The+Facts+and+Info+page

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=Facts and Info=


 * __SCHOOL SYSTEM__**

=** Why should students wear school uniform to school? **=

There are different reasons why the British school students have to wear school uniform. A purpose could be to hide the social and differences between the pupils. A uniform are making people more equal in a good way. It could also emphasize the person behind the aide and not focusing on the material. The equality is neutralizing bullying and fashion press. It gives also a type of belonging and makes the student to feel responsibility, belonging and pride, because they are feeling they are a part of something.

Since school uniform is most common in the private schools in Britain, the school uniform is more used with the academic in mind. The school uniform is a way of express high discipline and exclusivity. The school also wants to give the best impression in the school competition. The uniform is symbolising high standard and quality by the formal and politely effect. The school uniform is also affecting the working environment and the disciplined and serious system, kind of making the school more professional.

Julie M

British litrature
===Who are the most famous writers in Britain of all time and today? ===

Britain has always been one of the most dominating countries within literature. William Shakespeare, the most dominating and inspirational author for the last 400 years was English and never left England in his living period from 1564 to 1616. Three hundred years after Shakespeare, a new good and well known author broke through. [|CharlesDickens] wrote classics as “The Adventure of Oliver Twist” in 1839 and “A Chrismas Carol”1843.

Today the most known British living author is maybe [|J K Rowling](1965- ). She has written the very popular children and youngster books about Harry Potter. She has sold tons of books and I don’t think you can walk in to a classroom in the western-world without anybody knowing about the amazing Harry Potter. She said many years ago that the most genius author ever is William Shakespeare. Rowling’s takes often inspiration from the old and well known poets to write her books. All three of them have become some of the most winning authors of the world.

Clara = =

Why do we have ideas about British stereotypes at all?
There is surprisingly little attention given to the origin of stereotypes, as the development seems very obvious. The stereotypes, as we know them, could be products of culture. However, as the bond between culture and stereotypes is pretty strong, the stereotypes are rather a part of the culture, then a result of it. If we consider the stereotypes as a part of the general culture in Britain, we should assume that the stereotypes are generally believed too. Their cultural beliefs and values are, quite obvious, accepted in their society. If we then see that many people share the same beliefs, the outside world generalizes this as a stereotype, which is the beginning of a common matter of course.

The British traditions are based on cultural diversities, because Great Britain is an island of four countries. England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales all have their own traditions, which create different stereotypes. This is an excellent example of how the stereotypes evolve, as the thoughts you get by thinking of these countries are based on what you know, and the most specific facts. Culture and tradition are connected in a way that makes tradition an outcome of culture, which then is a common way of living in a country. These four countries got different traditions, and the stereotypes are then segregated too.

By looking at Britain with a Norwegian perspective, the reasons for having stereotypes become more visible. All stereotypes do not originate in the same way, as it depends on the location. Norwegians and Britons have always been close, not just geographically, but also in fact through publicity. For instance British television are broadcasted in Norway, (actually with a focus on the British humor), and this obviously sets our brain into work. The imagination and the ability to gather our own opinions are basically the reason for predicting the behavior of a population, which then is affected by the Britons themselves. Knowledge is the key to everything, and the reason for our allegations might be the lack of some information, and we fill in the “blanks” ourselves with stereotypes.

- Vetle

Sources: - "The Psychology of Stereotyping", by David J. Schneider

Some stereotypes
Stereotypes are assumed ideas and beliefs about a particular group of people or types of individuals. Stereotypes are everywhere, they are impossible to evade. The reason for the existence of stereotypes is by virtue of the fact that it is human nature to group things together. We are familiar with things, patterns continue throughout generations and we automatically classify people in groups based on what we know about the society, cultural facts and what is said in the media. The term, stereotype, is often used in negative contexts and stereotypes can be seen as undesirable meanings but it can also be seen as positive.

We have made up several stereotypes of the Britons over the past years. One statement most people believe is that Britain is a snobby nation. Their English accents are one thing that is considered quite stuck up as it sounds more serious and sophisticated than most languages. In addition to that the Britons are also connected with being big tea lovers, and that their main priority during the day is their afternoon tea with crumpets. “To come for tea” is often used by the Britons and can mean a whole meal, which tells us about the Britons love for tea.
 * Snobby **

Playing cricket and ascot is in relation with being British, especially playing ascot. Ascot is horse racing only played by the people in the upper class, especially royalty. It is the day where they come out of their castles wearing their extravagant hats and drink champagne with their fellow friends from the upper class. It is a snobby thing, but it is also a tradition and Britons are also known as the nation who sticks to their own traditions.
 * Ascot **

** Traditions ** Many people would probably say that Britons are old-fashioned. British judges are still wearing old-fashioned white wigs in court. In Britain these special wigs are also worn by barristers, judges, and certain parliamentary and municipal or civic officials as a symbol of the office. The original purpose of the legal wig was said to provide a form of anonymity and safety. Also, in the UK, driving on the left side of the road remains the rule. The Britons tend to stick to their own traditions, and are not very on to the idea of making changes to adapt to European standards. Maybe this trait of traditionalism comes from the isolated geographical position of the British Isles? Their outward orientation has traditionally been towards their former colonies, rather than Europe, and Britain has tended to export its own culture rather than pick up old habits from others.

One statement about the British stereotypes that might be spot-on is that they are very polite, especially compared to Norwegians. British children learn formal politeness from an early age. Even the youngest toddler is taught to say “please” when asking for something and “thank you” when getting it. Anything else would be considered very rude. They call it “the Norwegian arm”, when sitting at the table and instead of asking someone to send the butter, the person would lean over, stretch his long arm and find the butter himself. He doesn't want to be a burden to anybody. He can help himself and let people have their breakfast in peace, but in Britain that would be concidered as rude and unacceptable.
 * Politeness **

Sources: []

- Sibel

Britain has a long history of people being divided into social classes. It’s hard to give an exact moment when the class system was made, but we can see classes already from the medieval times. This class system was completely different from the one we got today, though. How has the class system developed from the medieval times until the modern class system we got today?

In the medieval times, the king was in absolute control. He and the rest of the noble were on top in the class system, and no one could say anything against their rules. In the classes under the king and noble were the knights and the priests, and at the bottom were the rest. The lowest class was the only one that had to work and pay taxes, so that the upper classes could live peaceful and carefree lives. This extreme class system is gone today, and the modern class system most probably comes from the industrial revolution.

The modern class system with the working, middle and upper classes were most probably made in the industrial revolution. Some people had their own factories, owned banks or were squires, and worked their way up to the upper class. The working class grew, as more people were needed at the factories, and for the first time ever, even women started to work. The ones that worked at the factories got very bad paid and had to work long hours to get enough money for them and their family to survive. In the industrial revolution, the class system slowly started to get solid.

The class structure loosened a little after the Second World War, as the number of people in manual work decreased. Universities to more children whose parents could not afford private education were opened, and new inventions like the television knocked down some of the cultural barriers between the classes. Multiculturalism and a changing economy are today gradually eroding the British class system, but the classes are still visible in the community. The class system is hard to get rid of, as it has bin a part of the British society for a very long period of time, and is a big part of Britain’s history.

RUT

=**British values – what are they? **=

**Values** [|(Source: StevePavlina.com)] can be defined as many. To each person a value can be a fixation that matters to us, and in that way causes to be a big part of our daily aspects of life. Some values are to be recognized as religion and culture, where people choose to use it as a daily routine in the regular daily basis. Using religion and culture as two examples of overall many values, these are two examples that people in a country can have in common, and in that way it helps represent their country as a different place with an exceptional and characteristic value. These values can also be taught as morals – in church, home or even at school. In that way they can be passed on from generation to generation, so that they can be distinguished.

What is important in your life? If a person is able to answer this question, we come to find a value for one and many. Every person has goals in life, whether they think about it or not. When these goals are planned and fulfilled, you tend to think of it as a value, because of the amount of priority you put into it. You will find values everywhere, even places where you learn about mutual standards, such as church (religion and moral), at home (family) and in school (education).

Taken these facts in consideration, there are overall two particular groups of values. The first ones are those ethics that have been passed on from generation to generation and that are important to a big group, often what characterizes a particular country, in this case Britain, such as the British monarchy. The other type of values are the ones that you make for yourself, through what your goals in life are, and what you find important, independent from your family’s mutual religion and your countries mutual culture!

Vesa

As mentioned, people have been coming to Britain from other countries for thousands of years. However, their journeys are not without hardship. Immigrants have had difficult journeys to get to England, living family and friends behind. Nonetheless, how was it for these immigrants to arrive to a new and foreign country? Back in time, things wasn’t as easy and organized as they are today. Many of the people who come to the UK do not speak English; much less understand the culture and history **(Source: relationships.com**). They come looking for better circumstances and for a more prosperous life. How difficult the arrival was can vary from where the immigrants came from. But one thing is sure: There are a lot of surprising and often difficulties that impresses when you arrive in a new country. Different situations such as meeting new people, without knowing their language, or dealing with new ways of doing everyday activities are common obstacles for newcomers.
 * THE ARRIVALS AFTER THE JOURNEYS **

After a rough crossing, the Irish deck passengers often arrived in state of exhaustion. At time of concern about spread of infectious diseases, the immigrants might have been subjected to medical examination. **(Source: Movinghere.org)** But things didn’t always go as smooth. Those in transit for overseas destination had it particularly worst. It is reported in the July 1850 edition for the [|Morning Chronicle] that as soon as a party of emigrants arrived, they were beset by an enormous group of people, both male and female. The business of these people was to draw objects from the immigrants’ pockets. In the twentieth century, travellers often had their luggage checked by a Customs official. However, unless these Irish travellers had relatives picking them up, they had to fend for themselves when they arrived in England.
 * Irish travellers **

There has for a long time been a huge immigration of Jewish people to the UK. The new arrived Jewish immigrants often went straight to see friends or family who had already settled in England. Contacts in the UK lessened the risk for the Jewish to fall into bad environments. The Jewish who had already settled in England were very concerned to protect their fellow Jews from the danger they could face as new arrivals. The threat of robbery and the risk of female immigrants becoming prostitutes was some of many concerns. At the same time, the settled community didn’t want be seem to be encouraging more poor Jews to migrate to Britain, fearing it would lead to an increase in [|anti-semitism].
 * Jewish **

Moving to a new country is a big change, and has an impact on our old relationships. The Irish and Jewish travellers are just examples on situations that have been encountered. It is estimated that it actually is a big advantage knowing the language and having some knowledge of the new country. But those immigrants who have these advantages still face the huge task of adjusting to new and difficult circumstances, with the hope of a better life.

[] []
 * //__Sources:__//**

__ANNIE__


 * What are some of the reasons for immigrating to Britain? **

United Kingdom is an attractive place for immigrants. On 2005 more than 300 000 immigrants came to live in Britain. Britain has become more and more similar to USA, which has traditionally been described as a “melting pot”.

Immigration to Britain started first in 1977 where the first immigrants where from the former colonies of the British Empire. About half the population increase between the 1991 and 2001 censuses was due to foreign-born immigration. They all had different reasons to immigrate. However, I believe the main reason why immigrants immigrated to Britain was because they where escaping from war. In the lead up to the World War II, many Germans, particularly those belonging to minorities which were persecuted under Nazi rule, such as Jews, sought to immigrate to the United Kingdom. It is estimated that as many as 50,000 may have been successful.

Another reason why immigrants immigrated to Britain was partially because of the bad job conditions; they either got treated bad, or got paid very low. Immigrants in the 1950s and 60s came from India and Pakistan in search of a better material life. They could earn 30 times as much in Britain as they could in Pakistan. Many left India also because they wanted to escape the disruption and community violence that coincided with the division of British India into Pakistan and India.


 * - Dona Idrizi.

What is Britons’ relation to sports? They have various connections to different sports, like colonization, origination and political mindsets. In cricket, the best countries are places where Britons have had colonization’s, like Australia, India and South Africa. During competitions the winning team takes great pride from it, earning them the bragging rights. Calling themselves the best team in the world when it’s originally their sport is a great deal for the Britons. In Rugby, there are League and Cup competitions within the country. People support different teams, each with different reasons for picking that specific team. Some teams have a great history, which you can take pride from, while some others pick the team because it’s currently best or because the way they play please you. Rugby is also a sport originated in Britain, something football is actually not. Way back in the past, at the very beginning of the game, football was played with heads of beheaded people in China. The aim was to get the head into a net, and that would earn your team a goal. This sport was then picked up again in England during the 1850’s, but then with a pigs bladder as a ball instead of a head. Rules were simple, but not very specific. The sport was dangerous, and until the English Football Association was formed football was just a game played between local teams, more of a hobby than a job. Later football drastically evolved, with it taking over the lives of people emotionally, religiously, and even politically. In Scotland, the games between local rivals Glasgow Rangers and Celtic is more than just a derby. It’s also religiously and politically vital, with the source being the Ireland against Great Britain conflict. In other words, Catholics versus Protestants. Celtic is the Irish team, playing in green and white, Rangers the British team playing in blue, white and red. British people have a big relation to sport, with pride, politics and religion taking centre stage.

- Edvard Ramstad**

The great famine (1845-1852) “The great famine” was a period of starvation and difficult times in Ireland. Due to the famine, one million people died, and another million emigrated from Ireland. . The cause of the f amine was a fungus disease, which  made the po tato plants to rot in the ground. In 1845, more than half the potato crop failed.

Even though the famine originated in America and spread throughout Europe, the impact it had on Ireland was devastating. In Ireland, over 30% of the population was completely dependant on the potato. The people were poor, politically and socially restricted. As desperatation and starvation coloured the Irish Island, people started blaming the English rulers for the terrible conditions they were living in.

The famine, which was caused by a potato disease, decreased the Island’s population by almost one-fourth and resulted in rebellion against the governments. Modern historians consider the potato famine a turning point in the Irish history. It gave birth to a series of nationalist movements. Without the famine, Ireland might not have been the way it is today. - Dara Goldar


 * The IRA.**

The IRA has approached the situation by fighting for a unified Ireland, by using legal and illegal means. The fighting against the British started back in 1917 with riots, assassinations and bombings. In 1919, the Irish and the IRA declared war against Britain. The war ended with the “Anglo-Irish Treaty” agreement, which lead to the parting of Northern Ireland. The IRA was parted after the agreement, and resulted in a civil war between IRA and the Free State army, which consisted of British veterans. So now, the violence was between those who were pro-, and those who were anti-IRA.

The civil war lead to nothing. With the help of the British army, the riots were after a while under controlled. From 1969, the IRA got disarmed, and tried to solve conflicts democratically. They were told to not use violence, yet they did. 28th July 2005, IRA officially concluded the fact that the violence and usage of guns would stop.