British Vs English - More Than Meets the Eye?

An Englishman could be an old white man with a bellowing voice and an expensive wooden umbrella.

A Brit could be an immigrant man working in a falafel shop hollering at customers.

But could one be the other? Would the man selling falafel call himself an Englishman first? Would the rich man with the umbrella call himself British before English?

Is the English flag obsolete? Will the idea of the English flag begin to include everyone or be a symbol only for the people who have lived in England for generations? Could the English flag fade out if a culture of inclusion sees it as a sign of elitist and revisionist ideas?

Perhaps elitist people who call themselves more English than British will continue to raise the flag higher in the face of new immigrants as a subtle sign to say they are not welcomed.

Could there be parallels between the English flag in the United Kingdom and the Confederate flag in the U.S.A?

In the U.S.A people raise the flag in front of their eyes blinding themselves with hatred towards people who aren’t like them. Do some English elitist do the same with the English flag?

Polls indicate some people see themselves as equally British as English and some see themselves as more one than the other.

The difference between British and English begins as being geographically different. England’s flag represents the land of England only; while the British flag represents Scotland, Northern Ireland, or Wales.

It’s difficult to identify what the English flag means culturally.

St. George was a militant saint and the cross was prevalent in the crusades.

People who follow the English flag now more than the British flag could tend to have a militant attitude. Considering themselves a unit of people that somehow feel separate from others and need to fight to continue to stay separate.

Brexit voters who wanted to leave were overwhelmingly stating themselves as “more English than British” and also the majority of these Englishmen are older people who have most likely had generations of family in England.

They could be afraid of change and want to keep what was theirs as theirs.

With all their estates, they inherited they also inherited the good side during the older way of life: without immigrants and without a healthy working class.

Elitist could fear immigrants coming in and taking away their status from the past. Could the English flag become a reactionary symbol?

As for the British flag, it represents many different countries being joined together under one. This is now resembling of different people being united in one location.

Modern London prides itself on diversity and the majority of its immigrants will consider themselves British rather than English because they do not see the divide between people because of their skin or where their family is from.

Does the British flag look into the future while the English flag wants the past?

Photo by Jens Moser on Unsplash