Misconceptions...
Created | Updated Apr 12, 2005
Recently I was discussing with a friend about misconceptions.
For instance it is a misconception of many people that have never been to England, that all English have:
1) An obession with drinking tea,
2) Extremely posh accents and wide vocabulary,
3) Do not swear under any circumstances
4) Don't show their emotions
5) All play Cricket on sunday afternoons.
Most of these can be proven to not be true in case of the average englishmen of this day.
1) Lots of English do like coffee in preference to tea.
2) Very few English people have posh accents or wide vocabularies, and those that have wide vocabularies and neutral accents are often mistakeningly called posh by fellow Englishmen (I should know this happens to me).
3) Nearly everyone swears, even those that are opposed to swearing cannot deny that once in their life they stubbed their toe and said at least "Damn" if not something stronger.
4) Many show their emotions, Teenagers as well known for being Drama Queens when it comes to their emotions (I've been accused of this, so it's not unfounded.)
5) NOT everyone plays Cricket or even understand the rules, and their are indeed more Football and Rugby supporters than there are Cricket supporters. Also many English have far better things to do with their sunday afternoons.
My friend is a Scotsman from Glasgow and has had terrible trouble with people meeting him, listening to his thick Scottish accent and expecting him to speak Gaelic and to wear a kilt. Indeed he has told me that he's never worn a kilt in his life, and has no wish to do so as it's too cold. He also has admitted to not speaking a word of Gaelic. And although surprisingly many english words are divrived from Gaelic, he does indeed not speak Scots Gaelic and couldn't understand anything said to him in Scots Gaelic (or at least very little).
It seems a world wide thing for there to be misconceptions about countries from anyone that hasn't been there, or has been there but only to a certain part. Often these have to do with culture and what is recognised throughout a certain countries history. As I am absolutely positive not all Japanese commit suicide by cutting out their intestines with a large knife, I am also equally convinced that not all Asian people know a martial art of some sort.
So why do we all have these misconceptions until someone puts us straight?
From Traneei the Huntress.
For instance it is a misconception of many people that have never been to England, that all English have:
1) An obession with drinking tea,
2) Extremely posh accents and wide vocabulary,
3) Do not swear under any circumstances
4) Don't show their emotions
5) All play Cricket on sunday afternoons.
Most of these can be proven to not be true in case of the average englishmen of this day.
1) Lots of English do like coffee in preference to tea.
2) Very few English people have posh accents or wide vocabularies, and those that have wide vocabularies and neutral accents are often mistakeningly called posh by fellow Englishmen (I should know this happens to me).
3) Nearly everyone swears, even those that are opposed to swearing cannot deny that once in their life they stubbed their toe and said at least "Damn" if not something stronger.
4) Many show their emotions, Teenagers as well known for being Drama Queens when it comes to their emotions (I've been accused of this, so it's not unfounded.)
5) NOT everyone plays Cricket or even understand the rules, and their are indeed more Football and Rugby supporters than there are Cricket supporters. Also many English have far better things to do with their sunday afternoons.
My friend is a Scotsman from Glasgow and has had terrible trouble with people meeting him, listening to his thick Scottish accent and expecting him to speak Gaelic and to wear a kilt. Indeed he has told me that he's never worn a kilt in his life, and has no wish to do so as it's too cold. He also has admitted to not speaking a word of Gaelic. And although surprisingly many english words are divrived from Gaelic, he does indeed not speak Scots Gaelic and couldn't understand anything said to him in Scots Gaelic (or at least very little).
It seems a world wide thing for there to be misconceptions about countries from anyone that hasn't been there, or has been there but only to a certain part. Often these have to do with culture and what is recognised throughout a certain countries history. As I am absolutely positive not all Japanese commit suicide by cutting out their intestines with a large knife, I am also equally convinced that not all Asian people know a martial art of some sort.
So why do we all have these misconceptions until someone puts us straight?
From Traneei the Huntress.
