Watching The English - by Kate Fox

After having worked day-to-day, for a few years now with them, I found this book’s arguments about the English to be very true and relatable.

As I grow older I’ve become more practical in behavior, thought and speak, and after reading this book I realize this collides with the author’s description of English social patterns. In them, there’s a constant tendency towards indirectness, humor, self-deprecation, appearance of modesty and, moreover, moderation when arguing, greeting or expressing themselves.

This makes the real intention and meaning behind the words spoken to come from a complex interpretation of voice tonality, context and body language, along with the actual spoken word. This applies for many cultures, yes, but in my opinion, it’s far more present in this one.

As the author defines it, it’s due to a ‘social dis-ease’. Culturally, the English don’t seem to be comfortable in social situations and have historically developed a set of mechanisms to constantly ‘save-face’ in social interactions. It’s a culture of ‘coping with’, where appearances of positivism or eagerness for activities are rare. Attitudes seem driven by the feeling of the world being a nuisance that has to be coped with. These mechanisms tilt the emotional bar towards a perception of moderation in everything. It doesn’t mean there’s no emotion, it just feels like it. It’s as Roger Waters wrote in Pink Floyd’s Time: “Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way.”