The Off Topic Topic

[Grey Fox]

Somehow, 2 native english speakers are lost in translation.

To be fair, one is English.

That's no way to talk about a Southern Scot.

[garbon]

Somehow, 2 native english speakers are lost in translation.

To be fair, one is English.

[Barrister]

Somehow, 2 native english speakers are lost in translation.

To be fair, one is English.

You know what - that was both a great quip from Habs, and the emoji is consistently one of my favourites around here.

[garbon]

Somehow, 2 native english speakers are lost in translation.

To be fair, one is English.

You know what - that was both a great quip from Habs, and the emoji is consistently one of my favourites around here.

[Josquius]

No - it literally does!    100km is 100km whether it's in Canada or in England.

Jeez this is dumb
Read what I actually wrote. Don't just imagine something else.

Every time I've been to Europe I've rented a car and driven all over the place.  And every European seems to think I'm crazy.  So I get it it's a cultural thing - North Americans are much more car-centered versus Europeans.  But that doesn't make "distance" any different no matter where you are.

Yes it does.
As you say. Europeans in general think you're crazy for doing this. Now consider this mindset isn't just one random person you happened to speak to. Its the majority of people across the continent.
If everyone believes 100km is a long way, something that requires detailed planning to make an epic mission of, then it is so.
Consider too we are talking about cultures here. Things that formed over centuries. We aren't talking about just believing a 100km drive is crazy, this stuff developed when a100km drive just wasn't a thing you could do.

So on the one hand I'm a fifth generation Canadian - my ancestors (on both my Ukrainian and my English sides) came here about 120 years ago.  But that's western Canada - you ask a Quebecer they go back several hundred years on this continent.

But beyond that - so what?  Does that mean my eyes don't work?  I can't make observations?

You don't see much speeding through a place on the motorway.
The so what here- 6 generations is a blink of the eye in the development of human culture, especially when it was within modern times.

There's a fierce rivalry between Edmonton and Calgary, despite the cities being about 300km apart.  But I can tell you that rivalry is precisely because both cities are so similar, because many/most people have friends or relatives in both cities.

There's no "only" about 300km. In europe thats the sort of distance where you expect everything to look different and all the people to be speaking a different language.
We get local rivalries here too. Sunderland and Newcastle, Manchester and Liverpool. A lot closer than 300km. But really this is evidence in my favour- there's an active interest across the Scottish border to pretend differences are bigger than they are.

You hate southern England precisely because it's so similar to northern England, not because it's so different. 

No.
1: "Hate" is vastly overstating things there.
2: There could well be 'uncanny valley' aspects here. That its just similar enough but 'wrong' so this hits harder than a completely alien land. But.....By this reasoning how come this 'hate' doesn't stretch to other parts of the north? To Scotland? To Wales? To Ireland?
3: You really seem to have your causation backwards here. Imagining I dislike the south thus have decided to say its more different to the north than Scotland. But... why do I dislike the south if this is the logic? Do people just spin a wheel to decide their feelings on random places?
Or is it far more logically actually born out of disliking some of the differences?

Expert?  No.

But can the observations of an outsider have valid observations - which may not be obvious to someone who is to close?  Abso-fucking-lutely.

Sure, in some circumstances. But splitting hairs about small cultural details and pointing out which two groups are more alike?
That really seems to be the sort of thing where you need to have spent a decent amount of time amongst the people. At the least be a lot more engaged in the topic than have just driven through a few times.

[Sheilbh]

Feeling annoyingly culturally conservative again as I absolutely hate this:


It's not twee, or entertainment. I think this is more confusing for normal readers. I hate the lowering expectations of audiences - and think it's possibly actually had negative effects. I think the broad dumbing down/lowering of expectations of politics has possibly had an outcome in the dumbing down/lowering of expectations of outcomes, policy or quality of politicians. Treat it like a circus and you'll get clowns.

And not just news/politics - but I feel like the BBC News site is now very light-entertainment/celebrity focused. Think about it with arts and culture broadcasting too. I regularly think about Brian Sewell (wildly camp art critic) talking about the art history classes he used to give at Brixton Prison and basically saying if you treat people like their adults who could be interested in a subject seriously then they'll respond in kind. He added that was something BBC program commissioners could learn

[garbon]

[Richard Hakluyt]

The BBC trying to stay relevant by being dumb in a dumb age 

But we have plenty of that from the private sector. They should be trying to raise the bar.

[Tamas]

My kid started nursery (at one year old) 5 weeks ago. He has so far spent 2 of those weeks actually in the nursery. First he caught some flu-like stuff and brought us parents down as well with it. After 3 days back he of course caught eh hand foot mouth virus going around in there, and now back home. And I am having the whole runny nose sore throat deal after a week's break, again.

[Josquius]

A funny reddit comment.
"Is Durham University considered posh"
"I won't lie, there are a lot of people named Hugo"
 

[crazy canuck]

My kid started nursery (at one year old) 5 weeks ago. He has so far spent 2 of those weeks actually in the nursery. First he caught some flu-like stuff and brought us parents down as well with it. After 3 days back he of course caught eh hand foot mouth virus going around in there, and now back home. And I am having the whole runny nose sore throat deal after a week's break, again.

Yeah, you are going to get sick several times a year for about the next 12 to 13 years.  After that, your kids is not going to want to spend much time with you, until sometime in their 20s.

Have a nice day 

[Crazy_Ivan80]

My kid started nursery (at one year old) 5 weeks ago. He has so far spent 2 of those weeks actually in the nursery. First he caught some flu-like stuff and brought us parents down as well with it. After 3 days back he of course caught eh hand foot mouth virus going around in there, and now back home. And I am having the whole runny nose sore throat deal after a week's break, again.

Completely normal. Lasts about 2 years where they get everything, and get to co-enjoy it.
Then you're about ready to make another one

[Grey Fox]

My kid started nursery (at one year old) 5 weeks ago. He has so far spent 2 of those weeks actually in the nursery. First he caught some flu-like stuff and brought us parents down as well with it. After 3 days back he of course caught eh hand foot mouth virus going around in there, and now back home. And I am having the whole runny nose sore throat deal after a week's break, again.

Yeah, you are going to get sick several times a year for about the next 12 to 13 years.  After that, your kids is not going to want to spend much time with you, until sometime in their 20s.

Have a nice day 

And to add to that awful plight. You grew up with entirely different child viruses. You are going to be sick often.

I used to get my immigrant co-workers sick regularly, a little less frequently nowadays.

[Josquius]

My kid started nursery (at one year old) 5 weeks ago. He has so far spent 2 of those weeks actually in the nursery. First he caught some flu-like stuff and brought us parents down as well with it. After 3 days back he of course caught eh hand foot mouth virus going around in there, and now back home. And I am having the whole runny nose sore throat deal after a week's break, again.

Completely normal. Lasts about 2 years where they everything, and get to co-enjoy it.
Then you're about ready to make another one

If you're lucky you can even have sex twice in this window!

[Tamas]

Lol thank you all.


I was just thinking reading a terrible summary of adult hand foot mouth disease that if I ever had the child version of this myself like my son is having it, it was 40 years and over a thousand miles away, so my immunity is probably zero