Britain’s Identity Crisis - by Samuel C. Baxter

“Utterly British.” That is how English newspaper Telegraph described the opening ceremony of the 30th Summer Olympic Games in London. Sixteen days later, the closing ceremony featured much of the same. Media outlets the world over called them “weirdly and unabashedly British,” “quirky,” “madcap,” “sensational” and “drawing heavily on the roots of British identity.”

But what does British really mean anymore?

After decades of systematically dismantling the British Empire, the nation has struggled to redefine its place on the global stage. It used to be simple: “British” meant global kingdom, “British” meant meticulous attention to manners, “British” meant military might and industrial power—“British” meant the top of the world.

Some inhabitants of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales, especially among older generations, took offense at the proceedings, saying, “That is not my Great Britain.” Yet the contents of the opening ceremony were honest and highlighted some of the region’s major societal problems.

• Mediocrity: British workers are now world-renowned as slothful and unproductive. Foreign businessmen have noted that rarely, if ever, will someone go above and beyond their job requirements. Also, on Fridays, many employees habitually leave their jobs early (without managerial approval) to prepare for the weekend.
• Drunkenness: For the average Briton, Friday and Saturday mean alcohol-fueled festivities. The Independent reported, “Britain is the drunk man of Europe. Alcohol consumption in France, Germany and Italy is down by between 37 and 52 per cent since 1980. But in the UK it is up nine per cent, with binge drinkers sinking more booze than ever, putting unprecedented pressure on the NHS [National Health Service], police and social services.”
• Obscene entertainment: Prime-time television programs offer a steady stream of obscenities and a vile parade of shameless nudity, sexual encounters, and wanton drug use. Many programs focus heavily on the occult.
• Sexual promiscuity: In all of Europe, the United Kingdom has the highest teenage pregnancy rate and largest proportion of children living in single-parent families, according to research by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The only other Western nation with similar numbers is the United States.
• Spoiled youth: British children are among the most over-privileged, unhealthy and materialistic in the world. UNICEF’s Report Card 7, which measured overall child well-being in Western nations, placed the UK among the worst. Given the previous four bullet points, is it any wonder? 

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