Its interesting how one person said they were proud of superficial things, like an aggressive love of tea...but that in itself came from Europe getting involved with China (which it eventually forced into accepting European 'civilization' as the 'correct' way to live)
As a scandinavian I was a little surprised by the "we're not quite scandinavia but we're okay" linne. It got me thinking about being Swedish and what that means to me and how the world views us. Really interesting and thoughtprovoking video!
BookAddict Scandinavian countries are seen by us, from what I've heard, as for the most part successful and happy places. We see Scandinavia as a model really, you guys are brill.
Such an amazing video!!! Especially for someone like me who is not from GB. Always great to see when people think about what it means to be proud of their country and how problematic this can be.
This is so relatable. I've never learned anything bad about the British Empire. I am British, but at the same time I'm not? I was born in the UK but it's my skin colour and where I grew up made me doubt.
Very well done. Thank you for the inside and the beautiful editing. Being a german poc i have a rather peculiar relationship to this whole "i feel german"/being proud of my country thing especially when i'm so often doubted of even being german because of my skincolour. I actually didn't know there were so many different opinions and feelings about the term 'british' in Britain itself. I find the discussion very important, even essential. Particularly in this time when far right partys are getting more and more attention. It's kind of a universal topic in todays globalised world because we're not in our own bubble anymore and have to deal with the serious aftereffects of colonilisation. i think each country has to have that conversation. What even ist British? German? Persian? Thanks for starting the conversation and providing a platform where younger people like me can get involved.
I liked that I couldn't attach the words to how the person looks, which felt very fitting for this video, but as opposed to just reading the text, I could hear the differences in accents and vocal tics.
I am not guilty for my country’s past. I used to be ashamed of being British until I talked with my dad. My father is from a North African country which was colonised by the Arabs. He taught me of why he came to this country and how being here gave him so many opportunities to do well in his life. From conversations with him about his own countries past, the colonisation of it and it’s own society, he taught me how no country has a clean past and each has made mistakes. Some worse than others. It’s imperative that we learn about the bad our country has done, as it’s important to recognise how our country was made and how it grew to what it is now and how you can’t escape that our country did some really shit things to get there but also, we have to accept the past and move on, because we can’t change it. That doesn’t mean we should forget it, just acknowledge that it’s happened, we know it’s happened, but we can’t keep living in the past, feeling guilty for things none of our immediate family has done. On that note, it’s also important to recognise all the good our country has done as well, how far it has come. Because hopefully with more open and forward thinkers standing up to our government, the British people using their free will and speech, I think Britain will continue to become an accepting and welcoming country who will fight for the rights of those who can not fight for themselves. That to me, is what being British is, it’s recognising that for a small collection of islands, we have a pretty loud voice on the global scale and realising that, our people have a voice that they can use freely (something not all countries have) and collectively we can use that to have an immense, beneficial impact on this planet. Thanks for the thought provoking video, it helped to understand different perspectives and I’m just offering mine.
Absolutely loved this video and the last on Britishness, so interesting and thought-provoking. I'm doing a Heritage MA and done quite a bit on nationality and identity so found this video fascinating! Also, I spy the Dovey Junction to Aber train! (Fellow Aber uni alumni here!! God I miss the place, and I only left in June)
i have a really weird relationship with national identity because "british" is a label that i have never really identified with, having grown up in scotland, surrounded by "scottish not british" identifying people. it's strange because i really identify with certain cultural stereotypes like loving tea and having "british humour" but yet the word has never felt right to describe me. it's something i'm really on the fence about. i'm taking a class on national identity at uni currently and it's been really illuminating thus far because it's bringing to light just how performative identity is? idk it's interesting. this video is very thought provoking and ties in with a lot about what we've been learning.
My dad is English and my mum is German. I grew up in Germany being very aware of my German heritage! British patriotism or patriotism in general has always felt weird and foreign to me. I loved this perspective of claiming your right to be proud of your heritage, although I'm still not sure I could ever feel patriotic about being German or British.
I need to see the making of, specifically the editing of this video, specifically the words appearing in time as they were being spoken. Must have taken ages, I reckon.
Personally, as someone who’s born and raised in London, I’ve always identified as Greek Cypriot just like the majority of British Born Cypriots. It’s subjective at the end of the day. Not everyone is going to feel the same way. Same thing with British Born Iranians, Arabs, Armenians, Kurds, Greeks, Italians, Portuguese, Indians, Pakistanis, Albanians, Caribbeans, Africans, etc. Each to their own.
I tend to describe myself as Scottish apart from during certain events. The Wimbledon final, BakeOff and the Olympics are probably the only times I feel part of Britain. The Scottish government doesn't help by the way their communications often pit Scotland against the rest of the UK. "In Scotland we spend X per head on this/did this...in the rest of the UK...", for example.
I was born in England and my dad is English. My mum is Colombian. It struck hard when someone in the video said they wouldn't be so fussed about their British identity if they hadn't had to fight to be allowed it. I feel as British as the next person, but because I speak Spanish to my mum and because I am "half" Colombian, I'm often told I'm not "really British". For one, this annoys me so much because I've only been to Colombia 4 times. It's my heritage but not my identity. It annoys me also because I'm not "half and half" - I am British and I am Colombian, entirely. I am entitled to both labels, and yet in both countries I am told I can't be British or I can't be Colombian because I'm not "full".
Gina C i had someone on twitter last night tell me i can't be both and that i was just english. i guess some people just don't get that you can belong to more than one country
@@gabrielacallaghan-gaitan3963 I know mines a lot more subtle but I’m from the United States and I grew up In two different states both these states I have a huge love for both of them I think It’s totally true that you can be both In a more subtle way I feel kinda the same like I don’t belong In my birth state anymore because I don’t live there so when I go back there everyone seems to see me as the one from ( Not gonna say the two States names ) and now here the place I moved to during my childhood people also see me as the one from ( Not gonna say the two States names )
Hi, You’re as british as anyone on this island. People are ignorant and close minded. I’m jealous of people with mixed heritage, double the history, double the pride.
It must have taken so long to type out all those words! I wish Wales, Scotland, N Ireland and England were closer. I'm half English and half Welsh and it feels like England is disliked by the rest of Great Britain. I know that it's valid in terms of history and the terrible things that English people once did, but I would would really like it if we felt a bit more friendly towards each other and united. Idk if that will ever happen though.
i used to see the flags in london and love it, during brexit it became something else..even before..now, the few occasions i have seen it outside farms or such, its been an obvious racism indication which is disapointing and i hope will change
moppleinga Just to clarify not everyone who voted for Brexit is racist. People like you within the remain party were the reason I became more in favour of Brexit.
Funnily enough it wasn't until roughly the time this video came out that I figured out what the term "national identity" meant. I'm still of the opinion that you could only possibly need a "national identity" if you lack a personality of your own.
There was a lot of talk in the video of people not being proud of our bad history, but not mentioning any of our good history to be proud of either (which was a bit odd). Interesting thing you've made though
Loved this vid as well as the main essay! I'm on a Year Abroad atm in Finland so I thought the final comment about Scandinavia was very interesting. I too thought like that before I came here but i've been taking a course on the Nordic Welfare State and it definitely isn't all peaches and cream! Finland still practices forced sterilization on trans people, for example, which I found incredibly shocking. No where is sacred and it's v scary!
If you were born in England but not a citizen. Are you British? I question because my dad always say I’m British and when I was growing up I would get confused.
I've lived in Britain all my life, and I was born here. However I am not a British citizen, my parents are EU immigrants and I have no British ancestry or "blood". I used to feel British at least in part, until Brexit now I am ashamed of Britain and embarrassed and angry that it isn't as accepting and multicultural as it used to be. But is it? Surely Britain is the same one as say five years ago? It can't have changed that much can it?
This video is weird. "Our Royal Family is unique" and "We share a flag"... * Looks around history & contemporary Europe at royal families...looks at the UK flag for representation of Wales... * "We're doing alright" - err, Wales is the poorest nation in western Europe. Sorry but screw this. Look at the number of MP.s in the House of Commons per nation. With 86%, it's an English Parliament. Look at the number and placing of the Lords. Look at the national stereotypes discussed. I just can't even...I don't want to come across as having a go but - seriously - "Britain" has been broken a long time. Those of us on the edges had hoped for gradual improvement. It's not coming without cataclysmic change. That the voices in this video can't see this is...discouraging. I'm saddened by this video. It's just so out of touch.
Someone asked me if I was British too, but I replied "no," "I'm English." English first, British second. There are a lot of people these days who are most definitely British but not English, Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish
I honestly got a bit sad after watching this. Please do not feel ashamed or sad to be something, because of what others do with it. You should be proud to be British because YOU are british in your own way. It's just like being a feminist; Should I stop being a feminist, just because others misunderstand the term 'feminist'? No! I should just do it my own way!
Well! I'm studying Philosophy of identity and I am exploring the idea of nations and states and how we have built our personal identities around these entities. I personally believe that nation states, as they are today, are inherently destructive and oppressive towards minorities, no matter where you go in the world. We have merged two very different concepts into one, which is on one hand "traditional culture" (aka language, history, food, customs, religion etc) and "political culture" on the other. First of all, "traditional culture" is alwys evolving, it is constructive, not fixed. But more importantly, our political culture is based on norms, not values - simply put, "norms" are laws/legal customs/democracy/HR and "values" are moral principles based on a person's idea of what a "good life" is. These terms are different, despite the fact that there are ties between them - we have democracy partly because of the influence of monotheist religions that claim that "all people are born equal"; but all people living in the UK today who adhere to democratic norms aren't necessarily religious. And that's ok. Our political culture is based on laws, on regulations, on practices (aka democracy, human rights, voter participation, freedom of speech etc). These do make us different from other countries or systems, but this difference is political and not rooted in ethnicity, or religion, or skin color or any moral value. I believe that if we manage to differentiate political culture from taditional culture, and understand that both are constructive and never fixed, we will create a political entity that will surpass the nation-state - hence my belief that the EU is a key player in breaking down nationalism. Habermas wrote it way better than I just described it in "citizenship and identity", it's an incredible read and I strongly recommend it.
![Where to get your inspiration. [11/40]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YW42BURW9a0/mqdefault.jpg)
Its interesting how one person said they were proud of superficial things, like an aggressive love of tea...but that in itself came from Europe getting involved with China (which it eventually forced into accepting European 'civilization' as the 'correct' way to live)
This is so interesting, thoughtprovoking, inclusive and beautiful in an artistic way!
E Visser it's s you xa.
OH MY GOSH this so beautiful, I feel so honoured to be proud of it
As a scandinavian I was a little surprised by the "we're not quite scandinavia but we're okay" linne. It got me thinking about being Swedish and what that means to me and how the world views us. Really interesting and thoughtprovoking video!
BookAddict Scandinavian countries are seen by us, from what I've heard, as for the most part successful and happy places. We see Scandinavia as a model really, you guys are brill.
This is phenomenal, Leena. 💛
Really, really interesting topic and the editing is great!
This is beautiful, Leena ❤️ definitely proud to have been a part of it
Such an amazing video!!! Especially for someone like me who is not from GB. Always great to see when people think about what it means to be proud of their country and how problematic this can be.
This was brilliant, touching and made feel sharp and confident
This is so relatable. I've never learned anything bad about the British Empire. I am British, but at the same time I'm not? I was born in the UK but it's my skin colour and where I grew up made me doubt.
This is so perfect and important
this bows my mind because i feel the exact same way as an American
I'm Norwegian and just moved to England. This was very interesting! You are indeed not Scandinavia, but you're doing alright
Very well done. Thank you for the inside and the beautiful editing. Being a german poc i have a rather peculiar relationship to this whole "i feel german"/being proud of my country thing especially when i'm so often doubted of even being german because of my skincolour. I actually didn't know there were so many different opinions and feelings about the term 'british' in Britain itself.
I find the discussion very important, even essential. Particularly in this time when far right partys are getting more and more attention. It's kind of a universal topic in todays globalised world because we're not in our own bubble anymore and have to deal with the serious aftereffects of colonilisation. i think each country has to have that conversation. What even ist British? German? Persian? Thanks for starting the conversation and providing a platform where younger people like me can get involved.
I FEKING LOVE THIS WEE PROJECT YOU'VE DONE HERE OMG SO GOOD
how long did it take to edit each individual word to the audio? that's dedication. i loved this video
Such an inspiring video - amazing work!
Crazy, the footage of the residential street is where my mate lives
Brb, just going to go have a little cry. Love this. x
I liked that I couldn't attach the words to how the person looks, which felt very fitting for this video, but as opposed to just reading the text, I could hear the differences in accents and vocal tics.
great video, great idea, and so interesting for british and non british people. Good job Lena!
I am not guilty for my country’s past. I used to be ashamed of being British until I talked with my dad. My father is from a North African country which was colonised by the Arabs. He taught me of why he came to this country and how being here gave him so many opportunities to do well in his life. From conversations with him about his own countries past, the colonisation of it and it’s own society, he taught me how no country has a clean past and each has made mistakes. Some worse than others. It’s imperative that we learn about the bad our country has done, as it’s important to recognise how our country was made and how it grew to what it is now and how you can’t escape that our country did some really shit things to get there but also, we have to accept the past and move on, because we can’t change it. That doesn’t mean we should forget it, just acknowledge that it’s happened, we know it’s happened, but we can’t keep living in the past, feeling guilty for things none of our immediate family has done. On that note, it’s also important to recognise all the good our country has done as well, how far it has come. Because hopefully with more open and forward thinkers standing up to our government, the British people using their free will and speech, I think Britain will continue to become an accepting and welcoming country who will fight for the rights of those who can not fight for themselves. That to me, is what being British is, it’s recognising that for a small collection of islands, we have a pretty loud voice on the global scale and realising that, our people have a voice that they can use freely (something not all countries have) and collectively we can use that to have an immense, beneficial impact on this planet. Thanks for the thought provoking video, it helped to understand different perspectives and I’m just offering mine.
Absolutely loved this video and the last on Britishness, so interesting and thought-provoking. I'm doing a Heritage MA and done quite a bit on nationality and identity so found this video fascinating! Also, I spy the Dovey Junction to Aber train! (Fellow Aber uni alumni here!! God I miss the place, and I only left in June)
This is such a really cool perspective, and not a topic I had a lot of knowledge on so thank you for sharing
this was so good!!
This was really nice. I'm Dutch, never really got patriotism (still don't really), but this was a way to understand it a bit better. Thanks for that
i have a really weird relationship with national identity because "british" is a label that i have never really identified with, having grown up in scotland, surrounded by "scottish not british" identifying people. it's strange because i really identify with certain cultural stereotypes like loving tea and having "british humour" but yet the word has never felt right to describe me. it's something i'm really on the fence about. i'm taking a class on national identity at uni currently and it's been really illuminating thus far because it's bringing to light just how performative identity is? idk it's interesting. this video is very thought provoking and ties in with a lot about what we've been learning.
My dad is English and my mum is German. I grew up in Germany being very aware of my German heritage! British patriotism or patriotism in general has always felt weird and foreign to me. I loved this perspective of claiming your right to be proud of your heritage, although I'm still not sure I could ever feel patriotic about being German or British.
This is why i love TH-cam. well done
beautiful!
I need to see the making of, specifically the editing of this video, specifically the words appearing in time as they were being spoken. Must have taken ages, I reckon.
love this
Personally, as someone who’s born and raised in London, I’ve always identified as Greek Cypriot just like the majority of British Born Cypriots. It’s subjective at the end of the day. Not everyone is going to feel the same way. Same thing with British Born Iranians, Arabs, Armenians, Kurds, Greeks, Italians, Portuguese, Indians, Pakistanis, Albanians, Caribbeans, Africans, etc. Each to their own.
This is my favourite.
Like legit this is one my my favourite videos on TH-cam
LOVE IT! You are brilliant and beautiful... -peace
I tend to describe myself as Scottish apart from during certain events. The Wimbledon final, BakeOff and the Olympics are probably the only times I feel part of Britain. The Scottish government doesn't help by the way their communications often pit Scotland against the rest of the UK. "In Scotland we spend X per head on this/did this...in the rest of the UK...", for example.
I was born in England and my dad is English. My mum is Colombian. It struck hard when someone in the video said they wouldn't be so fussed about their British identity if they hadn't had to fight to be allowed it. I feel as British as the next person, but because I speak Spanish to my mum and because I am "half" Colombian, I'm often told I'm not "really British". For one, this annoys me so much because I've only been to Colombia 4 times. It's my heritage but not my identity. It annoys me also because I'm not "half and half" - I am British and I am Colombian, entirely. I am entitled to both labels, and yet in both countries I am told I can't be British or I can't be Colombian because I'm not "full".
Gina C i had someone on twitter last night tell me i can't be both and that i was just english. i guess some people just don't get that you can belong to more than one country
@@gabrielacallaghan-gaitan3963 I know mines a lot more subtle but I’m from the United States and I grew up In two different states both these states I have a huge love for both of them I think It’s totally true that you can be both In a more subtle way I feel kinda the same like I don’t belong In my birth state anymore because I don’t live there so when I go back there everyone seems to see me as the one from ( Not gonna say the two States names ) and now here the place I moved to during my childhood people also see me as the one from ( Not gonna say the two States names )
Hi,
You’re as british as anyone on this island. People are ignorant and close minded. I’m jealous of people with mixed heritage, double the history, double the pride.
It must have taken so long to type out all those words!
I wish Wales, Scotland, N Ireland and England were closer. I'm half English and half Welsh and it feels like England is disliked by the rest of Great Britain. I know that it's valid in terms of history and the terrible things that English people once did, but I would would really like it if we felt a bit more friendly towards each other and united. Idk if that will ever happen though.
I wish that happened too, that we were more friendly towards each other and united
i used to see the flags in london and love it, during brexit it became something else..even before..now, the few occasions i have seen it outside farms or such, its been an obvious racism indication which is disapointing and i hope will change
moppleinga Just to clarify not everyone who voted for Brexit is racist. People like you within the remain party were the reason I became more in favour of Brexit.
I'm not even British??? I just love this.
Interesting. Something that I always think is, I did not do anything to obtain my nationality, so can I be proud of it?
This is phenomenal and so very touching, but a bit embarrassed to say that I didn't understand the reference to Scandinavia. 👀😭
Funnily enough it wasn't until roughly the time this video came out that I figured out what the term "national identity" meant.
I'm still of the opinion that you could only possibly need a "national identity" if you lack a personality of your own.
eh, that's extremist too. National identity is part of some people along with other things and other bits and bobs of their personality
There was a lot of talk in the video of people not being proud of our bad history, but not mentioning any of our good history to be proud of either (which was a bit odd). Interesting thing you've made though
Loved this vid as well as the main essay! I'm on a Year Abroad atm in Finland so I thought the final comment about Scandinavia was very interesting. I too thought like that before I came here but i've been taking a course on the Nordic Welfare State and it definitely isn't all peaches and cream! Finland still practices forced sterilization on trans people, for example, which I found incredibly shocking. No where is sacred and it's v scary!
The island is called Britain therefore I am British. This is a political video, not geographical
If you were born in England but not a citizen. Are you British? I question because my dad always say I’m British and when I was growing up I would get confused.
Nhia 96 thank you for answering my question.
But where are you really from
1:01 has to be dodie
FANTASTIQUE
I've lived in Britain all my life, and I was born here. However I am not a British citizen, my parents are EU immigrants and I have no British ancestry or "blood". I used to feel British at least in part, until Brexit now I am ashamed of Britain and embarrassed and angry that it isn't as accepting and multicultural as it used to be. But is it? Surely Britain is the same one as say five years ago? It can't have changed that much can it?
Wow!
This video is weird.
"Our Royal Family is unique" and "We share a flag"...
* Looks around history & contemporary Europe at royal families...looks at the UK flag for representation of Wales... *
"We're doing alright" - err, Wales is the poorest nation in western Europe.
Sorry but screw this. Look at the number of MP.s in the House of Commons per nation. With 86%, it's an English Parliament. Look at the number and placing of the Lords. Look at the national stereotypes discussed. I just can't even...I don't want to come across as having a go but - seriously - "Britain" has been broken a long time. Those of us on the edges had hoped for gradual improvement. It's not coming without cataclysmic change.
That the voices in this video can't see this is...discouraging.
I'm saddened by this video. It's just so out of touch.
Someone asked me if I was British too, but I replied "no," "I'm English." English first, British second. There are a lot of people these days who are most definitely British but not English, Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish
I honestly got a bit sad after watching this. Please do not feel ashamed or sad to be something, because of what others do with it. You should be proud to be British because YOU are british in your own way. It's just like being a feminist; Should I stop being a feminist, just because others misunderstand the term 'feminist'? No! I should just do it my own way!
Hello from two years ago. You are bang on. Just do it your own way, should never matter what some people might think
Well! I'm studying Philosophy of identity and I am exploring the idea of nations and states and how we have built our personal identities around these entities. I personally believe that nation states, as they are today, are inherently destructive and oppressive towards minorities, no matter where you go in the world.
We have merged two very different concepts into one, which is on one hand "traditional culture" (aka language, history, food, customs, religion etc) and "political culture" on the other. First of all, "traditional culture" is alwys evolving, it is constructive, not fixed. But more importantly, our political culture is based on norms, not values - simply put, "norms" are laws/legal customs/democracy/HR and "values" are moral principles based on a person's idea of what a "good life" is. These terms are different, despite the fact that there are ties between them - we have democracy partly because of the influence of monotheist religions that claim that "all people are born equal"; but all people living in the UK today who adhere to democratic norms aren't necessarily religious. And that's ok.
Our political culture is based on laws, on regulations, on practices (aka democracy, human rights, voter participation, freedom of speech etc). These do make us different from other countries or systems, but this difference is political and not rooted in ethnicity, or religion, or skin color or any moral value.
I believe that if we manage to differentiate political culture from taditional culture, and understand that both are constructive and never fixed, we will create a political entity that will surpass the nation-state - hence my belief that the EU is a key player in breaking down nationalism. Habermas wrote it way better than I just described it in "citizenship and identity", it's an incredible read and I strongly recommend it.