Following on from yesterday's post on cultural appropriation, one of the largest annual acts of cultural appropriation will happen tonight when millions, with no discernible link to Scotland whatsoever, attend Burns Night suppers to eat haggis while swilling scotch and pretending to be a full-blooded Scot on both sides of their family.
Never understood the fascination myself, but there again, I have no Scottish connections (not that such a drawback hampers most people).
To make matters even worse, Burns Night and Chinese New Year fall on the same day this year, so I fully expect to see Chinese people wearing kilts while celebrating New Year. But not in Wuhan.
I suppose the main reason for so many people celebrate Burns Night is that the Scots are pretty ubiquitous around the world, especially the English speaking world, having been the mainstay of the British Army during the days of Empire building. They had a penchant for migrating to far-flung places and then mourning the fact they ever left Scotland in the first place, despite the prime reason having been starvation, lack of work and being chucked off their land by an English aristocracy.
To make matters even worse, Burns Night and Chinese New Year fall on the same day this year, so I fully expect to see Chinese people wearing kilts while celebrating New Year. But not in Wuhan.
I suppose the main reason for so many people celebrate Burns Night is that the Scots are pretty ubiquitous around the world, especially the English speaking world, having been the mainstay of the British Army during the days of Empire building. They had a penchant for migrating to far-flung places and then mourning the fact they ever left Scotland in the first place, despite the prime reason having been starvation, lack of work and being chucked off their land by an English aristocracy.
1 comment:
Wasn't it Scottish rather than English aristocracy that implemented the clearances with clan chiefs booting tenants off their land to make way for the more lucrative sheep farming.
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