Comments on: making a point of not being English http://www.headrambles.com/2007/09/17/making-a-point-of-not-being-english/ Rambles around the head of an Irish Grandad Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:45:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Grandad http://www.headrambles.com/2007/09/17/making-a-point-of-not-being-english/#comment-22043 Grandad Mon, 17 Sep 2007 23:46:15 +0000 http://www.headrambles.com/2007/09/17/making-a-point-of-not-being-english/#comment-22043 Steph - Are you sure we aren't married? No. On second thoughts, you said he is small. Steph - Are you sure we aren’t married?
No. On second thoughts, you said he is small.

]]> By: steph http://www.headrambles.com/2007/09/17/making-a-point-of-not-being-english/#comment-22035 steph Mon, 17 Sep 2007 20:44:43 +0000 http://www.headrambles.com/2007/09/17/making-a-point-of-not-being-english/#comment-22035 Grandad - you have my full understanding. My other half was picked on at school in England for Being small Wearing glasses Being shy Having dyslexia Possessing two left feet (so was useless at 'rugger' and cricket). His family moved to Ireland 40 years ago and he's now singled out for Having an English accent Being a Protestant Looking like Gerry Adams (uncanny eh) And after all these years, he still can't kick a ball to save his life! Life can be very cruel at times. Grandad - you have my full understanding.

My other half was picked on at school in England for

Being small
Wearing glasses
Being shy
Having dyslexia
Possessing two left feet (so was useless at ‘rugger’ and cricket).

His family moved to Ireland 40 years ago and he’s now singled out for

Having an English accent
Being a Protestant
Looking like Gerry Adams (uncanny eh)

And after all these years, he still can’t kick a ball to save his life!

Life can be very cruel at times.

]]> By: Baino http://www.headrambles.com/2007/09/17/making-a-point-of-not-being-english/#comment-22034 Baino Mon, 17 Sep 2007 20:20:57 +0000 http://www.headrambles.com/2007/09/17/making-a-point-of-not-being-english/#comment-22034 Ah . . pick on the English thing. As invaders down under we too suffer the historical shame of subjugating our indigenous population. They got back at us though by petrol sniffing and causing a shortage . . . I became so embarrassed about being English so I was naturalised. Didn't hurt as much as a compass in the bum. Ah . . pick on the English thing. As invaders down under we too suffer the historical shame of subjugating our indigenous population. They got back at us though by petrol sniffing and causing a shortage . . . I became so embarrassed about being English so I was naturalised. Didn’t hurt as much as a compass in the bum.

]]> By: Grandad http://www.headrambles.com/2007/09/17/making-a-point-of-not-being-english/#comment-22016 Grandad Mon, 17 Sep 2007 12:41:51 +0000 http://www.headrambles.com/2007/09/17/making-a-point-of-not-being-english/#comment-22016 You have my full sympathies. I was picked on for Being 'English' Being tall Being thin Having glasses Being shy Not playing football or rugby Happy days :) You have my full sympathies.

I was picked on for
Being ‘English’
Being tall
Being thin
Having glasses
Being shy
Not playing football or rugby

Happy days :)

]]> By: robert http://www.headrambles.com/2007/09/17/making-a-point-of-not-being-english/#comment-22015 robert Mon, 17 Sep 2007 12:29:56 +0000 http://www.headrambles.com/2007/09/17/making-a-point-of-not-being-english/#comment-22015 I remember the compass ritual very well. First year in secondary school. Not so happy memories. It still fascinates and depresses me at the prejudices that some people still have. My father was Church of Ireland and my mother was Roman Catholic. Still to this day I get people calling me a "proddy dog". Despite being neither canine nor Protestant. When I went to secondary school I had it the other way around. I went to a private school where my father and grandfather had gone. But it was Church of Ireland. Being a christened Catholic now made me a target for a whole new round of prejudices. You learn to get over them pretty quickly. I remember the compass ritual very well. First year in secondary school. Not so happy memories.

It still fascinates and depresses me at the prejudices that some people still have. My father was Church of Ireland and my mother was Roman Catholic. Still to this day I get people calling me a “proddy dog”. Despite being neither canine nor Protestant.

When I went to secondary school I had it the other way around. I went to a private school where my father and grandfather had gone. But it was Church of Ireland. Being a christened Catholic now made me a target for a whole new round of prejudices.

You learn to get over them pretty quickly.

]]> By: Grandad http://www.headrambles.com/2007/09/17/making-a-point-of-not-being-english/#comment-22014 Grandad Mon, 17 Sep 2007 12:09:57 +0000 http://www.headrambles.com/2007/09/17/making-a-point-of-not-being-english/#comment-22014 Education in my day was an act of listening. Questioning was not only discouraged but was seen as a challenge to the teacher's authority. That particularly applied to religious teaching, where a question was seen as an act of heresy. We were taught a very one-sided view of things, and just had to accept it. Education in my day was an act of listening. Questioning was not only discouraged but was seen as a challenge to the teacher’s authority.

That particularly applied to religious teaching, where a question was seen as an act of heresy.

We were taught a very one-sided view of things, and just had to accept it.

]]> By: Ian http://www.headrambles.com/2007/09/17/making-a-point-of-not-being-english/#comment-22013 Ian Mon, 17 Sep 2007 12:04:37 +0000 http://www.headrambles.com/2007/09/17/making-a-point-of-not-being-english/#comment-22013 Grandad, As an Englishman in an Irish family I'm sometimes still astonished at the teaching of history here! Prods are seen as incidental and not quite fitting in with the great history of Catholic Ireland, as we are all going to hell, I don't suppose that matters too much. What I don't understand is the complete failure to provide any class analysis of history, the ruling class who exported grain from Ireland in Black '47 were the same class who treated working people in England in an appalling way. I can't imagine the Brothers would have been too much into labour history, but surely there were writers of history who could have provided a view of history that wasn't simply conservative nationalism? Grandad,

As an Englishman in an Irish family I’m sometimes still astonished at the teaching of history here! Prods are seen as incidental and not quite fitting in with the great history of Catholic Ireland, as we are all going to hell, I don’t suppose that matters too much.

What I don’t understand is the complete failure to provide any class analysis of history, the ruling class who exported grain from Ireland in Black ‘47 were the same class who treated working people in England in an appalling way. I can’t imagine the Brothers would have been too much into labour history, but surely there were writers of history who could have provided a view of history that wasn’t simply conservative nationalism?

]]> By: Grandad http://www.headrambles.com/2007/09/17/making-a-point-of-not-being-english/#comment-22009 Grandad Mon, 17 Sep 2007 10:11:48 +0000 http://www.headrambles.com/2007/09/17/making-a-point-of-not-being-english/#comment-22009 Grannymar - Just look at a strawberry! Manuel - Actually [one of my mother's favourite words!] I was thinking of doing a post on that very subject ;) Grannymar - Just look at a strawberry!

Manuel - Actually [one of my mother's favourite words!] I was thinking of doing a post on that very subject ;)

]]> By: manuel http://www.headrambles.com/2007/09/17/making-a-point-of-not-being-english/#comment-22008 manuel Mon, 17 Sep 2007 10:10:04 +0000 http://www.headrambles.com/2007/09/17/making-a-point-of-not-being-english/#comment-22008 "...you can’t beat a jab of a compass up the arse." So say the Christian Brothers. Ah happy days of torture and shame. “…you can’t beat a jab of a compass up the arse.”

So say the Christian Brothers. Ah happy days of torture and shame.

]]> By: Grannymar http://www.headrambles.com/2007/09/17/making-a-point-of-not-being-english/#comment-22005 Grannymar Mon, 17 Sep 2007 09:58:23 +0000 http://www.headrambles.com/2007/09/17/making-a-point-of-not-being-english/#comment-22005 I suppose you still have the puncture marks to prove it. NO I do not wish to see them! I suppose you still have the puncture marks to prove it.

NO I do not wish to see them!

]]>