Chapter 8: Anglophone Culture and How It Sees the World

It’s not just the words people use or the history they tell. The main English-speaking cultures – primarily the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand – often share certain ways of seeing the world. These shared values and beliefs shape how they act towards other countries and people. These views also spread around the globe through English, often without people thinking much about it. If we understand these common viewpoints, we can better see the biases hidden in the news, entertainment, and conversations that come from these powerful societies.

A quick note: When I talk about culture here, I mean common ways of thinking or acting you might see often in places like the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. This isn’t about every single person from these countries. I’m looking at patterns, not judging individuals.

Seeing the World Through Their Own Eyes

People in major English-speaking cultures sometimes assume their way of life, their values, and their views are the only ones that matter, or the best ones. They might find it hard to see things from another country’s point of view.

Thinking others should agree: They might wonder, “Why doesn’t Russia see NATO expansion our way?” or “Why didn’t people in Afghanistan want the lifestyle we offered?” They struggle to grasp that other nations have different histories, fears, and goals. (See Chapter 9 for more on world politics).
Holding onto artifacts: Think of museums like the British Museum. They might say they are “protecting” artifacts taken from other countries long ago. This view often ignores the wishes of the people from those countries who want their history back.
Spreading their labels: They might talk about groups like “Millennials” as if this label fits people everywhere. But the experiences that define a “Millennial” in America (like student debt or trouble buying a home) might be very different for young people in other parts of the world. [TODO: Explain why the “Millennial” label might not fit elsewhere, using concrete examples, e.g., different economic paths, social structures.]

Seeing People Through a Racial Lens

In many English-speaking societies, race often acts like a filter, shaping how people see and treat others around the world. This filter isn’t always obvious, even to the people using it.

A “whiteness” scale: Sometimes, there seems to be an unspoken ranking based on race or origin. People might place Northern Europeans (like Scandinavians) near the top, followed by other Europeans. People from Asia, Latin America, or Africa might be seen as further down this scale or completely separate. English speakers often see themselves high on this scale, though maybe not always at the very peak. [TODO: Develop the visual/descriptive map concept mentioned in draft notes to illustrate this observation clearly and carefully.]
Feeling closer to some than others: People often show more sympathy or anger depending on whether they feel the victims of a crisis are “like them” in appearance or culture.
- Example: Think about the war in Ukraine. Many news reports and comments expressed deep shock, sometimes mentioning that the victims were “European,” “civilized,” or had “blue eyes and blonde hair.” This level of public concern often seemed much higher than for wars or invasions in places like Vietnam, Iraq, or Afghanistan. [TODO: Add specific citations for official/media quotes provided in draft.]
- Example: Talk often centers on dangers or crimes linked to certain groups, while similar or worse actions by people seen as “like us” get less attention or are explained away.
Racism in silence: Using openly racist words is less common today. But bias can show up in who doesn’t get heard, whose problems aren’t talked about, or whose history is ignored or twisted.
Spreading American ideas of race: The American way of dividing people into races (like Black, White, People of Color) comes from America’s specific history with slavery and segregation. When American media spreads these labels globally, they can force foreign ideas onto places where people might group themselves differently based on ethnicity, religion, or nationality. This can cause confusion or create new divisions. (See Chapter 5).

How They See Themselves

Seeing themselves as advanced: People in these societies often view themselves as leaders in human rights, fairness, and modern living. They might overlook problems within their own countries or forget troubling parts of their history.
Feeling they have the right to lecture: Sometimes there’s a sense that they know best and have the right to tell other countries or cultures how to run things. This often comes from feeling morally or culturally superior.
- Example: For example, a US official might tell another country it shouldn’t allow certain ships in its ports simply because the US dislikes that ship’s country. [TODO: Verify specific India port incident.]
The “we civilized them” story: The old colonial idea was that English speakers brought progress to “backward” people. This idea hasn’t completely disappeared. It still shows up in how history is told, often glossing over the harm and theft that colonialism caused. [TODO: Cite Quora answer/find better sources on colonization effects.]
Admiring certain cultures (too much?): Sometimes, certain other cultures (often European ones) are admired intensely, perhaps based on simplified ideas or a feeling of shared “whiteness.”
Simplifying problems or blaming others: There can be a habit of making complex problems seem simple or blaming outside forces for issues at home. (Think of the different stories told about why Brexit happened.)

Spreading Culture, Intentionally or Not

Exporting their problems: Social debates or trends from English-speaking countries can spread elsewhere through media, sometimes creating similar arguments or issues in places where they didn’t exist before. [TODO: Analyze the linked Twitter example: Indian_Bronson/status/1749131160968376630].
Changing views on sex: During colonial times, British rulers often imposed strict Victorian ideas about sex and morality. In some places, these ideas replaced older, sometimes more open, local traditions and still have an effect today. [TODO: Find evidence/examples for this claim.]
Modern cultural debates (“Woke”): [TODO: Develop section based on draft notes - requires careful framing and substantiation regarding claims of selective application or inherent biases within specific progressive movements originating in Anglophone contexts].

If we understand these cultural habits and viewpoints, we can better spot the hidden biases in the news we read, the shows we watch, the lessons we learn, and even in how countries deal with each other. It helps us see past the English-speaking world’s filter.

The Self-Appointed Curators of the West

A specific kind of “Anglophone cultural imperialism” is often practiced by a certain subset of everyday Americans (and sometimes Brits or Australians) on social media. It is a sense of ownership over the “Western” narrative, and it manifests in a set of predictable, and often condescending, talking points.

This is a dynamic where a certain type of Anglophone individual on social media acts as if they are the gatekeeper and arbiter of what “Western civilization” is and who gets to participate in it. They see Europe not as a collection of sovereign, distinct cultures, but as a sort of historical theme park or a junior partner to the “real” West, which they see as the Anglosphere (and primarily America). This manifests in a sense of having a “claim” over the trajectory of European societies.

Here are some of the classic talking points that reveal this mindset.

The “Europe is Dying/Lost” Narrative:
- The Talking Point: “I was just in Paris/Amsterdam/Stockholm, and it’s not what it used to be. It’s so sad what’s happened. They’ve lost their culture.”
- The Subtext: This is a thinly veiled complaint about immigration and multiculturalism. The speaker is lamenting the fact that Europe is no longer a mono-cultural “white” space that exists for their touristic pleasure. They feel they have a right to a Europe that conforms to their nostalgic, idealized image.
The “We Saved You in WWII” Argument:
- The Talking Point: This is the classic trump card, often deployed in arguments about European defense spending or foreign policy. “You Europeans would all be speaking German/Russian if it weren’t for us.”
- The Subtext: This implies a permanent debt. It frames the transatlantic relationship not as an alliance of equals, but as one between a protector (the US) and a dependent (Europe). It gives them a sense of moral and political ownership over Europe’s security and, by extension, its destiny.
The “Why Aren’t You More Grateful?” Condescension towards Immigrants:
- The Talking Point: Often directed at non-white people in Europe. “These people come to your countries and don’t even try to assimilate. They should be grateful for the opportunity.”
- The Subtext: This is a particularly insidious one. The American is positioning themselves as the “original” and more legitimate heir of “Western” values, and they are judging both the European society for being “too soft” on immigrants and the immigrants for not conforming to their idea of what a “good” Westerner should be. They are appointing themselves the referee in a game they are not even playing in.
The “Europe is a Socialist Museum” Critique:
- The Talking Point: “Europe is beautiful, but you can’t get anything done. The taxes are too high, the regulations are stifling, and there’s no real innovation. It’s a nice place to visit, but not a place to build the future.”
- The Subtext: This frames European society as a quaint but ultimately failed experiment compared to the dynamic, capitalist “real world” of the USA. It diminishes European choices about social welfare and work-life balance as a form of weakness or a lack of ambition.

This mindset is born from a combination of:

American Exceptionalism: The deep-seated belief that the United States is not just one country among many, but a unique and morally superior civilization with a special role to play in the world.
Cultural Insularity: A lack of deep knowledge about the specific histories, languages, and cultures of individual European countries. They see “Europe” as a single, homogenous entity, not a complex tapestry of proud, ancient nations.
The “Default” Status of American Culture: Because American culture is so globally dominant, they can travel through much of the world without ever having to truly leave their own cultural bubble. This can create a sense of entitlement and a lack of self-awareness.

This friction is between the old, unipolar, Anglophone-centric worldview and the new, multipolar reality. These Anglophones on social media are still operating on the old map, where they are at the center and everyone else is on the periphery. The “claim” they seem to have is the arrogance of a fading empire that has not yet realized that the world is no longer organized solely around its own story.

As of 2025, the zeitgeist indicates that the Anglophone mind sees a new threat in the form of Indians. Because many Indians are not approval-seeking and are not inferior in terms of abilities, this puts the Anglophone mind in a difficult position: it is unable to find rational reasons to hold contempt, while feeling threatened by a people it hopes to see as inferior.