It's hilarious when non British people think of stereotypes of Britishness. Pretty much spot on with the drinking tea though, it is pretty much an institution here (in England). Not sure about crumpets though.
Then just what do you have for a snack after a long game of Cricket?
Good question, I'm not sure, but definitely never heard of cricket with crumpets.
I love cricket with strumpets.
Or, I'll just take the strumpets.
I'm not English, though.
In this day and age, in the UK, after cricket your more likely to go to the pub and drink a Danish/Belgian/Italian pint then walk to the kebab shop on your way home.
England isn't all "jolly hockey sticks" and "tea on the lawn with the vicar" any more (well maybe some places) as UK foreign policy on migrants and our membership in the EU has seen us become a melting pot of cultures. The "hockey" and "tea" bit is also seen by some as quite twee.
I myself am of Polish decent (grandad came over after being displaced in WW2) and am in no way xenophobic, but we do seem to be having our national identity diluted slightly.
I must say, I do prefer the England I grew up in in the 80's, tho this implies I've actually grow up.
London has become a massive multicultural hub with all the cultures of the world mixed up together, finding a stereotypical cockney Londoner is a rare thing these days.
Outside London and the big cities quite a few parts of England still meets the "cricket on the village green" stereotype, the small village I currently live in certainly does.
I think most folks recognize that there are caricatures of what distinctly "American" or "English" culture is like, and that these things are primarily fueled by pop culture and media.
Now, pop culture/media is never an accurate representation of a nation, but the fiction/caricature has a scary power of its own. So even semi-intelligent people fall victim to this fiction.
For example, most people who live in the U.S. have a *distorted* view of what San Francisco or L.A. Or NYC is *truly* like, because they have been informed by America's own myths/lore/media/pop culture about these cities. Plus, a person's prejudices come into play as they *interpret* these myths/lore/media representations. I wonder how many people are aware of the extent that they are basing their views on limited/faulty information.
So, if Americans have distorted views of regions/cities within America itself, I shudder to think how distorted an American's perspective on Europe/UK might be.
Luckily, I watched
East Enders throughout the 80's/early-90's, so I know what *real* London is all about.
I live in New Jersey, by the way, which has been the butt of jokes for decades, so this topic (caricatures of a region/state/city/country) have always intrigued me.
Sadly, for New Jersey, some of the caricatures are true. Ha!
* I use "caricature" because it is a friendlier, less-severe sounding term than "stereotype"...but, of course, I am discussing stereotypes.
I'll stop babbling now.