tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post3153696256623599526..comments2023-12-30T17:31:11.883+00:00Comments on The Solitary Walker: England, My EnglandThe Solitary Walkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284354541952038339noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-11390344723438777382013-09-26T19:44:06.777+01:002013-09-26T19:44:06.777+01:00It's very interesting what you say, Vagabonde....It's very interesting what you say, Vagabonde. I can understand your sensitivity as an immigrant.<br /><br />In England we tend to have a very self-deprecating, often ironic sense of humour, and we seem to be able to tolerate, even perversely enjoy, well-meaning 'attacks from within'. (Look at writers like Evelyn Waugh.)The Solitary Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11284354541952038339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-67967476938661031242013-09-26T17:36:32.521+01:002013-09-26T17:36:32.521+01:00My goodness! You are courageous to write such thin...My goodness! You are courageous to write such things about your country. Here, in the US, I could never write something like this on my blog or people would say that I am “un-American.” Americans are very sensitive about criticism about their country. I have found this for sure and rarely say anything like “constructive criticism” because it is taken as I hate America or I have been told, “if you don’t like it here, leave it.” Even educated Americans tend to have these feelings, but they express them in a subtler ways. They just don’t like to discuss it. If you are an immigrant like me, better not say anything like what you wrote even if you finish on a good note. I do sometimes, and so I don’t have too many friends. You have to be “socially correct” here, and that means – no criticism. I like your free speech; there is free speech here, but some subjects are just taboo. On French sites, and other sites, there are warnings to foreigners visiting the US such as “don’t make criticisms about the US, as they take it as a personal insult” and I have found it so.Vagabondehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10774109692564954568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-49412013885343556012013-09-25T08:24:33.803+01:002013-09-25T08:24:33.803+01:00Hildred :-)Hildred :-)The Solitary Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11284354541952038339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-86620310348644889682013-09-25T05:19:24.396+01:002013-09-25T05:19:24.396+01:00Loving the warts on the princely toad!Loving the warts on the princely toad!Hildredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05420791064923078834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-14349389762140345962013-09-24T13:53:50.094+01:002013-09-24T13:53:50.094+01:00Thanks for reading and commenting on my poem, Pat ...Thanks for reading and commenting on my poem, Pat and Cranky Crone. As has been recognised, it was meant to be both loving and critical, an homage to a place that's in one's blood and one's tried to leave but one cannot. I actually feel very lucky to live here, after years of wanting to get away! Such are the vagaries of human longing — often misplaced. The Solitary Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11284354541952038339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-6196867558562201192013-09-24T10:05:06.262+01:002013-09-24T10:05:06.262+01:00Thank you for such a poignant poem. Thank you for such a poignant poem. The Cranky Crone, she lives alone!https://www.blogger.com/profile/18008449764395110002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-55953889197170063552013-09-23T19:28:24.589+01:002013-09-23T19:28:24.589+01:00An apt poem in the month of Party Conferences Robe...An apt poem in the month of Party Conferences Robert! It should be writ large and on stage at them all.The Weaver of Grasshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13947971556343746883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-11963235889384385852013-09-23T18:17:15.504+01:002013-09-23T18:17:15.504+01:00Thanks, Ruth. Yes, Oscar Wilde was hovering for me...Thanks, Ruth. Yes, Oscar Wilde was hovering for me too!The Solitary Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11284354541952038339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-69214836569498927862013-09-23T16:23:35.882+01:002013-09-23T16:23:35.882+01:00Ah, clever you.
Some of the references are lost t...Ah, clever you.<br /><br />Some of the references are lost to me, but it doesn't matter, it all works. It works because you strike just the right tone (Oscar Wilde comes to mind) as you somehow manage to present the ridiculousness of our modern culture (trans-Atlantic) alongside a deep longing for meaning, nostalgic or hopeful for the future.Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14204074161539605133noreply@blogger.com