Am I the only one who's sick to the eye-teeth of condescending British expatriates?
You know, I’ve really had my fill of certain sorts of British expatriates, some of whom come from very mediocre backgrounds (both social and educational), settling down here to patronise the natives.
I once got into a terrible argument at dinner with a dreadfully inadequate Englishman who was sneering at everything about Malta. I found myself telling him that he helped me understand the sentiment that made Dom MIntoff want to exact his revenge. Outsiders who run down your country to your face are like outsiders who run down your family to your face: you may criticise your country and your family yourself, but you’re damned if you’re going to sit there and listen to others do it. Humorous disparagement is one thing, but ‘My god, you dagoes don’t know what you’re doing” is quite another.
Now we are seeing a curious mix of sarcastic criticism by bored Englishmen and Irishmen, with a couple of peculiar American women thrown in, coupled with patronising remarks along the lines of ‘the Maltese are rising up at last.’ Many of these people seem to live in Gozo. I know that it’s utterly boring there, but honestly. They could always do what the natives do and amuse themselves with a couple of goats and a chicken.
Look at the latest letter, written by somebody who thinks of us as a bunch of wops who have just stepped out of our peasant garb and are slowly learning how to throw off our feudal chains. “The Maltese people are at last finding their feet and voice and this is to be encouraged.” To which the only response can be, from somebody who spent rather a lot of time working at Timber Wharf, a very Maltese, “ghax ma tmurx tibilghu f’……“.
I really can’t understand how the lampuka-pie and timpana brigade actually look up to these sorts as having an opinion that is somehow superior. I’d like to see xi jsarfu back home in the middle of nowhere. Really, really Tea With Mussolini stuff.
The Times, Monday, 23 February
Spotting the right time to stop digging
Martin Day, XagħraFair planning processes have surely not been prejudiced by public outrage over the proposed St John’s Co-Cathedral project. (Robert Musumeci’s Talking Point – February 18). It is not a negative precedent for “public undertakings” to be turned down as a result of “public opinion” but a very positive step towards a better form of democracy.
Far from being saddened, both Richard Cachia Caruana and Mr Musumeci should be pleased that the most efficient and incisive form of environment impact assessment has had effect without additional cost to the nation. To proceed with planning processes in spite of public outrage (which is precisely what he appears to advocate) cannot possibly be conceived of as a public undertaking at all. He had better think twice before he uses such a self-contradicting term again.
The Maltese people are at last finding their feet and voice and this is to be encouraged. So cheer up both of you and remember a most apposite phrase: “When you are in a hole, stop digging”.
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‘Many of these people seem to live in Gozo. I know that it’s utterly boring there, but honestly. They could always do what the natives do and amuse themselves with a couple of goats and a chicken.’
Correct me if I’m wrong but to me this comment is more condescending on Gozitans than any of the comments you are seemingly offended by coming from British expatriates.
[Daphne – You asked to be corrected if you’re wrong, so here goes: there is no such thing as ‘Gozitans’. We have exactly the same passport and exactly the same citizenship: Maltese. And therefore I can poke as much fun as I like on the basis that this is my own country I’m talking about, for better or worse. The people who live on the island of Santorini are as Greek as the people who live on the island of Paros. Get over yourself. I would not, however, go to live in the Outer Hebrides and pass smart-ass remarks about copulation with sheep.]
well there is no need to get over myself since i am not in the least offended by the comment and in no way i was defending gozo natives.. what i found amusing were your double standards… this is not about passports, daphne, this is as you have put it outsiders vs insiders and these are not determined by passports.. in other words if you were native of gozo your comment would not be condescending but since you are malta native it is, given the peculiar habit of malta natives treating gozo natives as inferior.. issa .. you can be funny as much as you like about gozo natives, believe me you are not d first and you wont be the last i will not get offended I promise… however i would not have commented if it were not in the context of outsiders condescending on insiders
[Daphne – Sorry, but you missed the point of my piece, which is about outsiders – as in non-citizens – settling down in a foreign country and patronising the natives, and how this is completely unacceptable whereas poking fun at your compatriots is perfectly all right. Yes, it is about passports. People who live in Gozo like to think of themselves as ‘Gozitans’, but in actual fact they’re as Maltese as I am. I’d like to see them trying to get through US passport control by claiming they’re Gozitan. This is why I really can’t stand the insistence in many quarters on speaking about ‘Malta and Gozo’ as though they are two separate countries. ‘Gozo’ comes within the territorial definition of ‘Malta’. People who live in Gozo might think it sucks, but tough: the country is called Malta, not Malta and Gozo.]
Chicken? How can you amuse yourself with a chicken?
[Daphne – Don’t ask me. This isn’t the Bestiality Gazette.]
It’s not just a question of amusement. Gozo has figured as a focus of these pastimes in British Forensic/Medical texbooks.
A case of the kettle calling the pot black. That Englishman should look at the mess of his own country before he starts criticizing others.
[Daphne – Now I really don’t like that attitude.]
Like some others, Mr Day is faithfully repeating what FAA already said. I hope that at least he knows how to spell elf.
@John Meilak
The Englishman you are referring to probably agrees with you about the mess the UK is in and like the half a million or so real english people who annually leave the UK forever, he is trying to find a place where sanity and traditional values are still important, such as in Gozo.And of course DCG can offend them and they are clever and polite enough to see through the flak!
[Daphne – Keep it going with that ‘wisdom of the people’, Emanuel.]
He can go to Zimbabwe. It’ll feel like home away from home.
Emanuel Muscat: are you IGalea in disguise?
And I’m sick to the eye-teeth of this kind of crass ignorance:
“Cutajar (2 hours, 8 minutes ago)
On which base the Italian police has the right to confiscate the sum? So if I go in Gozo with a sum therefore I am breaking the law?”
(Posted here:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090223/local/italian-police-confiscate-36-334-from-maltese-driver )
Remember the BRA, the British Residents Association. I thought their wings had been clipped, or maybe they died a natural death. Now I know better. Martin Day must be their spokesman – pompous, patronising, snotty-nosed twits.