Going without
I'm married to a Brit, and I've learnt that Brits like to go without.They are great at pulling together, particularly in the face of adversity, for a perceived common good.
They will queue patiently for indefinite periods and accept with rare fortitude the imposition of rationing, bland diets and sudden inconvenient shortages of staple goods, as anyone who has looked for a loaf of bread at a supermarket on a Saturday afternoon will know.
They are comfortable with faceless bureaucracies and tolerant of dictatorships.
They will wait uncomplaining for years for an operation or the delivery of a household appliance.
They have a natural gift for making excellent jokes about authority without seriously challenging it and they derive universal satisfaction from the sight of the rich and powerful brought low.
I doubt I'll ever be a Brit. It's not something that comes naturally to an African.
Labels: adversity, bland, bread, British culture, bureaucrats, patience, rationing, shortages, standing together, staple, strength in numbers, supermarket
posted by Cindy-Lou Dale @ Tuesday, October 07, 2008
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home