What does it really mean to be English ?

Answer 1

In the old days it meant that your ancestors had been living in England for at least a thousand years, and over the more recent times that you are Caucasian, have English as your mother tongue and have been born and bred here.
Nowadays it seems that any old Tom, Dick or Harry can call themselves English providing that they were born here, regardless of their colour, creed, and even if they can't speak English !
It all makes me wonder if Bernard Manning really WAS right when he said "A dog is still a dog even if it was born in a stable" because it seems that that statement is no longer true.

Answer 2

It means to be a Caucasian, descended of the Nordic Caucasians and Germanic Caucasians, and have inhabited the British Isles for at least 10,000 years.
An Englishman may bhave some slighly mixed blood, but people forget their history that the Italians, the French Hugenots, the Angles, Celts, Jutes, Saxons, Danes, Picts, Scotti, Romans and whomever else entered into English land were always only a minority and never outnumbered the indigenous inhabitiants therefore could never have bred them out as is commonly contended these days amogst the brainwashed bourgeoisie chattering classes.
It also means to be a loyal Subject of the crown and to embrace teh associated social obligations wthat stem from having an age-old class society based on monarchy- similarly to Japan.
British connotes values, traits, belifs and other such paraphranelia.
The English are as legitimate a race as much as the Japanese, the Innuit, the Javanese, the Khoi and many other races. To claim errahntly that they are simply a bastard race of outcasts is not only racist but deniers the legitimacy of their existence- surely a crime as loathsome as Holocaust denial.

Answer 3

to be a pasty skinned, rainy island dwelling, tea swilling, empire building, well mannered barbarian, with a love of sports and dogs. The English will think nothing of telling the wife goodbye, riding half way to forever, just to get into some contrived aggro, with the idea of subjugating the locals, usually referred to as either, Savages or Heathens, depending on the level of violence needed to execute the colonisation. To an Englishman, no matter where he is, everybody who is not English is a foreigner. An Englishman knows in his heart, with a pride that can be seen in his eyes, that it was England, and only England, who had a truly global empire. And it doesn't matter if that Englishman was born in England or not, a true Englishman knows when he sets foot on English soil, that he has come Home.

Answer 4

It means you are from England (that southern country in Great Britain).
Britain is not the same as England. The most obvious clue to that is they have different flags. Great Britain has the Union Jack (which is more precisely the flag of the United Kingdom), England has the St. George's cross (remember the soccer world cup?).
You are not automatically English, if you are a subject of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II, as she is queen of all the Commonwealth, including the rest of Great Britain, Australia, Canada etc.

Answer 5

A lot of people would generalise the questions and say that to be English it would require you to be white and of Anglo - Saxon origin. But in truth, nobody in England is hundred percent English! I think that as long as you where born in England, embrace English culture (which includes accepting many ethnic diversities) and have some sort of allegiance to this country (patriotic) then you can consider yourself English.

Answer 6

It means you would speak with a funny accent, walk down the street whistling tunes of 1964 Beatles music, sip hot tea at certain times of the day, and would most likely have a bulldog named Winston as a pet. You would have a sense of pride for your nation, and always an opinion in regards to the royals.

Answer 7

It means you were born in England. End of story. All this crap about "oh yeah, well I was born here, but I don't feel English" just makes me want to puke. Being English is not a feeling or a state of mind, its a fact and physical thing.

Answer 8

Celebrate christian/catholic religions but not in the name of religion but in the name of tradition, i am not religious but i celebrate christmas and easter etc... because it is the tradition of this country.

Sunday roasts, appreciating a nice curry. Supporting our sportsmen. Work hard.

Following in the footsteps of our ancestors - arguably the most successful in the world.

Ignoring those that try to undermine our great heritage with questions like 'arent we all immigrants', and 'English=rascist'.

Answer 9

Right and good question and the answer is if you have British Passport. No Englsh Passport! Then no English People; if they are there, then let them come out with their English Passports.

Answer 10

my girlfirend is english and yet has no idea what that means... i have lived in england for over 3 years and its the only country i can think of that is embarrassed by its flag (its considered to be racist)

there are so many foreign national here (myself included) that englishness has disappeared

ireland wales and scotland have formed an identity based on their (celtic) past perhaps england should follow