Saint George - like a common pygmy

[Bico]

Why no celebration for the dragon-bothering one?  Okay, so there probably wasn't a dragon, and it's all a metaphor for christian triumph over pagan beliefs or something equally intellectual and beyond my meagre brain-thinkings, but it seems to me that there should be something made of the day.
There's probably a tendancy to look on English nationalism as the ginger stepchild of British nationalism, but that's been hijacked by the BNP and tea-swilling soccer hooligans of late, so surely a less inflammatory form could have its day in the sun?
It's just the Scots have a poet, the Irish have a Spaniard, and even the Welsh have a saint, though god knows what they've got to be proud of, or what hellish act the leek-chewing abomination performed on local sheep to get deified in the eyes of the hill-dwelling rustic simpletons of the valleys, but they still have one, and still celebrate him.
Why not the English, is all I'm asking?

[SamuelAWilkinson]

Because of multi-culturalism. The whole story of George and the Dragon is about people blaming their troubles on the nearest ethnic minority. "Oh, look," say the villagers. "We keep catching fire and we never have any food. What are we to do?" And they hum and hah, until one says "I know, let's blame the bloke who's different from us and then get another bloke with a big sword to stab him in the face." This, they now do. Bloke with big sword stabs different bloke in face, and founds the BNP.

And THAT's why we don't celebrate St George's day.

[paulvonscott]

"ginger stepchild of British nationalism"

I'm going to start reporting instances of jibes in the media and in public against people with red hair to the race relations board.  It's become the fun substitute for racism everyone can enjoy.

I celebrate St George's Day in my own quiet way by thinking how great it is to live in England and be English and not really be that insecure in my Englishness that I need to stick a flag on me head or froth at the mouth and jibber at the prospect that we might beat one of our immediate neighbours at football or rugby in order to regain some mean spirited national pride.

I do however think it's very dangerous to let the BNP have the day for themselves however, just as it's dangerous to let them claim the flags.

[paulvonscott]

I should say I had to be reminded what day it was :P  That was despite walking in on the ASDA St George's Day fashion parade yesterday (WTF!?)

It also reminds me that the world cup is coming up soon.  I suspect that's going to make me wish I could temporarily pretend I'm a different nationality...

[Matt Timson]

"The whole story of George and the Dragon is about people blaming their troubles on the nearest ethnic minority."

Oh dear...

[Dark Jimbo]

Well said, PVS.
I HATE the way that proclaiming your patriotism or love for your country now apparently means you have racist sympathies, and that displaying the English flag means people will assume it must be something to do with football, which I detest.

(And I doubt any of these yobs realise that he was a turk (or mabye a macedonian, the jury's still out) who in all probability never once came to England, and the princess Sabra, who he rescued from the dragon, was of Egyptian heritage.)

[Bico]

Entirely my point - why should any country's national identity be defined by the poorest examples of it's inhabitants?  The Irish get by with St Patrick's Day as a family day out celebrated around the world by all and sundry, yet as an inhabitant, I can tell you that Ireland is a glorified mudbowl.  Surely the cradle of the British Empire can manage a celebration once a year that means something more beyond the fact that the banks have shut for the day?

[TordelBack]

I couldn't agree more with PVS about the 'ginger' thing.  It really is the acceptable face of racism, filling the role previously occupied by blondes in the 90's and women in general in the 70's.  It's not bloody funny, it's picking on people because of inherited and utterly superficial physical characteristics.  And before anyone starts, my hair is what a lovely lady once described as 'shit brown', now sadly heading for grey.  

As to Ireland being a glorified mudhole, as another native, I must take bumsex up on one point (phnarr!)... glorified?  (Tho' today it did look indescribably beautiful on a rare sunny Spring day).

[Leigh S]

Let's change it to freckled people...

[Floyd-the-k]

I've never heard of the English celebrating St George's day. Maybe in the past they've been so secure in the knowledge that they were Top Nation that they didn't need to celebrate it.
  Anyway, happy St George's day, poms.

[Tanky]

So what about this campaign to make St George's day a national holiday? Don't you lot want a day off?!

And this business about ginger-ist discrimination really should have gone on the 'pc gone mad' thread, i think. For those comfy with their ginger-ness, yer all gorgeous. For those with issues, there's always hair dye. Or clippers.

Peace out xTGx

[Funt Solo]

Ginger-ism isn't new.  It's managed to out-live all the other isms, that's all.

Hang on, though - let's have a look on the scale of seriousness for a moment:

A. Attempting to gain the political power to deport anyone that you deem to be "ethnic".

- Calculating Seriousness Factor (*bleep* *click* *whirrrr*) ... 56.2


B. Calling someone a "ginger twat".

- Calculating Seriousness Factor (*bleep* *click* *whirrrr*) ... -7.0

[scutfink]

On St. Pats:

  St. Patrick was a Welshman, who scared all the snakes out of Ireland. Presumably it went something like this:

St. Pat. : Alright lads, I got rid of those snakes for you.

The Irish People: What snakes 're they then?

St. Pat: Well, y'can't see them now, they're gone int they?

The Irish People: Aaah, cheers f'r that, here y'go mate, have a Guinness1

Or Possibly:

The Irish People (Sitting in the Pub Grumbling into their pints): Another round over here Seamus!

Seamus: Are you sure you've not had too many?

The Irish People: Naah, 'm  drinking to forget int I.

Seamus: Forget what?

The Irish People: Bloody Leek bothering, Sheep friendly Taffy Bastard, bloody snakes Indeed...

:)

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On Nationalism:

Being as how I'm 50% Welsh, I always considered myself more British than English (It also means i've got a legitimate excuse to get pissed on St. Pats.) :)

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On Gingers:

I used to work with this one guy who had a shaved head, he was generally a placid, chilled out, decent sort of geezer, 'til we had  'Buscuit Day' (The things people do to liven up shitty Data Entry jobs...) I offered him one of my platoon of Mini gingerbread men and he went Ballistic. Seems he was Ginger all along, and somehow, due to our continued inability to notice the fact, we'd all been picking on him, or something.

Frikking Duracell's , soooooo touchy.  :)

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On Public Holidays:

It's alright for all you permanent work bods, you get paid either way, but I'm a Temp, so a day without work for me is a day without money, and we've had far too many of them already this month. with another one coming up a week from now, how am I s'posed to make my rent? :)
 

[paulvonscott]

Glad you think it's fun, I think you're cunts for thinking so, but it's your choice.

[judge dreddd]

I thought the dragon represents greed ?