Job Discussion Forums

[zaneth]

seemed like we needed a Briish Empire Thread. We're always bumping into it when we're out and about. I find the little pieces that I do come across in books and references and stuff to be rather interesting. Now that was an Empire! They even called it an empire, fancy that. Rather refreshing.

So, do you British teachers out there identify with it? Feel pride? Glad it's over and you can go back to being a regular country (almost). Or is it over?

Was there any part of the world that the British weren't stomping around in? Seems like they were everywhere.

Genuinely curious.

[basiltherat]

being a brit ,and a proud one at that, i'd say that, yes, it is all over. the good thing about being a brit is that just about everyone in any corner of our sweet planet can find us on a map, no matter how small we might look. that's kinda comforting. try asking a chinese to find denmark on a map ?
of course there are things that my country's leaders have done which are very regrettable (America, Rhodesia, for example) and in no way would i condone such policies and actions. on the other hand, britain has done a lot to get us all moving to where we are now, especially in industrial terms. Scotland and its abundance of inventors, for example, played a major role in this. Historically,I think we have played our part pretty well in the whole scheme of things and while colonization of others sounds a far from pleasant term nowadays, in many cases, it didnt take a lot of grief for us to give it all (ok, most anyway) up. Proud ? Yes.
basil

[waxwing]

The only time I did feel slightly proud (stupidly) of it was once in India when I was chatting with this tailor who was making me some trousers (sorry, pants, wrong Empire) and he was saying how much better India was under the British. There are/were many people, Indian and British who clinged to that romantic notion of the Raj.
Still I admire Gandhi hugely. I think I read Michael Moore saying that what the Palestinians need is a Mahatmi Gandhi. Couldn't agree more.
Hmm am I rambling here?

[grahamb]

A journalist once asked Gandhi what he thought of western civilisation. He said he thought it was a good idea.

[hamel]

as an anglophile myself, i really don't understand this new trend to lump the uk together with europe. i'll always think of the English as being just that and not europeans.
any thoughts--i can't remember to ask this when i occasionally speak to folks from different parts of the uk.
oh, and have you tried "scrumpy"? I love that and turkish delight.
cheers

[Communist Smurf]

It's kinda funny, but I actually got goosebumps when I watched the movie "Love Actually Is All Around Us" (not certain I got the title correct, the case is in Russian) and Hugh Grant, Britain's PM (snicker), gave a speech saying Britain is a great country and he essentially defied the US President right in front of him.

Natually, I didn't like it that he was defying the US and a poor picture was painted of the President. But for a second there I thought Britain was a really cool country.

I actually do believe Britain is a great country, but not in the same sense that they were before. My only gripe is that they need to do away with the whole monarchy thing. I realize it's a party of their history and it's not a real monarchy. I'm just an outsider, but I don't understand why you (English) tolerate giving merit where it isn't due.

CS

[Bindair Dundat]

[gugelhupf]

The empire is history. It was part of a world that no longer exists and is largely romanticised today - I'm not saying that this is either wrong or unique, after all life in the middle ages wasn't all knights in shining armour and handsome princes either. I don't believe that any Brits alive today would want to recreate the empire, even if that were possible.

As for the comment earlier in the thread about Britain being somehow very different from Europe I would beg to differ. The other nations of continental Europe are as distinct from one another as the UK is from any of them, with the possible exception of Ireland. The British empire might have been the biggest empire, but this was partly an accident of history and most other European countries had empires as well. The Dutch were prolific empire builders, the Germans had chunks of southern Africa and even the Belgians got in on the act.

Fortunately, I think we have all come a long way since those days.

[waxwing]

[Russell Hadd]

The legacy of the Empire continues with the rich mix of cultures that make up the nation. Thankfully, not much else continues except a tired Commonwealth and a Kingdom whose days are numbered. Bring on the Republic!

Celebrate 42 years of Independence for Jamaica on 6 August in Britain.

[kimo]

How many Tommies perished and how much damage did they inflict on other cultures so some fat slobs, smoking fine cigars and talking a lot of gibberish could live fine lives on country estates and attend the Sunday races?

What would the world look like now without British empirialism? Certainly the maps of Africa and Middle East would be different. But I can't say the world would be better. That history has brought us to where we are. So I would like to blame the British for George Bush. (Now back to the topic.)

[migo]

[Ludwig]

[Ludwig]

[Ludwig]