Scotch-Irish-L Archives

Archiver > Scotch-Irish > 1997-12 > 0881273190


From: "IAN DUNN" <>
Subject: Re: In re Hal Stitt's Prolegomena to a S-I Constitution
Date: Thu, 4 Dec 1997 23:06:30 +0100


> I am on THIS
> list to discover the historical conditions that
> fellow Scotch-Irish experienced, the conditions
> in Scotland that drove them to northern Ireland
> [please use lower case for the <<n>> in <<northern>>
> as the Brits will INSIST upon misunderstanding if
> you capitalize it], and the conditions in northern
> Ireland that drove them to North America [and elsewhere].

Laudable reasons indeed, and I found Hal Stitt's contribution
thought-provoking enough to make me reconsider my decision of yesterday to
unsubscribe.
However that bit in the middle "as the Brits will INSIST ..." has just
reinforced the conclusion I've been forming over the last couple of days
i.e that a lot of those mailing to this list respect the ignorant (often
arrogant in their ignorance) rather than the knowledgable (who may often be
arrogant too - but at least have some ground for being so). It seems
there's a preference on the western side of the Atlantic for people who use
the list to advertise their business (whether intentional or not, I'm sure
she wouldn't have turned away customers who'd found her via things she'd
sent to the list) rather than people who use it to try and increase the
average North American's awareness of things in Europe (answering their
questions and pointing out any errors they may make in them - just as I
hope Americans would do to any European who for example used the word
"nigger" claiming it must be alright as s/he'd found it used as a normal
term for black people in some book from the 19th Century).
,,,
This may all sound a bit presumptious coming as it does from someone who
hasn't actually contributed anything to the list before now - but, as I
personally have found the contributions of people like Iain Kerr and Edward
Andrews both interesting and informative during the 2½ months I've been
subscribing, I feel a certain obligation (before I unsubscribe) to ask: Do
you actually want people who can give you correct answers to your enquiries
about the British Isles, or do you want to drive them away? Because without
them you WILL ALL have to invest in decent dictionaries and atlases. Or
carry on comparing various hamburger outlets ...
...
Regards,
Ian Dunn

This thread: