The test of whether the culture lives, however, is that we can through an almost imperceptible series of behavioural signs, tics and actions recognise a fellow English man or woman
It took three years living in Poland and enjoying the wholly unashamed patriotism of my Polish neighbours to be able to comfortably feel proud of my Englishness. The propaganda has been so relentless since my childhood, from every direction the message has been hammered home - every other culture should be celebrated but Englishness is embarrassing, it doesn’t exist apart from as a shameful or malign force.
I have no often reflected that I would be more comfortable as an English person in a foreign country than in England itself.I can't persuade my wife to leave though, and am unsure where would be best, though Poland does seem a good option.
Yeah well there’s no getting around the fact that it seems on the surface much more similar to 1960s England than 2024 England does. But the history is tougher, harder and more brutal than anything the English have experienced. Once you’ve lived there for a while you realise that the differences go very deep. Also, Polish is hard to learn and you wouldn’t want to be one of those migrants who moves somewhere and then lives in a parallel culture without integrating properly.
It took three years living in Poland and enjoying the wholly unashamed patriotism of my Polish neighbours to be able to comfortably feel proud of my Englishness. The propaganda has been so relentless since my childhood, from every direction the message has been hammered home - every other culture should be celebrated but Englishness is embarrassing, it doesn’t exist apart from as a shameful or malign force.
I have no often reflected that I would be more comfortable as an English person in a foreign country than in England itself.I can't persuade my wife to leave though, and am unsure where would be best, though Poland does seem a good option.
Yeah well there’s no getting around the fact that it seems on the surface much more similar to 1960s England than 2024 England does. But the history is tougher, harder and more brutal than anything the English have experienced. Once you’ve lived there for a while you realise that the differences go very deep. Also, Polish is hard to learn and you wouldn’t want to be one of those migrants who moves somewhere and then lives in a parallel culture without integrating properly.