[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
I think that would depend on the company. In our local context, the gathering where theNigel, 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.
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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