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We'll keep a welcome in the hillsides

Telegraph | News | Arrogant, unfriendly and no sense of humour: what foreign tourists think of the English

...the English – are arrogant, unfriendly and have almost no sense of humour.

Well piss off then you unwashed oiks....(Whoops!)

So what do they think of us?

The French do not perceive they would receive a warm welcome if they visited the UK. And why should they?
the Italians rated us the second least funny people in the world from a nation that elects Zappo the Clown to office that is a compliment, so who do they find less funny? The Marx Brothers?
German respondents believed that only the Russians were less friendly than the British And whose fault is that Fritz? I bet they love you in Stalingrad. If the knuckleheads weren't so preoccupied with greasing their lardy bodies in the sun they would notice what the rest of the ex-occupied countries think of them.
Argentina, meanwhile, ranked Britain 31st in terms of friendliness. "Improving Argentines' perceptions of the welcome is a key challenge for the industry," Keep your thieving hands of our land and we might be nicer.
Italian respondents ranked the UK eighth in the category of being honestly and fairly governed - Thanks, but from the Italians, love them dearly, that is hardly a ringing endorsement, a bit like the French saying we seem to wash.
English-speaking nations such as America, Australia and New Zealand still perceive the British to be welcoming, as did the people of Malaysia. Strange isn't it the very people our leaders insist we shouldn't be close to and have shafted over the years are still our true friends, whereas the great European family is as dysfunctional as Blair family Christmas.

Still the gurus say: "Our sense of humour is very different. It's dry and quirky. That is one of the things that makes us such a unique destination – we have to get that message across."

Blog Post Dated: September 13, 2006 7:04 AM |

Comments

And whose fault is that Fritz? I bet they love you in Stalingrad. If the knuckleheads weren't so preoccupied with greasing their lardy bodies in the sun they would notice what the rest of the ex-occupied countries think of them.

Actually, Germany is pretty popular all around:

Pew asked its respondents to give favourability ratings to five nations: America, France, Germany, Japan and China. America came bottom of everyone's list everywhere except in India, where it was top, Poland, where it was in the middle and China, where it came above Japan. The British view France and Germany more favourably than they do America. China is more popular than the United States throughout Europe. (Germany won this particular beauty contest, by the way, scoring highly almost everywhere except Germany itself.)

Besides, during the World Championship everybody loved being here, even the British. And Germany now even gets high marks among Germans. :)

PS: This preoccupation with WW II is a English obsession. The Russians are not so much unfriendly as gruff, and not just to foreigners.

Posted by: Ralf Goergens | September 13, 2006 11:32 AM

My family and I visited England about a year ago. My impression is that, in general, your people are polite, civilized and friendly...but not (Thank God) the sort of friendliness that demands one's attention.

When we reached out, we were welcomed; when we wanted to be let alone, that was respected.

I can't imagine any nationality doing better, though I understand the Swiss might tie for first place.

Posted by: Mark Hagerman | September 13, 2006 6:47 PM

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