“Watching the English”

Kate Fox, an ethnographer studying the causes of good behaviour, is the author of this book.  As a baby she was strapped to a Cochiti Indian cradle board, and propped upright at strategic observation points around the house, to study the typical behaviour patterns of an English academic family.  In this book, her careful examination of the stereotypes means that conversations about the weather will never be quite the same.  She also dissects the “irrational excesses of English politeness”. 

She notes that class differences fade away the moment two Britons are confronted by a European, immigrants can choose to adapt (or not) to the dominant culture, and can revert at will, and the bar counter is the only place in England in which anything is sold without the formation of a queue. 

She suggests that the reason the English are seen as cold and reserved is because privacy is so important for them. It’s more acceptable to divulge details of one’s personal life in a book or magazine article than in a small social gathering.  Perhaps this explains the popularity of blogs?  The English apparently prefer to do everything in moderation.  Kate suggests that a truly English protest march would have everyone chanting: “What do we want?  GRADUAL CHANGE!  When do we want it?  IN DUE COURSE!” 

The higher echelons of English class call the evening meal ‘dinner’ or ‘supper’, the latter being a more informal meal.  In England I was surprised to hear my younger daughter refer to one evening meal as supper.  In New Zealand ‘supper’ is more inclined to be a hot drink and a biscuit.  If something more substantial is offered it will be late at night, when people have already had an evening meal. 

Kate states firmly that it would be impossible even to attempt to understand Englishness without spending a lot of time in pubs, which just shows there may have been a scientific reason for all my half pints of cider.  She also says it would almost be possible to achieve a good understanding of Englishness without ever leaving the pub. 

I must confess I didn’t quite manage to finish this book before it was due back at the library, but I thoroughly recommend it to anyone planning a trip to England, or living with an English person.  Rating: 7/10