Childhood’s End: Britain, land of bleak houses and low expectations
Britain is the worst country in the Western world in which to be a child, according to a recent UNICEF report.
Some Britons too unruly for resorts in Europe
'The Anglo Files: A Field Guide to the British'
It's easy to forget (particularly in California) that the British mind-set, "low expectations, a sense of making do, a sense of enduring rather than enjoying," is still the norm in places like New England. I recently spent a few days in a small community in Maine where self-deprecation, shabbiness and eccentricity were all alive and well.
Boasting, self-conscious cleanliness (in dress or person) and obvious vanities are still considered sure signs of lesser birth.
