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15 May 02 - 03:33 PM (#710985) Subject: Not depressed, just British From: Deda I posted this to the annexe when mudcat was down (thanks Jon F!) but I thought some people probably missed it there. An English ex-patriot, now a US citizen, sent me this piece of silliness and I thought anyone who's compared US and British manners might appreciate it: DEPRESSED MAN DIAGNOSED AS "BRITISH" George Farthing, an expatriate British man living in America, was recently diagnosed as clinically depressed, tanked up on anti-depressants and scheduled for controversial Shock Therapy when doctors realised he wasn't depressed at all - only British. Not depressed, just British Mr Farthing, a British man whose characteristic pessimism and gloomy perspective were interpreted as serious clinical depression, was led on a nightmare journey through the American psychiatric system. Doctors described Farthing as suffering with Pervasive Negative Anticipation - a belief that everything will turn out for the worst, whether it's trains arriving late, England's chances at winning any international sports event or even his own prospects to get ahead in life and achieve his dreams. "The satisfaction Mr Farthing seemed to get from his pessimism seemed particularly pathological," reported the doctors. "They put me on everything - Lithium, Prozac, St John's Wort," said Mr Farthing. "They even told me to sit in front of a big light for an hour a day or I'd become suicidal. I kept telling them this was all pointless and they said that it was exactly that sort of attitude that got me here in the first place." Running out of ideas, his doctors finally resorted to a course of "weapons grade MDMA", the only noticeable effect of which was six hours of speedy repetitions of the phrases "mustn't grumble" and "not too bad, really". It was then that Mr Farthing was referred to a psychotherapist. Suicidal? Dr Isaac Horney explored Mr Farthing's family history and couldn't believe his ears. "His story of a childhood growing up in a grey little town where it rained every day, treeless streets of identical houses and passionately backing a football team who never won, seemed to be typical depressive ideation or false memory. Mr Farthing had six months of therapy but seemed to mainly want to talk about the weather - how miserable and cold it was in winter and later how difficult and hot it was in summer. I felt he wasn't responding to therapy at all and so I recommended drastic action - namely ECT or shock treatment". Hopeless case. "I was all strapped down on the table and they were about to put the rubber bit in my mouth when the psychiatric nurse picked up on my accent," said Mr Farthing. "I remember her saying 'Oh my God, I think we're making a terrible mistake'." Nurse Alice Sheen was a big fan of British comedy giving her an understanding of the British psyche. "Classic comedy characters like Tony Hancock, Albert Steptoe and Frank Spencer are all hopeless cases with no chance of ever doing well or escaping their circumstances," she explained to the baffled US medics. "That's funny in Britain and is not seen as pathological at all." Identifying Mr Farthing as British changed his diagnosis from 'clinical depression' to 'rather quaint and charming' and he was immediately discharged from hospital, with a selection of brightly coloured leaflets and an "I love New York" T-shirt.
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15 May 02 - 03:46 PM (#710995) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: C-flat From clinically depressed to quaint and charming! I must remember my Union Jack T-shirt next time I travel abroad. Wouldn't want to give the wrong impression y'know! Anyone would think we spend all our time moaning about the weather, which I might say has been a bit on the chilly side with some spots of rain, but there you are mustn't grumble what! Can you imagine how us Brits have been without our Mudcat site! My upper lip has gone into cramps! Tally-Ho! |
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15 May 02 - 04:12 PM (#711013) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Liz the Squeak Can't I be British AND depressed anyway?? LTS |
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15 May 02 - 04:14 PM (#711016) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Herga Kitty Hang about. An English ex-patriot is someone who used to feel patriotic towards England but doesn't any more. As opposed to an English expatriate, who just happens to be living somewhere outside England (could be Wales or Scotland) who may or may not still feel patriotic towards England. British and English are not synonymous. Now that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (which is part of the UK but not of Britain)have devolved governments it seems very provocative not to distinguish between English, British, and UK..... and of course Cornish. Kitty
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15 May 02 - 04:15 PM (#711018) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Blues=Life This is like the old joke about the traveling salesman who was given a room in an over-booked hotel, and told to share the bed with whoever was already there. He walks in, finds a naked woman in the bed, and proceeds to make love to her. The next day, the police catch up with him and charge him with having sex with a dead woman. "Dead?" he says, "I thought she was British!" |
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15 May 02 - 04:38 PM (#711048) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Liz the Squeak Thanks Blues, that makes me feel so much better. NOT LTS |
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15 May 02 - 04:55 PM (#711067) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Deda Sorry about the ex-patriate thing, which of course is what I meant. And I think the English were the target of this spoof, not all Brits. Although as an ethnic joke I guess it might as well have been ASPs (Anglo Saxon Protestants -- the W is redundant). |
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15 May 02 - 05:00 PM (#711072) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Dicho (Frank Staplin) Herga Kitty, what to I say when I want to refer to the geographic area that used to be the British Isles? Do I string all the pieces together in one word? Or just call it the I+-ncompatable Islands? |
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15 May 02 - 05:07 PM (#711079) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Bert Well Squeaks, you can be depressed and British, but we won't allow you to be depressed AND a Mudcatter. |
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15 May 02 - 05:15 PM (#711092) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Liz the Squeak You gonna come and cheer me up Bert?? LTS |
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15 May 02 - 05:19 PM (#711098) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: TheBigPinkLad Don't fall victim to the "No Sex Please, We're British' thing ... it was just a rumour put round by the French who have not enjoyed the way we've shagged them over the centuries ... ;o) |
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15 May 02 - 05:21 PM (#711104) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Herga Kitty Dicho I think the British Isles are still the British Isles, because that's just a geographical description. But it's not getting any easier. We've had reports today that the Shetland Isles are planning to include the Norse version of town names on boundary signs. Kitty |
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15 May 02 - 05:25 PM (#711106) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Bullfrog Jones What a beautifully written piss-take! Lovely. (Like all the best comedy, based in absolute truth of course!) BJ |
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15 May 02 - 05:25 PM (#711107) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Celtic Soul :::giggle!::: I wonder what Americans would be diagnosed with by the British Psychiatrists.
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15 May 02 - 05:31 PM (#711111) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Herga Kitty Big Pink Lad Rather than blaming the French I'm inclined to blame George Mikes - if I remember rightly, the chapter on sex in "How to be an alien" started on the lines of, "The English don't have sex, they have hot water bottles"..... |
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15 May 02 - 05:32 PM (#711113) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: McGrath of Harlow There's a germ of truth in all stereotypes. But the germ of truth here isn't that the English are miserable, but rather that the English are particularly good at enjoying things going wrong, including the grumbling - it quite cheers them up.
The underlying assumption is that, if things are bad, they could well get better; if they are good they are bound to get worse. So bad times are the times you can relax and look forward hopefully. Historically that is symbolised by Dunkirk and the Blitz.
"We'll meet again -
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15 May 02 - 05:39 PM (#711117) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: TheBigPinkLad Does anyone remember an episode of WKRP in Cincinnati where Les Nesman crashed through the wall of a hotel on his moped and smashed up an English couple there on vacation? He went to hospital to apologise for nearly killing them and ruining their lives and the husband looked at him in amazement and said "My God, man ... we were having TEA!" |
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15 May 02 - 05:52 PM (#711128) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: McGrath of Harlow "I wonder what Americans would be diagnosed with by the British Psychiatrists."
I think that, if I suggested what I think the answer to that question might well be, the responses it would get in subsequent posts would demonstrate that there could be something to be said for the accuracy of the diagnosis. So I won't. |
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15 May 02 - 06:04 PM (#711140) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: GUEST,GeoPolly Dicho, If you say "the islands of Britain and Ireland" it pretty much covers geography and current political maps. I find the Brits have more tendency to use the term "British Isles" when they mean Britain and Ireland as a "traditional habit"! |
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15 May 02 - 06:07 PM (#711144) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: harvey andrews "His story of a childhood growing up in a grey little town where it rained every day, treeless streets of identical houses and passionately backing a football team who never won harvey Andrews...this is your life!!! Except we won on Sunday and I don't know how to cope with success! It's depressing. |
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15 May 02 - 06:10 PM (#711149) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: GUEST,GeoPolly I thought that was an excerpt from Frank McCourt! |
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15 May 02 - 06:17 PM (#711157) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Herga Kitty But in what circumstances, apart from an internet pedantic debate, would anyone want to refer to "the islands of Britain and Ireland". It's not a phrase I've heard spoken in common parlance, ever. |
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15 May 02 - 06:38 PM (#711166) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Jon Freeman You won on Sunday, Harvey? Hope your not an f'ing Birmingham supporter... Seriously, if you are, I thought it was a great game with great oppertunities from either side. Pip (my mum) and Paul (one of my brothers) were at the match and they said the atmosphere was great between the fans too. I'm dissapointed but can only wish Birmingham all the best. As for Norwich, I feel they gave it a fantastic effort and am optomistic for next season... Jon |
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15 May 02 - 06:53 PM (#711177) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: GUEST,ozmacca I have to stick my oar in here.... It's got nothing to do with the French, or sex, either. Don't you all realise that the principal reason for the general depression felt by most of the inhabitants of what used to called Great Britain, then Britain, and then The British Isles, and then the british isles, then the aggregate nomenclature for England, Ireland, Scotland and wales and all thie semi, demi or partly autonomus regions, provinces and other bits...... where was I?.... Oh yes. The main reason for this general depression is that it's been a principal export from Scotland for centuries, and it's now settling to a mean depth slightly exceeding the average person's height. |
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15 May 02 - 06:56 PM (#711185) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Paul from Hull What a brilliant story...& yes, it does ring VERY true! |
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15 May 02 - 07:03 PM (#711189) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Gareth Kevin - "Over here, Overpaid, and Over ambitious !" Gareth |
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15 May 02 - 07:14 PM (#711201) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Malcolm Douglas Oddly enough, every time I've heard that joke about the fellow having sex with a corpse, he was French and thought she was American. Cultural assumptions, eh? |
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15 May 02 - 07:37 PM (#711217) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: GUEST McGrath, Regarding your response to: "I wonder what Americans would be diagnosed with by the British Psychiatrists." Very nicely put!
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15 May 02 - 08:27 PM (#711252) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Dicho (Frank Staplin) PBS is re-running some of the old British comedies. In spite of all the jokes about British humo(u)r, they are the only really funny programs on TV (with the possible exception of very old Gleason-Caesar-Kovacs-etc. on the cable comedy channel). Comedy and drama have disappeared from current American and Canadian TV. |
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15 May 02 - 08:44 PM (#711255) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: GUEST,ozmacca Dicho, they've damn near disappeared from Orstrilian telly as well. When the old Brit comedies disappeared from the screen, we had the whole gamut of poorly managed shows to contend with. There were the American sit-coms which tended to work very hard to give one laugh at the end of a half-hour programme. We also had the rapid-fire shows with machine-gun deliveries and very little to laugh at. And we also got the serials built around one person who is supposed to be funny because they are the star. After all this , the viewing public's tastes is affected, and they'll applaud anything that they're told is funny. Trouble is, that when a new British comedy is announced it turns out to be UN-funny. The standard is really descending into the rubbish strata. Is this only because we just get the rejects and the good stuff is kept in the UK, or is humour itself undergoing a process of change. If so, how can we stop it declining even further. Bring back Open All Hours, and Last of The Summer Wine etc... |
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15 May 02 - 09:00 PM (#711260) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: McGrath of Harlow Last of the Summer Wine is still going on. It all seems very like the kind of get togethers and the kind of people in sessions in English pubs.
Unfortunately the kind of melancholy cheerful quality associated with the English traditionally is being overlaid by all kinds of other less appealing qualities. A sort of in-your-face attitude which shows itself in all kinds of places - football hooligans, politicians, comedians, entrepreneurs, journalists, broadcasters... Even some folk singers. And in most cases, they aren't very good at it either. Maybe it's just a phase they are going through.
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15 May 02 - 09:02 PM (#711262) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Dicho (Frank Staplin) Ozmacca, the cable company here offers a BBC Canada channel for a small fee. I watched it off and on for a couple of months when it was a free trial and saw nothing to cheer about. Didn't buy it. If it was a sample of current British box offerings, there's nothing to cheer about. |
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15 May 02 - 09:28 PM (#711278) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Peter K (Fionn) ...when they mean Britain and Ireland "When they mean the UK and Ireland" GeoPoly, if you're determined to be tediouisly precise. |
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15 May 02 - 09:34 PM (#711280) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Brendy Celtic Isles would be even preciser. B. |
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15 May 02 - 10:39 PM (#711303) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Celtic Soul Oh, no, McGrath...do tell! Perhaps some Americans take themselves too seriously, but no moreso than some of any nationality. In other words, countries are like bodies. They all have assholes. :D |
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16 May 02 - 01:03 AM (#711348) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Ebbie I think the Englishmen have put a good one on over us. Bloodless? Nah. Years ago, I was working in a resort where the dining room manager was a VERY proper married Englishman. Sparely built, straight back, thin lips, brief words, the whole bit. Not your basic fun type. We also had a 'womanly' woman there who spent all her time when not at work, crocheting busily. She kept pretty much to herself. One evening we came to work and were met by the General Manager with the news that the domestic one and the Englishman had run off together. |
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16 May 02 - 03:56 AM (#711406) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: greg stephens Its a lie about the grey towns. The buildings may all have been grey in Millom, but the front doors were all brown. And I'm with McGrath on reticence about Americans: this is a matter best left unspoken. |
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16 May 02 - 04:18 AM (#711415) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: DMcG In other words, countries are like bodies. They all have assholes. :D No, they are not, Celtic Soul. Most bodies only have one :-) |
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16 May 02 - 05:11 AM (#711433) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: mooman Dear Liz, If Bert can't come up with the goods, it's clearly time to send you that "Virago and leathers" photo I've been promising you for so long! (;>) mooman |
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16 May 02 - 06:10 AM (#711448) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: GUEST,saxonach Brendy.It would be nice to have one thread every now and again that did not mention the bleedin CELTS. I'm English and proud of my Saxon and Norse heritage. Most of this island has been English speaking for a 1000 years. How many Celtic speakers are there in UK? 2% ish ? |
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16 May 02 - 07:17 AM (#711479) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Pete Jennings I get depressed by people calling me British when I'm actually English. But I got really depressed over the last two days when I couldn't access the 'Cat. Anybody know a good shrink?. Pete PS Harvey - how come you don't support Wolves, then? |
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16 May 02 - 08:30 AM (#711517) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: English Jon Here we go again. Alright have it your way. The English are Celtic. Of course we are. How silly of me to have presumed otherwise. Bollocks. EJ |
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16 May 02 - 10:56 AM (#711609) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: McGrath of Harlow "Most of this island has been English speaking for a 1000 years." What's that got to do with it, saxonach? Nobody calls them the English Isles.
For what it's worth anyway, "British" refers to the people who were in England before the English arrived, which is why the Romans used the term.
So changing the name to "Celtic" from "British" wouldn't make much difference. The name is Celtic either way - whatever that means.
The neatest alternative name I've seen is the acronym "The WISE Isles" - from the names of the main parts. (That misses out the Isle Of Man and the Cornish of course.) Or maybe "The Isles of Man", from the natural capital of the archipelago, situated right in the middle. But I can't see either of them catching on.
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16 May 02 - 11:01 AM (#711614) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: McGrath of Harlow And welcome back, Brendy. |
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16 May 02 - 11:22 AM (#711623) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: GUEST,Saxonach I bumped in to your web site the other day Son of Grath.It had a photo of you with your finger in your ear though I suspect the digit spends most of its time elsware. |
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16 May 02 - 11:43 AM (#711641) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: GUEST,Gaelophile Read it and Weep ? |
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16 May 02 - 12:23 PM (#711662) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: GUEST,stigWeard I prefer to call them just 'The Isles', which is the title an excellent tome by Norman Davis charting the domination of these Islands by England, with an emphasis on the south-east as the dominant economic and political region of the country. In truth, most inhabitants of the Isles will have Celt, Norse, Saxon, Frank, Jute, Norman (which is norse anyway) and more than a fair amount of the indigenous population that settled here after the retreat of the last ice sheets. And here's the crux - the modern concept of nationhood is a relatively modern invention. Until the inhabitants of the Isles recognise their common heritage and the value of all our indigenous cultures, whether they be Scot, Welsh, English or Irish, then this pointless bickering, racism and predujice will go on, and we'll all still be governed by a bunch of morons who do not represent the vast majority of people who live under their rule. Our heritage is being constantly hijacked by nationalists who insist that the only way to live with your neighbours is to be divided from them. Shame really, because underneath, on these Islands at least, we all have a lot more in common than some would like to admit. Got that off me chest. StigWeard |
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16 May 02 - 12:26 PM (#711664) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: GUEST,not gaelophile Gaelophile, I tried to read that and my head started spinning. I trace my ancestry back to my parents and grand-parents. After that it may be interesting but its unimportant to me. I loved the original posting in this thread. I like the idea of him being "discharged from hospital, with a selection of brightly coloured leaflets and an "I love New York" T-shirt." |
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16 May 02 - 02:29 PM (#711751) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: harvey andrews Answers..yes.I've been a Blues fan since my father took me aged 7. Wolves was where my wife worked later. And how come such a great humorous posting brings the quibblers and miseries out about national identity? Whatever the past teaches it tells us that it all happened long ago and the world in which we live is the world made by the people living in it today. The only thing we inherit from our ancestors is our genes...we LEARN their prejudices, their hatreds, their blood feuds, their religions. Whatever we screw up today we screw up because we choose to, not because it's inevitable. |
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16 May 02 - 02:35 PM (#711754) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Liz the Squeak Mooman - send it on down!!! Did I send you my Email address?? LTS |
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16 May 02 - 04:12 PM (#711825) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Crane Driver As someone of Scottish ancestry, born in Wales, brought up in England and now back in Wales, I just can't cope with this micro-nationalism. I know I'm British, but I can't cut it any finer than that. What's it matter? I agree with Harvey - it was all a long time ago, what matters is not where you were born or who your parents were, but what you choose to do with your life. I'm reminded of a song by (I think) Dougie McLean - The Old Divide-and-Rule. Keep the peasants squabbling over spurious issues like nationalism, it stops us getting together to campaign for social justice. Don't fall for that crap. One for our Midlands contingent - What's the difference between Wolverhampton Wanderers and a serial arsonist? The arsonist would never have thrown away his last nine matches! Cheers! Andrew the Congenitally Depressed. |
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16 May 02 - 06:10 PM (#711877) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Penny S. I was rather put out (note carefully British use of modifier) to find in our school log book that the children celebrated Queen Victoria's golden jubilee with a ditty called "Hurrah for England" - words not provided, let alone a tune, rather than a celebration of Britain or even the Empire as one big happy family. Penny |
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16 May 02 - 06:48 PM (#711902) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: harvey andrews Why are you "put out" by what happened before you were born? It's history. It tells you nothing about now and should give you no feelings of guilt. That was then, now is now.What is done and said now is all that should concern us.All we should learn from history is that we don't have to repeat it. The choice is ours. |
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16 May 02 - 07:26 PM (#711923) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Pete Jennings I agree with Harvey that this is all getting far too serious, even if I did add to it at the time, and the last nine matches joke notwithstanding (*BG*). I'm right there with Squeakie Liz - let's ALL see the photo, Mooman! Pete PS. And what's this Virago and where can I get some! PPS. My bloody guitar has gone out of tune again. I'm gonna send it back. |
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16 May 02 - 09:27 PM (#711979) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Brendy How's Kevin... The reason for my suggestion of 'The Celtic Isles' as something more precise than 'The British Isles', was two-fold. Firstly, how less intimidating the former looks and sounds (remember the soft 'C' - we're not talking about football teams, here); to name a group of islands after its' first main settlers, than after an entity which represents a foreign policy that was territorial and expansionist. Whether one is proud of one's Norse and Saxon blood (The Vikings were descendants of the Celts), is neither here nor there; one should be proud of one's lineage, either way. Secondly, it is more precise. B |
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16 May 02 - 09:50 PM (#711987) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Celtic Soul True nuff, DMcG! True nuff!!! Not that I wish it were the other way around, though...ick. |
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16 May 02 - 10:05 PM (#711993) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: paddymac Brendy - Happy to see you about again. I'm LOL (but softly) with glee at your suggestion. I apparently touched a raw nerve with GeorgeH a couple of years ago when I made exactly the same suggestion. George went so far as to stridently assert that there were no Celts in England. I politely chuckled to myself and thought of all those citizens of the realm who no longer existed, at least by George's calculus. I haven't seen a post from GeorgeH in quite a while, so I don't know whether he still frequents the place or not. It's true that "britain" derioves is name from a prominent Celtic tribe (I think from the area of modern Wales, but not sure). BUt "Britain" might be one of the earliest recorded mondegreens as the tribe was the Pretanii. History is filled with many curious twists. There were people on what is today "the big island" some 55,000 years ago, before the last big glaciation, but whether they were present throughout the glacial period I don't know. It's of interest to note that the big island didn't become an "island" until fairly recently in geological terms (about 8,000-10,000) years ago. By way of contrast, Ireland separated from the continent some 48,000 to 50,000 years ago, and the earliest records of peoples there that I can recall at the moment are in the range of 6,500-7,000 years ago. Despite "history", I think that Guest stigWeard has the right idea: "Shame really, because underneath, on these Islands at least, we all have a lot more in common than some would like to admit." That extends to those of us removed from there some generations back as well. |
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16 May 02 - 10:33 PM (#712011) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Brendy Of course, Paddy, this is true, and if popular opinion deigned it, I would be happy to call The locale, The Pretanii Isles. Briotáin was either one of the Nemedians, or Partholon's crew; I can't remember offhand, but he is said to have given his name to the tribe of The Britons, where I presume the term 'British', originated. If this is true, then it is a legitimate enough alternative to the present term. However I wouldn't have insisted upon it being an appendix to the GFA. It is curious though, Paddy, why any person would object to not calling a whole island group after the area's most powerful military power of the time. After all, The Dutch East Indies, and French West Africa have slipped silently out of our vocabulary, and nobody seemed to mind. Always good to read your posts... B. |
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17 May 02 - 02:30 AM (#712108) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Liz the Squeak A Virago is an extremely nice motorbike, I so regret not spending the extra £200 and getting the Virago 250 and getting it restricted..... frugality has it's problems.... Imagine a Harley with taste..... LTS |
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17 May 02 - 02:43 AM (#712110) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: GUEST,ozmacca To drag this back into some sort of line with the title, is it any wonder that the British are depressed? I mean, just look at the neighbours. Now sit back and wait for a series of francophiliac explosions.... (francophiliac? Sounds positively painful.) |
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17 May 02 - 07:23 AM (#712192) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: McGrath of Harlow Well "the Celtic Isles" might sound a bit intimidating - especially with the soft C, which is the way Glasgow Celtic orefer to fans pronounce it.
Pretanii - I suppose you could smooth it out ad call them the Pretty Isles. The Tourist boards would like that, and it's true enough for the most parts.
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17 May 02 - 12:21 PM (#712369) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Deda Back to the question about what an American would be diagnosed with in the Whatsit-Isles, my guess (being an American myself) would be manic-narcissistic. Some of present company excepted, of course. |
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17 May 02 - 12:30 PM (#712379) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: harpgirl Here's the DSM69 diagnosis for this side of the pond: "insular,hysterical, narcissistic grandiosity..." mind you, I'm only tagging our politicians! dear abby |
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17 May 02 - 01:48 PM (#712434) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: GUEST,Bullfrog Jones (on the road) I thought I might try to drag this thread back to its humorous beginnings by finding Noel Coward's 'Bad Times Are Just Around The Corner' and posting a link, but I can't find it! Can anyone point to it? BJ |
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17 May 02 - 05:40 PM (#712555) Subject: Lyr Add: THERE ARE BAD TIMES JUST AROUND THE CORNE From: McGrath of Harlow THERE ARE BAD TIMES JUST AROUND THE CORNER They're out of sorts in Sunderland
Hurray! Hurray! Hurray!
They're nervous in Nigeria
Hurray! Hurray! Hurray!
There are bad times just around the corner
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18 May 02 - 04:06 AM (#712775) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Liz the Squeak I always prefered his 'let's not be beastly to the Germans'... which so far, no-one has done here, even though, historically, they've had a far worse reputation for cruelty and barbarism than the French. They just smell better. LTS |
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18 May 02 - 03:24 PM (#713010) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: GUEST,Bullfrog Jones (on the road) Thanks McG! |
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18 May 02 - 03:47 PM (#713019) Subject: RE: BS: Not depressed, just British From: Paul from Hull Thanks, Mr McGrath! Never come across that before. ....& Liz, though I partly agree with you, 'Wont You Please Oblige Us With A Bren Gun' was more popular at the time, I think! |