Hostile hospitality
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Upon walking into a bar in the centre of Coventry the other night I was told, in no uncertain terms, "you'd better be English". This was just moments after walking through the entrance while in the process of trying to locate the friends I'd gone there to meet. Thankfully, they were easy to spot and some distance away from my greeter, so I didn't need to linger there any longer than was necessary.
"You'd better be English." It seems like an odd warning. Immediately, my sense of optimism wondered if maybe there was a stereotype that needed adhering to. At first, I wondered if it meant I should be prepared to join a queue, but once I had chance to take in the sparsely populated room I decided that wasn't necessary. Maybe there was an abundance of tea to be drunk (not that I'm likely to help there, but they weren't to know). Or, perhaps, somebody was having difficulty with the metric system. Alas not. This warning wasn't from a particular desire to have an English person enter the premises, but a desire not to have a non-English person do so.
The bluntness of the 'greeting' somewhat startled me. Had I not been English, I suppose I might have been intimidated. Instead, I was just annoyed. Despite the ubiquity of Sun readers, I'd always considered the English—nay, the British—to be more respectful and tolerant. Of course I'm aware of a prejudiced minority, but by and large I've been able to avoid most of them. I was, therefore, rather taken aback by such an overt display of pre-emptive hostility.
I should point out that the speaker had clearly been drinking… and, I assume, for some time that day (despite the relatively early hour in the evening, but we'll gloss over that). It could be that it was the alcohol that had given voice to some inner demon and that said individual might not otherwise have thought to say such a thing. He was, after all, so much the worse for wear that I can only guess it was the furniture keeping him upright.
Perhaps this individual wouldn't be so vocal on the topic were he to have sobriety on his side, but he's not alone in his opinions. One need only turn on the news to be reminded of a xenophobic underbelly within society that would rather cast out other cultures. The sad irony is that the majority of those that act in that way seem themselves to fall into their own stereotypical demographic that most of the population would far sooner be rid of.
To the non-English readers among you, I should like to assure you that the vast majority of English people are perfectly tolerant of other cultures, often embracing them as they would their own. I would hate anyone to think that by the actions of such a tiny minority we are all the same. We're not. Many of us are happy to welcome and embrace other cultures and visitors to our shores. In fact, these days I feel it is such diversity that defines what it is to be British.