bovril

Jealous. I really love Umbria and Abruzzo which are both close. Abruzzo might be my favourite region in Italy.

Think you might need to go and get yourself checked out

I've noticed this. The slow deterioration of pretty much everything service related.

Guy on the right of #3 definitely has late 70s dictator vibes

#WhenTaken #142 (18.07.2024) I scored 927/1000 🎉 1️⃣ 📍 379 km - 🗓️ 3 yrs - ⚡ 185 / 200 2️⃣ 📍 90.8 metres - 🗓️ 6 yrs - ⚡ 193 / 200 3️⃣ 📍 1430 km - 🗓️ 1 yrs - ⚡ 160 / 200 4️⃣ 📍 153 km - 🗓️ 2 yrs - ⚡ 192 / 200 5️⃣ 📍 85.8 metres - 🗓️ 3 yrs - ⚡ 197 / 200 https://whentaken.com

Scrolling these posts on my phone in a pub full with people already half cut after work and SHOUTING and I'm considering the question "are Brits really that different from urban Italians?"

this is much more interesting than election predictions

I think a lot of Brits underestimate, perhaps because of the spread of our language and media, how particular and different to much of the world our culture is and how that's been shaped by specific historical events.

Most of my experiences suggest that it depends greatly. I have a good Indonesian friend in London. Quite posh, rich Indonesian. From our discussions it's clear she has more in common with me than very rural , poor Indonesians. And yet I am certain I have more in common with pretty much all English people than her. We have very different ways of seeing the world, different attitudes and habits. I believe a lot of that's down to language, religion and culture. Similarly I lived in Bulgaria where the divide between urban and rural and between age groups is massive. When you experience that, Countryfile doesn't seem that alien.

It's an interesting question. I think it would depend very much on which countries we were talking about. I reckon the differences in attitudes and lifestyle between people living in urban and rural areas in the UK are almost non existent compared to how far apart they are in some countries.

Well technically you're a British citizen. English is an ethnicity which doesn't depend where your mother's waters break (just loving all this talk of waters breaking)

I haven't said anything about patriotism if you look back. It was a joke. Although there are some similarities imo...

Edward I to the Welsh - sorry lads but nationality is just a construct. Look at me - speak French, born in England, Spanish wife. Mind if I build a castle here, in the spirit of multiculturalism?

And interesting to use the example of Nigeria, Canada et al because I would say the fact our language was spread around the world has weakened our national identity

I didn't say anything about feeling pride. Your central thesis seems to be that nations are constructs and are not only unnecessary but also detrimental to human development. I disagree. The Welsh are not English. They have a distinct culture, history and, perhaps most importantly, a language which they have quite rightly protected. We can argue over semantics but I think that has developed over time and was not merely invented. Those elements are linked of course. I believe that language, nationality and culture are very closely related, you seem not to, which is fine. That doesn't mean that the English and Welsh can't work together or that we don't have loads of similarities. I just think turning around and saying "actually your national identity is basically manufactured and should be left in the past" (apologies if that's not what you're saying) is slightly arrogant and yes does display quite an Anglo point of view. We have different ways of viewing the world I guess.

You're choosing obvious examples to support your argument - fair enough. There are examples on these islands though that I believe disprove your assumption that "language has very very little to do with nationhood and culture in 2024", which I think is a pretty bold claim to make. In fact I would guess your attitude on this subject has been greatly shaped by your nationality and first language.

Depends if you see this as a positive development. It's not positive for the English, in my opinion. I have a feeling we're going to find very little on this subject to agree on

I don't think it's true by the way that people have more in common across class than nationality. For a start a postman from Stoke and a postman from Kawasaki probably wouldn't even be able to communicate. Language and history are my interests though so I am biased.

I don't know what sealioning is. I disagree with most of the second paragraph.

So then is the nation as you suggest not just an updated version of the tribe, i.e. not manufactured but a 'natural' progression? I don't really know what you're arguing. Nations are unnatural so we should go back to living in tribes of 100s? Or we should extend the 'nation' beyond traditional borders, which sounds a bit imperialist.

Well the fact that nations and religion have existed for millennia suggests they are natural to humans

Normans. The yoke continues!

My allegiances are first and foremost to the Kingdom of East Anglia so I understand what you are saying. Seriously though I understand why you've chosen Carlisle as it's an obvious example of a place in Britain that has traditionally been seen as kind of belonging wholly to neither England nor Scotland and the whole borders area feels 'British' to me above anything else. But England as a country and a well defined culture has existed for centuries and it's natural that people will feel ties to that. It's not just a level of governance. I've never been to Stoke but for better or worse I am essentially more connected to it culturally than I am to say Palermo where I lived for a few years.

I think it's absolutely natural and desirable to have a close emotional connection to the place where you and your ancestors were born, went to school, worked, married and had children. Successive generations built this country and I hope future generations will want to maintain it. The idea that countries are just arbitrary pieces of land where you fell out of a womb is a pretty unhealthy attitude in my opinion.

What has the heritage of French footballers got to do with Argentina and the Copa America anyway? Are Argentinians just incapable of celebrating something in groups without being racist?