To want to tell old school friend she’s being thick?

[StillCoughingandLaughing]

I won’t, because I haven’t seen her in 20 years and she’d think I’d gone barmy, but I really, really want to.

She’s just shared this poem on Facebook. For a start, most of it is total nonsense. Take pride in being ENGLISH, yet wave the Union Jack?! Kids don’t learn Shakespeare any more? Since when? And kids never did learn Milton or Shaw at school - I didn’t cover Shaw until ‘A’ Level or Milton until degree level. I’d put money on her not knowing who they even were.

But this isn’t what annoys me most of all. What really gets my goat is this: Where does this true patriot, misty-eyed for the days when we all sat around discussing Saint George and Agincourt whilst eating Yorkshire pudding, live?

Texas.

"Ooh, friend, you moving back then?? Amazing, see you soon hun xxx"

I would go in and refute it line by line

Ha ha, I have no clue how FB works, CecilyP. So, someone you haven't contacted for last 20 years just come up on your feed?

TEXAS!!! 😂😂😂😂

You can express pride in your country without saying we are being restricted by other countries and so this totally falls under inaccurate xenophobia.

I'd want to correct it line by line but would probably write something like

"I take this as indication that you're coming back! Can't wait to see you!"

Ha ha, I have no clue how FB works, CecilyP. So, someone you haven't contacted for last 20 years just come up on your feed?

No. The OP is probably FB friends with her. I'm FB friends with people I went to school with. What they post comes up on my feed.

An elderly relative of mine shared this (he now lives in Australia). I gently pointed out to him that none of this was true, and later I discovered he'd deleted it. Whether because he believed me, or because he didn't like me pointing out that he was wrong, I don't know.

I just find it weird you are looking at someone's FB page that you haven't seen for last 20 years and getting agitated.

Surely hearing what people you knew years ago are up to now is one of the main reasons to have a Facebook account?

I absolutely believe that when people post crap like that on Facebook, you should call them out on it.

You should comment OP, and see what her response is. Let her know you are offended by it and it's full of inaccuracies.

Maybe she'll think a bit next time.

And if you end up arguing, you can always unfollow her.

I’d defriend her. Bugger “unfollowing”.

But then, I’m Scottish.

Ha ha, OP, that's why I don't have a FB account. Why does that bother you so much about the person you haven't seen for last 20 years? They are just a stranger.

What is exactly is “our England” that she wants back?

Ha ha, I have no clue how FB works, CecilyP. So, someone you haven't contacted for last 20 years just come up on your feed?

No, first you or they have to make a friend request. Then the request has to be accepted. Once they are your friend, what they post may come up on your feed. It seems fairly random whose posts come up.

The poor scansion makes my brain hurt.

I would be tempted to post something about it probably being because she lives in US that school children don't study English history and literature, because they certainly do still in England. In fact I think the history syllabus is very UK centric from what my dc have studied so far.

Apart from the annoying random capital letters, 6,000 French soldiers died at Agincourt as compared with 400 English.

I'm pretty sure Shakespeare in still compulsory at secondary level. Shaw was Irish. Never seen Milton studied at all at secondary level.

The Union Jack is not English, as its very name makes clear.

Still, you can't argue with stupid.

She doesn't seem to understand the difference between the UK and England.
England's flag is not red white and blue and some of those battles involved the British Army, not the English one.
Was she this thick at school?

I have an Uncle Knobhead that shares stuff like this. I challenge it every single time. Publicly. Funnily enough he never pushes back

I'd also be tempted to go in and correct every line - what mawkish, reactionary and downright inaccurate pish. But then, you can't educate mince so what would be the point. If people don't want to be called 'thick' for holding certain views then they'd do better to at least read through the propaganda they post with a critical eye before exposing their ignorance to the world.

Milton is on the Pre-U English Literature syllabus, my sixth formers are studying him 🙂

Ha ha
Europe is miles away. Yep a whole 20 over Strait of Dover. You can literally see it on clear day.

This is why we shouldn't have given ordinary people the chance to vote on such a fundamentally critical topic...🤦

Sorry, Dave, it is.

Sorry, What, it isn't.

The name 'jack' probably did arise because it was a naval jack, and yes the name Union Jack was eventually used colloquially for all instances of it flying, but the name 'Union Jack' was used in Parliament in 1908 without condition when talking about it flying on land. It's a proper name rather than a description, which is why it is capitalised, and the name therefore has parliamentary approval.

'My Lords' I am very pleased indeed to hear from His Majesty's Government the statement that the Union Jack may be flown on land by all British subjects.'

@Alittleodd

Your DH is correct - we learned this at Guides 40 years ago - I am now in scouting and one of my assistant leaders is very particular that it is the union FLAG - he is also ex-military

No. The 'it's a union flag, it's only a jack when flown from a ship' is yet another of those things that people like to puff themselves up about because they heard it once on the telly, when it's utter balls.

www.flaginstitute.org/wp/british-flags/the-union-jack-or-the-union-flag/

It is often stated that the Union Flag should only be described as the Union Jack when flown in the bows of a warship, but this is a relatively recent idea. From early in its life the Admiralty itself frequently referred to the flag as the Union Jack, whatever its use, and in 1902 an Admiralty Circular announced that Their Lordships had decided that either name could be used officially. Such use was given Parliamentary approval in 1908 when it was stated that “the Union Jack should be regarded as the National flag