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  • Hi, we're Joel and Lia.

  • And today's video is an open discussion

  • on whether British people feel that they're European.

  • 00:00:08,690 --> 00:00:11,330 - Now our normal style of video is very laughy and jokey.

  • This one might not be as laughy,

  • but we'll try to inject a few bits of humor.

  • - Yeah I think it's because it's such a touchy subject,

  • isn't it? - Yeah.

  • - and like we've had a lot of comments from you guys

  • you know, what's the young people's take on Brexit?

  • How do you guys feel?

  • And actually the reason for this video

  • is because I got a bit of backlash.

  • - Yeah.

  • - Uploaded a video onto our channel

  • and I titled the video "My European Trip"

  • or something. - Adventure.

  • - Adventure, My European, well done, Joel.

  • - And you mentioned something about zebra crossings,

  • how they mean something different in

  • Europe than they do in the U.K.

  • - Yeah.

  • - Things like that, and people really picked up on it

  • and were like, oh, this is classic Brits being arrogant,

  • you are Europe, you're always separating yourself

  • from Europe, like, you're not better than us,

  • and it's - Yeah

  • - It just, yeah, and someone linked us to

  • a video of another YouTuber called Jen,

  • who we'll link in the description,

  • she made a discussion about it.

  • She's European, she lives in the U.K.

  • - Yeah. - And she was saying her

  • opinion, which is she thinks Brits are a

  • bit snobby by saying we're British,

  • we identify as being British, not European.

  • So we just thought we'd give our take on it.

  • - We'll just give our take on it.

  • Can I just say, I think if we had Euros as a currency

  • - Yeah.

  • - That would change a lot, wouldn't it?

  • - Definitely, yeah.

  • - When we go away to a European country,

  • we change our currency into a different currency.

  • It feels like Monopoly money.

  • - Yeah.

  • - It feels so fake, you're just like, a la la,

  • I don't know about you - Yeah.

  • - But I always feel like it's pretend

  • and I'm like cash, cash, cash (laughs).

  • - (laughs) Yeah, I know.

  • And the fact that you have to travel over a sea.

  • - Yeah.

  • - Mentally it's not a huge, big, vast ocean.

  • - Yeah, three or four hour flight somewhere.

  • - We're an island, we've got a different currency,

  • there are loads of other cultural differences.

  • - Culturally we feel so different.

  • - I think that's what it is.

  • We have never, never, never been brought up

  • in our school education, or education system,

  • to be thought of as European.

  • They're always like, you're British, you're British,

  • you're British, you're British.

  • - Yeah, I feel that too.

  • And because I have Greek Cypriot heritage,

  • I sort of have my relationships with

  • my Greek and Cypriot family.

  • And when I'm over there it's all so Mediterranean,

  • it's all so different, it's me,

  • but I still feel really British and I identify as a Brit.

  • I don't feel like that's the same culturally.

  • - No.

  • - I don't feel like it's, obviously,

  • it's just so hard to explain. - Yeah.

  • - And I think the reason why it's a touchy subject,

  • because it's really hard to tell

  • someone how they should feel.

  • - Yeah.

  • - Do you know what I mean? - Yeah.

  • - And I think a lot of people feel like now they can.

  • A lot of people feel like they have the right

  • to tell someone how they should feel,

  • - Yeah. - or how they're meant

  • to feel, when you absolutely can't.

  • - No.

  • - You would never, ever, I know this is out of context,

  • you would never dream of telling a transgender

  • person how, what gender they must feel,

  • would you? - No.

  • - And if you would, then maybe you're the problem (laughs).

  • - (laughs) Yeah.

  • - You would just never, would you?

  • - No, or I'd never say to you, if you're telling me,

  • oh I'm Greek, I'm half Greek, you're Cypriot,

  • - No, you're British! - I'm not gonna

  • be like no, you're British, you're not Greek.

  • - You were born here. - You're not Greek.

  • - You were born here.

  • - I just think it's so stupid.

  • If anyone that commented that on our video,

  • if you're watching this, you are an idiot.

  • You're one of the problem that by telling someone

  • how they should feel, - how they should feel

  • - How they should identify

  • - That's why probably I've got identity problems.

  • - Yeah (laughs).

  • - I'm gonna link a video in the car that we

  • did with Tom and I spoke about

  • - Yeah.

  • - How I went this this meetup in London for Greek people.

  • And I was the only English-born Greek there,

  • and everyone else was like Greek fresh off the boat.

  • - Yeah. - Proper,

  • like Greek accent, everything,

  • and I just felt like I wasn't European or Greek

  • enough to be there, honestly.

  • This problem is so - Yeah.

  • - Inside me, it's so hard to tell people how to feel.

  • - Yeah.

  • - And it really messes with them.

  • - Yeah, and I think that's what it is.

  • It goes deeper than just the actual geographical location.

  • - Yeah. - 'Cause of course,

  • we know that we are included in

  • the continent of Europe. - Yeah.

  • - You've Europe, you've got Asia,

  • you've got America. - America.

  • - It goes deeper than that.

  • We're not saying that we're not part of

  • the European continent, we know that.

  • - Yeah.

  • - We're just saying culturally,

  • we're incredibly different to all of

  • the other European countries.

  • - Yeah, I wanna say this.

  • In society we feel like we're allowed to label people.

  • - It's so embedded in everything we are.

  • You know, what's your job, what's your religion,

  • oh, you're an accountant.

  • You know, you meet people and you're like,

  • I don't wanna be labeled by my job.

  • - Yeah.

  • - What are you, oh you're a YouTuber.

  • But I'm so much more than that.

  • - Yeah.

  • - I'm a person, I'm a human.

  • And I think it's very natural for us

  • to want to label - Yeah.

  • - Europeans, there, da da da da.

  • You're Asian, over there.

  • I just think it's, I just hate it, personally

  • - Yeah.

  • - I hate labeling. - Yeah.

  • - It's a way of us categorizing people because

  • that's the only way our brain can deal with things.

  • - Yeah.

  • - There's no right or wrong way to feel.

  • But this is such a sensitive topic,

  • and that's why I wanted to open it up

  • to everyone who's watching.

  • So write in the comments, especially if you are British.

  • How do you identify?

  • I'm not saying tell us if you voted remain

  • or if you voted leave, 'cause that's a whole other thing.

  • - Yeah, I think that's the political side of things.

  • - Yeah.

  • - Whereas I guess we're talking

  • slightly more about - Culturally.

  • - The cultural identity and that

  • geographical sort of thing.

  • - And culturally, I do not feel European.

  • - No, me neither.

  • If someone was like, oh, you're European, I'd be like, no.

  • - I'd be like - I'm British.

  • - I'm sorry, what, I'm a what?

  • - I'd be like, oh you think I was Spanish?

  • No (laughs). - No (laughs).

  • I was born here and I'm really proud of that.

  • - Yeah.

  • - British-born, you meet British-born Pakistani,

  • or British-born this, British-born that.

  • Everyone loves that they have

  • heritage from somewhere else.

  • - Yeah.

  • - But often people will say I'm British, I was born here.

  • - Yeah.

  • - If we were to touch on the political side of things,

  • technically, moving forward we are no longer European.

  • - Yeah. - Obviously, because Brexit

  • is going ahead. - Yeah.

  • - So yeah, we are gonna be like an independent Britain.

  • But right now we are still in the European Union.

  • - Yeah, I think we still are.

  • Again, it's all uncertain.

  • Lots of questions we get - No one knows.

  • - are about Brexit, particularly from Europeans

  • that are worried about like oh,

  • is it gonna be harder to travel there,

  • - Yeah.

  • - Or can I study there?

  • We don't know, no one knows.

  • - No one knows the answers.

  • Even politicians don't know the answers.

  • - Yeah, it looks like it's gonna be a very long

  • and hard road of negotiations and things like that.

  • No one knows, you know as much as we do.

  • - Yeah, all we know is we're gettin' a new passport

  • - Yeah, and it's blue, yeah. - and it's blue.

  • That's literally the only fact anyone knows.

  • - Yeah.

  • - And I think it's okay for us not to know

  • 'cause I got a little bit worried,

  • we were asked to do something,

  • speaking about how young people feel about Brexit,

  • and I was thinking, I don't know enough.

  • But the thing is, no one does.

  • - No, it's all opinions.

  • - Yes, there's obviously people that studied

  • economics or the way things work,

  • - Yeah. - The way the world works,

  • and they're able to really make more

  • informed opinions. - Yeah.

  • - Or like, assumptions, more informed assumptions,

  • if that's a thing, - Yeah.

  • - On how things will pan out. - Yeah.

  • - But essentially, we don't know anything (laughs).

  • - No, maybe we seem quite chilled about it,

  • but that might be because we come from a

  • privileged position of being British and

  • - Yeah.

  • - it not really affecting us that much.

  • Like, I, my personal opinion, I don't think that

  • Brexit is really gonna affect British people that much.

  • It just might mean we have to apply

  • for a Visa when we to Europe.

  • - Okay, yep.

  • - But apart from that, for people in European

  • countries it might affect them because

  • they wanna study here, or they wanna come here

  • and it's gonna - Yeah.

  • - affect it that way, so maybe we are privileged

  • in being like, oh, it doesn't really matter.

  • - Yeah, definitely.

  • - Maybe it is more of a big deal to

  • other people than it is to us.

  • - And also, you can't say that almost 17 million

  • people in the U.K. that voted Brexit are wrong.

  • They voted for an independent Britain.

  • And it would be so silly to assume that they're all wrong.

  • Because yeah, I know - Yeah.

  • - we live in London and London is mostly remain,

  • hugely remain area. - Yeah.

  • - Yeah, I'm not, that's a whole long video, isn't it?

  • - Yeah. - And I suppose more

  • about that as things start to unfold here,

  • but still we're in this area of uncertainty.

  • - Yeah. - And to answer the question

  • of what this video is all about.

  • Do Brits feel European?

  • Well, lots of us don't.

  • - Yeah. - A few of us do.

  • - Yeah. - Personally, we don't.

  • - No. - And that's just

  • our opinion, and there's no right

  • or wrong way to feel, - Yeah.

  • - you can't tell someone how to feel.

  • - No, and don't assume that that means

  • that we think we're better than you.

  • - No, no way.

  • - We're literally just saying,

  • this is how we identify.

  • We're not saying that means that we're better than you.

  • If anything, that says more about you

  • and how insecure you are (laughs).

  • - (laughs) Yeah.

  • - Because that's not how it's meant at all.

  • - Yeah, definitely.

  • I did watch that video that you mentioned at the start.

  • - Yeah.

  • - And it is a bit hard to watch 'cause you're a bit like,

  • I don't really that we're a part, though.

  • - No. - If that's how people

  • feel like we are, that's a perception that we can't undo.

  • - No, but who knows (laughs)?

  • - So there you go, guys.

  • That's a very chatty discussion video for you.

  • If you did enjoy it, please leave a comment below.

  • - Yeah, let us know your thoughts on the topic.

  • I'm assuming that the comments are gonna get

  • a little bit heated, maybe.

  • - Yeah, it is.

  • Let's open up the conversation in the comments,

  • and we will see you next week.

  • By the way, if you want 25 pounds free at B&B Credit

  • - (laughs) For your - When you come to

  • - travels to Europe. - London (laughs).

  • - Or the U.K.

  • - We've got a link in our description

  • that you can use that in. - Yeah.

  • - It's handy.

  • Who knows, use it before you can't (laughs).

  • - Yeah, quick, get in there before we leave the EU.

  • - Book your London stay.

  • Okay, see you next time guys.

  • Bye. - Bye.

Hi, we're Joel and Lia.

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