Quote:
Originally posted by weeangelina
Hi all,
I'm a Scot lecturing in Germany and next semester, I'm doing a course on Scottish nationalism and patriotism. Thing is, I would like some other opinions (the students are getting sick of mine!) as to what might constitute scottishness or scottish identity. I would also be very interested if other Scots could tell me if and why they are proud to be Scottish.
Thank you!
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Ye jist ARE Scottish, that's aw! It's jist a fact, like having a head and two feet, that doesn't need to be explained or defended. It's in your heart and your belly and you'd stop a bullet for it.
But what a can of wurrums you have opened. There are as many answers as there are Scots. It might be instructive to look at the divisions of Germans within their country. What does it mean to be a Schwabian, for example, and do you correct folk when they mistake you for an Alsatian? (This can be extremely insulting if you are female.)
I'm sure you'll get a guid long list eventually from Scots defining their national identity to you. It will be confusing and contradictory. I'd say that Scots tend to love bagpipes and kilts but are not always pleased that non-Scots do too, because it detracts from what it really means to be Scots. Not that many of them will share with you what they mean by that. They will not make it easy for you. It's not easy being Scots to begin with. You need physical, mental and linguistic toughness.
Let me predict some of the responses you will get:
Old Scottish Republican there, for example, will growl and maunder like a troll under a bridge and swat you for daring to even ask the question. Rangeanach will fly at you with barbed texts proving that Gaelic speakers are the only folks with the right to call themselves Scots. Polwarth might wait to see what others say and then correct them with schoolteacher rigour. PRGirl will bounce in with deliriously passionate expositions of what national identity means to a Puerto Rican lassie. Sgriobhadair will jump in now and then to tease, get on his high horse or look for a fight.
There used to be others here with informed and nuanced opinions, but they grew tired of the cloddishness expressed by so many (plus they took offence at management; very Scottish.)
The one common denominator that may be close to the heart of what it means to be Scottish is the readiness to take offence. First and foremost, to be Scottish means to be contentious. And sometimes a lot of fun. And sexy. And courageous. And romantic. And witty. And enchanted by aesthetics. And proud. And independent. And, in the case of some of us, incredibly good looking.
Good luck.
PS. In fact as a nation we have every reason to be pissed off. The great Tom Leonard put it exactly right, as ever:
this is thi
six a clock
news thi
man said n
thi reason
a talk wia
BBC accent
iz coz yi
widny wahnt
mi ti talk
aboot thi
trooth wia
voice lik
wanna yoo
scruff. if
a toktaboot
thi trooth
lik wanna yoo
scruff yi
widny thingk
it wuz troo.
jist wanna yoo
scruff tokn.
thirza right
way ti spell
ana right way
ti tok it. this
is me tokn yir
right way a
spellin. this
is ma trooth.
yooz doant no
thi trooth
yersellz cawz
yi canny talk
right. this is
the six a clock
nyooz. belt up.
[Edited by sgriobhadair on 20th October 2004 at 20:10]