A stranger in a strange land - LOVING THE ALIEN

LOVING THE ALIEN

by Wrinkled Weasel

A commenter called Revenai, on this POST makes the following observation:

migrants usually don't want to bother with the disadvantages that living in the country brings, they seem to prefer the town and cities where they have access to their own ethnic markets and places of worship.

He made the comment in the context of migrants to this country, and of course it is true, but the same could be said about British Ex-Pats. Whatever your origin, it takes a certain type of toughness and tenacity to survive alone in a strange land, away from the familiar trappings of home.

Tuscany is so full of Brits it has been comically called Chiantishire. Cheeky cockney criminals prefer Marbella. The Dordogne is riddled with them. In the town of Eymet, there is a shop called L'Epicerie Anglaise. These places have there own English newspapers, shops, Churches and cricket grounds.

In some of our former Colonies it is unthinkable that wealthy whites mix with the local population, apart from having them as servants. What is left of the white, former ruling class in places like Zimbabwe, have, by necessity, pulled up the razor wire and the shutters and rarely take part in anything other than White European social ventures.

So, I would argue that the propensity to agglomerate into cultural ghettos is a universal trait. As I said, it takes a certain type of person to go without Marmite and Theakston's Old Peculiar. It takes true grit to be a stranger in a strange land.

I don't blame anybody. I live in Scotland, and believe me, being English here is not easy. I try and fit in as best I can, but the Scots are nationalistic and prickly about the English asserting themselves in a nationalistic way, in their country, to the point of beating them up if they display overt signs of Englishness, such as talking aloud. Others just get cold-shouldered.

The latest example is of a 65 year-old English widow who lives in Findochty. She is being forced to sell her home after what has been described as a local hate campaign:

'It is shocking but it's been made obvious that I am no longer welcome here. The only option left to me is to leave.
'I had no idea problems like this existed here. I didn't think I would be treated any differently to anyone else.
'I came here looking for some peace and quiet, but I never found it.'

Anti English Race Hate in Findochty,Scotland

 A local resident told her to her face, "You'd better leave here".

I know I am going to get grief for the last bit, but its true. The same can be said of racist attacks in England. People simply cannot cope easily with people who are not like them. In extremis, they attack. It is ignorance and fear manifest.

So none of us come out of this particularly well. We go abroad and demand that people accomodate our Britishness, so we cannot really moan about it when people come here and demand that we accommodate their own culture. Can we?

Hidbound by Political Correctness, we have stifled debate about this. Perhaps a little satire might ease the inhibitions: