Pressure to be “More Scottish” than you are?

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I grew up in Glasgow in a middle class family. My parents were both Scottish. My dad from an Edinburgh Anglo-Scots family and my mum from a working class mixed background, but who spoke Gaelic due to her one grandfather being a first language speaker.

We spoke both Gaelic and English at home. I was sent to a Gaelic language school. The pressure to be more Scottish than anyone else was insufferable, even bordering on slightly xenophobic. I hid the fact my father was not a first language speaker (he can’t speak the language at all). There was a presumption that I and my family would all be SNP voters and if you dared say you were anti independence then you might as well have been Maggie Thatcher herself.

I was wondering it anyone else has felt a pressure over the last 10/20 years, or even recently, to become “more Scottish”? Or if people in Ireland or Wales might also feel this recent national pressure?

Hmmm I haven’t felt pressure but up until recently, you couldn’t even voice an opinion against the SNP because you were seen as some sort of traitor. It was actually quite frightening if you think about it. Thankfully that’s gone- the downfall of Nicola and humza was great for the whole of Scotland.

You know, take pride in youre language. I’m the other side. East coast and as a kid, I hated the Scot’s words and phrases used here. Now I love it! I say ‘Ken’ and ‘Ben’ etc.

Agree fully about Sturgeon and Humza’s downfall being good.

I always felt the SNP MSPs put on their accents and for some reason a strong Glasgow twang was de rigueur which really annoyed me. There are Scottish accents other than Glaswegian.

Oh yes, don’t get me started on that one.

Yes. I’m from the east and have a generic middle class Scottish accent. Because I don’t agree with independence or the SNP I’ve regularly been called an English Tory yoon. (I’m not a Tory, nor English)

The atmosphere has been toxic. I used to be really proud to be Scottish, and it makes me sad that my teen son, who’s grown up only under the SNP feels that Scotland is pretty rubbish.
My mother was from the islands and spoke Gaelic before English. She hated the couthy touristy Scottish image, like the SG and it’s politicians seem to espouse as the only correct way to be Scottish

Definitely don't feel this at all in Wales. My kids go to a Welsh school but there are a lot of parents who don't speak Welsh at home. Plaid Cymru don't do very well at all in our area and Yes Cymru aren't anywhere near being popular enough that people can't speak out against them or independence generally.

I also can't imagine for a minute my kids feeling like they have to hide the fact their dad is English. I never felt that either (my dad is also English, mum is Welsh).

I haven’t been back up to Scotland for 10 years. It’s toxic up there. I’d rather stay away

Interesting! Thank you 😊

Don't feel like this in Ireland.

I don’t really understand - pressure to feel more Scottish than who? And is the implication that Gaelic speaking = more Scottish? I’m east coast and I only know one person who speaks Gaelic and that’s cos she lived in the Western Isles at one point.

I completely understand where you’re coming from but personally don’t feel the pressure to be more Scottish. I’m from the west coast, living in the highlands and a Gaelic learner. I have never supported the SNP and echo PP that the downfall of Nicola et al has been great for Scotland. I do feel the SNP and their supporters can be hateful towards anyone opposing their views and insinuate this means you somehow hate our country. I love Scotland and am proud of my heritage, but does not make me a nationalist. I feel finally able to speak more freely about this.

OP, are you a Russian bot?

I hear you and it's the toxicity of the independence/SNP movement. I have a very neutral Scottish accent, grew up in Edinburgh, now live in the west, DH is English. My ancestral roots in Scotland run really really deep - at least 400 years on all sides.

But because I am not pro-independence, I have been told I am not a "proper Scot". Proper Scottish people according to the cybernats vote SNP, hate the "Toaries", have an intense dislike for the English (sorry Wales and N Ireland, you don't even get a mention), wear clothing with Saltires.

It's very tribal and I don't identify with any of it.

The SNP have destroyed Scotland.
The Gaelic Mafia can be very...dedicated to their cause OP, even in the Gàidhealtachd. Best avoided unless you want to go all in.

I don’t feel any pressure to be more Scottish. I’m from a wee village near Glasgow, proud to be Scottish and have never voted SNP or learned Gaelic. I’m still Scottish as are my parents and my grandparents,

Have never felt the pressure to vote for them but have been called a fake Scot and a disgrace because I have that opinion, I couldn’t care less.

Only 1% of Scots speak Gaelic, so I don't imagine most people feel the pressure to 'be more Scottish'.

DH was born and brought up on the East coast and we don't know any Gaelic speakers. Having said that, the vote for Independence was utterly toxic and we were amazed at how many people fell out with friends and family, although Brexit was equally divisive in England.

My kids go to a Irish speaking secondary in Ireland and I know my eldest who wants to be part of the Irish speaking community definitely feels the need to be very Irish. It's probably quite particular to his situation, where we live, the fact that he wants to be part of/work in the Irish language sphere but there a bit of pressure there to be a Republican, to be into Irish music, basically to involve yourself in all things Irish culture related and be very 'oirish'. The term 'West Brit' is used a lot amongst them and it's a very bad thing to be.

The adults he looks up to in this crowd are very staunchly Republican and he hides the fact that I was born in the UK because he feels like they won't accept him as much if they know he is half English. It's a difficult situation for him because he is wildly passionate about the Irish language and where we live it is quite a closed community where opportunities are based on who you know so being part of the community is important if he wants to work in that area but I'm not going to lie it does feel a bit toxic to me.

What a bizarre concept. Sounds like absolute bollocks tbh, OP, and little more than an excuse for a spot of SNPbaaaaad.

Not here in Ireland. If you want a gig in RTE or other media the less Irish you sound the better. But do you aim for Home Counties or Valley Girl? Decisions....

Escaped from Scotnet . What will they do now that the Sturge and Humza are no more?

No. I've never felt the need to be "the most Scottish". I'm likely much older than you and can remember the opposite pressure of being told in school to speak properly when I spoke in my working class Scottish accent. Maybe much of the recent push for scots, Gaelic and even just an acceptance of strong Scottish accents started as a response to decades of being told to "speak properly" and having traditional languages banned in public life.

I used to be an SNP supporter but I don't believe that latterly they were serving Scotland's best interest so I don't support them anymore. I have never called anyone names for having different political beliefs. I don't believe that most people in Scotland give a shit how you speak or how you vote. Not all Scottish people were born in Scotland and will have lots of different accents.
Maybe it's a middle class thing?

There's pockets of plaid in Wales where you keep your head down if your Welsh accent isn't correct . There's some very insular types who feel superior because of their address, county. When they're rude to tourists it's bloody annoying.

Well you obviously know all about it, seeing as you haven't visited in a decade

I don't feel this at all OP, never have; am also East Coast, not sure if that makes any difference.

My grandparents, parents and my siblings all speak Gaelic as do our children, we were brought up very rurally where everyone spoke Gaelic, it’s a language, nothing to do with “being more Scottish”. DH’s grandparents, parents and his siblings all speak Norwegian, our children are trilingual as they also speak English. DH and our children don’t have Scottish accents, I’m the only one that does. Our children are Scottish, I’m Scottish and have never felt the need to be more Scottish.

The independence referendum was horrific, I watched friends fall out, family argue and there was generally a bad feeling between people. We chose not to discuss it with friends or family and made our feelings clear that there would be absolutely no discussion on the matter. If anyone tried to discuss it with us the conversation was shut down very quickly. We more than proved our point by leaving if the conversation continued, people soon got the message. We’ve never voted SNP. We had a few friends that went on to be SNP MSP’s but those friendships were quickly distanced by us.

God no! But I think I'm maybe a bit older than you. When I was at school we got told off and ridiculed for using "slang" in the classroom (any Scottish words) and quite a few people went to elocution classes to smooth out their Scottish accents because it would help them "get on".

Dh's uncle thought we would send our ds to the gaelic school. Given no-one in our family speaks gaelic that never crossed my mind and no, we didn't.