British Culture Is Worth Saving

In my last video about the ongoing troubles in the UK, some commenters accused me of supporting the culture and values of a failed empire, and accused me of being an Anglophile. Um, yes, guilty as charged! I unapologetically support British culture and its values. I think it’s something worth saving.

As a kid, I loved watching British children’s television. My half-Chinese children also grew up watching British television. As an adult, I love British comedians. I love British films. I love watching reruns of British TV shows. I admire British singers and songwriters. I grew up playing British sports. I loved my British neighbours, and many of my colleagues have been British and we just naturally got on.

Heck, I grew up speaking English! It is my mother tongue. Sure, as an Australian, I speak a bit of a bastardised version of it. “No worries mate, I’ll chuck a sickie and bring over a hot chook this arvo and we can watch the footy. May as well throw some snags on the barbie and have a couple of stubbies while we’re at it. Got any sangers?”

Sure, Australians have a bit of a humorous rivalry with Britain, but it comes from a place of love not hate, admiration not scorn.

I support the traditional British values of Democracy, Rule of Law, Respect & Tolerance, and Individual Liberty. Of course I do! I would question those that don’t.

Some people might therefore accuse me of only liking the Anglosphere, but that’s completely not true. I would say similar things about, say, Japan. Sure Japan has a dark history, but that’s not what Japan is now. Many detractors have pointed out Britain’s dark history with the transatlantic slave trade and so on, but that’s not what Britain is now. Australia has a dark history. Heck, name me one country that doesn’t have a dark history. All we can do is learn from our mistakes and press forward. Holding on to past injustices and then claiming that we shouldn’t be supportive of our modern Western culture because of it, is just plain misguided.

Look, Britain’s not perfect. It’s got its problems, as has every other country. But I support British culture and values, because I think Britain is worth fighting for.

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Allégro by Emmit Fenn