The Logic Off Topic list

> I don't quite get this.  What is so ignorant about asking if the picture is
> where some family ancestors dwelled several hundred years ago?  It doesn't
> sound like the teacher asked if this is where his family lives now and it
> doesn't sound like his teacher assumed all Scots lived thsi way even way
> back.  Sure, it's mildly fantastic, but no moreso than if someone from
> Chicago said their grandfather lived in Cicero in the 1920s and another
> person leapt to the question, "Oooh, did your grandfather know Capone?".  No
> doubt it's rather unlikely but why not ask?

Hi Wilson.

This may, of course, depend on your understanding of the term 'ancestral
home' - here. at least, it means your family owned it and usually built it.
I must admit I hadn't thought of it being taken any other way This is me
trying not to trip over my big keyboard/mouth so I don't cause any more
offence than I  already have, as I really wasn't meaning to.

Castles/stately homes usually mean very very big bucks. The sort of place
where the earl. duke, whatever, (the presumed ancestors) could easily have
had enough money and influence to have entire villages demolished and
landscaped to improve the view (regular practice in the 18th century) My
nephew is a sweet ordinary kid in a family who live in an ordinary house in
an ordinary street, with a five year old car; he goes to an ordinary public
system school; he has to pack groceries in the supermarket at weekends to
get any regular spending money and he appears to have no bigger ambitions
than to be an auto mechanic. All of which the teacher knew. Does he sound
like he comes from a family of dukes and earls? America has old money too.
I'd be surprised if there are many du Pont scions (nearest example I could
think of, since when I visited Delaware they seemed to have copyright on the
state) in that kind of position, though that would perhaps be a sign of
American democracy at work...as they say in the financial ads here,
'remember the value of your investment can go down as well as up.

Tony Thompson

Tony Thompson wrote:

>This may, of course, depend on your understanding of the term 'ancestral
>home' - here. at least, it means your family owned it and usually built it.
Not in the USA.

>My nephew is a sweet ordinary kid in a family who live in an ordinary house in
>an ordinary street, with a five year old car; he goes to an ordinary public
>system school; he has to pack groceries in the supermarket at weekends to
>get any regular spending money and he appears to have no bigger ambitions
>than to be an auto mechanic.
Proves nothing.

>All of which the teacher knew. Does he sound
>like he comes from a family of dukes and earls?
Maybe not. But all over America there are ex- kings, ex-presidents of this, 
ex-ambassadors of the other, ex-shahs, ex-you name it ... there's even an 
ex-brother of bin-Laden living down Florida way. It's the nature of the 
place. Lot of ex something or others who left to try and build a better 
life somewhere else. So ... to many Americans it is not at all unreasonable 
that a perfectly ordinary person living in a perfectly ordinary house could 
in fact have a very interesting and exotic history because an ancestor of 
theirs could, for example, have been born the wrong side of the sheets and 
decided to head for xxxxxx in order to have a better life.

>America has old money too.
>I'd be surprised if there are many du Pont scions (nearest example I could
>think of, since when I visited Delaware they seemed to have copyright on the
>state) in that kind of position,
... but there ARE some.

>though that would perhaps be a sign of American democracy at work
Yes.

>...as they say in the financial ads here,
>'remember the value of your investment can go down as well as up.
... which is kind of why it is not ENTIRELY outrageous that a perfectly 
ordinary looking kid could have an exciting story to tell in what Americans 
refer to as 'show-and-tell'. Of course ... it COULD still be that we're 
actually and in this case talking a totally pig-ignorant teacher whose 
ideas are laughable ... but it's not every American who asks such a 
question who is being ridiculous because the most surprising things happen.

Sheesh .... why on EARTH am I writing an email trying to defend the 
USA??!!!!!!!! Must have been playing with too many analogue synths this 
morning.

Kool Musick
Keep Musick Kool


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Lots of people have ancestors who are earls or barons yet themselves don't
have or come from money.  All sorts of reasons but most often they're an
off-shoot cousin of a cousin of a cousin thing.  Americans love to find
their honored ancestors, most people I know who've traced their lineage in
America seem to find a president or baron in their family somewhere however
distant (and often strenuously related IMHO).  Except for one of them, none
have a well-off background.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tony Thompson" <tony@...>
To: <logic-ot@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, November 05, 2001 12:56 PM
Subject: [L-OT] Castles In The Air


>
> > I don't quite get this.  What is so ignorant about asking if the picture
is
> > where some family ancestors dwelled several hundred years ago?  It
doesn't
> > sound like the teacher asked if this is where his family lives now and
it
> > doesn't sound like his teacher assumed all Scots lived thsi way even way
> > back.  Sure, it's mildly fantastic, but no moreso than if someone from
> > Chicago said their grandfather lived in Cicero in the 1920s and another
> > person leapt to the question, "Oooh, did your grandfather know Capone?".
No
> > doubt it's rather unlikely but why not ask?
>
> Hi Wilson.
>
> This may, of course, depend on your understanding of the term 'ancestral
> home' - here. at least, it means your family owned it and usually built
it.
> I must admit I hadn't thought of it being taken any other way This is me
> trying not to trip over my big keyboard/mouth so I don't cause any more
> offence than I  already have, as I really wasn't meaning to.
>
> Castles/stately homes usually mean very very big bucks. The sort of place
> where the earl. duke, whatever, (the presumed ancestors) could easily have
> had enough money and influence to have entire villages demolished and
> landscaped to improve the view (regular practice in the 18th century) My
> nephew is a sweet ordinary kid in a family who live in an ordinary house
in
> an ordinary street, with a five year old car; he goes to an ordinary
public
> system school; he has to pack groceries in the supermarket at weekends to
> get any regular spending money and he appears to have no bigger ambitions
> than to be an auto mechanic. All of which the teacher knew. Does he sound
> like he comes from a family of dukes and earls? America has old money too.
> I'd be surprised if there are many du Pont scions (nearest example I could
> think of, since when I visited Delaware they seemed to have copyright on
the

> state) in that kind of position, though that would perhaps be a sign of
> American democracy at work...as they say in the financial ads here,
> 'remember the value of your investment can go down as well as up.
>
> Tony Thompson
>
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>

OK, I hereby abandon all attempts to explain my weak little funny and give
up on the whole thing as a bad idea which looked crass. Sorry all round.
My mum thought it was hilarious when she told me. Something to do with
coming from Irish peasantry, perhaps. As for my dad's side, there were
rumours that there was wealth in the family which was lost in the Russian
Revolution, so maybe I'm part Romanoff and have to seriously swallow my own
words.

BTW, I don't want the Russian Imperial Crown, if anyone wants to give it to
me...

Tony T