I am the bloke who "made the lunatic statement about curry".
First off let me address that comment. In no way was that intended as a
barb, so relax a bit. My point was that curry is now a part of British
culture. Of course people of Asian decent living in Britain are British,
just as the people of Asian decent or Latin etc... in US are Americans. They
have contributed to our respective cultures and enriched them. That "lunatic
statement" was made as a means of expressing diversity enriches a nations
culture, not jeopardizes it.
If offense was taken ( as it clearly seems to have ) , then I apoligize,
none was intended.
I am tired of the reactionary statements being slewn about. Nobody wins when
an insult is responded to in kind.
Seamus
>From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Subject: Is this a quiz?
>Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2000 16:49:22 -0800
>
>In a message dated 10/03/00 18:16:28 GMT Standard Time,
>[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>writes:
>
><< Gosh how the hell did American Culture build the largest and
> strongest economy and country in the world? Where did that Internet
> start? How many musical acts have we given you.. Wait, what war did
> thousands of Americans die in just to save your Island from invasion.
> Who rebuilt London? (Cough ack cough.. thats a hard one to swallow I
> know.. but come on.. our taxes in someway rebuilt your damn city.) >>
>
>God - I hate this; this argument was started off by provocative
>anti-American
>statements I found a tad embarrassing to be honest with you but you've
>hardly
>dignified yourself with that tirade of confused crap which I would swear
>was
>straight from the keyboard of a 14-year-old who has just opened an AOL
>account. Your answers...
>
>1. We're in a no-win situation here - if you're (and if you're going to
>generalise then so will I) feeling persecuted over errors of your past you
>blame us for the way 'we' treated the Native Americans (for example) but
>then
>when you want to crow about something then it's all thanks to 'your'
>structures which you see as not at all influenced by factors such as
>British
>traditions of parliamentary democracy or that pesky capitalist system we
>started. Still...even that's coupled with factors like density of
>population
>and natural resources that have more to do with luck than with merit. ('the
>largest country in the world'???? Is that a real boast? I thought that was
>Canada anyway).
>
>2. And where did that computer start? In the UK. Telephone invented by a
>Scot
>you claim as your own of course... I'm told we took our own part in
>building
>the user interface of the World Wide Web though. Still - thanks for making
>us
>all feel a bit humble. Whenever I type a domain name (or use a zip or eat
>cornflakes) I will issue thanks and ask God to bless your great country.
>
>3. Thanks once again. It's hardly a competition but I like to think we've
>produced at least one listenable beat combo.
>
>4. Please spare us that 'to save your island from invasion' shite please,
>it's vastly insulting and we don't really want to ask you what you were
>doing
>three years prior to actually getting off your arses. So why exactly did
>you
>get involved in World War II? Absolutely nothing to do with self-interest
>I'm
>sure. I was under the impression that Britain and the U.S. were only two of
>the nations that paid a huge price in saving THE WORLD from Nazism. Who
>exactly feeds you this preposterous crap that you were the bleeding hearts
>of
>the world somehow doing us a huge favour? Is it a superior educational
>system? You are only talking about our grandparents' generation and this is
>still really, really offensive. Wash your mouth out young man.
>
>5. We did. Thanks for lending us that money, though, which we're still
>paying
>you back today (with interest). Did your taxes build all your own cities?
>If
>so, why haven't you got one as good as London?
>
>By the way, WE work longer hours than everyone in Europe as well. I'm an
>adopted Londoner (of two years). There are only two things worth moaning
>about - the amount of calcium carbonate in the water and the dearth of
>decent
>pie shops.* I am constantly impressed by its beauty and even aspects of its
>ugliness (which seems to prove that it isn't a dead theme park city like
>er...Venice, for example). Still - I'd be pissed off if I didn't live here
>too (I was for twenty-five years).
>
>Agh and to the bloke who made the lunatic statement about curry - talk
>about
>missing the point! The curry doesn't represent us 'losing our own culture',
>it's a great British dish! The Asian people in this country are British too
>-
>what is different about so many Americanisms is that they haven't been
>brought in by immigrants but by a distant popular culture. I find that's a
>really bland and tedious process as it seems to involve the wholescale
>imposition of crass cultural trends, whereas immigrants contribute to the
>environment whilst being influenced by it (that's what makes the English
>language so special). Why can't people get their heads around this
>distinction?
>
>Natalie
>
>*No! A third - Mods May Day.
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