Pet Peeves....

[Doggett]

The fact the Irish get one day in the States to themselves.  How about the Germans, Poles, etc...

Erm, St. Patricks day is everywhere. There's also St. Georges day for the English, St Andrew day for the Scottish, St David for the Welsh...
Does America have any Saints ? Why are they nicking the Irish one ?!?!

Anyway...

Really successfull comics that change writer/artist and become rubbish.

[Mr. DS]

Doggy Doggett I realize its everywhere but it seems to be the only ethnicity that has their own day unless I'm missing one.  Unless you count Martin Luther King day which honestly I feel anyone can celebrate black, white or whatever.  Thats ok though, I like the Irish.  I think theres some in the ethnic mixing bowl known as myself. 

[Captain Tars Tarkas]

Polish people have Kashmir Pulaski day, which is celebrated in Illinois.  Italians also claim Columbus Day.  You can probably guess why there aren't any German holidays.

[Mr. DS]

Well I guess the Germans can claim Oktoberfest although its not a holiday.  Just a week long binge of fun and drinking.  They have one down the road from me which I've sadly never been to. 

[Doggett]

Doggy Doggett I realize its everywhere but it seems to be the only ethnicity that has their own day unless I'm missing one. 

Isn't it culture, not ethnicity ?
The saint's days are to do with British culture, not colour.

I don't even know what this topic is about anymore 

Moving on...

Movies that use clips from other movies because they're so cheap they can't get their own footage.

[Mr. DS]

Isn't it culture, not ethnicity ?

Who knows, we can discuss it in 364 days. 

My next pet peeve...losing things.  I know where I left it and its not there when I look for it again.  Where do these things go?

[schmendrik]

Polish people have Kashmir Pulaski day, which is celebrated in Illinois.  Italians also claim Columbus Day.  You can probably guess why there aren't any German holidays.

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum,
wie treu sind deine Blätter!...

OK, Christmas isn't a German holiday. But there is plenty of German influence on the way we celebrate it, including the whole Christmas tree thing and a number of our favorite carols. A couple of world wars did nothing to dislodge the cultural influence.

There was an effort during WW I to rename sauerkraut as "liberty cabbage" but that idiocy didn't take any better than the more recent "freedom fries" silliness.

[Doggett]

OK, Christmas isn't a German holiday. But there is plenty of German influence on the way we celebrate it, including the whole Christmas tree thing and a number of our favorite carols. A couple of world wars did nothing to dislodge the cultural influence.

The Christmas tree thing is from Norway not Germany.

A symbol of Britain and Norway's warm relationship
The first tree was brought over in 1947 as a token of Norwegian appreciation of British friendship during the Second World War. When Norway was invaded by German forces in 1940, King Haakon VII escaped to Britain and a Norwegian exile government was set up in London. To most Norwegians, London came to represent the spirit of freedom during those difficult years. From London, the latest war news was broadcast in Norwegian, along with a message and information network which became vital to the resistance movement and which gave the people in Norway inspiration and hope of liberation.

The tree has become a symbol of the close and warm relationship between the people of Britain and Norway. Norwegians are happy and proud that this token of their friendship - probably the most famous Christmas tree in the world - seems to have become so much a part of Christmas for Londoners.



Oh, hang on, that's the Trafalgar Square tree...

It is Germany...

The fir tree has a long association with Christianity, it began in Germany almost 1,000 years ago when St Boniface, who converted the German people to Christianity, was said to have come across a group of pagans worshipping an oak tree. In anger, St Boniface is said to have cut down the oak tree and to his amazement a young fir tree sprung up from the roots of the oak tree. St Boniface took this as a sign of the Christian faith. But it was not until the 16th century that fir trees were brought indoors at Christmas time.

Why are the Christians so mean to the pagans. That's my pet peeve.

[Wag]

A pet peeve of mine is that Political Correctness is stamping on traditions and such. I know of colleges here in the UK that no longer decorate for Christmas out of respect for the individuals and groups of individuals of different cultures, religions and ethnicities. I'm all for Equality and Diversity (I'm my work's E&D representative  ) but this is wrong - this isn't about diversity, but restriction.

Speaking of St George's Day, on Facebook (yes, I have a profile, sorry), there is a group that claims: -

Councils across the UK are deciding to BAN, Restrict or disregard the traditional ST GEORGES day celebrations in and around ENGLAND and are withdrawing funds because they fear it may offend foreigners, minority groups and cause trouble. Some are even arresting people for showing the ST Georges flag which is totally wrong and unjust!

I dunno how true this is but the right approach is not to stop the celebration of the traditions native to this country but to promote the celebration of other holidays and the traditions of other cultures and the like in my opinion.

Incidentally, I also dislike the term pet peeve for some reason. I do not know why.

[Doggett]

A pet peeve of mine is that Political Correctness is stamping on traditions and such. I know of colleges here in the UK that no longer decorate for Christmas out of respect for the individuals and groups of individuals of different cultures, religions and ethnicities. I'm all for Equality and Diversity (I'm my work's E&D representative  ) but this is wrong - this isn't about diversity, but restriction.

Speaking of St George's Day, on Facebook (yes, I have a profile, sorry), there is a group that claims: -

Councils across the UK are deciding to BAN, Restrict or disregard the traditional ST GEORGES day celebrations in and around ENGLAND and are withdrawing funds because they fear it may offend foreigners, minority groups and cause trouble. Some are even arresting people for showing the ST Georges flag which is totally wrong and unjust!

I have a sneaking feeling that's from a far right group that like to play on peoples fear. I live in a part of London that's mostly ethnic families from Europe and Asia and they don't get offended if its a world cup or something and people have their flags out. It's British people who think foreigners get offended that say those things and make the rules. But its the foreign dudes that get the blame...

Anyway...

Health and safety...there used to be something similar years ago and it was called common sense. It involved a lot less forms.

[Wag]

I have a sneaking feeling that's from a far right group that like to play on peoples fear. I live in a part of London that's mostly ethnic families from Europe and Asia and they don't get offended if its a world cup or something and people have their flags out. It's British people who think foreigners get offended that say those things and make the rules. But its the foreign dudes that get the blame...

Maybe it's because I live in the rural north then - maybe we're not as culturally diverse. I do think politocal correctness has got out of hand (or maybe did a year or so ago, when the term bainstorm was deemed politically incorrect and schools stopped referring to blackboards as such due to racism.

[Mr. DS]

People who swear by obsolete work methods in the office and simply refuse to embrace new technology. 

[Doggett]

I have a sneaking feeling that's from a far right group that like to play on peoples fear. I live in a part of London that's mostly ethnic families from Europe and Asia and they don't get offended if its a world cup or something and people have their flags out. It's British people who think foreigners get offended that say those things and make the rules. But its the foreign dudes that get the blame...

Maybe it's because I live in the rural north then - maybe we're not as culturally diverse. I do think politocal correctness has got out of hand (or maybe did a year or so ago, when the term bainstorm was deemed politically incorrect and schools stopped referring to blackboards as such due to racism.

I doubt you'll find any one getting offended by blackboard. I bet it was a nervous white guy who made that rule, not a black guy. Same with brainstorm, no disabled person is gonna get offended.

Well...

There's always one idiot.

[asimpson2006]

People who swear by obsolete work methods in the office and simply refuse to embrace new technology. 

I don't like that either, but I think a lot of it is fear and change not just simply refusing to embrace new technology.  I think people may also be scared that the new technology would eventually replace them at doing their job that they are currently doing.

[ghouck]

People that start a new job and expect everyone to change the way things are done, especially if the reason is "That's how we did it at the last place I worked". I can understand it a little if the newly hired person is management, but I hear it from laborers and floor workers. When I worked at the shipyard, we had a new laborer start with us and in less than a week he decided we needed to change the way we pull off propellers to the way the railroad pulls drive wheels off. They'd been taking off propellers for 15 years without fail using the same method, no sense in changing.