[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Nigel, et al,
MY interpretation, Here's to those who are like us is inclusive and
outward-looking.
Given my context, I have a hard time hearing that as anything but
racist. I'll trust you that it's not intended as such.
I think that would depend on the company. In our local context, the
gathering where the
toast might be used might include Scottish Borderers, other brands of
Scot, Northumbrian and Cumbrian borderers, other English, Irish, German,
French and tonight we are assured of one Welsh Canadian (etc). So if you
say 'us' in such a gathering you are already being pretty broad!
On Saturday night, a singer was being introduced in Galashiels, and was
accidentally called 'Englishman' - followed by a hurried 'sorry,
Yorkshireman!' which produced an immediate sort of murmur of
amusement/approval from the audience.
My experience is that Scots are NOT racist any more than they have any
other prejudice. I've said before that there is more traditional
hostility and prejudice between adjacent villages or towns, than between
Scots and English these days. Incidents in cities might prove otherwise,
but there are so many fewer in Scotland than in England, and immigrant
communities seem to integrate so much better in Scotland (whatever their
origins). The moment the kids acquire a Scots accent, they become Scots.
We had a front page article in our local paper demanding that the
government send asylum seekers to our region, instead of to Glasgow. We
want them! We want their skills and diversity and we are short of
everything from bricklayers to surgeons. Compare that with the attitude
of many other parts of the country...
David
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