Does Britain have a drinking problem? My answer very much depends on who’s asking | Arwa Mahdawi

Being rude about Britain is my birthright. But when an American says something unflattering about the UK, my hackles go up and my union jack comes out

I live in the US but was born in the UK. You know what that means? It means I can slag off the motherland as much as I like; being rude about Britain is my birthright. It's obviously unacceptable, however, for Americans to do the same. The moment a Yank says anything unflattering about the UK - even if it's something I agree with - I go into full-on performative patriot mode. My hackles go up, my union jack comes out; I become a gay, half-Palestinian version of Nigel Farage, all pink and outraged.

It is with regret that I admit I got just the tiniest bit Faragey last week. There was, you see, a viral debate about British drinking habits. An American posted on Reddit to ask whether it was true that Britons really went to the pub a lot. Here in the US if you go to bars multiple times a week and mentioned this to people they might think you are an alcoholic," the person said. It just seems like [British] TV shows are exaggerating how common it is to actually go to the pub.'"