The Scots and the English?

Question

I am an American. I have been coming on the UK & Ireland site for a while now. And I was wondering why there is still so much amimosity between the two? It seems to come more from the British. Example "Scots are soooo thick" and "they are arrogent". I understand that there were wars and battles between the two but that was so long ago. Is it just people mouthing off, trying to be funny, or is that the general consensus? I am just curious and not trying to offend anyone.

Obviously I touched a few nerves. It really was meant as an innocent question. I don't need to be told to mind my own business or offered spelling lessons. You missed the point. I thought the whole idea of Yahoo Answers is to learn from each other and learn about other cultures? Jeesh....

Answer 1

Oh dear. Well, first you'll realise that yahoo posters are not typical of the UK and Ireland as a whole (re age etc). Second, you need to take everything here with a pinch of salt: few people are really themselves when they are hidden behind an avatar in cyberspace! Thirdly, a lot of the comments will be meant as jokes (even if they're not very funny!)
That aside, although the wars and old emnities are as you said, long past, there's a good deal of tension at the moment over Scottish devolution. Scotland has its own parliament now and has control over its own affairs (hospitals, education, laws etc). The English have no voting rights over this. And that's fine.
However, there is no similar parliament for England. All English business is debated in the British parliament at Westminster -- and voted on by Scottish, Welsh and Irish members of parliament (MPs) as well as English. Now, I can't see how anyone could claim that's fair.
This is causing increasing resentment in England, since MPs from outside England may not have the best interests of England at heart -- or may not understand local needs.

I am English, as you'll probably have realised. :D Having said that, I will cheer Scottish (and Welsh and Irish) teams at sports matches, unless they're playing England of course. So will most English fans. But I know many Scots fans go on record every season saying that they don't care who wins, so long as England loses. Now that I don't find so much sad as frightening. I don't watch live rugby or football any more because I don't want to get caught in that kind of nationalism.

Well, good luck in your quest for knowledge, anyway! :D

Answer 2

Hate ? Where in earth do you hang out ? There has always been rivalry between the two nations and not just on the sporting scene . Many forget that the English have some 84 % of the UK population and many of them are ignorant or unaware of the other parts of the UK . Just have a look at the references in this web page to " England " when they mean Britain or the UK . Other non Brit contributors are equally guilty! The Scottish identity has taken a stronger form with the advent of amongst other things a Scottish Parliament . Hate ? Don't think so .

Answer 3

I do think it is for show more than anything else! If you start asking beyond these typical responses, I think you'll find the only real thing is that both are very patriotic, and think their country is best.

Sometimes the "war" between two nationalities start with a real reason, but carry on for tradition more than anything else.

I've been living in England for six years now, and not so far come across a Brit or a Scot being really hateful towards the other. ;-)

Answer 4

All over Europe old differences between people have mellowed, but not disappeared. This is true for the Scots and the English - where there is a lot of history, not all of it good. It's also true between the Dutch and Germans (the latter are still blamed for world war 2).

It's just part of the culture of these places.

Answer 5

It is a bit like Northern and Southern states in the US except much much more exaggerated as there is a lot more history and you are talking about separate countries.

Some British people, particularly some who originate from England, tend to talk about English when they mean British and British people from other parts of Britain find this insulting. I recently heard to Andrew Murray (the young tennis player) as English when this is far from the truth. He is British and Scottish and most definitely not English.

Particularly as it was a King of Scotland who became the first King of both Scotland and England, people from Scotland find this insulting and patronising.

Answer 6

Hi Suzzane, welcome to UK & Ireland Y!A
If the UK was a family, Wales would be the older wiser sister, England and Scotland the two competing brothers with Ireland as the prodigal son or 'Blacksheep' of the family.

Like most British families we love a good fight and a laugh in equal measure and again like most families we all have history!
Have fun in the UK answers but take everything said with a pinch of salt!

Answer 7

Given half a chance the English will have a pop at any of our neighbours - the irish are thick, the welsh are a bit 'rural' in their choice of partners, the scots are tightfisted, the germans have no sense of humour, and the french are pretentious and arrogant and smell and eat weird things like snails.

Answer 8

hi i am scots, and i have nothing against the english, but i think the media has a lot to do with the animosity, for example when a scots team is competeing for something as a brittish team the media claim it as an english victory, and when an english team is competeing for a brittish team it is still an english victory, this is only one example, there are loads more, when english football teams are abroad and there is violance, it is classed as a brittish team not english, why?, blame the media, there are loads of very very nice english people out there who are all very very nice.

Answer 9

All i can say is this....Im no lover of "Great Britain",but Scots,English,Welsh,and Irish men and woman have died defending this country for centuries,and they succeeded because basically we are the same people. Im no rabid patriot,but i salute these men and women who showed the courage,that makes us who we are.

Answer 10

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Hi Suzanne,

Welcome to the UK Y!A. There are some very nice people here, but many really RUDE people...especially English to Americans! They think we all voted for Dubya, they think we're full of ourselves. Now WE know there is nothing further from the truth.

I've found that when I email the RUDE ba****** they apologize, and are quite friendly. The RUDE ba******, I've noticed are not too literate...even the ones complaining about American's English, like we're supposed to learn THEIR language. Granted they have a nice accent, but they use words and phrases very differently sometimes....The Queen's English is not American English / United States English, though some people in England seem to think that our two countries never separated.

Look for the polite, friendly people in the UK Y!A...there are plenty...and email the RUDE ba******.

By the way, my ancestors are Scottish, Irish and English, and the different parts of me are always fighting...the Irish one wants a drink, the English one wants tea, and the Scot wants blood...just kidding...really oatmeal. =)
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