The Angry English

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Think about the English people, and you might think of stereotypical traits: a cool reserve; a sense of irony; a love of gardens and pubs; a stiff upper lip.

But British cultural critic A.A. Gill has one word for all that Englishness: rubbish. The English are, above all, an angry people, full of grievances, annoyance and violence, he says.

In his new book, Gill travels the land of King Arthur, Queen Elizabeth and Tony Blair flaying his countrymen, the whole petty, sentimental lot.

Good sport hunting the English, Gill says. Americans should have some, too.

This hour On Point: A.A. Gill on the angry English.

Guests:

A.A. Gill, author of "The Angry Island: Hunting the English," and writer for the Sunday Times (London), GQ, and Vanity Fair

Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst and senior editor, The Atlantic Monthly.