Brit Chic

[lupestripe]

Whilst I was abroad I noticed many people wearing clothes adorning the British flag. Clearly the perception of Britain abroad is still quite favourable, despite our dalliances in unpopular wars.

I am sure part of the reason for this is that many fashion labels are based in London and thus are selling a brand. However the UK is clearly seen in high regard overseas otherwise these products wouldn't sell. Part of the answer I am sure lies with the English language, which is the most pervasive in the world and seen by many as glamorous.

So, and this is mainly for my non-British followers, what is the perception of the UK abroad, both positive and negative? And what do you think when you think of Britain? I would be interested to know your thoughts.

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Comments

[lynx-vilnensis.livejournal.com]

Aye, but British tinkering led to Polish-Czech tensions, invasion of Tibet, two Indo-Pakistani wars... All the arbitrarily drawn borders... And, BTW, some countries now want other empires back, it's just unfashionable to say so from the political soapbox.

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

This is true but I don't think the British were any worse than any other major empire building nation. And in some respects, they were a positive influence.

[lynx-vilnensis.livejournal.com]

In some respect, every Empire had it's brighter side. Well, why don't we agree to disagree then, after all the double-standard is the fashion of the day. ;)

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

Yep, am happy to agree to disagree. How was the Poland-Lithuania Empire - did that have a bad side? And I also think the Nazis and Soviets did far worse for Europe than the British Empire ever did.

[lynx-vilnensis.livejournal.com]

It wasn't that much of an empire, more like a loose conglomerate of feudals under a single crown. Actually, that was the time when Lithuania started to became the backwater of the neighborhood. And in its heyday, trying to put a pawn king on a Russian throne, Lithuanian past was all but forgotten.

Regarding the Soviets, it's just a tricky game - what is the judging point for better and for worse? The state of things before? Any other similar country in the world? At least Lithuania regained Wilno, Memel and some other truly Lithuanian territories, became a nation-state, preserved language and cultural heritage and got industrial base and infrastructure it hadn't dreamed about. I am not talking about Europe, just this corner.

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

I will have to research it some more but the impression I get is that the Soviet era set Eastern Europe back about 50 years economically.

[lynx-vilnensis.livejournal.com]

That's one impression I am most uneasy with. "Back 50 years". "Back 30 years". How do we measure that? Does anyone, who says these things actually puts a date under his words and data behind them?