No doubt it's one of those Swedish meatball things.*
That being said, here we have the recently late George MacDonald Fraser's take on Modern Britain, saying that though the past half century has seen many advances, we've pretty much lost our national soul in the process:
We were freer by far 50 years ago - yes, even with conscription, censorship, direction of labour, rationing, and shortages of everything that nowadays is regarded as essential to enjoyment. We still had liberty beyond modern understanding because we had other freedoms, the really important ones, that are denied to the youth of today. We could say what we liked; they can't. We were not subject to the aggressive pressure of special-interest minority groups; they are. We had no worries about race or sexual orientation; they have. We could, and did, differ from fashionable opinion with impunity, and would have laughed PC to scorn, had our society been weak and stupid enough to let it exist.*Oh, yes; the Swedish meatballs reference. It's from Babylon 5:
We had available to us an education system, public and private, that was the envy of the world. We had little reason to fear being mugged or raped (killed in war, maybe, but that was an acceptable hazard). Our children could play in street and country in safety. We had few problems with bullies because society knew how to deal with bullying and was not afraid to punish it in ways that would send today's progressives into hysterics. We did not know the stifling tyranny of a liberal establishment, determined to impose its views, and beginning to resemble George Orwell's Ministry of Truth.
Above all, we knew who we were and we lived in the knowledge that certain values and standards held true, and that our country, with all its faults and need for reforms, was sound at heart. Not any more. I find it difficult to identify a time when the country was as badly governed as it has been in the past 50 years. We have had the two worst Prime Ministers in our history - Edward Heath (who dragooned us into the Common Market) and Tony Blair. The harm these two have done to Britain is incalculable and almost certainly irreparable
It's an Earth food. They are called Swedish meatballs. It's a strange thing, but every sentient race has its own version of these Swedish meatballs. I suspect it's one of those great universal mysteries which will either never get explained or which will drive you mad if you ever learned the truth.
4 comments:
The Babylon 5 reference you quoted was itself a reference to Douglas Adams and the Hitchhiker series, except in the original it was not meatballs, but Gin and Tonic that every species had a version of.
*drinks jynnantonyx*
Anyway. I wasn't around back then, having only come into the world around at the end of the '80s. But there's probably truth somewhere in there.
Although, if one of you gents could answer what he means by:
"We had no worries about race or sexual orientation; they have."
Is he saying that in the '50s, racial and sexual discrimination was nonexistent?
Even though I too was a late-80's baby, I don't think that was Fraser's point.
In the 50's there indeed was racial and sexual discrimination; civil rights movements in later decades most certainly alleviated this. The point he was trying to make is that our generation--and those to come--have to constantly worry about possibly offending someone on the basis of race or sex.
Instead of being able to judge someone based on merit of character, their race, gender or sexual orientation has become a guilt-ridden cause celebre for why we "should" respect them and consider their views, no matter how utterly mad those may be.
Personally, I don't give a toss what shade your skin is, which God you pray to (if at all), what you have between your legs or what you prefer your partner to have between theirs; if you are learned, articulate and genteel, I will show you utmost respect. Otherwise, I will ridicule you mercilessly.
The world's full of enough imbeciles; I refuse to give a few a pass based on any petty attributes.
Ahhh. Thanks, that's actually a lot more noble.
Very Vimes-ish.
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