Anglomania

The Anglo Files, by Sarah LyallSarah Lyall's The Anglo Files has provided me with the historical context behind the behavior I have witnessed during my time spent in London. Lyall, raised in New York and working as a writer for The New York Times, moved to London in the mid-1990s after marrying an Englishman. The Anglo Files is a collection of her findings about 21st Century British culture. Her writing is witty, affectionate at times, cold at others, but always spot on. A few of the topics covered in this anthropological survey include British men's attitudes on sex and dating, the abhorring behavior of members of Parliament, and the “truthful” reporting of the British newspapers.

What I found at first to be quite blunt ideas in her writing I realized are actually visible in young people's behavior! For example, in her first chapter, she discusses how every American girl comes to London expecting to find her own Chris Martin or Hugh Grant. But what this hopeful lady finds instead are men who are cold and uninterested. What’s more, British men do not appreciate it when American girls ask them to open up about their feelings towards their mothers on a first date. Lyall also discusses how these men, stemming from the traditions and environment of all-male boarding schools, are more inclined to engage in drunken, borderline homosexual behavior with their mates than be affectionate towards a women (at least not before they’ve taken them home after a few late nights out). While these are pretty generalized statements, I have picked up on some nuances that relate to what Lyall identifies. In a few of the bars and clubs I’ve visited, my girlfriends and I noticed that the guys tend to fall into two categories. The first, one that will either literally shove you aside so he can order another pint and talk exclusively to his buddies (who he also enjoys to hug every few minutes.) The second, one who is so pissed that he practically falls down in an attempt to make sexual advances on the pretty ladies on the dance floor. In addition, sexism reigns everywhere from the infamous naked women on Page Three of The Sun to the verbal abuse present in the daily Committee meetings in the Houses of Parliament.

Another issue brought up in The Anglo Files relates to what has been emphasized in many of my lectures of British Contemporary Politics and Culture. Dealing with enormous waves of immigration has led to a serious questioning of what characterizes British-ness. One of our speakers, S.I. Martin, a “Black British” writer, spoke of how when asked, British people have trouble coming up with certain “traits” that make up a collective or unified national identity, aside from little things like enjoying a walk around Hyde Park on a sunny day. It seems to me that The Anglo Files provides a few of those answers, the ones mentioned above not as polite as others, as to what other characteristics might be.

Ultimately, this book raises questions more related to the idea of cultural assimilation, rather than the somewhat broader topic of “travel.” As an outsider traveling to a new place, what I have grappled with is deciding whether to blend in or distinguish myself. How, if at all possible, can I adopt a sense of British-ness, especially if British people cannot even decide what that means to them? Perhaps for now I should work on queuing, drinking tea, accepting that mayonnaise is used on nearly every food item, revering football players in a similar way to Jesus Christ, loving to hate Kate Moss, and enjoying a good laugh about Gordon Brown’s recent weight gain on the front page of The Sun.