[QUOTE][B]Have a look at first and final paragraphs from a review article concerning 'British collective identity'. Write a coherent text of no more than one sheet of A4 (about 350 words) about the concept of collective identity in your own country. Use information from the paragraphs below. Please use two quotations and one paraphrase from the extract below in your text.[/B]



THE INCREDIBLE VAGUENESS OF BEING BRITISH/ENGLISH



Why is it important to have a collective identity? Three propositions may be advanced. First, if the group is a visible or despised minority it may require a strong identity to maintain cohesion for defensive purposes and as a means of offsetting negative prejudices through the affirmation of a positive self-image. Second, a majority (or dominant minority, as in the case of whites in apartheid South Africa) need a means of deciding who is excluded, who does not get to sit at the top table or have equal access to power, goods or resources. Third, at the national level, an identity helps to bring into rough congruence that which is frequently ruptured, namely a people and the territory they inhabit or--in a slightly different formulation--a nation and a state.



Why then have the British/English managed perfectly well without a strong national identity and why do they appear to aspire to one now? Is such a prospect in sight? The starting point to answer these questions--as the forward slash indicates--is to distinguish between Britishness and Englishness, two notions that are so widely conflated in popular sentiment and public discourse that all four authors of the books reviewed here have a wretched time trying to come up with a satisfactory means of separating them.



Davies at first takes the undergraduate way out, by resorting to dictionary definitions. As he concedes, this hardly suffices. The compilers of the Oxford and Shorter Oxford get stranded before 1707, while the Shorter also offers definitions of England that include 'the southern part of Great Britain', 'the English nation', 'the English state' (whatever 'that is), 'the British nation' and 'the British state'. This is hardly a display of Cartesian logic, but of course does reflect the muddle mentioned.



For Nairn, who proclaims simultaneously has Scottish nationalism, Marxism and belief in democracy, the British/English confusion is enraging and frustrating. He sees the English, who constitute 80 per cent of the United Kingdom's population, as unthinkingly appropriating the cultures and distinctiveness of the Welsh and Scottish. (I shall ignore the Irish, southern and northern, for the moment.) For him the break-up of Britain into its component 'nations', which he sees foretokened in devolution and which he has been announcing for 27 years, cannot come too soon.



Paxman, the abrasive television presenter and scourge of mendacious politicians, concedes to this Celtic pique, suggesting that the English would do well to mind their language when they refer to the other nations of Britain. His lively, amusing book is something of a wry English--he means English-manifesto. Yet he too concedes that the history of the peoples of the British isles is fatefully intertwined. I liked his illustration. In his dying words Scottish Lieutenant General Sir John Moore, fatally wounded at the battle of Corunna in 1809, expressed his hope that 'the people of England will be satisfied' and that 'my country [England] will do me justice' (p. 44).



The military prowess of the British and the British Empire are also at the heart of an innovative account provided by Baucom, a South African literary scholar working at Princeton and Duke Universities. His central epigram derives from one of Salman Rushdie's stuttering characters who suggests that: 'The trouble with the Engenglish is that their hiss hiss history happened overseas, so they dodo don't know what it means.' Englishness is thus locationally, and in its provenance, conjoined to the British Empire.



The pressure now to resolve these ambiguities derives from a number of sources. At the most general level globalization is challenging the capacity of all nation-states, with perhaps the exception of the United States, to legislate, tax and to fashion economic, social and political priorities autonomously. As many authors have pointed out, this does not mean the end of the nation-state, but may signify a crucial shift in its roles. Migration policy remains a national function (who is included and who is excluded here takes a literal form). However, the nation-state is also engaged in reconciling the acceptance of the loss of sovereignty with the perceived need to continue and develop its affective role as a rallying point for the symbolic identity needs of its population. The result is often risible. Nairn's tongue-lashing of New Labour easily hits its targets in this respect. What else is the 'rebranding of Britain' or the wet behind the ears outpourings of the so-called 'think-tank', Demos, which produced a pamphlet with the splendidly instructive title Britain(TM) in 1997? A similar imperative to reconstruct a post-imperial Britain informed the rehabilitation of the tarnished post-Diana House of Windsor and the insistence that a theme park--the Millennium Dome--could symbolize the 'great' in Great Britain.



[…]



To return to my starting point about why strong collective identities are normally formed. The British/English are not a threatened minority. Neither, after the end of Empire, do they seek hegemony over other peoples. Despite Scottish whinging about English domination, Scots occupy the three most important orifices of state at Westminster, while Scotland gets a disproportionate share of the taxpayers' money. The people of Britain do not need the simplicity and uniformity of an over-assertive identity and they should beware of politicians wrapping themselves either in the flag of St George or the Union Jack. Having an elaborated, multi-layered identity is not the same thing as not having one at all. At any rate, given the peculiarities of their imperial and postimperial history, this is the best the British are likely to get.



Cohen, Robin. “The Incredible Vagueness of Being British/English” International Affairs. 76.3 (2000): 575-582.



Books reviewed:

· Davies, Norman. The Isles: a history. Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1999.

· Baucom, Ian. Out of Place: Englishness, Empire and the locations of identity. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1999.

· Nairn, Tom. After Britain: New Labour and the return of Scotland. London: Granta, 2000.

· Paxman, Jeremy. The English: a portrait of people. London: Penguin, 1999.[/QUOTE]


Someone do my homework. :(

[QUOTE=Superpeer]Someone do my homework. :([/QUOTE]
tl;dr

Im busy doing my computer work :-/

NP: A Perfect Circle - Thomas

edit: actually if I was, I wouldnt be on here

[QUOTE=Superpeer]Someone do my homework. :([/QUOTE]
Your homework sucks. I look at questions like that and go blank.

[QUOTE=Jom]Let me guess: your fingers were on fire from your intense shredding![/QUOTE]



haha


actually, we were up till 4 am that night playing guitar hero.



I went to bed and was trying to pass out, and i heard this crack that sounded like glass. I assumed erock knocked a glass over, and didnt pay any attension to it. Apparently the ash trash heated up so much that it cracked, and put 3 burn marks on the coffee table.


Obviously i was reprimanded for this, but i explained that we saw no smoldering ashes, and it was a freak accident.

Morning all.

[QUOTE=Slug]Morning all.[/QUOTE]


damn slug. Your postcount makes mine look bad :lol:



...or good depending on your perspective

[QUOTE=kurrptsenate]haha


actually, we were up till 4 am that night playing guitar hero.



I went to bed and was trying to pass out, and i heard this crack that sounded like glass. I assumed erock knocked a glass over, and didnt pay any attension to it. Apparently the ash trash heated up so much that it cracked, and put 3 burn marks on the coffee table.


Obviously i was reprimanded for this, but i explained that we saw no smoldering ashes, and it was a freak accident.[/QUOTE]
:eek: wow.

Im getting my brothers guitar hero for christmas

NP: Modest Mouse - Float On

it was kind of fukked up....



i mean you'd figure that since we were up so late that we would have some kind of indicator to tell us something was wrong, but apparently not.

Like i said, i heard the weirdest noise, and assumed it was something else. Apparently the whole filter burned to ash before it stopped. I woke up to see a heavy arse ash tray cracked completely in half, and a few burn marks.



WHOOPS :lol:



edit : guitar hero is friggin great. Erock is gonna get a PS2 specifically for this game.


The solos on expert are RIDICULOUS. I still am not sure how i beat the solo to "symphony of destruction" by megadeath

[QUOTE=kurrptsenate]damn slug. Your postcount makes mine look bad :lol:



...or good depending on your perspective[/QUOTE]

I've been posting only 1-2 times a day lately, if that :-/

[QUOTE=kurrptsenate]it was kind of fukked up....



i mean you'd figure that since we were up so late that we would have some kind of indicator to tell us something was wrong, but apparently not.

Like i said, i heard the weirdest noise, and assumed it was something else. Apparently the whole filter burned to ash before it stopped. I woke up to see a heavy arse ash tray cracked completely in half, and a few burn marks.



WHOOPS :lol:



edit : guitar hero is friggin great. Erock is gonna get a PS2 specifically for this game.


The solos on expert are RIDICULOUS. I still am not sure how i beat the solo to "symphony of destruction" by megadeath[/QUOTE]
Ahh guitar hero's that new eyetoy game right? I NEED it.

How do you play it?

nah

guitar hero is that PS2 game that comes with an SG guitar controller



5 fret buttons, strum bar (up/down), and a working whammy



erock is so fukking good with a real whammy actually. You should see him use it in the game :lol:. I was seriously hoping it wasnt going to fall off

[QUOTE=kurrptsenate]nah

guitar hero is that PS2 game that comes with an SG guitar controller



5 fret buttons, strum bar (up/down), and a working whammy



erock is so fukking good with a real whammy actually. You should see him use it in the game :lol:. I was seriously hoping it wasnt going to fall off[/QUOTE]
:lol:
That's what I meant. It sounds liek great fun.

That sounds hard.

Is the controller shaped like a guitar?

[QUOTE=Slug]That sounds hard.

Is the controller shaped like a guitar?[/QUOTE]



its shaped like a gibson SG, since the game is licensed by gibson

Noice, very noice.

I don't want to go to work. :angry:

[QUOTE=Superpeer]Someone do my homework. :([/QUOTE]
ouch.

I have to type out 2 pages of stuff about children bevahior and upbring for psychology :(

i was supposed to leave work today at 12:00 to go see Yngwie Malmsteen in Philadelphia.


For some reason, my boss has it marked that I get the whole day off, and im still here!!!!


Ill still leave at 12

[QUOTE=kurrptsenate]i was supposed to leave work today at 12:00 to go see Yngwie Malmsteen in Philadelphia.


For some reason, my boss has it marked that I get the whole day off, and im still here!!!!


Ill still leave at 12[/QUOTE]
Lucky bugger.

well, im not going to the show as it turns out. My girl cant drink...



so i put 40 bucks into the PSP fund. Im actually up to 110 bucks already :thumb:

[QUOTE=kurrptsenate]well, im not going to the show as it turns out. My girl cant drink...



so i put 40 bucks into the PSP fund. Im actually up to 110 bucks already :thumb:[/QUOTE]
Oh, shame. I'd like to see Yngwie someday.

[QUOTE=Happy]Oh, shame. I'd like to see Yngwie someday.[/QUOTE]



i was REALLY looking forward to go seeing him actually. Tickets were only like 35 USD as well...


i figure id go home and just jam out anyway. Not as kewl, but its still better then working :lol:




I sold my crate 1200 head to erock for TOOOOOO cheap. I was so fukking stupid. I hooked it up to my Mesa 2X12 an hour before he left (with it). HOLY FUK!!! That distorted tone was so bad arse. You could get a high gain KRANK sound from that thing :lol:

[QUOTE=kurrptsenate]i was REALLY looking forward to go seeing him actually. Tickets were only like 35 USD as well...


i figure id go home and just jam out anyway. Not as kewl, but its still better then working :lol:




I sold my crate 1200 head to erock for TOOOOOO cheap. I was so fukking stupid. I hooked it up to my Mesa 2X12 an hour before he left (with it). HOLY FUK!!! That distorted tone was so bad arse. You could get a high gain KRANK sound from that thing :lol:[/QUOTE]
Totally off topic but my Uncle keeps giving me free stuff. He's given me a 100watt Marshall, a compressor pedal, effects pedal, guitar and a reverb thing that I don't know what to do with.

In order to play guitar hero, do you have to know anything about the guitar?

[QUOTE=Happy]Totally off topic but my Uncle keeps giving me free stuff. He's given me a 100watt Marshall, a compressor pedal, effects pedal, guitar and a reverb thing that I don't know what to do with.[/QUOTE]



wow. I got a Ds-1 from the 80s, and 20 bucks...




the ds-1 is broken (cant draw off a battery). Im not sure what to do with it now :lol:



slug: you dont need to play any guitar to enjoy it actually, but when you get to the advanced difficulty setting, it doesnt hurt

[QUOTE=Superpeer]Someone do my homework. :([/QUOTE]

Hah, phew, finished.


NP: Carnival in Coal - fuc[I]k[/I]ing Hostile

It snowed today. This means that I can finally listen to TSO and not feel silly :)


NP: TSO - This Christmas Day

[QUOTE=munky_magik]It snowed today. This means that I can finally listen to TSO and not feel silly :)


NP: TSO - This Christmas Day[/QUOTE]


i thought about going to see those guys...


i cant see paying 40-60 buckets a seat tho

[QUOTE=munky_magik]It snowed today. This means that I can finally listen to TSO and not feel silly :)


NP: TSO - This Christmas Day[/QUOTE]
It snowed a little here as well :).

I just borrowed [I]The Deepest End[/I] (Live) by Gov't Mule off of my step dad. I remember hearing Gov't Mule a while back and not really liking them but this live CD has them playing with 13 different bassists including Les Claypool, Jason Newsted and Victor Wooten. I will be giving this a listen when I get out of the shower.


NP: Ephel Duath - Ruins (Deep Blue and Violet)