Questions of Identity

[Electric Yetis]

Just now, Webbo said:

I had one of those DNA tests a couple of birthdays ago;

76% English and North Western Europe.

13% Scottish.

9% Welsh

2% Norwegian.

 

Quite interesting, I thought.

Same here.

 

68% England & Northwest Europe

23% Scotland

7% Norway

2% Ireland

 

Was hoping for something a little more exotic.

 

 

[HighPeakFox]

3 minutes ago, Webbo said:

I had one of those DNA tests a couple of birthdays ago;

76% English and North Western Europe.

13% Scottish.

9% Welsh

2% Norwegian.

 

Quite interesting, I thought.

That is interesting - what qualifies for NW Europe?

[Webbo]

8 minutes ago, HighPeakFox said:

That is interesting - what qualifies for NW Europe?

I don't know, I'm assuming it's  Saxon(German), but I'm not sure.

Edited 1 December 2020 by Webbo

[Webbo]

4 minutes ago, Rain King said:

Same here.

 

68% England & Northwest Europe

23% Scotland

7% Norway

2% Ireland

 

Was hoping for something a little more exotic.

 

 

My mother always used to claim she had romany heritage, my sister thinks she can read palms  because of it. Unless they were Norwegian Gypsies I don't think she was right.

[zorro en españa]

 

 

[ajthefox]

I'm Leicester, first and foremost. I grew up in Leicester in the same house for 18 years, my mum and dad both grew up in Leicester and I think at least 1 of my grandparents did too. I really enjoy hearing stories about my parents and aunts and uncles when they were youngsters. All of it contributes to why I feel so tied to the place. You can't help feel that those experience make you who you are. 

 

I've lived in the North the last 12 years and I don't see myself moving any further South but Leicester will always be home.

 

Beyond that not much. I think how you feel depends on the context of where you are and who you are with. I live with a Scot and an Irishman and I spend a tonne of time talking to Scots due to a project I'm working on in Glasgow. I'm sure anyone living in a different country feels far more English than they would when they're in England.

[Trav Le Bleu]

5 hours ago, ealingfox said:

Yes but more importantly what does everyone call small bread rolls used for sandwiches, and the meals usually taken in early afternoon and evening?

Or small passages between houses joining two roads by a pathway.

[Trav Le Bleu]

1 hour ago, Rain King said:

Same here.

 

68% England & Northwest Europe

23% Scotland

7% Norway

2% Ireland

 

Was hoping for something a little more exotic.

 

 

11% Martian?

[Trav Le Bleu]

2 hours ago, HighPeakFox said:

I'm fairly mongrel (as are we all) and although I was born and raised in Leicester (well Oadby, and right on the edge of the Shire too), my parents are not from Leicester and I remember feeling somewhat alien in my own city - maybe it's because I sound like someone raised in a bit of a QE speaking household.

 

I identify as human before anything else, but equally happy to be described as English, British, European with my Jewish heritage thrown in. I don't much like being told I am less of a patriot/Brit etc because I'm willing to see our faults/things in us I don't care for, or because I don't have a deferential attitude to our Royalty. I've nothing against them personally, but their existence sort of perpetuates our class system, which is pernicious, whichever class one identifies as (Ronnie Barker for me).

 

Sorry, I've waffled. 

You're a hobbit?

[SystonFox]

SYSTON

(Rothley)

english

British

european

 

[whoareyaaa]

I'm an alien I think that's it

[rachhere]

Interesting topic! I am very much a midlander (having lived in East and West) and I couldn’t imagine not living in the Midlands. 

 

I see myself more as northern in the north/south debate, and don’t really identify as European. I do however very much see myself as British and will generally support the other home nations in sport when not playing against England (despite the fact they hate us!) 

[Izzy]

6 minutes ago, rachhere said:

I do however very much see myself as British and will generally support the other home nations in sport when not playing against England (despite the fact they hate us!) 

You get the odd exception like @Finneganwho hate the English but on the whole I've never really encountered much hatred from the Scots, Welsh or Irish. 

 

Friendly banter and rivalry yes, but I think the hatred bit is overblown sometimes. 

[HighPeakFox]

32 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

You're a hobbit?

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

[Electric Yetis]

58 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

11% Martian?

Would take it.

[Dr The Singh]

Hate being called Asian or Indian

[Vacamion]

 

Having studied languages as a young man and lived in Germany for a bit, I feel quite "European", but I acknowledge that they often have quite strange ways. 

 

Without wanting to get into the rights and wrongs of what is about to happen between the UK and Europe, it saddens me and I feel a sense of loss.  

 

In two years' time I will have lived in Scotland longer than I've ever lived in England and Scotland feels like home to me.

 

Increasingly since I've lived up here (which began before Devolution, yes I'm THAT old) the two countries seem to have differing cultural and societal norms.

 

I'm not sure I'd necessarily fit in, if I ever moved back down to the Midlands.

 

Having said that, if I get more than a couple of pints in me, my accent (at least) starts to revert to right propoh Leicestoh, and again I sound like the lad from The Saff.

 

However, as I've aged, I've realised that it's mostly a load of baws, and many of the world's problems arise from people clinging a little too vehemently to what they think their identity is.

 

 

[Paninistickers]

My identity has always been Leicester. Made much easier now that, wonderfully, just about everybody has heard of us. 

 

That said, I've always felt at home.in Europe..Never felt like an outsider. I was in Canada pre lockdown and in a bar with plenty of moustachioed, checked shirted, blue collar workers drinking Miller lite or whatever they quaff.... and I ordered a white wine. At that point I've never felt more European in my life. 

[Nalis]

I'm Northern Irish and grew up as a Catholic in a mixed marriage (I'm aware of the Dara sketch). Lived in southern Ireland and now England. People think a lot of it is black and white for those from Norn Iron in terms of their affiliation but I feel Northern Irish, Irish and British all at the same time in that order.

 

In Ireland as a whole county pride is a big thing for a lot of people but maybe because I only got a little bit of that for my county Antrim when I moved to southern Ireland and it dwindled when moving to England, maybe being shite at hurling and gaelic football didnt help either.

 

The european feeling comes and goes, it basically only comes into play when interacting with non europeans. I worked with someone from Palestine who bizarrely moaned that all of Europe looked the same!!

Edited 2 December 2020 by Nalis

[Tuna]

Lincolnshire yeller belly all the way.

[Fightforever]

Parents were Kosovar came here in the 1990 and had me 5 years later. Although ethnically I am Kosovar I can barley string a sentence together in Albanian so I am British I guess. This has always been a weird question for me since depending on who I talk to about it they either insist I am Albanian or say I am more or less British.

[Fightforever]

3 hours ago, Webbo said:

I had one of those DNA tests a couple of birthdays ago;

76% English and North Western Europe.

13% Scottish.

9% Welsh

2% Norwegian.

 

Quite interesting, I thought.

Had one of them 98% Greek and Balkan and 2% west Asian. More or less expected.

[Fightforever]

3 hours ago, HighPeakFox said:

That is interesting - what qualifies for NW Europe?

Germanic peoples, Scandinavia and British isles. As far as I am aware.

Edited 1 December 2020 by Fightforever

[fuchsntf]

My fking Space Ship crashed Slap down in the Middle of Western park....

Decide New Parks was a qualnt name, I Met a Scot, an Irishman & a Welshman..didnt understand the joke,

So signed up to be English...

The rest is history well it had to be, that ,Geography & Maths were my best subjects...!!

I was Proud I  landed in & discovered Middle Earth,then decided to broaden my horizons....First Those cosy districts..Peak & Lake.

Then headed for the hights...Cairngorms ,Macgiilycuddys, Snowdon, & old John in Bp...

Found the locals knew what a Good bevvy was...knew then Not a Bad place to have Kick start my life..

Was always curious about the People we fought & Fought with...started to do the Irish,UK rounds....

Then spread First over to European mainland,great craiq Finding out that I had no enemies....Then spread out to Africa,Asia & Americas,After Sharing Thousand

Of stories & anecdotes, with tears,laughter,Sorrow & contentment...

 

Came to the realisation & conclusion , We are all human....This blue Planet is my identity....We can expand & Evolve our characters,

but its blind to try & shrink our identity/being  into separate boxes...

We cant Drop out,Run-away from, or look at others as different..We all belong to "The Society"..good,bad,indifferent,Evil.

Whatever we do & whoever we are we remain Part of " the society".   We Fall or Grow together...!!

[WigstonWanderer]

Having spent 20 years of my life in Australia, I think I’m finally starting to identify as Australian, though I doubt it will ever be more than 50%.

 

 After the riots a few years ago, Brexit, and the reaction to the pandemic, I Increasingly find myself visualising the British, and particularly the English, as angry people with pitchforks and torches.

Edited 2 December 2020 by WigstonWanderer