Anglu(apie britus)
Who are “the British”? How do they live ? What do they believe? What to they enjoy? How do they behave?
The following text, I hope, will answer to these questions, determine and typify the British way of life- the lifestyle of ordinary, as well as extraordinary, Englishmen. And here I have to stop.
Foreigners usually call all British people “English”, but the Scots, the Irish and the Welsh do not consider themselves to be English. So remember once and forever: The British Isles today are shared by two separate and independent countries: the Republic of Ireland, with its capital in Dublin, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Nothern Ireland, which contains three different ‘nations’: England, Scotland and Wales. Immediately after the Second World War, Britain looked like a prosperous and friendly country for immigrants, and they were free to enter and look for work, until successive governments have introduced regulations to restrict their number. However, Jews, Russians, Germans, Indians, West Indians, Pakistani, Africans, Arabs and Chinese settled in UK and formed their communities. They still have their own traditional way of life, speak their own dialects – it’s strange, but 22.7 per cent of London schoolchildren at home speak not English, but 173 other languages, including Bengali, Turkish, Chinese. Racial discrimination and poor living conditions have contributed to violence, especially in the day- to-day form of relations between young blacks and the police, inner city riots, which represent not so acceptable style of life. So in this multicultural society it’s even difficult to find a typical Englishman, but let’s try.
“(…) The British are habitually secretive… but how nice they are. By nice I mean ironical, witty, polite and rational and law-abiding (…)” .
A typical Englishman believe in “ Her most excellent Majesty Elizabeth the Second by the grace of God (…) Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith”. The Queen is the official Head of State and, for many people, a symbol of unity of the nation. He also believes in Royal Family. Remember, how popular was Princess Diana?
Young people live in Britain
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Despite media reports, not all young people in Britain are punks or football hooligans. There is a wide cross-selection of youth from young conservatives to Rastafarians, from skinheads to pupils of private expensive schools. Being independent and free to choose are priorities. Ever since the media discovered the world of the youth, films, TV programmes and the magazines have all been marketed towards them. Since the Pop Revoliution in 1960’s the youth became a rarther separated social group with their own ideas : “flower power” by hippies, the only aim of punks – to die young. However, nowadays young peope in Britain are not so rebellious, much more materialistic. Young, persistent, full of energy city-dwellers are called “yuppies”.
Ages you can legally do things
Leave school 16
Ride a small motorbike
Buy cigarettes
Get married
Drive a car 17
Buy alcohol
Vote 18
Education is compulsory from he age of five to sixteen. Most parents choose to send their children to free state schools, but an increasing number of pupils attend fee- paying independent boarding schools outside the state system, many of which provide accommodation for pupils during term time. But only 45 per cent of them continue with full – time education after 16. What do the rest do? 12 per cent school-leavers are left without jobs , 10 – are full-time employed and 27 per cent join youth training schemes, which provides a living allowance during 2 years of work experience. Unemployment among school leavers is a particular problem, with many facing a bleak future with little hope. But there are young centers and clubs provide the youth with information on a wide range of issues from health problems and leisure problems to training and jobs.
Undergraduate courses normally take 3 years of full- time study, although a number of subjects take longer (it include a year abroad) – medicine, architecture and foreign languages.