h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Opinion with evidence post here please.

opinion based on observation.

Does your fawning, bowing and scraping not embarras you in the least? The only way I could see the it wouldn't is if you were an american pretending to be a brit.

American actors play non americans praising americans all the time on their TV programmes.

Actually Appy I am a social disaster as my wife will tell you. I am a firm believer in being uninhibited. The whole persona bit stems from being dispossesed. Why should I adopt a stance that would suggest something I was not.

Furthermore why should people be classified at all. I presume, which perhaps I should not, that I patently love N America and make no attempt to hide the fact. What you read here is what you've got at the other end - nothing more and nothing less.

I do not see the benefits of being any other way. Perhaps you could enlighten me here!

"Perhaps you could enlighten me here!"

Sure, I'll just have to decypher your post first.

Oetzi, sweetheart, it's me. Could you clarify 'disposessed'? Really, you do seem like an American to me...

That Della dearest is something I have struggled with for most of my life. No how deep and how emotional do you want to get? You want an answer well I'm sorry I can't give you one that I can understand let alone you.

When I say dispossed I mean "not belonging" in the sense of "no fixed creed". I was born in the UK in a rural district with little social interaction outside my family, mam, dad and our dog.

I am the child of a war marriage. I have been delaying this web thing for a long time because I knew it would mean emotional trauma for me. It did. I knew it would and I cried a lot.

I found out things you see, fitting pieces of a jigsaw together, pieces that go back to the turn of the century. I have never seen even a photo of very close family members. Stop there.

That's why I sometimes react a little vigorously, defend a little positively, and retract when the adrenaline has subsided. So Della I am a little "screwed up" but that's OK if you know yourself.

Are we any further forward?

Yes Appy I forgot your comment.

Perhaps the word "cypher" is definitive. I do indeed spend a lot of time decyphering. Probably too much! No, you want an answer. Here it is.

In different cultures it is easy to be misunderstood. In the UK the culture is unique. So in everyday life you have to find the right key or tool to achieve your objective. If there are no markers for the other respondent to recognize they become confused.

Markers like skin colour, accent and dress...even mode of transport.
In isolated rural districts in an already isolated island like the UK the problem resolves very well.

Hope that is clear.
regards Oetz

Boy oh boy, what does it take to get these Canadians moving?

I had theorised that you were a little younger, perhaps, and born in the UK of parents who came from Hungary in 1956. (I know NZers in *exactly* that position, Frank's mother was pregnant with him when they came here.

Yes I have a strong Magyar streak. Essentially though I'm Anglo Slavic. There are some of us in the bigger industrial areas of the UK, some older ones (dying fast) that stayed after being released as prisoners of war. But the big push was in '56 as you say, then in my time '68 was emotionally charged when the USSR rolled the tanks onto Prague's streets. That caused a big stir.
Oetz

"In isolated rural districts in an already isolated island like the UK the problem resolves very well."

you're a train ride from europe. NZ is 2,600km from the nearest country. But I get the gist of what you're saying.

BTW, every day I have to listen carefully to people from eastern europe, indo-asia, east asia, UK etc - hearing a voice does help.

Yes I suppose NZ is in a similar position. The 21m or 34km stretch of the channel saved us, notice the word us there, in two world wars.
You know for most people foreign travel, holidays, only really started to happen when air travel and package holidays began in the mid to late sixties.

Trains are mainly used for commuting and business. The short haul
discount flight business has really flourished lately and that has expanded the opportunity for more contact with Europe.

In the 60s train travel was expensive, still is today. A 500ml or 830km return trip costs £180 which is the about the minimum wage for one weeks work. The UK is an expensive place to live.

The channel tunnel has mainly benefitted the high wage earners in the SE of the UK, many of whom have bought second homes. Of course EC rules allow us to live anywhere within the 15 member states. In reality a few have gone to France and some to Portugal and Spain on retirement.

Sorry Appy I don't know what BTW refers to. On mainland europe just about everyone speaks English as a first second language. And of course in London we have people from worldwide working in the city.
Cosmopolitan is the word for London.

Very few US citizens work here apart from those involved with defence.
Rarely do you here a Canadian, Australian or NZ accent in the north of the UK, but then I am not the person to ask.

From my home 2 600km or 1 600ml would take me to Greece or even N Africa by road and using English and German I should be able to do that. These are the two dominant languages of europe, sorry folks French is popular but not so much that you would notice east of Geneva.

Regards Oetz

BTW is internet shorthand for By The Way

It's Sunday and not the time for a propper reply. I'll write tomorrow

While we're at it, Oetzi, 73s? I don't understand.