It has been a bit of a mystery to me, up until a few days ago. I used to wonder why talking about the weather was such an easy icebreaker in England.
It suddenly dawned on me - and the answer was pretty simple. Here goes.
- In England we all share the weather. It's the one great thing that all the English share the same joys and miseries. I mean this is so obvious that it isn't appealing. But it is true. The weather is there for all of us.
- We suffer or enjoy the weather together. So that common union with the weather makes it easy to talk about.
- It's a force that we have no control over. So it is like common friend or foe.
4 comments:
This puts me in mind of a patient who I commented to "shame about the weather, or something equally anodyne, only to have him respond "it is OUR weather". This is the only time I have experienced racism linked to ownership of the weather!
Not sure why that was seen as 'racist' or of 'racism'. It seems that 'OUR' was the operative racist term. How come?
I would have been inclined to respond, "I'm not sure exactly what you mean by 'our' weather. Does it matter whose weather it is?"
If it was then clarified as 'racially insulting' I would have reported it to the police and pressed for charges to be made of racially insulting behaviour S31(1)a & (4) Crime and Disorder Act 1998 - penalty up to 2 yrs prison. See R v White [2001] Crim LR 576, CA.
OUR not YOUR (foreign/alien) weather. The meaning was very obvious at the time but proving this would have been very difficult. Confrontation would have been pointless and afforded him importance he did not deserve. He could have said, for instance, he meant the weather in this part of the country, or he could simply have denied it. Recourse to law is not the answer and you risk making yourself appear ridiculous if things like this are pursued. Life is not the black and white experience that the law would like it to be.
Yeah I heard you..OUR not YOUR. To you it was obvious! To me it isn't.
"Confrontation would have been pointless and afforded him importance he did not deserve."
Pointless to you. Relevant to me.
"Recourse to law is not the answer ... " says you for your reasons.
"...and you risk making yourself appear ridiculous if things like this are pursued."
So fear of 'public opinion' inhibits you?
"Life is not black and white."
Oh golly gee...I thought it was!!
"...that the law would like it to be."
Oh please. The law is reasonable and proportionate as well. You seem to have strange and rigid views about the law. Are you a lawyer? What formal studies in law have you done?
The next person who racially insults me, I'm going after them. Well I mean it is a criminal offence as mentioned so the police will have to pursue the action via the CPS. I ain't got nuthin to lose and I ain't afraid of public opinion.
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