Football Forum | Ticket Forum | Off-Topic Forum | All

twoleftfeet 11:56 Wed Feb 12
People that were born here but don't consider themselves English.

I was watching a programme on the BBC about the Irish coming to Birmingham in the 50s, it was an interesting programme until the lady presenting the programme declared herself Irish.

She was born in Birmingham, her parents were born in Birmingham...... Therefore like it or not you are English.

She said she loved Boyzone when she was growing up because they were Irish and River dance enthralled her.

Sorry Love but you are English.

Why do some cultures insist on denying they are English despite being born here and in a lot of cases their parents were also born here?

Dr Matt 12:06 Thu Feb 13
Re: People that were born here but don't consider themselves English.

Matt Renshaw, Andrew Symonds and Sam Whiteman are three examples of this.

Takashi Miike 12:27 Thu Feb 13
Re: People that were born here but don't consider themselves English.

you describing sven?

Ronald_antly 12:29 Thu Feb 13
Re: People that were born here but don't consider themselves English.

Andrew Symonds emigrated to Australia when he was two (as did my own son).
With an Australian accent, and many years of Australia under their belts, I think they rightly regard themselves as Australian.
They just happen to have a parent (parents in Symonds case) who are not Australian.

Hammer and Pickle 12:31 Thu Feb 13
Re: People that were born here but don't consider themselves English.

It's about the intensity of the formative experience, whether you like it or not.

Some may be born in the place of their physical birth.

Others may have a different fate.

I was born at Waterloo Station when I realised my mother was not dealing with the process of buying a ticket to Bentley all that well.

Ronald_antly 12:34 Thu Feb 13
Re: People that were born here but don't consider themselves English.

"Some may be born in the place of their physical birth."


So, some are not?

Sven Roeder 12:40 Thu Feb 13
Re: People that were born here but don't consider themselves English.

Understand Andrew Symonds was adopted (West Indian father , Scandinavian mother) and his adoptive parents moved to Australia when he was 3 months old
He is probably the least English person in the world.

To be honest I don’t really think of myself as English or Australian. I grew up in Australia so supported my local teams. I live in England for now and visit Australia a lot.

I notice the England cricket team tonight had an Irish captain, a S African opener and all rounders from NZ and the West Indies.
Plus Curran who was born in England while his African father worked there then grew up in S Africa.
Plus a couple of spinners with Asian heritage.
Probably balances out some Boyzone fan from Birmingham

Hammer and Pickle 12:47 Thu Feb 13
Re: People that were born here but don't consider themselves English.

Ronald_antly 12:34 Thu Feb 13

Indeed.

Try to get involved in the basic fact that people may be in the world but not of it.

Ronald_antly 12:55 Thu Feb 13
Re: People that were born here but don't consider themselves English.

Well THAT certainly clears things up.

Hammer and Pickle 12:57 Thu Feb 13
Re: People that were born here but don't consider themselves English.

It's the Sufi journey, me old China!.

joe royal 1:06 Thu Feb 13
Re: People that were born here but don't consider themselves English.

The plastics do this a lot .

Aussies on the other hand only ever say they are Aussie.

riosleftsock 1:08 Thu Feb 13
Re: People that were born here but don't consider themselves English.

Just because a dog is born in a stable, it is not a horse.

zebthecat 1:13 Thu Feb 13
Re: People that were born here but don't consider themselves English.

I was born in Kings in Camberwell.
My Mum is Welsh and my Dad is half French, half English.
Got the Ancestry DNA thing as a present which confirmed this with an added 8% Bantu which was a surprise.
I support England but have always considered myself Biritish rather than English for obvious reasons.

Hammer and Pickle 1:19 Thu Feb 13
Re: People that were born here but don't consider themselves English.

You may finally be onto something there COCK.

chim chim cha boo 1:23 Thu Feb 13
Re: People that were born here but don't consider themselves English.

I've heard stories about English Asians from the 70s and 80s going through school in London being called 'Paki cunt' almost every day then going back to Pakistan or India or any non-white country their parents came from and being called 'English cunt' or the equivalent.

It's hardly surprising some get a bit confused.

Hammer and Pickle 1:28 Thu Feb 13
Re: People that were born here but don't consider themselves English.

Agree chim.

Life is such a drag.

J.Riddle 1:33 Thu Feb 13
Re: People that were born here but don't consider themselves English.

If some get confused, probably best to take the Cricket test to provided some much needed clarity.

chim chim cha boo 1:35 Thu Feb 13
Re: People that were born here but don't consider themselves English.

It can be a drag and it can be great. Mental resilience and a positive outlook helps, but would I have had that with shitty parents or gone to a school where I was bullied (rather than BEING the bully!)?

Like everything in life, it's a bit more complicated than it is on WHO.

gank 2:43 Thu Feb 13
Re: People that were born here but don't consider themselves English.

Is this about Michael Antonio?

defjam 3:01 Thu Feb 13
Re: People that were born here but don't consider themselves English.

chim chim cha boo 1:23 - Ah the good old days!
There was a lot of 'Paki bashing' and racism growing up in the 70's and 80's.
Also had it from West Ham fans at football, have said it many times on here.
West Hams fans aren't whiter than whi...oh hang on!

I do feel my self that I'm more 'English' than most English people nowadays, especially the ability to actually write in my mother tongue, a feat that escapes a majority of people on social media.
I am proud of the traditions, humour and history and you're right Chim, I've been to India about 10 times and I'm a stranger there and get a kind of reverse racism.

Saying all that I do follow India at the cricket, after all my bloods still Indian and so is my family through generations, same as all my English mates abroad who support England and so do their kids.

I think that's partly due to still being a foreigner as my skins still not white, the Xenophobia and racism has definitely gone up a notch since Brexit although it's easy to spot the Little Englanders!

chim chim cha boo 3:26 Thu Feb 13
Re: People that were born here but don't consider themselves English.

Totally agree Def but you're whiter than I am!

You're a fucking good egg mate and I wonder if it's somewhat down to your resilience and strength of character. I think of your disability with your fucked back, brother and father particularly and it's almost Freudian that you chase potentially lethal storms in foreign countries for FUN.

You're a fucking example mate and would gladly go into battle with you if I could get over your love of hip-hop and climb over your thirty thousand boxes of trainers which let's face it, puts us at a disadvantage in a drone strike!

Page 1 - Next