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Friday, 18 February 2011

Stiff upper rubbish

A dying breed or just out of favour?
"Well, when (Emperor Carelinus) got as far as the coast of Muntab, it was said that he stood on the shore and wept. Some philosopher told him that there were more worlds out there somewhere, and that he'd never be able to conquer them. Er... That reminded me a bit of you"

Cohen strolled along in silence for a moment.

"Yeah," he said at last." Yeah, I can see how that could be. Only not so sissy, obviously."
Terry Pratchett, The Last Hero


The BBC asserts that the emotional incontinence at the death of Princess Diana was not a sign of the decay, but rather Britain's true character because Britain never really had a stiff upper lip to begin with.  Why?  Because Britain mourned the passing of a great hero in 1805 and in 1990 Paul Gascoigne was a big girly blouse.

I've seen paper boats better constructed than this argument.
at

1 comment:

  1. AnonymousFriday, 18 February 2011 at 19:05:00 GMT-8

    I actually buy the idea, but the comparison is flawed. I'd base an argument more on comparison with:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Charlotte_Augusta_of_Wales

    The British people can be softies... and there's not a damn thing wrong about it, as long as they show a stiff resolve to their enemies. I would not say sentiment is a sign of weakness- but a failure to show a fighting spirit certainly is- and that's where I'd base your counterargument to mine. ;)

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