What it means to be English

Reflection

What it means to be English

When producing my ‘Me as a Culturally Diverse Person’ spider diagram I put I was English. However as Debbie pointed out in a workshop I did not know it was the Queen’s birthday, admitting herself that she only knew because she heard it on the radio. This got me thinking about the fact that I put England down as a factor that affects me culturally however there may be many ‘typically’ English things I am not fully aware of.
I did some research on the internet to find out some more facts about ‘English Culture’.

Cultural Facts
These are just a handful of points I was not aware of or did not think were deeply imbedded in English culture.

•   British people are seen to have a ‘stiff upper lip’ which has roots from enduring the blitz bombings of WW II
•   The British are a private and reserved people
•   Prolonged eye contact is avoided as it makes people feel uncomfortable
•   In business you need to provide an agenda before a meeting with enough time for recommendations to be made on it
(Kwintessential, 2009)

Cultural Dimensions

I also studied Geert Hofstede’s website and came across this diagram showing some cultural aspects of the UK. When looking at these and comparing to other cultures I found that my experiences and the theory I have learnt on this module justify these results (Hofstede, 2009).

United Kingdom
PDI Power Distance Index = 35
IDV Individualism = 89
MAS Masculinity = 66
UAI Uncertainty Avoidance Index = 35
LTO Long-Term Orientation =25