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British
Beliefs and Values
By Nguyen Hong Hoa
Pham Thi Thanh Thuy B
Nguyen Hong Hoa- Pham Thanh Thuy B
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LEAD-IN
What do you think the word "stereotype" means?
(Oxford Advanced Dictionary)
a fixed idea or image that many people have of a particular type of person or thing, but which is often not true in reality
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EXAMPLES
German stereotype:
Men with big beer guts
Orderliness
Cleanliness (only the Switzerland is cleaner)
Punctuality (public transport as well as individuals always on time)
Directness/Rudeness
Arrogance
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Examples
French stereotype
Wear berets and carry baguettes
Drink a lot of wine
Eat a lot of cheese
Do not like taking risks
Romantic and kind-hearted
beret
baguette
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Japanese stereotype
Strict social order
Extreme competition
Industriousness
Economical

Examples
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British stereotype
British people are attributed with certain characteristics
However, one should be cautious with such characterizations because:
British society is constantly changing
What is often regarded as typically British may in fact be only typically English
Britain is multicultural
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I don`t want to be British. I want to be Scottish!
I do think of us as part of Britain
No, but we`re Scottish
Year, but we`re British. We`re British. Your passport says that you`re British.
(White Scottish, Glasgow)
British vs. english
Yes, I am Welsh first. If someone ties me down, I`ll say I`m British. I`m proud to be Welsh, but not so proud to be British. Britishness for me is just a name. End of story.
(White Welsh, Cardiff)
The first thing that comes to mind when you say English is a white person. You don`t see a black person as English.
(Black Africans and Black Caribbeans, London)
â Commission for Racial Equality
St Dunstan`s House, 201-211 Borough High Street
London SE1 1GZ
Published November 2005
ISBN 1 85442 573 0
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Multicultural Britain
We celebrate the diversity in our country, get strength from different
cultures and the races that go to making up Britain today.
-Former Prime Minister Tony Blair, 2 October 2001
More than 250 languages
are spoken in London
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Contents
Conservatism
Being different
The love of nature
The love of animals
Formality and informality
Public spiritedness and amateurism
Privacy and sex
Others
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1. Conservatism
They may NOT
BEHAVE
in traditional ways
They LIKE symbols
of tradition and
stability
The decline of
nuclear family
Politicians cited
enthusiasm for
traditional
family values
as a way of
winning support
However
However
For example
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They like their pubs to look old
1. Conservatism
They like living in an old house
Children like reading stories in rather old -fashioned world
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Contents
Conservatism
Being different
The love of nature
The love of animals
Formality and informality
Public spiritedness and amateurism
Privacy and sex
Others
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2. Being different
Conservatism + individualism = proud of being different
E.g. left-hand traffic
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The double-decker buses
2. Being different
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System of measurement
BBC weather forecasts
2. Being different
View this forecast in Fahrenheit
View this forecast in Celcius
British Government
sometimes seem to
promote this (1993)
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Contents
Conservatism
Being different
The love of nature
The love of animals
Formality and informality
Public spiritedness and amateurism
Privacy and sex
Others
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3. The love of nature
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The love of the countryside
British people have an idealistic vision of the countryside
Some countries
countryside = poor facilities + lack of educational opportunities + unemployment + poverty
To the British
countryside = peace + quietness +
good health + no crime
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The love of the countryside
British Countryside
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The love of the countryside
An ideal country house:
Thatched cottage
a pond with ducks on it
built around an area of glass
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Royal Paddock Allotments in London
Used for gardening
Rent
A Ê20 fee to be in the waiting list
Annual fee for full plot: Ê20
Annual fee for half plot: Ê10
An off enrollment fee of
Ê 20
Growing plants
Plot 36
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Royal Paddock Allotments in London
Plot 154
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Plot 157
Royal Paddock Allotments in London
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Plot 23A
Royal Paddock Allotments in London
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Plot 39
Plot 115
Royal Paddock Allotments in London
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Some history connected with the building of the Channel tunnel
Dislike of new constructions
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Contents
Conservatism
Being different
The love of nature
The love of animals
Formality and informality
Public spiritedness and amateurism
Privacy and sex
Others
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4. The love of animals
Soldiers` dog cemetery at Edinburgh Castle
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St. Tiggywinkles, the world`s busiest hospital for wildlife animals
Treats over 10,000 animal casualties a year
Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (even Christmas)
All treatment free to public
4. The love of animals
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Bird watching is very popular ? bird tables
4. The love of animals
Pictures and cover of British Birds (January 2007), one among many other British bird magazines
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Pets have the five basic "freedoms":
Freedom from hunger and thirst
Freedom from discomfort
Freedom from pain, injury and disease
Freedom to express normal behaviour
Freedom from fear and distress

4. The love of animals
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Contents
Conservatism
Being different
The love of nature
The love of animals
Formality and informality
Public spiritedness and amateurism
Privacy and sex
Others
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5. Formality and Informality
When a British person is playing a public role => formality
When a British person is playing a private role => no rule at all
In Britain, being friendly =
not addressing by title (Mr., Mrs., Professor, etc.)
not dressing smartly when entertaining guests
not shaking hands when meeting
not saying please when making a request
Friendship is symbolized by behaving as casually as possible
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The British still have a reputation for being the worst dressed people in Europe, and they don`t really care
The vast majority of people buy clothes at high-street stores, e.g. Marks and Spencer
Many people, however, still bargain at charity shops
5. formality and informality
A Marks and Spencer store
Oxfam charity shop in London
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Contents
Conservatism
Being different
The love of nature
The love of animals
Formality and informality
Public spiritedness and amateurism
Privacy and sex
Others
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6. Public spiritedness and amateurism
`The cult of the talented amateur`
This characteristic, however, is on the decline
`professionalism` begins to have positive meaning
Yet tens of thousands of `amateurs` are actively involved in charity work
Oxfam,
Amnesty International,
Save the Children Fund
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Contents
Conservatism
Being different
The love of nature
The love of animals
Formality and informality
Public spiritedness and amateurism
Privacy and sex
Others
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7. Privacy and Sex
Privacy underlies many aspects
It is rude to ask personal question (money, sex life)
`How do you do` is not a real request
Not normally invite others to their homes
Sex, although viewed in an opener and more positive way, is still regarded as an absolutely private matter
(E.g. joking innuendo and clumsy double -entendre)
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A man walks into the
greengrocers and asks
the female assistant if
it`s OK to squeeze her "melons".
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Contents
Conservatism
Being different
The love of nature
The love of animals
Formality and informality
Public spiritedness and amateurism
Privacy and sex
Others
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8. others
8.1. To housing


8.2 To food


8.3. To drinking
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To housing
They do NOT
want to live in
flats
Their most
preferable housing
is a detached house
of old style
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To housing
Whatever kind of houses, their houses should ensure:
- Privacy


- Individuality



- Cosiness
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To food
Food delicacy is not focused
Conservative about ingredients
Table manners are emphasized
Eat quickly
Table cleared
Opener to the way served
Have no restaurant culture
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To drinking
Accepted and welcomed
Local pubs
Important place for social contacts
No violence ? no shame attached to them
Restricted
Not at home
Entry allowance and sale to children
Strict laws on opening hours and amount of alcohol
Ambivalent
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Suggestions for further reading
Pubs- a reflection of individualism, multiculturalism and conservatism, ..
In what way is the British individualism/ love of nature mirrored in their housing?
What is reflected in British charity activities?