Winter plans

[eighthobstruction]

....I'd just like to get through the winter without too many long chest complaints....even if I take great care, no doubt (love em lots) my toddler grandkids will bring me a viral/bacterial present from school/nursery....The resulting 'inaction' over a period of weeks has a real knock-on effect on fitness and strength....

....I have a cousin in Canada who (very sad story) got taken to Canada from UK when 6yr, and got stuck there (after divorces of parents)....and has to put up with Ontario winters.... Still Mid West etc winters have spawned some very good films....and what would TV series like ER be without those scenes where they shake their coats, stamp their feet and wait for the El'....

[vinteuil]

... innarestin', tho' - US citizens in Mexico are expats, Mexicans in the US are immigrants; Brits in Morocco are expats, Moroccans in the UK are immigrants.

How language reflects the asymmetry of power tickles me

.

[vinteuil]

You are being deliberately offensive to a new member.

I am sorry if you were offended : no offence was intended. I am genuinely interested in the ambiguities of how we handle these terms. Of course I understand what you mean, and I didn't mean any reflection on your particular personal status.

[Serial_Apologist]

Ex-pat for me has connotations of Brits retiring abroad to find their traditional wants from back home all provided for them - pubs, fish'n-chips, Bingo, free NHS, especially voting rights encrypted for UK elections . These are often types who voted for Brexit, then complain that the privileges conferred specially for them are no longer automatically available. It seems if you had the means you could trample local needs and cultures where warm sunshine was prioritized over previous consideration for better housing provision in the British context, and therefore I feel little sympathy for those now complaining about the consequences of climate change in places like the Algarve and southern Spain. I go so far as to wonder just how many of them were climate change deniers.

[Serial_Apologist]

Several members of this forum have already tried to get my goat because my politics are (very moderately!) right of center. If someone with my views, and someone who is not even particularly interested in having these arguments, is not welcome here, then just let me know and I’ll sign off.

Someone asked me once what I meant by “woke”, and I immediately answered, “Progressive scolds.”

I had half-expected them to, but I haven't as happens seen anything personally offensive directed at your posts, or found anything in what you have posted offensive either to me or anyone else, whether inside or outside the forum.

[eighthobstruction]

Several members of this forum have already tried to get my goat because my politics are (very moderately!) right of center. If someone with my views, and someone who is not even particularly interested in having these arguments, is not welcome here, then just let me know and I’ll sign off.

Someone asked me once what I meant by “woke”, and I immediately answered, “Progressive scolds.”

Hey Hey....we want you here of that I am sure....I read most posts, most threads, and I'd say people respond to you very well, and enjoy your fresh perspective....But you will have to remember we are not Americans and words mean different things over distance....the words you use above aren't really even words we use here...likewise the words Conservative and Left entirely different constituency over here....I like you... I thought your political Op Ed on Welcome was well put...

[Pulcinella]

Ex-pat for me has connotations of Brits retiring abroad to find their traditional wants from back home all provided for them - pubs, fish'n-chips, Bingo, free NHS, especially voting rights encrypted for UK elections . These are often types who voted for Brexit, then complain that the privileges conferred specially for them are no longer automatically available. It seems if you had the means you could trample local needs and cultures where warm sunshine was prioritized over previous consideration for better housing provision in the British context, and therefore I feel little sympathy for those now complaining about the consequences of climate change in places like the Algarve and southern Spain. I go so far as to wonder just how many of them were climate change deniers.

That might depend on the Daily Mail's stance, as that seems to be what they 'read'.

[Serial_Apologist]

Hey Hey....we want you here of that I am sure....I read most posts, most threads, and I'd say people respond to you very well, and enjoy your fresh perspective....But you will have to remember we are not Americans and words mean different things over distance....the words you use above aren't really even words we use here...likewise the words Conservative and Left entirely different constituency over here....I like you... I thought your political Op Ed on Welcome was well put...

[JasonPalmer]

I lived for a year in the south of france, considered myself an ex pat but your right, immigrant is a better term. Overall i learnt that i like living in england and going on holidays. Did see part of a program on tv about americans who had retired to mexico, seems a natural choice. Politicians argue about economic migrants, asylum seekers etc etc , we rise above such conversations to listen to nice music and consider ourselves citizens of the world ?

[PatrickMurtha]

Hey Hey....we want you here of that I am sure....I read most posts, most threads, and I'd say people respond to you very well, and enjoy your fresh perspective....But you will have to remember we are not Americans and words mean different things over distance....the words you use above aren't really even words we use here...likewise the words Conservative and Left entirely different constituency over here....I like you... I thought your political Op Ed on Welcome was well put...

Understood, there are lots of problems with shades of meaning. As an English major and ofttimes teacher, I can appreciate that.

[Pulcinella]

Understood, there are lots of problems with shades of meaning. As an English major and ofttimes teacher, I can appreciate that.

You'll probably enjoy Pedants' Paradise, then, especially today's contributions on lavatory paper.
What term do you use in Mexico?

[eighthobstruction]

Progressives isn't a word used in a political sense in uk....culture wars is a Ron de Santos phrase, and would probably be misinterpreted here (rarely used in US sense)....If you look at vint's original post - he wink eyed you....meaning irony ....we got plenty of irony on this bored - plenty laconic, sardonic, sarcastic, cynical, ....but most of all ironic....

[eighthobstruction]

Apart from this kerfuffle over “expat”, I was pointedly asked what my problem with the Left was, and I was criticized for conflating “American” and “North American” (which I don’t think I even did).

I’m not meaning to be overly sensitive. I think my political beliefs are pretty blah, and if some perceive them as controversial, well I didn’t try to create that situation. On the other hand, precisely because I think the beliefs ARE anodyne, I think it is incumbent on me to stand up for them and for myself when baited.

Especially I want to push back when necessary against assumptions baked into the progressive agenda, as for example when someone baits you with “You’re against racism and misogyny and homophobia, right? Well, that means you must be for THIS and THIS and THIS”. No, no necessarily, bub.

You are fine....I'd say "steady away" but again you might not understand that - GB Nautical term...

[Old Grumpy]

Progressives isn't a word used in a political sense....culture wars is a Ron de Santos phrase, and would probably be misinterpreted here (rarely used in US sense)....If you look at vint's original post - he wink eyed you....meaning irony ....we got plenty of irony on this bored - plenty laconic, sardonic, sarcastic, cynical, ....but most of all ironic....

I discover there's also an irony emoji (:irony3:) ...


...as revealed by Serial in one of his posts.

[eighthobstruction]

Sorry to go on but, another difference is that generally the Left and the Right still talk civilally to one another inhabit the same spaces, bars, pubs, universities and in majority schools too...there isn't at all the divide as in US at mo'....and I can understand that is a mystery to on lookers....the bowler hat image - flat caps/deference-upper class lower class middle class is quite different over here these days in general (with lots of anomalies and caveats)....we don't have (to a great extent the racial problems/religious problems, LGBTQ problems)....anyway "Onward"....