What’s in a name?
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Very often we receive fanmail at ScotsCare. OK, when I say fanmail I really mean letters expressing thanks that we’ve been able to help but I use fanmail because very occasionally we also receive the opposite…hatemail!
If I’m honest, there is not much that can be directed towards me as a Scot that offends me, I was brought up to believe the mantra of stick and stones and like a good brainwashee it’s all mostly water off a duck’s back (how many more clichés can I fit into this entry do you think?) but having said that there is one term I don’t really like and that is being described as Scotch.
Now, while it is true that this adjective was once used to describe people, that was a long time ago and is now considered mildly pejorative and since the early 19th Century has been more commonly used to describe food and drink i.e. Scotch Beef, Scotch Broth and of course Scotch Whisky.
So when we received a letter a few weeks ago it wasn’t the use of profanity that offended me, it was the use of the term Scotch to describe my colleagues and I and in a broader sense our clients. This xenophobia towards Scots has always puzzled me however I guess that is really the nature of most phobias, they are all just a fear of the unknown and the person suffering the phobia usually cannot explain why they feel the way they do. As a UK citizen I find it mildly amusing when I’m told to, “Go back to your own country” the UK is my country.
Now, this all seems quite detached and a little unbelievable and whilst it is true we receive perhaps 2 or 3 letters and emails like this a year, that is only because most people do not have the energy or, dare I say it, conviction in their beliefs, to actually sit down and string a few words together, incoherent or otherwise. Things are not the same on the coalface aka the street; whether it’s people complaining about Scottish bankers, politicians or rough sleepers the terms used directly or indirectly are abusive yet somehow accepted by the vast majority of people.
Perhaps this is why Scots have a reputation of being dour if you spend all day being referred to in a derogatory way you’ve not got much to smile about.
This entry was posted on Thursday, April 9th, 2009 at 12:07 pm by Marc and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
…A drop of Scotch never hurt anybody, surely. ‘Sweaty sock’ is one of my favourites and it is all part of belonging. Until recently I would have said that my time in the Smoke was all positive as far as my being Scots was concerned. But now with GB and bankers various, not to mention those whose name might be Scotland, the word Scottish or derivations thereof are more spat-out than sang.
Ah well if they are on my back they are leaving some other poor soul alone. dare I say, that if we could lose the habit of voting (new)Labour, things would improve all round. “A mans’ a man for aw that.” It is in the main that people are disappointed in us more that loathing at the moment. Diney fash yersel. I say.
Although it may be that you hail from the west coast that makes that little bit more sensitive. Tee-hee.
…it is plain to see thatb we are missing a ‘preview’ option now that I read my last comment through. JIINGS!!