A National Characteristic.

I think it might be helpful to explain something about the British.

We Brits mock, criticise and insult each other all the time. When we do so in public, it’s nearly always in a tone of levity. It’s a national characteristic, part of what makes up our national sense of humour. And because we’ve grown up with it, we almost infallibly know whether it was meant seriously or in jest. Because we take it so much for granted, however, we tend to forget that people of other nations sometimes find our characteristic incomprehensible. They take things seriously when they weren’t meant that way, and so they take offence when none was intended. This has happened to me a lot, but I still forget occasionally. So let me just say this.

My blog is not an instrument for mocking, criticising or insulting private individuals. Public figures, maybe, but not private ones. Apart from anything else, it’s bloody bad form and would offend against my standards. I can’t say it will never happen, but it will be an extreme rarity. If I want to mock, criticise or insult anybody for real, I’ll do it by e-mail where it’s just between the two of us. Or face to face if the person happens to be close enough.

Right, I’m off the soap box.