Posted by Christina on July 18, 2000 at 10:43:34:
In Reply to: Re: History Lesson/ Hollywood's propaganda posted by Adele on July 18, 2000 at 09:48:34:
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: : hello patriots,
: : wow, quite a range of reactions. Some Informative, Some Persuasion, and Some even go to personal assumptions about me.
: : ok, I've been asked to reveal a little about myself and I will. For starters thats my e-mail up there for those questions and comments.
: : And no, I'm not an Englishman from England, just by blood. I'm just a guy that when I was 11 and the teacher said that the British were evil cause they shot those poor people at the Boston Massacre I raised my hand and said "oh really" and I got a book from the school library and found my teacher stumbling in her words at the sight of truth.
: : My article was to combat the standard mentality of "we are so good, they are so bad. " And since your ancestors fought for Georgie Washington I see where your reactions are coming from, but mine were with the King, in the beginning we all were, but mine remained. We didn't secede cause of petty taxes that were imposed on us [which were recalled anyway] We came from the Kings sovereign land and we fought for it when threatened. Too bad 4 other countries came to the rescue of the colonists. Would have been quite a sight to see everyone speak the King's English other then the many of branches of English made today like Ebonics. Oh well history is history, I'm just trying to bring a little light to the other side of the story.
: : R.F.
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: I have been following this thread with interest. Unlike a lot of other people on this message board, I have huge gaps in my knowledge of history and usually find these debates often fill in one or two of those gaps. However, in this case, I am completely absorbed by one or two of the points you have made.
: Firstly, what makes you think that you need to (or can for that matter) "bring a little light to the other side of the story"? Have you read ANY of the posts on this board? Because, if you had, you would see that we are, on the whole, a fairly well-informed group. Do you really believe that everyone else's ancestors "fought for Georgie Washington", except yours?! I do not think it particularly courteous to show up, assume that we all "believe everything we see on TV" and then try and "open" our minds. Bit laughable, really.
: Secondly, if I was American (which I am not), I would not warm particularly to your comment about blood being thicker than citizenship. Knowing about and being proud of your ancestry is one thing, but your comment implies that you see the country of your birth as temporary accomodation that is not upto the home of your forefathers. We all have a lot to complain about in terms of the countries in which we live - but I think we sometimes forget what some people would give to be in our shoes, living where we live, and being ALLOWED to voice the opinions that we have. If you truly believe that blood is thicker than citizenship, then you must see yourself as a Briton rather than an American - and I find that extremely sad.
: Lastly, on the subject of "speaking the King's English" - hee hee hee hee hee hee!!! Okay, will stop now!! Somebody (is it Seamus?) does a much better job of tackling this point, than I ever could! So I will leave it to him - but I would love to know - have you ever BEEN to England?
: Adele (who IS from England)
Here here to what Adele says about the "blood thicker than citizenship" thing. One of the most destructive things going on in this country is the growing tendency of everybody to separate themselves into little groups of "this-" or "that-" American. You won't find this in any other country. You won't find Australians, for instance, who originally came from Japan, calling themselves "Japanese-Australians." Truth be told, no matter where everybody came from, we all are just Americans. By acknowledging that bond of citizenship and commitment, that is the only way we can carry on and work together. I'm as proud of my Heinz 57 Celtic-Slavic-German heritage as anybody else, but I identify myself first and foremost as an American. So if you somehow identify yourself as more British than American just because you had people who fought for the Crown, it might be time to consider applying for British citizenship...
And just a small note on reactions I've heard to "The Patriot." I find it amusing that so many British critics and writers have been foaming at the mouth because their soldiers aren't portrayed as very nice people in this film. Face it guys, it was a war, and in every war there are people who just aren't pleasant people. The evil British general in "The Patriot" is simply a character created to illustrate some of the evil done during the Revolution. How many World War II movies have you seen with a snarling nasty German officer, not based specifically on one guy, but used to personify the general horror that was the Nazi regime? British history has much to be proud of, but there also have been plenty of people mistreated by the English, and I'm sorry, but it happened and there are going to be people who want to portray it on film. I've heard too many complaints about "Braveheart" and "The Patriot" and DDL's films like "In the Name of the Father" being anti-British. No, they aren't specifically anti-British. They are "anti---" whatever particular atrocity or injustice the British were involved in at that period of time. Acknowledging the wrongs of the past as well as the glories is simply part and parcel of learning one's history.