Thorn Tree travel forum

1

A STEREOTYPE? Maybe teaching good manners could help. I have seen several groups of young Brits in nice European cities and how to say it.... their after-drinking habits... not quite sophisticated.

2

Britain really can't overcome this problem very quickly - it is a well held stereotype. The inidividuals themselves should bear responsibility for their own behaviour, and its only them that can change it. Sure the police and UK Immigration and Customs can prevent known troublemakers from travelling abroad - like they do ahead of international football matches, but the trouble is that many of these people are perhaps not well known and only erupt into violence when they are abroad. A lot of the trouble is centred on teenagers 16, 17 or 18 who have never been overseas before without their parents - and because of their age are still too young and immature to behave in a responsible way. You can't stop people from travelling, as that poses questions about freedom and liberty.

Unfortunately people are people and they act differently from the authorities. As I have previously said the tribal tendencies and the violence are just innate parts of peoples psyche. Location may have something to do with that, but there is a close correlation between England football fans and some tourists in believing that they have to fight for their country, and that any person not from there is worth the fighting.

The media as we know it are overwhelmingly against the whole idea of Europe and Europeans, which unfortunately is copied by many people. You only have to see some of the xenophobic language used in the tabloids. The graphic reporting of the events in Faliraki over the summer by most tabloids seemed to be done in such a way that it was accepted behaviour there, and if you were going to Faliraki then it was likely that you could get away with behaving like that.

Only changing the small minded attitudes of most the people will help, but its not going to happen.

Welcome to Edinburgh, the home of.......capitalism!

3

"Love just one nation and the whole world you divide"
- spearhead

I think the problem is less with the tourists and more with those who are quick to judge. Do we dislike an entire nation if we only meet a few bad apples?

Sure, the media needs to do better reporting -- less stereotypical coverage -- and no doubt it will as many of us who live in the "global village" work together and beyond the contraints of nationalistic prejudice.

Ron Mader

4

The whole problem is related to one thing: the drink culture in the UK. British people do tend to drink quickly for the obvious reason that they don't have long to do their drinking, this causes drunkeness and with many football games the locals and local police aren't used to large groups of drunken people. 99% of the time if the police handled them better there wouldn't be any trouble at all, but alcohol does make many people aggressive. I think the long term solution is to make the licencing laws in the UK much more like the continents. Short term this will make it worse but over a 5- 10 year period I think the situation will get better. The whole drinking culture and belief needs to change and under the current system that will never happen.

5

Who cares?

Human beings stereotype other human beings. Such is human nature.

Does it affect ordinary Brits in any way at all if some people have this point of view? Well, in the experience of this ordinary Brit, not one iota.

No-one's ever refused me a drink, access to a country, access to a hostelry, access to a job or anything else I can think of because I'm British. No non-Brit has ever mentioned the topic to me (people really have other things to talk about). Or any of the other idiot stereotypes (class-ridden, incompetent, bowler-hat wearing, whatever) the uninformed have of Britain.

Brits' being stereotyped is a complete non-issue. But if you want to discuss what Brits should do to stop their fellow-citizens destroying their own lives, and their hosts' cities, by their moronic behaviour, that really is an issue worth attention.

Flanagan

6

You'd act the same if you were stuck living in that hellhole.

You ruined my life.

7

#7 What hellhole would that be exactly yourmother?

Welcome to Edinburgh, the home of.......capitalism!

8

Maybe you brits should learn to brush your teeth!!! At least it's a start!!

I'm sure I'm sorry, I guess I was in a hurry.

=^þ

9

#9 And that would impact upon misbehaviour how....exactly?

Welcome to Edinburgh, the home of.......capitalism!

10

#10 - take the carrot out of your butt and relax, I wasn't serious.

I'm sure I'm sorry, I guess I was in a hurry.

=^þ

11

OOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooh

holds up handbag at this thread

FWIW i agree with #4 and #5, but unfortunatley because of the long term nature to the solution you suggested, no government would take it on - i think they just reverted back to the old way in ireland after a 3 year relaxation of licensing laws, which is a shame, i think it would take a generation to turn around britains drinking culture..

dont think it is just the licensing laws either, think there is something deeper in people that means they need to get sh*t-faced every weekend, but haven't worked out what it is yet..

12

Britain tends to have a surplus of unambitious wasters whose only dreams are of the drunken debauchery which marrs the beautiful Greek Islands and racist hooliganism as exhibited in the last world cup. This characteristic is not just displayed by the British youth but by other countries also (only on a smaller scale), who, unfortunately consider the British role models. Call me elitest, i believe the problems of British behaviour abroad lie deeper than just a couple of pints but rather they feel no real identity anymore, don't care about their country (other than sporting achievments) and therefore feel no obligation to represent their country well when abroad.

Even the greatest empires will fall, you just need to know where to push Information/Resources on Borneo. - Introduction on Sarawak's indigenous issues see http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4gqci_penusah-tana_politics and http://www.borneoproject.org/article.php?id=628 - News and Resources see http://www.rengah.c2o.org / http://www.malaysiakini.com

13

Having nothing against the british, I have to say that this stereotyping comes not only from their behavour abroad. The drinking and getting wasted abroad it's just something that happens in the UK as well. It just lasts longer because of teh different driking laws. I'm afraid drinking is a serious problem for the british and as long as is considered cool and it constitutes the only "entertainment" of the british, the situation won't change. I just find it really bad that british peopl drink to get wasted while most people drink for social reasons etc.....

A ship is safe in the harbor, but that is not what ships are made for

14

Faliraki attracts young Brits because it is marketed specifically towards them. If they wanted to dissuade this type of clientele they should stop building vast clubs, promoting endless happy hours & 'fish bowl' cocktails and stop associating with holiday companies such as 18-30. You can 'get away with behaving like that' because that is the type of behaviour encouraged by businesses in Faliraki. It's a two way street.

If you look at the broader picture of 'Brits abroad' you might draw different conclusions. This type of tourism, although high profile, accounts for a tiny percentage of trips taken by Britons. On a personal note I've been well received wherever I've been, and whenever my nationality has been mentioned, it's generally been in a positive light.

Other nationalities are also stereotyped in various parts of the world. Israelis in India for example seem to be universaly despised for their treatment of the locals. I've rarely heard a good word spoken about Germans in Africa (or worse, in the Phillipines or Cambodia for slightly different reasons). Yanks are rarely flavour of the month in Europe. Japanese have a reasonable rep and that's about it. Few other nations have a high enough profile, or enough tourists to register on anyones like / dislike scale at all.

Perhaps the OP should stop worrying about the behavior of a few kids in Faliraki and get out more. Flanneruk is right . Who gives a fluck. Personally I'm going to have a beer and continue planning my next trip. Then I might get wasted.

Cheers
Jim

If Everton were playing at the bottom of the garden, I'd pull the curtains