YES! It’s OK to be English! If you stopped most any Caucasian American on the street and asked them about their families roots, you are most likely to hear them say that they are Irish, Native American, Scottish, German, Viking, Italian, or any other European county. Why is it that so few claim, or admit to being English?
I’ve learned that when it comes to our ancestors, the number one thing that most Americans want to know is, what country, or countries did their ancestors come from. The fact is most of us Americans are extremely English. But… why do so many of us mention that in passing? I hear people say, “I’m half Irish, and half Cherokee”, or “I’m Irish, Scottish, a bit German, and Viking”. Sometimes folks do mention they are English but it’s usually at the end. I hear, “I’m Irish, Cherokee, Viking, Scottish, a bit Italian, oh, and of course some English, but we won’t talk about that.” Why are we ashamed, or embarrassed to be English? Why is it considered “vanilla” to be English?
In this video we will discuss why this is, and why so many of us deny our English roots. I also want to mention that this video is NOT directed at the English today. This is not a political video about the current problems that England and Great Britain currently face, those are totally different subjects. I should also mention that yes, English, and British are two different things, but to simplify this video, I will use the names interchangeably. Also, for you folks watching this video in England, yes, we know we are Americans, not English, or British. We Americans look at our roots as our heritage, not our nationality like so many Europeans do. This video is directed towards those of us from countries that were colonies of Great Britain.
The main reason why so many of us Americans want to deny our English roots is the simple fact that we fought two wars against them. We earned our independence as a nation from Great Britain, so in a sense, many of us think that it would be “anti-American” to claim to be English. Part of our American culture are phrases like “don’t tread on me”, “sic semper tyrannis”, or thus always to tyrants, and “give me liberty, or give me death”. I’m going to challenge you Patriots to look at things from a different angle.
Another reason that the English have become so unpopular to many of us today is that they subjugated so many peoples and in modern culture that is seen by many to be a very negative thing. I’ve heard that the most common holiday in the world is Independence Day from British Rule. The English subjugated the Scottish, the Irish, the Indians, East Asians, Africans, Arabs, and scores of other peoples. It was once said that “the sun never sets on the British Empire”.
English has become the world language used in trade and travel. I’ve been all over the world and usually there are people that speak a little English and you will find signs that are written in the local language and in English. Airports usually have announcements in the local language, and in English. The English have played a huge part in bringing modern civilization to the world. Now, that statement has become very unpopular lately. I have heard the phrase “Colonizer” used more and more in the last few years and it’s often used as a negative and even as a slur. Calling someone a Colonizer is often used as another way of calling someone a thief, or a destroyer of cultures.
I fully expect the comments of this video to be full of the horrible things that the British Empire has done over the centuries. While I can’t deny that the English have certainly had their fair share of atrocities in world history, I must say that I’m hard pressed to find a group of people that are innocent. All groups of humans, in all times in history have done horrible things, the English don’t have that monopoly.
With all the things that our English ancestors achieved we should be proud of them. We should embrace their accomplishments. This tiny percentage of the worlds population, in a little corner of the earth built an empire that spread their culture all over the globe. It is possible to celebrate your English ancestors as well your roots with peoples that fought against them. History and DNA is complicated. You won’t hear me say “God Save the King”, but I’m proud of my English ancestors.
I am known for saying that no matter who your ancestors are, you should embrace them and be proud of them. Their struggles are what brought us to where we are today, and we should honor their sacrifices and achievements. In God’s eyes, no group of people are above another and we should never forget who we are, and who got us here today.
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Негізгі бет Ойын-сауық YES! It’s OK to be English!
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