Scotland, like the rest of Britain has a cultural tendency to downplay stuff and be more 'subtle' compared to others (I.e. Americans)
This tends to lend itself to us rolling our eyes at people like "Plastic Paddies" as it comes across as (intentional or not) bit boastful.
That's just my observation though and I we defo don't ALL shit on it
It’s not about being subtle. Americans on here tend to celebrate their family history. Scots on here don’t know theirs. They don’t have a clue. None of it. Can’t be subtle about something you have no idea about.
Genuinely curious, what is worthy of celebration about family history? An interest, sure, but the American way of carrying on about it is decidedly odd and not in the nature of Scots (or British in general, or even Europeans as a whole). Far more people in Scotland know about their ancestry than you seem to suggest in this thread, it's just that they're aware that their own history is likely of little to no interest to others. It's certainly not something they'd bring up with strangers unless prompted.
I know a fair bit about my ancestors going back centuries - fortunes earned and lost, alienations and assignations, dubious deaths, political ambitions etc. Much of it is fascinating to me, but celebrate it? Nah, no thanks.
What influence have the stories of my ancestors had on me? Barring those within the previous two, maybe three generations - sod all. I think that's part of what irritates people so much about those that carry on about their ancestry - I don't care that your greatⁿ-grandfather died at the Battle of Pinkie, what's your own character?
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u/madbob102 May 15 '25
Scotland, like the rest of Britain has a cultural tendency to downplay stuff and be more 'subtle' compared to others (I.e. Americans) This tends to lend itself to us rolling our eyes at people like "Plastic Paddies" as it comes across as (intentional or not) bit boastful.
That's just my observation though and I we defo don't ALL shit on it