Brendan

I would agree with ?essential a decent people.? You can see this by just how socially accepting and liberal much of British public opinion is compared to some other countries. It does however have an underlying vein of peculiarly British mean-spirited nastiness. This sometimes surfaces varicosely in unsightly blemishes.

I don?t see why people have to separate them at all. Childish bickering between practitioners who all feel their way is best is unhelpful and just lends itself to an environment where snake oil merchants can actually get away with flogging useless remedies because they can just use the defense ?well it?s alternative innit, of course the doctors will discredit it?

Just thinking about what you said earlier Declan. You said that the title of this thread is blatantly offensive (or some thing similar). I have to disagree with you there. If you look at the phraseology used it is quite blatantly tongue in cheek. Especially the use of the words hostile (over the top) and looking (a little silly in this context). Now if the title was something like, I hate the French who?s with me or What?s the difference between a Frenchman and a Belgian I would agree with you. But I can?t see anything serious in, I feel hostile towards French looking people today, followed by And normally I only feel this way about pigeons.

I was also going to point out that most other Western Germanic languages (German and Dutch specifically) have a similar sounding profanity so it's origin could be pretty old going back to Anglo Saxon times even. Curiously the Irish use fek then which is often interchangeable but doesn?t necessarily mean bumping uglies.

Just brushing up on my street slang *Bob* and I?ll be down there forthwith. Seriously though I was talking more about people knowing each in an area. Kids, like adults are less likely to try to act big and clever around people they know (or their family knows etc). I think the anonymity coupled the close quarters in big cities probably contributes to antisocial behaviour.

Teenagers everywhere hang about wherever they can, they get bored and then they misbehave. There is nothing unusual or necessarily criminal about this. I will wager most of us did it. It is just strange that society in London is so broken down that the police are needed to play nursemaid.

Sean I find that remark both sexist and homophobic. Firstly assuming that the world is male and secondly assuming that ?he? would have a missus.

Once while in Cape Town I stumbled into one of those 24hr petrol station shops in the wee hours, with a friend of mine. We were on a cigarettes and redbull scavenge. When we got to the till there was a very attractive young lady in front of us. My mate, one of these long haired surfer types who fancies himself a ladies man, proceeded to shamelessly hit on her. I stood back from the situation and watched as the young lady?s boyfriend approached and tapped my gallant friend on the shoulder. Then I started to giggle as he brushed the guys hand away and said something like, ?I?ll be with you in a minute mate.? So the boyfriend tapped him on the shoulder again. This time my mate turned around and found himself staring directly at the chest of one Mr Bobby Skinstad the then captain of the Springbok Rugby team. The expression on his face was priceless.

*Bob* Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Was it the 'Rimmer'? > > You remember the advert? The one with Mr T in the > toilets at Substation South, and, er.. Wasn't that add for Fruit and Nut?

Milky Bar?

They don't do peppermint crisp over here Strawbs. Didn't we establish that on Saturdday?

Crunchie?

Twix?

Aero?

Kit-Kat?

Mars?

Bounty?

Put like that the mundanity of it all seems so depressing. Perhaps class should be measured by your likelihood to be prescribed Prozac.

Just tell ?em where to jump Muffintop. It?s a free country.* *Well it?s not really but you know what I mean.

Mam, yes, mam.

I?m expecting a Daily Mash headline something along the lines of ?Silly walking now protected by law? The Ministry of Silly Walks today announced a landmark victory?. etc.

So Heinz's Deli Mayo is too gay and Snickers is too straight.

Do they even have Sainbury's in Iceland?

You would be correct in your assumption Declan. As I?m sure everybody knows Brendan is indeed the Anglicised version of a Zulu name which means water carrier or more correctly translated, piss taker.

This Friday already! I can't make it as I will be in Manchester.