[Misc] Brighton ignores St George’s Day

[Fignon's Ponytail]

Yes indeed. Growing up in the 60s and 70s I really don't recall any St George's day celebrations. Well apart from when I was in the Cubs as St George is also the patron saint of the Scout movement. So on the 23rd April we'd , um ..... well actually I can't remember what we did. I think all that happened was that Akela would tell us that St George was the patron saint of the Scout movement (Boy Scout movement as it was then) and also the patron saint of England. Then we probably went and played football.

So there were no celebrations, no parades, no street parties, no bunting, no tuppence off a pint of mild 'n' bitter - and that glorious non-celebration has continued to this day, only now it's seen as a sign of how the English are also oppressed victims unable to celebrate our own culture.

So I shall have a traditional, old-fashioned, proper English St George's day - I shall do bugger all to celebrate it.

I had totally forgotten it was St G's day today - means nothing to me tbh - but I do remember when I was in the 44th Cubs in the mid '80s having to do a St Georges Day parade through town (on the nearest Sunday to the actual day) with loads of other Brighton packs. Spent weeks practicing marching in time etc and flag carrying around Patcham village in the run up to it...or am I completely mistaken??

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Anymore for anymore? Or have we exhausted the Polish jokes. I reckon we’ve got a few more in us.

Surely not? I'd say that has a way Torun yet.

 

[HalfaSeatOn]

Unless it’s a bank holiday it can do one.

 

[RandyWanger]

I'd have never known it was today if I didn't open NSC. English seem to do a better job at paddies day than your own, is that because carling is a shit beer? Maybe it needs better marketing, get a decent beer to promote it like Harvey's?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Indeed. It's also my wife's birthday as well! (Another reason St George has to take a back seat in our house).

And my son in law’s.

 

[Hotchilidog]

St George's Day has never been celebrated with any nationwide gusto in this country, and I like that. Historically England has always been on top as country once it was eventually established. We do not have an Independence Day to celebrate because we have always been independent, unlike those countries who have their independence from us to celebrate.

We have been the overdog not underdog for most of our existence, which is why Remembrance Sunday seems to be the closest to a collective 'celebration' that we have.

The English identity is mish-mash of things without a clearly identifiable characteristic. I'd like to think a dry sense of humour and self-deprecation could be one of our best qualities. I'm English but I appear to live in a completely different country to those who shout loudest on this day that they will be arrested if they dare to celebrate it, and vice-versa I'd imagine they would not relate to me either. Still here we are, all English together.

I personally find the performative nationalism of somewhere like the US pretty nauseating. I'm glad that we do not feel need to the express ourselves in such a fashion, it's a lot more dignified and dare I say it....more English to be pretty cool about it.

 

[Is it PotG?]

An outward and visible demonstration of patriotism, whether for England or the UK or whatever should be encouraged.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

St George's Day has never been celebrated with any nationwide gusto in this country, and I like that. Historically England has always been on top as country once it was eventually established. We do not have an Independence Day to celebrate because we have always been independent, unlike those countries who have their independence from us to celebrate.

We have been the overdog not underdog for most of our existence, which is why Remembrance Sunday seems to be the closest to a collective 'celebration' that we have.

The English identity is mish-mash of things without a clearly identifiable characteristic. I'd like to think a dry sense of humour and self-deprecation could be one of our best qualities. I'm English but I appear to live in a completely different country to those who shout loudest on this day that they will be arrested if they dare to celebrate it, and vice-versa I'd imagine they would not relate to me either. Still here we are, all English together.

I personally find the performative nationalism of somewhere like the US pretty nauseating. I'm glad that we do not feel need to the express ourselves in such a fashion, it's a lot more dignified and dare I say it....more English to be pretty cool about it.

As elegantly summarized here:

 

[Jackthelad]

I went out once on St George day about 20 years ago and next to no one was celebrating it. It's strange one really because English culture is so deep and wide from academia to the arts the world is in our image to an extent. In modern times if you were to see a bunch of people celebrating England's day in pub somewhere y then it probably be a couple of people with England football shirts struggling to express what their English culture is. Maybe God save the king sung in a drunken loop at the bar.

The Irish day is only popular because it's just acceptable drinking day, wear a funny hat and that is about the culture of modern St Paddy's day especially out of Ireland. I don't think people should be ashamed of the English flag and you can always reclaim it from EDL types but I don't think St George day will ever catch on.

 

[BadFish]

This is the really weird stuff. Perhaps I miss it but if you believe these kinds of posts there are people everywhere complaining about people saying they are English.

How do you get yourself in this kind of quandary when the evidence around you points in a different direction.

Or have I missed it all?

Fwiw, I very much identify as English and get reminded of my Englishness many times a week. Although my Englishness is more your drinking tea and aplologising for everything.

 

[Randy McNob]

I went out once on St George day about 20 years ago and next to no one was celebrating it. It's strange one really because English culture is so deep and wide from academia to the arts the world is in our image to an extent. In modern times if you were to see a bunch of people celebrating England's day in pub somewhere y then it probably be a couple of people with England football shirts struggling to express what their English culture is. Maybe God save the king sung in a drunken loop at the bar.

The Irish day is only popular because it's just acceptable drinking day, wear a funny hat and that is about the culture of modern St Paddy's day especially out of Ireland. I don't think people should be ashamed of the English flag and you can always reclaim it from EDL types but I don't think St George day will ever catch on.

the mistake is that celebrating something like St Patricks Day is embracing another culture not national identity. Same as Diwali. Culture not country.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

the mistake is that celebrating something like St Patricks Day is embracing another culture not national identity. Same as Diwali. Culture not country.

And unlike Brits who still identify with an ancestral culture from other lands, Brits who identify primarily or exclusively with the culture around them have nothing to 'stand up' for. Nothing we need to cling on to to remind us of what we once were, or what our parents once were. It is already here, and around us and part of us.

Well, unless you're white and feel threatened by the presence of an Indian take away. Such people, I am told, actually exist.

 

[Jackthelad]

the mistake is that celebrating something like St Patricks Day is embracing another culture not national identity. Same as Diwali. Culture not country.

The Irish diaspora is huge in England, I'm product of it also I have an Irish passport but my "celebration" of st paddy day is basically me and the family posting a photo of a pint of Guinness in a family whatsapp group I don't even know why we do it it's just pointless really. I think Pubs the booze industry saw a way to make money from st paddy's day went with it and a lot of money was put into promoting it, much like we are seeing now from Pride festival.

 

[Randy McNob]

My response to the person who made the video would be that Ignorance is a great English trait which, as his video shows, is being impeccably observed

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Surely not? I'd say that has a way Torun yet.

Looks like I was wrong, and that is indeed your Lodz.

 

[AlbionBro]

Happy St George's day fellow English folk. I am off to the pub to raise a glass or two.

 

[Bakero]

This is the really weird stuff. Perhaps I miss it but if you believe these kinds of posts there are people everywhere complaining about people saying they are English.

How do you get yourself in this kind of quandary when the evidence around you points in a different direction.

Or have I missed it all?

Fwiw, I very much identify as English and get reminded of my Englishness many times a week. Although my Englishness is more your drinking tea and aplologising for everything.

Reading the post in that screenshot, it seems Englishness is the right to play fast and loose with the conventions of punctuation.

(I'm aware of the dangling modifier in the above statement but I'm English so conventions be damned)

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Looks like I was wrong, and that is indeed your Lodz.

I War-saw what you did there.

 

[Guinness Boy]

This is the really weird stuff. Perhaps I miss it but if you believe these kinds of posts there are people everywhere complaining about people saying they are English.

How do you get yourself in this kind of quandary when the evidence around you points in a different direction.

Or have I missed it all?

Fwiw, I very much identify as English and get reminded of my Englishness many times a week. Although my Englishness is more your drinking tea and aplologising for everything.

The Stewart Lee quote has migrated to Facebook I see

 

[BadFish]

The Stewart Lee quote has migrated to Facebook I see

Yes, without the irony I suppose.