One thing I'm beginning to find tedious is pointing out how wrong Mr Grasse is, because yet again he is incorrect. The first factory as we know it today was in fact opened in Venice in 1104 it was the Venice Arsenal and it was erected to build ships (at it's peak it built one ship a day and employed over 15000 people). That being said I will agree that Britain did build lots of factories in the 1700's (as did America) but if it weren't for these factories and the wonderful people that worked in them we would not have the technology we have today, you wouldn't be able to read this blog for instance as the world wide web would not have been created because computers would still be the size of a small house (if indeed they would exist at all).
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Number 41 – They invented child labour
Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong! Child labour has been around as long as there have been children, to say that the British invented it is fabrication. Children worked mainly in farming throughout the world until factories started springing up in the UK and USA, these factories were hard and dangerous to work in, and, unfortunately children were used, but in Britain laws were passed that banned child labour in 1870, just imagine how terrible it must have been in the US, laws banning child labour were not introduced until 1938! That's 68 years after the UK.
Number 40 – They worshipped the Romans
To say we were a “savage people” before the Romans invaded us is, I'm afraid to say, incorrect. We set up economic and cultural links with Continental Europe and traded in tin with the Greeks, the Carthaginians, and the Pheonicians. Hardly savage then.
To say we worshipped them is also incorrect, we had little choice but to have them in our country, they were, as Mr Grasse points out “a more advanced civilization”, I think it's fair to say that we worshipped them as much as the Native Americans worshipped the American invaders who stole their land, murdered their people, and raped their women.
To say we worshipped them is also incorrect, we had little choice but to have them in our country, they were, as Mr Grasse points out “a more advanced civilization”, I think it's fair to say that we worshipped them as much as the Native Americans worshipped the American invaders who stole their land, murdered their people, and raped their women.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Number 39 – Their archaeologists pander to and defraud the public
First of all I'd like to point out that archeologists is the US spelling, I have spelt the word the English way (or rather, the correct way) above.
The example given by Mr Grasse is that of the Piltdown Man, and I have to say, he is correct in stating that the Piltdown Man is a fraud, however it did not just fool British archaeologists, it fooled people the world over for 40 years.
All that being said Mr Grasse is wrong on a couple of counts firstly the jawbone was from an orang-utan not a chimpanzee, the teeth were from a chimpanzee.
The reason it fooled people the world over is because it was remarkably well done, it proved the theory of the time, that we developed the large modern brain before the modern omnivorous diet.
Can anyone name any other hoaxes that have fooled people for years, but then turn out to be hoaxes? How about the famous video of the Bigfoot taken by Roger Patterson? Or maybe the the Cardiff Giant, which American people flocked to see in their thousands until it was discovered that the Giant was no more than a crude modern statue that had been buried to make it look old (this happened in 1869, 43 years before the Piltdown Man).
The example given by Mr Grasse is that of the Piltdown Man, and I have to say, he is correct in stating that the Piltdown Man is a fraud, however it did not just fool British archaeologists, it fooled people the world over for 40 years.
All that being said Mr Grasse is wrong on a couple of counts firstly the jawbone was from an orang-utan not a chimpanzee, the teeth were from a chimpanzee.
The reason it fooled people the world over is because it was remarkably well done, it proved the theory of the time, that we developed the large modern brain before the modern omnivorous diet.
Can anyone name any other hoaxes that have fooled people for years, but then turn out to be hoaxes? How about the famous video of the Bigfoot taken by Roger Patterson? Or maybe the the Cardiff Giant, which American people flocked to see in their thousands until it was discovered that the Giant was no more than a crude modern statue that had been buried to make it look old (this happened in 1869, 43 years before the Piltdown Man).
Number 38 – They never got over the war of 1812
What Mr Grasse fails to point out is what the war of 1812 was actually about, it was caused because America, at the time, was trading with Napoleonic France, and murdering thousands of Native Americans just so they could get a foothold in the potentially valuable farmlands of the Northwest, because the British didn't agree with this behaviour we tried to stop it, causing the Americans to declare war.
The national anthem “The Star-Spangled banner” was actually a poem written about the attack on Baltimore, when Francis Scott Key saw the American flag waving above Fort McHenry. It was set to the music from an old English drinking song called “The Anacreonic Song”. The fact that this song was made the American national anthem in 1931 shows that it is the Americans who never quite got over the war of 1812, and not the British, who seem know very little about this period in their history.
The national anthem “The Star-Spangled banner” was actually a poem written about the attack on Baltimore, when Francis Scott Key saw the American flag waving above Fort McHenry. It was set to the music from an old English drinking song called “The Anacreonic Song”. The fact that this song was made the American national anthem in 1931 shows that it is the Americans who never quite got over the war of 1812, and not the British, who seem know very little about this period in their history.
Number 37 – They polluted sincere, freethinking discourse with sarcasm, irony, and other forms of pernicious wit
So we “polluted sincere, freethinking discourse”, this is blatantly not true, I know lots of Americans who are just as witty as the British, because they understand sarcasm and irony. Most American comedians use this form of wit to shut up drunk and unfunny hecklers. Obviously only intelligent people will understand the complexities of this particular form of wit, I'm sorry to inform the readers of this blog Mr. Grasse is not as intelligent or witty as he likes to think, maybe he is one of the drunk, unfunny hecklers that frequently get put down by comedians the word over.
Number 36 – They befouled the world's stages with incomprehensible dramas
Shakespeare is, according to Mr Grasse “way overrated”, if that were so then people would not queue up to see the latest adaptations, whether they be on film or on stage.
Apparently , according to Mr Grasse “good stories should be like a gangster movie: accessible, excessively violent, and easy to understand”. I suggest you take a look at “O” the 2001 movie by Tim Blake Nelson, or Al Pacino's 1996 “Looking For Richard”, or even “Prospero's Books” Peter Greenaway's 1991 movie, all of which contain violence and nudity, and are easy to understand (Even for Mr Grasse's limited intellect), they are, surprisingly, all adaptations of Shakespeare plays.
Apparently , according to Mr Grasse “good stories should be like a gangster movie: accessible, excessively violent, and easy to understand”. I suggest you take a look at “O” the 2001 movie by Tim Blake Nelson, or Al Pacino's 1996 “Looking For Richard”, or even “Prospero's Books” Peter Greenaway's 1991 movie, all of which contain violence and nudity, and are easy to understand (Even for Mr Grasse's limited intellect), they are, surprisingly, all adaptations of Shakespeare plays.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Number 35 – They couldn't stand up to Napoleon
Four words - Battle Of The Nile – Napoleon was defeated by the British.
Three words – Battle of Trafalgar – Napoleon again defeated by the British, causing him to give up plans to invade Britain.
Another three words – Battle Of Waterloo – Napoleon defeated for a third time by the British. In fact, Napoleon never defeated the British, ever.
Three words – Battle of Trafalgar – Napoleon again defeated by the British, causing him to give up plans to invade Britain.
Another three words – Battle Of Waterloo – Napoleon defeated for a third time by the British. In fact, Napoleon never defeated the British, ever.
Number 34 – They invented the gibbet
Where does Mr Grasse get his information? Wikipedia? You really should try and do a bit more research Mr Grasse.
The gibbet – as you quite rightly state – was used AFTER the criminal was dead, as a warning to others who might have wanted to commit similar crimes, so what is so sacred about a murderers body once he has been executed? Why should they have been allowed to enjoy a Christian burial?
One other point I feel I should make is that there is a variation called a gibbet iron, which is on display at Atwater Kent museum in, where else? Philadelphia US.
The gibbet – as you quite rightly state – was used AFTER the criminal was dead, as a warning to others who might have wanted to commit similar crimes, so what is so sacred about a murderers body once he has been executed? Why should they have been allowed to enjoy a Christian burial?
One other point I feel I should make is that there is a variation called a gibbet iron, which is on display at Atwater Kent museum in, where else? Philadelphia US.
Number 33 – They give awards to cover their tracks
Historians can't quite understand Cecil Rhodes, on the one hand his ideas were racist (he virtually pioneered Apartheid) but on the other hand he had an unusual (for the time) interest in African cultures and language and seems to have had a respect for the African people that was very unusual.
All that being said, the Rhodes Scholarships continue to bring the most outstanding students from many countries to study at Oxford, and I doubt that any of these students would agree with most of Mr Grasses comments, they are, after all, very well educated.
All that being said, the Rhodes Scholarships continue to bring the most outstanding students from many countries to study at Oxford, and I doubt that any of these students would agree with most of Mr Grasses comments, they are, after all, very well educated.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Number 32 – They propagated their convoluted system of measurement around the globe
It's true that Britain invented a very confusing system of weights and measures, however as Mr Grasse points out, we switched to metric in 1965. The main gripe Mr Grasse seems to have is that America has not yet switched, do something about it then, stop twittering on about how backward our country is when, quite obviously, we accept change a lot easier than our friends in the States.
Number 31 – They believe in Government through fear
Mr Grasse says that Thomas Hobbes most famous work, Leviathan, “our principal emotion is fear, and government is created not as the sum of our freedoms and aspirations be a giant King Kong stomping all over the country.” What Hobbes actually said was that life without political authority would be “nasty, brutish, and short” and that we needed a government elected by the people it was governing to make and uphold laws otherwise we would revert back to nature and basically fight for everything we wanted, without Hobbes, the western world (including America) would not be run the way it is now, we would be living in fear everyday as food, clothes, and any other possessions we had could be taken from us by anyone using whatever force they wanted.
Just to add, had it not been for Hobbes and his “every man is equal” philosophy then we would probably still allow slavery (abolished 1833 UK 1863 USA).
Just to add, had it not been for Hobbes and his “every man is equal” philosophy then we would probably still allow slavery (abolished 1833 UK 1863 USA).
Number 30 – They tried to take over Antarctica
Again, wrong. In the early decades of the 20th century 7 nations announced territorial claims for Antarctica, they were, Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, and Norway.
In 1959, the Antarctic Treaty was signed, that meant that no-one owned the Antarctic and it was for scientific purposes only.
Mr Grasse goes on to claim that Britain is to blame for global warming, well, just remind me who invented CFCs? That's right it was an American by the name of Thomas Midgley Jr. Not one to be beaten Mr Midgley then went on to invent leaded petrol! As one historian put it “he had more impact on the atmosphere than any other single organism in Earth's history.” 'nuff said.
In 1959, the Antarctic Treaty was signed, that meant that no-one owned the Antarctic and it was for scientific purposes only.
Mr Grasse goes on to claim that Britain is to blame for global warming, well, just remind me who invented CFCs? That's right it was an American by the name of Thomas Midgley Jr. Not one to be beaten Mr Midgley then went on to invent leaded petrol! As one historian put it “he had more impact on the atmosphere than any other single organism in Earth's history.” 'nuff said.
Number 29 – They take credit for everything
Well that's rich, reading through this book it's quite clear Mr Grasse thinks that the US should take credit for everything good and let us British take the blame for everything bad.
The ONE example he comes up with is the Magna Carta, he is completely wrong about this document, he states that “all the Magna Carta says is that King John's power is not infinite.” well that's good enough for me, basically that means that the monarch is a figure head for the whole population, not the all powerful ruler they once were, that's called progress Mr Grasse, unlike our friends in the States we move forward, take a closer look at the Constitution, it states that you have the “right to keep and bear arms”, this was first used in the English Bill Of Rights 1689, and has subsequently been abolished in the UK (thankfully). The US can't seem to realise that the wording of the second amendment is very obscure and (probably) meant that the Militia (army) should be well armed to defend against attack from other countries, not that every man should have the right to keep a gun and use it for self defence.
The ONE example he comes up with is the Magna Carta, he is completely wrong about this document, he states that “all the Magna Carta says is that King John's power is not infinite.” well that's good enough for me, basically that means that the monarch is a figure head for the whole population, not the all powerful ruler they once were, that's called progress Mr Grasse, unlike our friends in the States we move forward, take a closer look at the Constitution, it states that you have the “right to keep and bear arms”, this was first used in the English Bill Of Rights 1689, and has subsequently been abolished in the UK (thankfully). The US can't seem to realise that the wording of the second amendment is very obscure and (probably) meant that the Militia (army) should be well armed to defend against attack from other countries, not that every man should have the right to keep a gun and use it for self defence.
Number 28 - They're run by the House of Lords (aka the axis of weevils)
Once again Mr Grasse shows his ignorance. Britain is not “run” by the House of Lords, it is run by the House of Commons (all of whom have been elected by the British people). The House of Lords debates legislation, and has some power to amend or reject bills. However, the power of the Lords to reject a bill passed by the House of Commons is severely restricted by the Parliament Acts.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Number 27 – British men are a little limp in the wrist, if you get my meaning
I wasn't going to dignify this one with a comment, but I thought better of it, so, here goes.
Mr Grasse says that he believes that men in the upper classes of Britain are a bit “fey” and that this is because of spankings they got from their teachers at school. Since 1987 corporal punishment has been outlawed in the whole of the UK, however it is still legal in 20 US states.
Also whilst at school they had “furtive cloakroom gropings” according to Mr Grasse, where is your evidence? I know that some children “experiment” whilst growing up, maybe the British are the only ones secure enough to admit it.
The last point Mr Grasse makes is that the Romans realised the need to allow homosexuality within their army, which made for a happier bunch of soldiers, this is certainly the case, and in Britain we allow homosexuals to join the forces, does the USA? At present I'm sad to say no.
Mr Grasse says that he believes that men in the upper classes of Britain are a bit “fey” and that this is because of spankings they got from their teachers at school. Since 1987 corporal punishment has been outlawed in the whole of the UK, however it is still legal in 20 US states.
Also whilst at school they had “furtive cloakroom gropings” according to Mr Grasse, where is your evidence? I know that some children “experiment” whilst growing up, maybe the British are the only ones secure enough to admit it.
The last point Mr Grasse makes is that the Romans realised the need to allow homosexuality within their army, which made for a happier bunch of soldiers, this is certainly the case, and in Britain we allow homosexuals to join the forces, does the USA? At present I'm sad to say no.
Number 26 – They think terrorists are heroes
This is, I think one of the sickest, most hurtful things that Mr Grasse says in the whole book, how dare he say such a thing, he is a very, very disturbed “man”.
He states that on bonfire night that “the whole country sings and dances around a bonfire”, no we don't, we do however have fireworks and a bonfire, on top of which an effigy of Guy Fawkes is burned, so some 405 years after Mr Fawkes attempted to blow up the House of Commons he is still paying for his crimes, to emphasise this we have a nursery rhyme that goes “Remember remember the fifth of November, Gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason why the gunpowder treason, Should ever be forgot”.
Mr Grasse also states that this day is a national holiday, wrong again, it isn't, simple as that.
The last point Mr Grasse comes up with is that “such displays are in poor taste, and you won't be seeing them stateside on September 11th 2101 or 2501.” I doubt that you will see them in Hiroshima on August 6th 2145 or 2545 either.
He states that on bonfire night that “the whole country sings and dances around a bonfire”, no we don't, we do however have fireworks and a bonfire, on top of which an effigy of Guy Fawkes is burned, so some 405 years after Mr Fawkes attempted to blow up the House of Commons he is still paying for his crimes, to emphasise this we have a nursery rhyme that goes “Remember remember the fifth of November, Gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason why the gunpowder treason, Should ever be forgot”.
Mr Grasse also states that this day is a national holiday, wrong again, it isn't, simple as that.
The last point Mr Grasse comes up with is that “such displays are in poor taste, and you won't be seeing them stateside on September 11th 2101 or 2501.” I doubt that you will see them in Hiroshima on August 6th 2145 or 2545 either.
Number 25 – They created the first very stupid and very violent puppet show for children
Wrong! The Punch and Judy puppet show can trace it's roots back to 16th century Italy, and was extremely popular in France.
It was (and still is) basically a story showing the fight between good and evil – Punch although a funny character always got his comeuppance in the end – it taught children that if they led their lives without violence and greed then they would have happier lives.
The stick that Punch used to hit Judy with was not a walking stick as Mr Grasse states, it was in actual fact a “slap-stick” which was a device that, although it caused a loud crack, used very little force to the person being struck (it is of course where we get the word slapstick).
The stick that Punch used to hit Judy with was not a walking stick as Mr Grasse states, it was in actual fact a “slap-stick” which was a device that, although it caused a loud crack, used very little force to the person being struck (it is of course where we get the word slapstick).
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Number 24 – They make good men into butlers, and butlers into slaves
It was all going so well, I thought this book might be getting more accurate with the previous chapter, but then, Mr Grasse goes and ruins it again.
Butlers were – and indeed are – thought of very highly, both by the people the serve and by the people who serve under them (basically they are managers of a household). They are well paid for the work they do and are much loved.
To give the example of Paul Burrell at the end of this chapter is foolish, as any British person knows he is scum, he has besmirched the good name of the Royals with his lies. He was called to the inquest into the death of Princess Diana and, in his words "told the truth as far as I could – but I didn't tell the whole truth. Perjury is not a nice thing to have to contemplate. I was very naughty.", this caused the coroner, Lord Justice Scott Baker, to warn the jury by saying "You have heard him in the witness box and, even without what he said subsequently in the hotel room in New York, it was blindingly obvious that the evidence that he gave in this court was not the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth."
Butlers were – and indeed are – thought of very highly, both by the people the serve and by the people who serve under them (basically they are managers of a household). They are well paid for the work they do and are much loved.
To give the example of Paul Burrell at the end of this chapter is foolish, as any British person knows he is scum, he has besmirched the good name of the Royals with his lies. He was called to the inquest into the death of Princess Diana and, in his words "told the truth as far as I could – but I didn't tell the whole truth. Perjury is not a nice thing to have to contemplate. I was very naughty.", this caused the coroner, Lord Justice Scott Baker, to warn the jury by saying "You have heard him in the witness box and, even without what he said subsequently in the hotel room in New York, it was blindingly obvious that the evidence that he gave in this court was not the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth."
Number 23 – They hooked the Chinese on opium
I'm not going to argue with this one, Mr Grasse is correct (23 chapters in and he's got one right!), one point he doesn't say is that because of this the Chinese felt humiliated, which caused the Taiping and Boxer Rebellions and ended Dynastic rule in China.
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