How long has queueing been a stereotype of the British?
As in, “for what period of time have people associated the British with standing in line?”
To me, common British stereotypes revolve around dental work, properness, effeminacy, and tea. I don’t recall ever hearing a comedian doing a shtick on how “all British people like to stand in line.”
Queueing is standing in line, right? What’s the stereotype? I find myself standing in line on a daily basis, but I don’t consider it part of a stereotype; it’s just something you have to do.
Perhaps he’s after the chiefly British use of “queue” and “queuing” rather than “in line”.
From thefreedictionary.com:
Back when I took queuing theory, the prof didn’t like it when I referred to it as “theory of standing in lines” for some reason …
There is indeed a humourous stereotype that the British public love to queue and will join a queue without confirming that it’s the one they want, or indeed without knowing where it ends up.
That’s all I can confirm without attracting the attention of the WAG police. The stereotype exists.
Looking at those Google results, and the mystification of the Yanks upthread, I wonder if it’s a self-appointed stereotype that nobody else holds.
Contrast this stereotype with some cultures that avoid queuing and queuing rules, protocols, etc.
I wasn’t mystified. I got it the way Mangetout did.
It might be an older bit of humor that has mostly died out, though. I associate it with stuff written 50 years ago or more.
Or common US traits could be an obsession about teeth, a relaxed attitude to good manners, the embracing of an overtly macho culture and drinking coffee?
Not saying this is true, just giving another perspective.
/Small Threadjack
To answer the OP, queuing has been popular/put up with for decades, especially at organizations which are publicly run and not staffed as well as they could be. Queuing in the bank, post office, supermarket, on roads in heavy traffic etc is not only tolerated but actively encouraged as fair - first come first served and all that. If you’re in a hurry then just firm the upper lip and think of England.
I think Americans and Brits have similar attitudes towards standing in line which is why Americans aren’t as aware of the stereotype as other countries might be.
Queueing was quite severe during wartime rationing. Thispage claims that this could be the root of the stereotype.
Nope. There’s definitely a stereotype of the British for their queueing at least amongst some Continentals.
Thinking about it, the stereotype about bad teeth seems newer to me than the stereotype about queueing. For joke purposes, one stereotype will often push out another. Maybe the dentistry one has taken over.
Queueing is the only word in the English language with four straight vowels. That may or may not be true, but I’ve read that so much that it’s a stereotype.
George Mikes’ How To Be An Alien was published in 1946. It was based on his experiences as a young Hungarian journalist who was sent over to the UK for a two week assignment in 1939 and ended up spending the war there (in fact, he never left). It’s generally considered a very accurate send-up of English mores and behaviour of the time and sold very well in the UK. It includes the line:
“An Englishman, even if he is alone, forms an orderly queue of one.”
So at least by WWII there was a noted tendency towards queuing that was observable by a visitor and struck a chord with the natives.
(Apparently, what the English saw as gentle, affectionate mocking had been intended by Mikes as hard-hitting, vicious satire, and he was somewhat surprised at the delight his book brought to his readers.)
And then there is the way some locales in the US say standing on line, instead of standing in line.
/tangent
Looking at the first few results there, it seems to me that these people are lining up because there’s something at the other end of the line that they want. They’re not just queuing because they like queuing. Or are they?
Again, they’re waiting in line because there’s something to wait for, right? Is this really a stereotype about patience rather than a stereotype about queuing?
I would say, undoubtedly, yes. Those stereotypes exist - and didn’t spring from nothing. And, just to be clear, the British stereotypes that I listed were stereotypes I thought to exist - not necessarily ones that I myself assoicated with the Brits (especially the good manners one ;))
As another poster mentioned - it could be that we Yanks don’t associated Brits with standing in line because we’re just as fond of it as they 
But, from my perspective, it’s less of a fondness for standing in line, than a baffledness by not standing in line
No, it’s still a common stereotype today, even within the UK (often it’s actually mentioned with an element of pride to it). During the riots in London a couple of months ago a lot of the main newspapers published this humorous photo, which appears to show rioters, dressed in hoodies and with bandanas wrapped round their faces, queuing to loot an electrical shop.
Oh dear, that link leads onto another (outdated) stereotype about the British and the standards of food available here! 143 stars were handed out to British and Irish restaurants in the Michelin Guide 2011
That is indeed the prevailing theme of those search results, however, the stereotype does also (in my experience) extend to characterising the British as tending to join queues without knowing their destination, or without necessarily wanting anything.