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Archiver > JACOBITES > 2000-03 > 0953732051


From:
Subject: Re: New Diaspora thoughts
Date: Wed, 22 Mar 2000 08:34:11 EST


In a message dated 21/03/00 9:10:38 PM Central Standard Time,
writes:

<<
So why do the Scottish disapora seem so zealous about their ethnic
origins? I know German disapora who are 1st and 2nd
generation american and don't have any passion for their "Homeland"

They would if they were Scots!!! Not as simple a remark as it seems Read on.

Spanish disapora who don't care to go to Spain. So what is it about the
Scottish disapora that make them so passionate, be it fantasy or myth.
This brings me to my next question; why does it bother the Native Scots
so much? The Irish don't share the same attitude, they embrace Americans
and Canadians and anyone else coming to Ireland to search out their
ancestry, even if they do indulge themselves in the myths of the past.
Whereas the Scots in some instances react as if you are foolish for
feeling passionate about your ethnic/their ethnic origin. If we all come >>

A pile of information snipped:

The only issue I take up is this idea of a beaten people. The rest of the
report makes sense in as much as the way it deals with sentiments etc.

A beaten people: From what I have seen the problem with the Scots in General
and the Highlanders in particular is, we have never looked at the
independence issue as anything more than a lost a battle, and not the war.
Many will not even concede that. The question to many is; is the battle for
independence over YET. or have the tactics simply become more political. Now
that is a domestic issue for Scotland. The people who left, and most did not
leave because of war, of which most were lost, they left for economic
reasons. Be it the clearances or the search for opportunity because we were
over populated.

When the Scots left, and in particular the Highlanders during the clearances,
etc., they all, a whole village/community left. We did not erode one or two
at a time as many other communities did, sending a brother then another and
another, we came by the ship load. Each ship did not contain a bunch of
Scots, it contained a community. For example: let us take a town in Nova
Scotia. You have a small village of 200 French colonists. 300 people, each
knowing the other and most related converge on this village. They all speak
the same language, have the same foods, the same music, the same tastes,
etc., who has to change, the French or the Scots. The minority will change.
Then later the village will change to adopt some of the ways of the others
until you have a whole new social structure, which is an amalgamation of the
two.

As for the "beaten people of Scotland," it is our pride and sense of self
that carried on our customs. Those who remained behind in Scotland
modernized, as did those in the new world. Because they had value our old
customs were kept alive in the new world where it was important to have a
root that was traceable amongst the other flowers of the garden. It was our
pride, and not our disgrace that brought us to where we are today. As for the
Scots thinking that Americans returning home with kilts and all is a bit
foolish. Well, a lot of that is because of our own tourist bord, and our
quest to become more western and more European. Besides everyone looks at
tourists as different. A part of that is also the jealous way we try and hold
our culture and our Scottishness. I for one, and not your typical example,
was brought up traveling between Canada and Scotland. In both areas,
especially Scotland my heritage was bored into me until I became the proud
nationalist I am today. Not exactly the symbol of a beaten people. Everyone I
knew was also very proud and expressed very quickly they were Scottish and
not British. Other than the broken people concept the report or thesis has
some good points, but I think the gentleman has the reasons ass back wards.
Ask any Scot and you will leave with the idea that we never lost a war, there
was simply a ceasesian of hostilities, to a point.
Dave MacLean
Radio Scotland

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