What makes a Scot?

[pipesndrumsnun]

yes, how can anybody born & brought up in, say, the USA be longing to be back in the homeland when they've never been there.

bjproc...
It is truly hard to explain! Blood runs deep, I guess! Think of it this way - the stories are told from generation to generation, making the current generation feel almost as connected as those who "came over" two hundred years ago.
Another point, so many of our ancestors, no matter where they were from, had to give up A LOT to "Americanize", losing many customs and traditions along the way. I believe everyone has a deep longing to know who they are and from whence they came...and if it were not for that far off ancestor from long ago, they would not even exist!
And, the people who came to what would be the U.S. had untold hardships and struggles to face "over here". This certainly gets handed down through the generations...our hard working blue collar Americans of today have roots that go deep...to their hard working ancestors who literally built the U.S.A.
In a "young" country like the U.S., we don't have the history and majesty of those ancient places that our ancestors left. EVERYBODY here (except the Native Americans, of course) can trace there existence to somplace else. In fact, when I had to fill out a form when I entered the convent, I listed my heritage as "American"...it was promptly sent back to me for correction...they wanted to know from where my ancestors hailed.
We do feel some connection to our "cousins" around the world, no matter how distant they may be.
I would never represent myself to others as a Scot or as native Irish, but I WILL proudly tell you that this is where my ancestors lived.
Please don't be put off by the overzealous Americans in search of their ancestry...be happy that we love your land and its people.
P.S. I'm not at all trying to argue, just trying to explain!

[Ozman1944]

I am an Australian by birth; A U.S. citizen by Law & choice, and of Scottish/Welsh Cornish descent through both sets of grandparents.
But I certainly identify personally as an Aussie, regardless of ancestry or legality. But I've always seen myself as being a 'Celtic Aussie'.

[Jock Scot]

What makes a Scot?I have no idea!

[seanboy]

What makes a Scot?I have no idea!

yes you do, I suspect this is your democratic answer.

I will repeat my views on what makes someone a scot. To be scottish it is irrelevant where you were born or were your parents are from. To be a scot you have to at the very least been brought up in scotland from an age where your total identity is shaped by; scots people, culture, dialect ideology, spiritualism, politics, sense of inward and outward perceptions, sense of humour, lack of silly patriotic notions, world views, education system, how many times you say the C word in one night etc.

this is what truely makes you a scot. I have two american friends who are first generation americans, their parents are scottish and they consider themselvs americans soley with scots heritage. Americans are very differant from scots infact it is like night and day in many respects.

[Nervous Jock]

Ok questions to all you not born and brought up in Scotland people out there, for two age groups.

Who cried Whan Gary McAllister missed the penalty against England in the 96 Euro championships?

Who jumped about like a loon when James McFadden scored that goal against France this year?

[bjproc]

I have a longing to go and visit barbados, and I have no heritage from there.

but are you calling it your homeland

maybe a holiday destination

[bjproc]

bjproc...
It is truly hard to explain! Blood runs deep, I guess! Think of it this way - the stories are told from generation to generation, making the current generation feel almost as connected as those who "came over" two hundred years ago.
Another point, so many of our ancestors, no matter where they were from, had to give up A LOT to "Americanize", losing many customs and traditions along the way. I believe everyone has a deep longing to know who they are and from whence they came...and if it were not for that far off ancestor from long ago, they would not even exist!
And, the people who came to what would be the U.S. had untold hardships and struggles to face "over here". This certainly gets handed down through the generations...our hard working blue collar Americans of today have roots that go deep...to their hard working ancestors who literally built the U.S.A.
In a "young" country like the U.S., we don't have the history and majesty of those ancient places that our ancestors left. EVERYBODY here (except the Native Americans, of course) can trace there existence to somplace else. In fact, when I had to fill out a form when I entered the convent, I listed my heritage as "American"...it was promptly sent back to me for correction...they wanted to know from where my ancestors hailed.
We do feel some connection to our "cousins" around the world, no matter how distant they may be.
I would never represent myself to others as a Scot or as native Irish, but I WILL proudly tell you that this is where my ancestors lived.
Please don't be put off by the overzealous Americans in search of their ancestry...be happy that we love your land and its people.
P.S. I'm not at all trying to argue, just trying to explain!

very good explanation

when i filled out my passport application, i put down Scottish, it came back as Brittish

i find it really good that you've all taken the time & money to trace your roots, to way back, i can only go back a good few generations & wouldn't know where to start.

my family never really told of stories of old, so thats maybe where it's leading in different directions

peace & love

Bj

[Arlen]

My younger brother was born in the middle east and moved to back to scotland when he was one years old. he is no less a scot than myself. He does not speak arabic, is not eligable for an uae passport. He has never known any arabs or their culture. He knows and only knows scots culture and its people... And all the rest you said.

Very well said, Seanboy.

It's hard to say in any simple term what it is to be Scots.
I have friends whose parents are from Pakistan and India but who were brought up here and are Scots through and through. Accent, culture and belief.
This is home to them and the love and respect Scotland.

I have friends whose family have lived in Scotland for 8 or 9 generations but who are staunch in their belief that they are Irish.
They don't just revere their Irish ancestry, they will get into a huge fight if you suggest that they are anything but Irish.


To complicate things further...

My wife is American. Her last Scottish ancestor was so far back that she had no idea they existed until she was working on a family tree recently.
She loves America and considers herself American.
But she lived here for long enough that, if not in accent, in manner and culture, she was very Scottish.
She adores Scotland and we have had to fight with the decision of which country to stay in.
She doesn't consider herself Scottish, but were we to settle here, she would be as Scottish as most of the Scots I know.



The idea of what makes someone Scots seems to be a good mix of personal opinion, culture, attitude.
And that's a lot to pin down.

[beloitpiper]

There are no hyphenated Americans--
Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States

Nice. You quote a President, so I must be confused. It's not even a good quote. Roosevelt and I disagree. Big whoop. What's your opinion? If I wanted Roosevelt's opinion, I'd ask H.W. Brands.

yes, how can anybody born & brought up in, say, the USA be longing to be back in the homeland when they've never been there.

I lived in Ireland, and been to Scotland a few times. It was nice, but didn't really affect my ancestral pride or cultural affinity. That was already strong enough. Although I did get better at playing music, speaking Gaelic, and drinking!

Who cried Whan Gary McAllister missed the penalty against England in the 96 Euro championships?

Who jumped about like a loon when James McFadden scored that goal against France this year?

I saw it on TV. And just like in the Rugby World Cup, I was at a pub with the boys from Glasgow, all of us in kilts, jumping around, screaming at the French fans on the other side of the pub. Glorious. The Scots at the pub that night didn't care what I called myself. We were all there for one thing: to support Scotland, a country we all loved. Why can't more people be like that?

[Bugbear]

don't want to say anything on the Scottish part, but Pipesndrumsnun said that the Native Americans don't trace back away from America. Well, that has been changing in some of the tribes' cultures because anthropologists have been presenting, the Navajo/Dine' for example, with photos of asian people and other things like that. There's also the ear wax issue. As far as anyone seems to know, all humans trace back to ... oh, some place in southern or central Africa. Don't mean to cause trouble, and just thought I would put that in as a tiny well meaning kind of a correction. Hope you all have fun with this thread and topic.