Are Brits not happy for other's achievements?
- Thread starter Mem
- Start date
Drifterwood
Superior Member
It depends on the person, I think Mem.
Dame kelly Holmes, double Olympic Gold Medalist, disadvataged childhood, injury difficulties, fought her way back, walks on water.
City Yuppie, bags a £5 Mil bonus, probably not.
Dame kelly Holmes, double Olympic Gold Medalist, disadvataged childhood, injury difficulties, fought her way back, walks on water.
City Yuppie, bags a £5 Mil bonus, probably not.
I think it was more of a comment on the big emotional displays. Us Brits tend to be a bit more reserved in general - apart from the people who go in for things like X-Factor etc, where the displays are getting more flamboyant.
As Drifterwood said, a lot of it is down to the person too. You see an arrogant, self-centred person and you think, "Do they really deserve this?" Then, you see someone else who has worked hard, put in the hours, has great talent, but doestn't strut and preen and you think, "Yeah. He or she does deserve it."
As Drifterwood said, a lot of it is down to the person too. You see an arrogant, self-centred person and you think, "Do they really deserve this?" Then, you see someone else who has worked hard, put in the hours, has great talent, but doestn't strut and preen and you think, "Yeah. He or she does deserve it."
London_Calling
Experimental Member
Us Brits are as happy for others' achievements as any other nation would be especially when it's a true talent.
I think the saturation of reality TV shows that spew out untalented underachievers that we're all supposed to adore for the following week has probably made a lot of us a bit cynical when the term talent is used.
Of course if I had a friend or family member on one of these 'talent' shows I'd be there to cheer them on & get all emotional however crap they were! :wink:
I think the saturation of reality TV shows that spew out untalented underachievers that we're all supposed to adore for the following week has probably made a lot of us a bit cynical when the term talent is used.
Of course if I had a friend or family member on one of these 'talent' shows I'd be there to cheer them on & get all emotional however crap they were! :wink:
- Mem,
These are not the crap singers, it's the ones that made it thru to the next round.
What I find strange is that anyone would question why family and friends would be thrilled about their loved ones success.
I think Simon is cynical and not a great reflection on Brits.
Simon Cowell is playing a character, nothing more. If people are stupid enough to fall for it or react to it then he's too busy laughing at the whole game to notice. His 'persona' has made him millions
If people genuinely do well, then British people DO celebrate it, depsite what Cowell says.
If there's a habit of knocking celebs I'd say it's 1) healthy suspicion of the pointlessness of celebrity and 2) something shared by American culture - the reporting of Britney Spears recent troubles being just as vicious as any of the British tabloids.
True talents or achievers are celebrated - Paul McCartney still holds a special place in British hearts.
File it under the myth of bad teeth, bad food and rains all the time.
If people genuinely do well, then British people DO celebrate it, depsite what Cowell says.
If there's a habit of knocking celebs I'd say it's 1) healthy suspicion of the pointlessness of celebrity and 2) something shared by American culture - the reporting of Britney Spears recent troubles being just as vicious as any of the British tabloids.
True talents or achievers are celebrated - Paul McCartney still holds a special place in British hearts.
File it under the myth of bad teeth, bad food and rains all the time.
Drifterwood
Superior Member
It is something that is said about certain parts of our media, that they like nothing better than to build someone up, only then to bring them down again.
I am not sure if it still like that.
I also think Mr. Cowell has mixed the two. Probably had his pants pulled up too tight.
So, no, I don't think that it is a generalisation that you can make.
But he's not MEANT to be a 'great reflection'.
He's an invention of TV producers, no different to idiotic films like 'The Patriot' or any other national ego massaging. He's there to get a reaction - someone to hate who's from 'somewhere else'.
If you fall for it, it's your problem, not ours.
It's not like we voted him into power. Imagine if the worlds most unpopular mand had actually been voted into a job of represening a country!
Exactly - true talent has always been celebrated (giving the Beatles MBE's, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Mick Jagger etc etc)
The fact we rip apart people like Jade Goody (a former Big Brother contestant for those who may not know) and are horrified at being presented with her is one of the things that makes me love Britain so much.
