X-Cc: Multiple recipients of list WELSH-L To: Multiple recipients of list WELSH-L In-Reply-To: <9412161240.AA27024@mx5.u.washington.edu> On Fri, 16 Dec 1994, Andrew J. Davis wrote: > annwyl bawb, > > > When talking about the english many of us forget that they are realy a celt ic > > people who just call them selves anglo-saxons.... but are far more celtic > than > > they admit. > > i think this intends to say that there are no consistent genetic differences > between > the inhabitants of England and those of Wales, Cornwall, Ireland and Scotland > (or > if you prefer between those speaking english in england and those speaking > languages of the Celtic family) > > if i am right in my interpretation and that is all that was meant then yes, > ofcourse > that's true - my interest in this list stems from my interest in the Brythonic > languages and that stems from my researches into population processes during > the (so called) Dark Ages, by profession i'm a biologist - so there is no way > that i > could disagree. > > however, i'm worried that the statement could also be so easily interpreted as > being tinged with racism - the idea that your genetics determines your emotion s, > attitudes or culture. Similar statements with rather more evident racist > meaning > have occured on other 'celtic' orientated newsgroups and (unfortunately) i've > experienced them first-hand from "welsh nationalists". That road is too > dangerous to follow and we should make sure that we say nothing that points > that way - or even appears to. > > > Andrew Davis > a.j.davis@leeds.ac.uk > Although you make a good point, Andrew, I didn't interpret the above in a racist light at all. I think his point is well taken also. Because I think that there are undoubtedly more similarities than differences in inhabitants (and descendants of those inhabitants) of the British Isles. And lest we forget, the Celts came originally from a valley between the Rhine and the Rhone is Germany and supplanted the indigenous inhabitants. I would guess that there is no such thing as a pure race anywhere on this earth anymore. It is a wonderful thing to have a vital and interesting cultural heritage and to keep it alive and well, but it doesn't make anyone a superior person. Susan Cook secook@u.washington.edu