they were. Gill rightly highlights an inexplicable stagnation in the fabric of the culture, which has allowed for a nostalgia trip to take hold like some mutant virus in the collective psyche.

But another point he should have made was this: it's that the English cannot see past their glorious World Cup winning, world beating, Shakespearean noses. They still think they are best. At everything. And they refuse to acknowledge the good in other nations. The stench of sour grapes in Blighty is overpowering. It sickens Gill. And it sickens me.

Will England ever be great again. With this attitude, I very much doubt it.

[Garfield]

AA Gill is Scottish boys and girs so he can't be self-loathing if he says he hates the English.

[Anthony smith]

when we talk about the english do we mean
british because every english man i have spoken to i have to make sure that they are talking about either england or britain
when speaking about the country we live in
because i am sure that they dont know the
differance between the two
the media are just as bad for instance
if a english man does well at a sport
he is a english sports man
but if he was from wales he suddenly
becomes a british sports man
i am sure that most english people dont seem
to know the differance between being english or british i personaly think
they think one is the same as the other
at least if some one from wales or scotland
says wales or scotland they mean there own countrys and not britain
because i am sure that when the english talk about the country they live in most
dont seem to know the differance between england or britain

[Anthony Matthews]

really, no one should be proud of where they were born. it was an accident of birth. why are we getting so uptight? england isn't the best country in the world and it's not the worst. anyway, we're just thinking animals. get used to it.

[Mael Choluim]

The main reason to hate the English is that the English have little respect for themselves, that is why the middle- to upper-classes ape the French and the lower orders are like third rate Americans, they would put a p*ss pot on their heads if it were the fashion in California. I am just an embittered Celt, but I do not hate the English as such, just pity them for the worthless nothings that they are...

[stormtiger]

I hate this country with a passion! England is not a fit place to live. It is overcrowded and bursting at the seams with people, vehicles and rubbish. It is not a place to raise children or for the elderly to live. There are louts everywhere you go, they are not just confined to large housing estates but are everywhere and in every echeleon of society. It is a completely immoral country and the collective people have no conscience. It is a country where you work hard and pay your taxes but get little or nothing in return. The government including local government are always looking for ways to eek more money out of you. The country is bedraggled and littered with rubbish. The parks and open places are dessimated by fly tippers and people who cant be bothered to place rubbish in a bin. It is a shoddy country in every way including architecture and engineering. The developers have taken over and they have built millions of rabbit hutches for people to live in for as cheap as possible to maximise their considerable profits. There is no sense of community in good old blighty. Anything goes in this country, you can do what you like and nothing much will happen to you. Rapists and murderers go free after short sentences, that is if they are incarcerated in the first place. The blood of the innocent cry out for justice in this hopeless country and the weak spineless politicians, police and other governing bodies bend over backwards to accomadate the perverse and shameful members of our society. They are only interested in their careers and public image. The national health system is a joke, the education system is a shambles and the police are a completely spineless organisation run by a bunch of dithering clowns who couldn't run a pissup in a brewery. The lot of them are bleeding the country and the hard working man and woman dry. Believe me you are certainly not getting you monies worth! They call good evil and evil good. The english respect nothing and have no self respect. What comes out of their mouthes is obscene and profane bile. There is a prevailing underlying threat of violence in this land and I am sure that in the not to distant future there will be serious civil disorder. The english blame the ethnic peoples amongst us for all their woes but the english are to blame for the shocking state of this country. I had to laugh at the huge patriotic display of support for England in the world cup. Hypocrates, A nation that is patriotic does not do what the people of this country have done to itself.

[england]

FUCK OFF out of my country then !! simple aint it HATE ENGLAND FUCK OFF BACK TO WHERE SOME ONE CARES.

soon you will get the point u daft cnut!

fucking muppets kill some one who cares I.E YOUR OWN