20 Things British People Just Can't Do

4. Make Small Talk Enthusiastically

Awkward Convo Gif This is much easier for some than it is for others. Humans are naturally social creatures, but there are few who can honestly claim to have mastered the fine art of small talk. Sometimes we do feel bright and bubbly enough to carry an entire conversation about cars and upcoming holidays, but for the most part, we are far too exhausted to project even a semblance of genuine interest. Conversation for the sake of conversation is interpreted as nothing but a fruitless pursuit for many, yet once again, the majority are far too polite to point this out and will instead string along conversations which aren't actually enjoyed. Don't get me wrong; I love an idle chat with friends and family as much as the next social butterfly. But the bottom line is that if I'm sitting on the bus with my headphones on, no matter how close a friend I consider you to be, the consequences of interrupting my solitary musical sojourns will not be light. Oh, who am I kidding? I'll eventually give in and apologise about it in an overly fawning fashion.

3. Prepare The Right Change

FlickrFlickrRats. You just know that you had another 5p coin in your purse somewhere... Oh, bother. Better take the rest of that £0.50 back from the cashier and break into the twenty-pound-note, then. Human lives are based around convenient methods. Wherever possible, we will at least attempt to ease our loads in life, whether by putting in a newspaper subscription so as cut out the corner shop stroll each morning, or by divulging our wallets of the heaps and heaps of change weighing them down, thus making us appear less inviting to the pickpockets we most fear when holidaying abroad. Sadly, most attempts are in vain. The exact change just vanishes whenever we try to pay the proper amount during a transaction, which often results in an intense nervousness based on the sixth entry in this list.
Contributor
Contributor

Film and Literature student, keen bloggist, and aficionado of most things music, film, and TV. I've also been told I should stop quoting pop-culture as often as I do in everyday conversations.