This bothers me more than it should, but......

[papajaff]

Yeah I've never really understood this but I suppose you've got to respect their choice. Me parents (both gone now) were Irish but I feel no allegiance to Ireland whatsoever. Can't even support them when they play anyone.

My Mum always told me I was English (and always will be) as this is where I was born and I really admired her for that, among other things. I have 5 siblings who are always confused as to what they are but their choice of country changes with the weather. And don't get me started on the stupid yanks in my family. Quarter this, eighth that; you're septics, unfortunate but deal with it.

 

[MarioOrlandi]

The reason why they hate us, easy we took up the mantle of civilisation after the Romans buggered off back to Italy. We pacified Wales during the reign of Edward I and taught them how to mine coal and make steel. Edward who was also known as the "Hammer of the Scots" is rumoured to have taught our Scottish friends how to make whisky and to play golf. Edward III introduced cricket and football to the Highlanders but since cricket is a gentleman's game it never caught on because most of the Scottish Nobility had been captured and awaiting ransoms in English jails. The Irish cannot forgive us for growing taters in their vegetable patches, whilst the Americans don't like us because we blended better tea! A point proved when they lobbed a ships hold full into Boston Harbour. As for the French. . . . .

 

[Clive Walker]

suppose it is about how you feel inside and everyone should respect it. Blood lines are crucial to the make up of people and not the hospital they were born in.

Say my parents were both immigrants from Ireland and Spain, but I was born in France but moved only a week later to stay a year here and a year there. What would I be? Irish/Spanish or French or maybe a bit of everything?

 

[Frank Dux]

Can be a tough one, I was born & brought up in England but my dad is Welsh, one of the highlights of an afternoon as a kid was watching Wales play rugby with him & my Grandad & from that I have grown up loving Wales Rugby & still do despite a southern accent. To his credit he didn't force Swansea on me but took me to watch the local team. From that I have grown up loving the Albion & Wales as comfortably my two teams of choice.

Nationally at football is different, I can support both Wales & England at football, but rugby - no chance. Have copped a lot of flack over my life for being a 'plastic welshman' & a bit hypocritcal but what can you do.

 

[Guy Crouchback]

Say my parents were both immigrants from Ireland and Spain, but I was born in France but moved only a week later to stay a year here and a year there. What would I be? Irish/Spanish or French or maybe a bit of everything?

It's your choice: what language you choose to speak as your first one, which culture you feel the closest affinity to, and to which country you feel the strongest allegiance. Genes can decide a breed of a dog, but not identity of a thinking human being.

 

[daveinprague]

People will do anything to be a bit 'different'....but surely admitting being Welsh is a bit odd...

 

[Puppet Master]

Worse is when people had a Jewish great-grandmother and are like "I'm a bit/technically Jewish"

 

[Guinness Boy]

send him to live there dressed as a sheep
he will come back ENGLISH in about five minutes

Corrected for you.

 

[Triggaaar]

You know that Colin Hunt character from the Fast Show who spends all day at work regurgitating punchlines from comedy shows?

So you don't appreciate my sense of humour. Meanie.

That Stewart Lee sketch is fast becoming the 2014 online version.

Not sure I've ever seen anyone quote it before, and it seemed appropriate

 

[Buzzer]

So you don't appreciate my sense of humour. Meanie.

Not sure I've ever seen anyone quote it before, and it seemed appropriate

Oh, I do appreciate Stewart Lee's humour.

 

[Gregory2Smith1]

we have a similar thing in France,since changing the laws on regional number plates,you can now have any region you like on your car,it seems most young people in my town (pop 20,000) are either from Corcisa or Marseille

most of them haven't even been there,let alone come from there,I think it's the "I'm a gangster,don't mess with me"

can't be anyone left in Bastia!

 

[Tom Bombadil]

I think peope are attracted by the outsider status. When you're a kid you're trying to define your place in the world and rather than identify with the majority self identifying as Welsh carves you out a little niche away from the crowd. I have uncles and cousins who are very devout, despite the fact my grandmother from whom they claim their heritage descends was secular and had rejected religion. My mother is dismissive of them ( and me when i had a phase of identifying with that part of my family) and thinks of herself as English.

 

[MattBackHome]

That Stewart Lee sketch is fast becoming the 2014 online version. And faster going the way of fish puns in its overuse.

I'm inclined to agree, though weirdly I think that it's use here in this thread has more justification than other occurrences recently, given that it was a response to a direct (yet rhetorical) question - "What's wrong with being English?"

And it's nowhere near as depressing as fish puns. Yet.