If you love Great Britain, I would say you’re not alone, but you probably are. But don’t worry. The idea that you should hate the British over a tax dispute on the eastern seaboard 250 years ago, or that because the War of 1812 happened, you should cry 1776, are just lies. And terribly unsophisticated ones at that. So long as we’re on the topic of Anglo-American wars, I would just point out that I for one heavily prefer Britain’s redcoats to the blue uniforms of the continental army, and so should you. 

The redcoats were so cool and by no means an error in military strategy by the British. Footsoldiers couldn’t shoot as far as they could see back then. Spotting a redcoat from 200 yards away isn’t much advantage when your musket can’t fire half the distance. Nonetheless, my admiration of England runs deeper than liking their uniforms and being partly English. And although I could very much imagine myself donning the scarlet tunic and fighting for the British Empire, there are indeed other reasons to love Great Britain. 

Cardinal among them is the recognition that what happened in 1776 was an Anglo phenomenon. The American Revolution, as pointed out by Christopher Hitchens, was an English revolution waged by English settlers, and hence borrowed from the principles of Cromwell and the attitudes of the roundheads and levelers. 

The American Revolution could have very well happened without Russia, Belgium or any other country. There’s only one country without which the revolution and the remarkable experiment it created wouldn’t have been possible, and that’s England,

Many aspects of our culture and society can be attributed to the English. These include the Magna Carta, habeas corpus, the English language, freedom of speech, Protestant Christianity, Victorian architecture, the Industrial Revolution, British literature, the Scottish origin of golf and the English origin of tennis from jeu de paume. Notable contributions also include Wimbledon (the first-ever tennis tournament), our collective victory in World War Two and the enduring legacy of figures like Shakespeare, Chaucer, Churchill, Isaac Newton, Bertrand Russell, Richard Dawkins, James Bond and The Beatles. Even our very capital building is basically a carbon copy of St. Paul’s Cathedral. 

And I mustn’t forget the cuisine! Some British dishes, I will concede, do take on a rather unpalatable and unsightly form, and some of them have embarrassing names like “toad in the hole.” Like, what? But many of them are fantastic. And really it’s what comes after those dishes that is very much something to behold. British desserts are some of the finest the world will ever know. I shall list you some: Strawberry shortcake, banoffee pie, Battenberg cake, bakewell tarts, caramel shortbread, Chelsea buns, brandy snaps, platinum pudding and eton mess. There’s more: strawberry trifle, angel cake, pound cake, carrot cake, bread pudding, rice pudding, party rings and Victoria sponge. The dishes are great, too. Try beef Wellington at a London pub and compare it to any steak in New York City. Or go for afternoon tea with finger sandwiches and sugary blueberry scones or a classic English breakfast (minus the beans). I quite liked the English tea with extra honey and a side of ribbon sandwiches as a young boy. And if you get an authentic British scone, you always butter it with clotted cream and raspberry jam and nothing else. Eat a fresh Ploughman’s lunch with fruit on the side and dine on a Sunday roast with Yorkshire pudding.

Do all of this and go for a stroll around the Cotswolds in the English countryside. Watch Dunkirk or Darkest Hour and try resisting the urge to tear up and join the British Royal Navy. Nothing will touch your heart more than the sight of those British ships saving our French brothers and sisters at Dunkirk and Calais. 

Now I know Britain is a hard sell. Americans don’t care much for Great Britain, even though many Americans go there to vacation and study abroad. But I believe no country has added more cultural wealth to this planet, than that little island in the North Atlantic. And I pity those who can’t see that.