The English Phlegm 

No explanation is needed here as the above picture perfectly explain what the English phlegm is. Does it reflect the English spirit or is it just another stereotype? People from abroad often think of Brits as of the nation too queasy for politeness and political correctness. The reason may be the fact that Brits tend to be neutral and polite in any situation. However, such behaviour is often perceived by strangers as lack of guts and temperament. One of the most evident examples of British passiveness is presented in the following video from London Riots in 2011. The city is demolished and the police does not even react. Such situation would be unimaginable in my country.

 

Morover, Brits are rather restrained nation that does not like to show feelings. If you ask an Englishman "How are you? ", in 99% of cases you will hear "I'm fine, thanks. How are you?" Lots of them do not even bother to answer and immediately reply with the same question. Why is that? Simply because they do not actually expect us to give true answer to the question. It is rather a kind of rhetorical question asked out of politeness or instead of greetings. I must admit that before I got used to English people, such ready-made responses were quite annoying. The frequency of those questions was also tiring at times. I saw no point in playing this dishonest questionnaire about my frame of mind. Why? Firstly, because I was not used to it. Secondly, because I did not understand the purpose of asking insincere questions. Now it is so obvious for me that I do not object this habit any more.