h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This is something that's always puzzled me. I've always considered your nationality to be entirely a political/geographical thing. If you're born in England, you're English. If you're born in France, you're French etc etc

Do other people agree, or do you feel that if you have (e.g.) a Welsh parent and a Hungarian parent, you are 50% Welsh and 50% Hungarian? Can "nationality" be genetically passed on in the blood? (I'm talking about how you consider yourself, not whether you can get a passport from that country)

Similarly, can a person be genetically jewish or christian or muslim? I've hear people refer to themself as Jewish or Catholic by birth - but surely until you have any beliefs, you are atheist?

Just a talking point, what do people think?

Moose "-0-"

Interesting, and entry on the front page yesterday touches on this - A2654750. But maybe I'm being too tangetial by mentioning it.


Geggs

Certainly if you have parents who are born in another country from yourself then you will certainly feel their influence. If you're parents speak another language at home you are bound to pick it up as well as English. It might be a slightly different situation if your foreign relatives are grandparents and beyond.

Well that's my particular slant.

Well I was born and brought up in England but both my parents are scottish as is my entire family, almost all of whom still live there.

My older brother was born there, I am the first to be born outside. So how English do you think I feel. Not a lot, is the answer.

I come from a varied mix of cultures...Malay, Chinese, French, English, Irish, Dutch...

but I consider myself English...except when referring to...oh it's hard. Like on forms I'll put English but I'll generally say I'm a mongral.

I'm Irish not just because I was born and lived all my life in Ireland, but also because of my Irish culture and attitudes, which have been fed to me since I was born by my parents. If my parents had been Russians living in Ireland, I would have a completely different mix of culture, so I would still be Irish, but partly Russian too.

culture and nationality are seperate things surely
my nationality is British but could concievably change
my culture is predominantly English and Scottish but in a multi-cultural society with a U.S. dominated media much less so than was my parents

I was actually born in Germany and spent the first 11 years of my life there before my English parents moved the family back to England.
I never for one minute thought of myself as German (no offence to any Germans out there) as your national and cultural identity must be much more than a reference to where your mother happens to be when you make your way into the world.
If that was the case where would that leave people born on ships and planes?
I do find it slightly amusing when even after several generations of living in a particular place people still hark back to their ancestors nationality, it sometimes seems that the Americans are most guilty of this!

Actuallly the genetic Jew has been identified. By s in the US I belive who happened to be Jewish themselves.
There was child born on a cross chanal ferry a few years ago and as she was born in French waters she was eligable for a French passport as well as British one. The laws may have changeed since then. I'm unsure and don't time to check things out right now.

I was born in Kent, part of me feels Kentish. I have relatives from LOndon but for all my life have lived in Cornwall, which has given me a fondness for Cornish culture too. My mum was born in London and London is the capital and living not too far from it in Sussex increased the fascination with the nations capital. My mothers family have roots in a village just out side of Swansea and I am proud of my Welsh heritage. Physically I have the appearance of someone with Saxon and Welsh blood. Though my mother's looks are somewhat Scandinavian.

I am British.

Being Welsh myself and having a Welsh wife I automatically considered my son to be Welsh even though he was due to be born in Bristol. Just to be on the safe side I did drive my wife to Newport as soon as her waters broke!

Good man!

My mother is French, having spent at least her first 14 years of life in France (I can't remember for sure when they moved). She hardly ever speaks or spoke French around the house, and I have never lived in France (except on holidays, which is not residence really), but I still feel a little bit French with my mostly British identity. When I recieved a letter from the French consulate, I went down to London to watch an afternoon of military recruitment videos (which I think is all that's left of the diluted national service) so that I could claim dual nationality on my passport. I honestly feel that I would have disappointed my mother if I hadn't kept up some ties with France (besides all the holidays) when it was so easy.

Thanks for the interesting replies - I just fancied starting a "talking point" of a thread and it seems to have worked!

El Moosi ( -ish )

I would also say that how one views oneself is not merely a matter of place of birth and cultural heritage, but also a reflection of one'e current environment.

An example: I was in France with my ex when someone serving us in a shop asked if we were German. He said "Non! Elle - elle est anglaise. Moi, je suis ecossais", at which I muttered, "thanks pal". It reflected more on the state of our relationship than I cared to admit.

Another example: I was working in Sweden with a whole bunch of different European and American colleagues, (mainly Scandis and East Coast USA), and a Welshman. We had joshed each other about his Welshness and my Englishness, (I come from the Marches, and it *does* feel like a border sometimes), but when we were asked if we were American we looked at each other and replied "We are British".

Yet another example: I was arguing with a very pro-war American a couple of months ago, and arguing as a European that the French and the Germans were right to oppose the US action, and also as a European, that deepening Islamic / Western differences is just downright stupid, given how close the Middle East actually is.

Me. I tend to describe myself as being "almost as English as it is possible to be". But I am also British, European and Western in that order.

B

Why did you need to play the role of a European to opose war in Iraq?

Er....

... because I *am* European?



B

But what about being British stopped you from oposing the war as a Briton?

Maybe he was trying to be part of a larger collective? Seeing as we are technically part of Europe?

Or just opposing the war as a human being
After all quite a few U.S. citizens do