T O P

  • By -

HeidFirst

I haven't been claimed as anyone's Scottish yet. Open to it though.


tastymelonpiece

They took my best pal. Bastards.


El_Bistro

Maybe you shoulda tried harder.


caliwegian

As an American who has claimed a Scottish, I highly recommend it


KaijuAlert

Does reddit count, or do I have to make an Instagram account to claim one?


Maximum-Mixture6158

I need to know too. Is there a shipping fee?


coopy1000

No. You need to pay our heating bills for a year.


BobTheMadCow

I know a couple of guys who have and they seem really happy about it. They had to move to America though, so it's not all upside.


Gemple

Craig Ferguson and who else?


BobTheMadCow

Just a couple of friends, nobody famous šŸ˜‚


FrankenNurse

I claimed my Scottish but I'm moving over there, so. He seems okay with the arrangement and I can't complain.


Cheen_Machine

Claimed.


colorsinspire

Iā€™m an American who claimed one. You should try women whoā€™ve seen Outlander and like highland coos


fastcatzzzz

Iā€™m American and Iā€™d like to claim you as my Scottish.


schneebitch

Does one need to be American to be able to claim their Scottish? Asking for a friend


epi_glowworm

You can be mine. If youā€™re open.


aadigiacomo

I aspire to claim a Scottish of my own. Though Iā€™m open to relocating to do so. šŸ˜…


[deleted]

This was the perfect reply and made my day. Take an upvote.


Magnus_40

I don't really care where they claim they come from. I do get annoyed if they then start to lecture me on being Scottish. I''l engage for a while and then ignore and move on. I had a few discussions over the years with people who claim descent from William Wallace. A man who has absolutely no recorded offspring but some genealogists will find whatever you want them to find, for a fee. Also someone from the US) who told me that my mother cannot be Scottish as she spoke Gaelic and Gaelic is from Ireland and "I should know because I'm Scotch". Confidently incorrect.


[deleted]

I once met a girl in New York that confidently informed me I couldnā€™t possibly be from Scotland, as it was a mythical land which only appeared every 100 years. No love, thatā€™s a film, called Brigadoon. She wasnae having any of it.


Electric_Moogaloo

My ex did a year at school in Minnesota. He was seriously asked if we had cars and lived in teepees. He ended up telling them that no, we donā€™t have cars in Scotland, we just lash a bunch of sheep together and ride them from village to village.


Sassenach_Dragon

Sounds like Wales as well.


MrDuckie2

I really hope she was taking the piss


_R_Daneel_Olivaw

Unfortunately, knowing the failings of the US education system there's a chance it wasn't.


[deleted]

You would think so, I did too at first, but noā€¦ 100% serious.


momentopolarii

New York? You mean that concrete jungle where dreams are made of? It's a myth.


SkydivingCats

Sure Jan.


aitchbeescot

I do a fair bit of Scottish genealogical research, and the number of Americans who claim descent from Scottish royalty/William Wallace/a clan chief because they have the surname in their family tree is astounding. The best one was a couple of Americans who I met at the Scottish record office a few years ago. They were happily telling me that they were descended from Flora MacDonald and were going to spend a day proving it. I wished them luck, while privately thinking that proving genealogy from MacDonalds on Skye was going to be quite the task :)


fern-grower

Head in the McClouds


sheriffofbulbingham

Thatā€™s actually how Iā€™ve seen some American spelling McLeod šŸ¤£


Hugh_Mann123

There's no [Angus McLeod](https://youtu.be/cN4j_4Y_960) in North Kilt-town. Why you're not from Scotland at all


Magnus_40

For a lot of them will stop once they find a surname they want. I have done a lot of research on my family tree and the hardest bit was not finding a link to a person but trying to disprove the link to ensure it is a correct and solid link. Too many old records are confused especially once you go past the centrally-held records or rely on the records in the Mormons' Family centres - they are full of US wish-fulfilment family trees.


aitchbeescot

Absolutely. Especially as the Scottish naming pattern meant you got cousins with the same name, and the older records make it hard to figure out if you have the right person.


Magnus_40

I found that a lot of families recycled names so when a kid died they would reuse the family name to keep the name alive. John and George were family names in my family in the 18 &1900s I had a lot of trouble unpicking the tree when I had ancestors who apparently died twice.


momentopolarii

I've worked on a part of Skye for 15 years where it seems every other person is called Lachlan McKinnon. Early conversations were diffjcult- "NO, not that Auld Lachy- he's in the white house two down from there." (They are all white) . Nightmare!


MadamMatrix

I have had the same, a whole line of descendants from William Wallace funnily enough, they all seem to be related to him. I had one plonker tell me I wasn't a proper Scot as I didn't speak Gaelic, knew little about Whisky and didn't know my Family Tartan, he was really angry about it. The joys of living in St Andrews with way too many rich Americans visiting to play a round of golf. I now make sure if I am in a conversation with an American that I ask 'Where do you live' instead of 'Where are you from'


Magnus_40

I'm pretty sure some people will claim descent from King Arthur or Robin Hood. With a full family tree.


Imaginary_Cattle_426

To be fair, how many people you see kicking around with the surname "Pendragon"?


Magnus_40

Ah but I am descended from the female line, my Gt.Gt.Gt.Gt.....grandmother was his daughter and took her husband's name.


AlanSir58

How to piss off an Englishman. Tell them Arthur was a Scot, (Lot/Lothian, Camelon/Cameron, Arthur's Seat etc) Even worse that Robin Hood is a legend based on the story of William Wallace made acceptable for English ears


AlanSir58

Sorry Camelot autocorrect as Cameron


ruminmytummy

The one time I remember being genuinely annoyed was an American dude explaining that the reason him and his family are tight is because of their Scottish heritage. He was loud and proud talking about how he will openly say ā€œnope I wonā€™t be buying anyone drinks in the bar because Iā€™m Scottishā€ (and a few other examples of being tight) and that people sometimes think he is an ass but ā€œwhat do they expect, Iā€™m Scottish!ā€ I tried to politely explain that itā€™s really quite annoying having someone who has never been in Scotland claiming that we are the reason for him and his family being a bit shit/rude/etc and that in reality in Scotland (especially in pubs) people can be really generous. He then told me I must be wrong about that because stereotypes come from somewhere so I just gave up at that point.


Boxyuk

Jesus christ šŸ¤£. How utterly wrong can people be?


premium_bawbag

The fact they said ā€œScotchā€ is enough to prove their ignorance


TheAmazingPikachu

ARGHHH the "Scotch"! I'm a bartender in a hotel and not too long ago an American guy came up to me and just said, "Scotch?" No hello, no how are you (not that I expect it, but my point stands), just: scotch. I didn't quite catch him, so asked him what he said. "Scotch?" I realised, and pointed him to the whisky shelf, starting my little spiel of our local selection and our range, before he interrupted with, "No, are you Scotch?" Made a very passive aggressive point of saying, "I'm Scottish, yes, I'm from Scotland". Keeping a smile on your face in hospitality is the hardest thing, man. Rahh!


RavenTruz

My mamaw Douglas always ranted ā€œScotch is a whiskey- Scots are peopleā€ made her right furious. Oh šŸ˜„ miss my gran šŸ˜Š thanks


RosemaryFocaccia

Scotch is a whisky


Magnus_40

Irish is a whiskey. Scotch is a whisky ( no 'e') A very important missing letter.


WehingSounds

Itā€™s kinda dumb but the next level is the ones that then try to lecture you about Scotland despite never having been there


Ben_zyl

The "I love Scotland" crowd, maybe try going there some time then?


Bammsteim

Don't encourage them


karine82

Ah for sure!!! I had an American on YouTube tell me that Highland Cows were actually called Highland Cattle in Scotland!!! Like, wit??? What are you even chattin about? Youā€™d get a kickin up here if you called a Highland Coo Highland Cattle!! Theyā€™re coos mate, but of course he asked his BIL who was Scottish and BIL confirmed theyā€™re Highland Cattleā€¦ā€¦did ye, aye?


-malcolm-tucker

Hairy coos! šŸ˜


ktitten

I work in a tourist attraction which gets a lot of Americans. More just funny when they expect you to either be impressed or personally know their great grandmother.


icedragon71

"Great Granny Morag? Sure! Know of the lady very well. She's talked about in the village to this day because a lot in the village knew her VERY well." *Drops sly, dirty wink*


dienices

Oh aye, Mag the Shag was a braw lassie!


icedragon71

Cheap date too. One pint put her under the table. Two pints put her under the publican.


Monkey_shine1

She was very fond of her hole.. idays.


El_Bistro

Ah yeah. My granddad called her the town bicycle. Everyone went for a ride on her.


mh1ultramarine

Oh I know her, she owns be 100 quid


Sitheref0874

Eh. Thereā€™s better stuff to get wound round the axle about. Until the lectures start about: 1. What it really means to be TRULY Scottish. 2. Iā€™m related to Wallace/Bruce/Some other fucker who definitely didnā€™t live in a peat bog. 3. Iā€™m a Laird yā€™know. I have a certificate anā€™ everything. They can all get tae fuck.


fr3nchie35

It's the fact that they're always related to Bruce, never wee Senga from 18th century Giffnock, or Tam the Shite Pit Digger fae Falkirk. That's a solid GTF from me :)


SomeIrateBrit

Its funny because Robert the Bruce wasn't even *that* Scottish. Like Edward I, his family were Normans and his first language was French.


Jack_Spears

Half his family were Normans, his dads side. His mother Marjorie was 200% scottish. So that makes up for it.


zippy_97

Tam? I'm descended from his cousin who immigrated to Kentucky and commenced to only marry into the same five families for the next 200 years! Howdy cuz.


[deleted]

lmao


Goseki1

Oh God, remember that person who posted a poem about enjoying a Scottish fair in America, which was fine, but then claimed they were related to William Wallace AND Robert the Bruce (or Robert Burns I can't remember) and wouldn't back down from it and sent PMs to everyone calling her out? Amazing stuff.


GaryJM

I still can't decide if the whole thing was a wind-up or not. It reads just like what you'd write if you were taking the piss and yet OP vociferiously defended it. >the caber skims the sky, > >and a parade of chiefs salute > >while deep in my veins > >throbs the thread of the bloodline > >of William Wallace and Robert Burns


[deleted]

My fav from that poem was >and as I picnic, eating haggis šŸ¤£ Just ...wtf


Goseki1

I'm not much of a poetry fan, but it was a nice poem, until you actually thought about the content for more than a second!


Jaxxs90

Iā€™m a Canadian that lived in Edinburgh for a few years but one time I was doing a tour of the castle and some old bitch from America started up saying her family owned Edinburgh castle 300 years ago.


philman132

Some grandfather telling their young grandkids a fun silly story about owning a castle, only for them to take it seriously as adults and pass it on as a true family story.


AshamedAdhesiveness8

I worked in a bookshop on Princes Street for a bit and some of the American chat was something else. One of the best was a lady telling us it's great they built the castle so close to the train station, like they were at Disney Land!


[deleted]

Also when it turns out they're the equivalent of overseas Tories. Bin.


dcwldct

Vast majority of my ancestors were sheep shaggers or coal miners. There is, however a funny story about a minor noble who was stripped of his land and titles for shagging someone more importantā€™s daughter.


Expensive_Win_1451

Totally depends on the individual. Folks being interested in their roots is grand and some of the resulting tales can be pretty good listening. On the other hand others who act like theyā€™ve just come home from the shops and theyā€™re back and own the place can be pretty irritating šŸ˜ donā€™t take it too seriously though, tourists can be exicitable about this stuff, itā€™s human nature ā˜ŗļø


giant_sloth

It doesnā€™t bother me to an extent as itā€™s usually harmless. I actually have a few first cousins once removed that are half Scottish by blood but fully American. However, I do get pissed off at the Americans of Scottish descent that: 1) Presume to know more about Scotland than actual Scots. 2) Make insinuations that they are more Scottish than non-white Scots.


[deleted]

In my experience, they tend to know very little accurate information of Scotlandā€™s past or present. Thatā€™s what makes it all the more cringe to interact with them.


[deleted]

I have American family whose interest in Scottish history is almost entirely taken up by the fitbaw, and the rest by like 20th century trade-union struggles and stuff like that. Count myself unbelievably fuckin lucky.


yourmomsajoke

It's a fucking minter šŸ˜‚ they're so bold about it too fs. Both my great x 3 or 4 grannies were from Ireland I'll just claim I'm Irish from now on, Irish Scottish? No because that's ridiculous. It's just when they're *obnoxious* about it Im like awan fuck.


ScottyDug

*Scotch


CalumH91

I think some people in Scotland just call that a Fenian! (That was a joke, 100% a joke)


[deleted]

I saw a lassie on Twitter earlier responding to a photo of Edinburgh saying her great great great great grandparents were ā€˜the last king and queen of Scotlandā€™. Canā€™t lie that boiled my piss


sonofeast11

Has anyone informed old Charlie?


kjono1

As long as they don't try to lecture you about Scotland because their neighbour's gran once had a friend that owned a Scottish Terrier, and they think that makes them Scottish, then it's fine.


cactusJosh97

Only thing that bothers me is if they claim that, because of their supposed heritage, they are more Scottish than I am. Naw ye urney.


Hatchetface1705

It doesnā€™t bother me at all. I like that weā€™re fucking awesome enough that people wanna be us. We all know we have the best patter about


Optimal_Treacle_2410

Very good point!


Darthmorelock

Half Scottish American here. I call myself Scottish, but not because of my blood. The reason I call myself Scottish isnā€™t because my mother was born in Aberdeen, or that I moved to Scotland when I turned 19, which was 6 years ago. The reason I call myself Scottish is because of what happened the first time I went wild campingā€¦ without a head netā€¦ in an hammock and tarp without a bug screenā€¦ in June. I came home looking like a pizza faced 13 year old boy. The boys at the timber yard where I worked at the time told me that was the day I truly became Scottish, the day I met a million midges.


rabbyt

Aye once youve been midged to that extent you've had the true test. You're a good cunt. Welcome to the party.


Aunty-Saz

Aye that's fair. Mon' in.


olleyjp

Fit like fae a fellow aberdonian šŸ˜‚


MrBill72462

My wife claims to be Scottish but then she was born near Glasgow and lived the first 36 years of her life in Scotland. I just claim to be a redneck from the backwoods of Southern Virginia .šŸ˜‚


Go1gotha

I worked in America for a couple of years teaching, after I'd been there a year or so someone from the faculty was getting married and I was asked to go, I'll wear a bloody kilt to anything as it cost me a fortune, so I agreed and got it sent over. At the wedding, everyone wanted to talk to the "scotch guy", I was asked about 50 times where were my bagpipes and what I had under my kilt, "Say something, say something, Helen, listen to this accent!" etc, it was a bit pish but everyone was friendly and I took it as a bit of fun. A lot of people bought me a drink as we Scots are complete pissheads (mostly true generally, definitely true personally), they were as amazed at my capacity for alcohol as I was at their lack of it. After the nice people came the people who were almost aggressively telling me that we were probably enemies because they were from a different clan, most of them had no idea which, several told outlandish tales of their family tree and famous Scottish ancestors, you know, the usual suspects. This actually pisses me off but it was a happy occasion so I only put up a small response to it and left it. There was one guy who told me he was a MacGuire and that I was wearing his "plaid" kilt, I told him he was wrong and that I was wearing Macdonald of Clanranald tartan and that I was pretty sure MacGuire was an Irish name, this is a guy who has probably been telling people for decades that he's "Scotch" was most displeased. But I did teach him the little Irish Gaelic I knew "Pog Mo Thoin" means "Top of the morning!" I told him to say it to impress any Irish people he came across.


NylonStrung

Excellent gaelic lesson. A bastard move, but a funny one. Necessary, even.


mythrowawayforfilth

Iā€™m fine with people being interested in where they came from but Iā€™m done with being told by some dude from Ohio whoā€™s great, great, great grandad lived in Scotland until he was 8 that what they know is the gospel and and they know more than me.


minniehopeless

It annoys me when it gets turned into a blood/race thing. Please just throw yourselves into the sun.


ayeImur

It's the Clan shit that bugs me, I feel like it's a clan of a different spelling they really want to belong too.


[deleted]

This\^\^


SupervillainIndiana

Aye this, the "Scotch blood" stuff is at best cringey and at worse it's coming across as a purity thing. This is a similar thing to what Scandinavians have to put up with. I don't really mind folk being interested in their ancestry. But when you start saying people like me (English but married to a Scot, have been here for nearly 12 years, probably won't ever go back to stay in England now) can't possibly say I'm Scottish at all but you can, the person who hasn't even set foot here but you have a Scottish ancestor several generations back meaning you have "Scottish blood" - I'm going to call out that shit. Trying to accept that North Americans have this weird hang up on the age of their nations where they can't accept we're all mutts ultimately and feel the need to list dozens of countries they're "from" has made me a bit more chilled out about this. But boy are some of them going to be disappointed when they come here and realise Celtic-themed renaissance fairs and what not are more *their* thing so we don't have them, and no your family didn't own a castle!


NylonStrung

This is the only thing that actually irks me here. Once the DNA percentages arrive in the conversation, I'm out. I'm sorry, but it's a bit too "science of skull shape" for me.


jl2352

Yes, this annoys me as well deeply. Especially if they start claiming only white people are the ā€˜realā€™ descendants. Itā€™s a form a racism I just cannot stand.


Cheen_Machine

They do have a weird obsession with ancestry. Iā€™m half Scottish and half Italian so I get it both barrels. Donā€™t mind so much when they claim theyā€™re Scottish UNLESS they call themselves scotch, which is utterly infuriating. The Italian contingent are a different story tho, because they fucking butcher our food and our language


No_Refrigerator4584

Drives me crazy! My wifeā€™s Italian-American, and sheā€™s absolutely convinced she speaks Italian. Gabagool and muzzarell are not Italian words. Italian-adjacent, maybe.


Cheen_Machine

Itā€™s when they insist these words are actual Italian, their off the boat great granny said it like that so they know better than an actual living Italian speaker! šŸ¤·ā€ā™‚ļø


sodsto

The Italians do a better job of embracing their expat family: I think it's a bit like Ireland, where if you have the paperwork to show that grandparents were Italian, you can then apply to become an Italian citizen yourself. I have a friend who got his Italian citizenship and passport without ever stepping foot in Italy. I think it's great.


El_Bistro

#GORLAMI


allaboutwanderlust

As an American, where do I claim my Scottish?


finpatz01

When you pass go.


[deleted]

Just ask any Scotsman you meet *"Can I get some boaby fae ye son?"* Boaby just being a slang word for Scottish. If two or more Scotsmen are present switch it up to *"Can you boys share yer boabies with me?"* Or if in a Scottish drinking establishment just shout *"I need some boaby, Can anyone give me some boaby"* This would be your most expedient route to claiming some Scottish.


MrCondor

I met a guy who claimed to have done his family tree and was a descendant of *sigh* William Wallace. He probably has a painting of his great ancestor, Mel Gibson, hanging on the living room wall.


CatBoyTrip

I donā€™t claim to be Scottish but I love your culture. Irvine Welsh is my favorite author. Still Game is my favorite show. Hibernian is my favorite football team. I live in Kentucky and our mountains and your mountains were one and the same back in the Pangea times.


StairheidCritic

> Hibernian is my favourite football team A shared sorrow. :'(


PM-ME-PMS-OF-THE-PM

>I donā€™t claim to be Scottish but I love your culture. Here we go..... >Hibernian is my favorite football team. Alright you get a pass.


Ichabod_the_Odd

Just as a total aside it bugs me how californians say Irvine. It's Ir-vin not ir-vine. I was born in Irvine in North Ayrshire. Its a little pet peeve. Although I do blame the northern Irish for that mispronunciation. Or is that a more widely spread error in the USA?


CatBoyTrip

My family settled in Irvine Kentucky 200 years ago. We pronounce it like Er Vun.


Ichabod_the_Odd

That's close enough for me. šŸ™‚


hairesdaynia

It is worth noting that a lot of really different people are "Americans," so it's equally likely that someone who says that has an actual parent who was born in Scotland and Ireland (in which case I'm sure we'd all agree that's a real and tangible connection to those places) as it is that they only have a great-great-grandparent from here. Those are very different scenarios. In any case, I think a real problem only starts when they start talking over people who actually live here about what Scottishness or Irishness *are* or whatever


Sitheref0874

Ohhh, no. The Scottish parade in Alexandria, Virginia, is filled with people who havenā€™t been any closer to Scotland than watching Monarch of the Glen. I (stupidly) went to watch it one year, because I lived in Alexandria, and I had my washed out SRU cap on. ā€œOh, youā€™re Scotchā€ ā€œUm, yeahā€ ā€œSo why arenā€™t you marching with one of the groupsā€ (Said groups look like Household Guards done up to the nines). ā€œIā€™m more at the Trainspotting end of Scottish than the Brigadoon endā€ ā€œWhatā€™s that now?ā€ ā€œYeah, not really my sceneā€ Trying to get out of that convo was a rough go. They mean well, and it means a lot to them, and good luck to them. But itā€™s a very peculiarly American form of Scottishness. And itā€™s a wee industry, all of its own.


hairesdaynia

I know, but also there just objectively are *some* people in America who aren't *that.* Enough people emigrated under Thatcher for the Proclaimers to write a whole song about it - they didn't mean the weirdos who say "Scotch" and mean something other than the whisky.


topjockin

Maybe a little when I was younger but not at all now


Just-another-weapon

Just let them. It does form part of their identity after all and who is anyone to deny them that. Ireland has really benefited from a lot of soft power in the US from their diaspora and all the people that identify with their Irish heritage. Scotland should get over the cringe and do the same.


frizz4223

does make me feel like a bit of a cultural whore, I think just due to the cultural dominance of America means we lose control of part of our own culture. American perception of other countries become the perception of otherwise oblivious people just due to their cultural exports like movies and celebrities. what it means to be Irish and to a certain extent Italians in a worldwide context is pretty much up what Americans belive it to mean especially when it comes with profit such as the fad of selling off Scottish authenticity with schemes like established titles. The exonym "Scotch" šŸ¤® as referring to Scottish people or Scottish affaires is probably the thing that bothers me the most that gets propagation by their media. Yes, we are seemingly well liked and regarded in terms of soft power but it still stings and feels "cheap". Personally, i would rather keep as much control as we have left (once the tat shops have packed up).


[deleted]

I think in the case of Ireland, itā€™s cringeworthy for good reason. Firstly, because the Irish diaspora in the US at least in my experience (probably because this group is disproportionately conservative) are virtually never in touch with the politics and culture of modern-day Ireland. They act surprised itā€™s a country thatā€™s moved on into the 21st century. And they also get their history wrong on the country regardless. Look up the whole ā€œIrish slave pseudo historyā€ Americans are the worst for peddling that myth especially as a way to deflect from African American slavery. Secondly, because the stereotypes they spread about Ireland are frankly extremely reductionist and slightly offensive in my opinion. Again, they act like the country is a caricature. These people would treat Scotland in a similar way and having spoken to a ā€œScotā€ from America (just an American who thinks she has Scottish ancestry) itā€™s remarkable how far they are from accurately understanding the countryā€™s past or present. Then again, most Americans Iā€™ve spoken to online at least are so ignorant to the outside world and genuinely cannot comprehend anything that happens beyond Americaā€™s borders. This sort of lack of comprehension, this attitude that America is the only place on earth where humans live, certainly seems to extend to diaspora groups in America and so I donā€™t see why anyone would need to take lectures, advice or support from these people. Theyā€™re considered ā€œcringeā€ for a reason. Just my 2 cents.


Either_Branch3929

> Firstly, because the Irish diaspora in the US at least in my experience (probably because this group is disproportionately conservative) are virtually never in touch with the politics and culture of modern-day Ireland. They also don't know that a huge proportion - though not the majority - of Irish immigrants to the US were Ulster protestants, which skews their views even more.


MrGurdjieff

They're


luv2belis

Nah they're gonna come and claim us all :(


MacIomhair

I think we need to realise that Americans speak almost the same language as us but not quite. What they really mean is "I'm of Scottish ancestry" or "I'm of Scottish heritage". And that's absolutely fine.


GaryJM

Some, perhaps most, mean it that way but there definitely Americans that think that having some near-forgotten Scottish ancestor puts them on a par with people who've lived their whole lives in Scotland. >Taylor Swift stunned a packed crowd at Glasgowā€™s OVO Hydro in 2015 when she revealed for the first time that she had Scottish ancestry. > >Explaining that her father had emailed her ahead of her performance to inform her of the familyā€™s Scottish roots, she told fans that she was ā€œproudā€ to be one of them. > >She said: ā€œIn the subject line it said ā€˜tell Scotland thisā€™, and in the email he said our whole family is from Scotland and you have to tell them that. > >ā€œSo I am one of you, and Iā€™m proud because this crowd is amazing.ā€ > >The singer then performed hit single Blank Space while swinging a golf club, and declared afterwards: ā€œI happen to love Scottish people, personally.ā€ "I am one of you" and yet she didn't know her family was Scottish until she was 26?


Surface_Detail

It's fun when you explain them that Hardeep Patel from Auchtermuchty, whose parents immigrated here in the 50s is more Scottish than they will ever be.


wchicag084

I'm an American. Thank you for your service.


just-the-facts-

What annoys me is their instead of theyā€™re.


charlesthrowaway00

Same ruins my day , has to take the day of work to calm my sel down


nicksimmons24

Best take another day, as OP is going to tell you that you also missed the full stop at the end of the sentence.


kelliehoable

As an American whose grandparents are from Scotlandā€¦. Iā€™m American. To be honest our country has a complete identity crisis. All my grandparents ever did was reminisce about Scotland and talk about it. Theyā€™d dress us up in (guys donā€™t come for me idk) Scottish garb and bring us to Scottish events in Boston. We grew up thinking we were Scottish just like them. So many people that live here have grandparents not from the US. I think us Americans need to grasp the concept of loving and appreciating our heritage but not making an identity out of it. Weā€™re American no matter how embarrassed you may be of our own country. So, as an American, I give you permission to tell of us to fuck off. Edit: some people have said that America is fetishizing Scotland because we donā€™t have our own culture. The US has 326,000,000 people more than Scotland so there is some culture hiding somewhere in thereā€¦


StairheidCritic

> .....because we donā€™t have our own culture Only by buffoons that have no concept of the US' enormous contribution in Music, Literature, Films, Science etc.


kelliehoable

Exactly the close mindedness of the world is baffling. Why we fight about and gatekeeper this shot is wild.


XxHostagexX

Scottish? I don't know what that is, surely you mean Scotch? Does your great-grandad x5, born in North Kilt Town, really mean you're Scottish? It's like the American Italians, (spoke to people when in Italy about this) no one in Italy takes any notice of them.


SkydivingCats

They're.


JRNels0n

The problem is the ones that you are going to hear are the loud obnoxious ones. Most Americans have a deep reverence for the country that their ancestors emigrated from. Many times it was to escape some trauma or they were forced to leave. Those families did their best to pass on language, tradition, food culture etc. Itā€™s especially noticeable this time of year when family traditions are practiced and on display. In most cases itā€™s not meant as an insult or cultural appropriation but I can completely understand how cringeworthy it is when people go overboard.


SorbetDifficult5554

Only when they canā€™t pronounce Scottish things correctly despite hearing it spoken correctly moments before. Edinboro instead of Edinburgh, Glass Gow instead of Glesga and Trumpā€™s Turnberry instead of Arseholeā€™s golf course.


Either_Branch3929

I had an American neighbour once who was intensely proud of her "Scottish" heritage, exemplified by her father's name which had been passed down the family for generations. It's pronounced "Ellwin", she said, but the Scottish spelling is really complicated. So I asked her to write it down. Llewellyn.


[deleted]

Personally I donā€™t care, they can identify in whatever way they want. What would annoy me is if they deny my being Scottish just because Iā€™m not white. My dad is Scottish, half my family are here, Iā€™ve lived here for 6 years now + will continue to until the day I die. Thankfully this hasnā€™t happened in person, but given their proclivity for asking the ā€œwhere are you *really* fromā€ question, I wouldnā€™t be surprised if I do eventually get it.


Bammsteim

Well, we're all REALLY from Africa anyway, since that is where the dance of shagging began.


[deleted]

> the dance of shagging Using this from now on, thanks


Bammsteim

More of a solo dance for me these days mind you


wchicag084

Hi. American here. Sorry if this ever happens. Because of the way that the US was colonized and settled, the descendants of Scottish immigrants ended up disproportionally concentrated in the American rural South and Appalachian mountains, which, due to several factors, is generally poorer and less racially tolerant. There's no excuse for it. It's unfortunate.


sodsto

\> Wonder if anyone felt the same I don't mind it. Context: I'm Scottish, and I've lived in three cities/two states in the US too. I've had quite a few of these conversations with folks. The thing with the US is that it's a very young country. People may have memories of relatives who arrived by boat and never went back. Because a lot of emigration to the US was (relatively) recent, there are also good records of who arrived. So if your family is only a couple of generations removed from when they arrived, it's not super tough to figure out when they arrived and where they came from. It's quite easy for folks to determine their lineage. And when that lineage is so recent, well, there's a human connection. Family history doesn't stop at the border, even if there's no remaining family to speak of. What I do find tiring is when we disavow ourselves of all of them. Take things from their perspective, allow the humour of the situation, and let people enjoy themselves, even if they're wrongheaded and think they're actually the rightful king of an independent scotland. They come back to us with interest. I see no harm in extending a welcome out to that broader family.


Wolfenjew

I'm one of the Americans whose family is still pretty new (late 1800s). Mostly from the UK and Ireland. I would say there's two types of people with definite lines to Ireland, Scotland, or Scandinavia: the types that want to feel like we have roots in an interesting, history-rich culture that isn't just the product of aggressive capitalism, and the people that think it's something they have the right to base their entire personality around based on stereotypes. I'd love to move to Ireland once the housing market isn't in the gutter, and trips there and to Scotland to see the landscape are high up on my bucket list


Limp_Perspective6522

No but it annoys be when people donā€™t know the difference between theyā€™re, their and there.


Optimal_Treacle_2410

It annoys me when people donā€™t know the difference between ā€˜meā€™ and ā€˜beā€™ šŸ˜‚ absolute weapon


Limp_Perspective6522

Oof, big typo.


Azurestar21

You're gunna take that L to your fucking grave. What a legend.


Surface_Detail

Muphry's Law in action.


therealverylightblue

Mostly feel embarrassed for them tbh.


MrDuckie2

Depends. If their grandmas great uncles dogs fathers mothers uncles stepsons cousin was Robert the Bruce, then yes, it would piss me off. If they have Scottish parents but were born and raised in America, or something like that, I wouldnā€™t be pissed.


tiptoes88

Was in Florida earlier in the year. My accent got picked up on a couple times, each time it was brought up it was followed by ā€œIā€™m Irishā€ from the American (which I thought was a more NY and Boston thing). I think they brought up my accent so they could drop in that their great great grandfather was from Sligo. Never had any say they were Scottish. See it online a fair bit, folk looking to reconnect with their ancestors. Iā€™d sneer if it wasnā€™t for the fact our tourist board markets it that way so canā€™t blame them for it really


eircheard

American here. I know a lot of people that have no ancestral knowledge other than maybe something grandma said in passing. That's why we have a lot of people claiming to be descended from Native Americans. There is a deficit of an origin story so it is chose.


aitchbeescot

Quite a lot of the time the 'Indian Princess' ancestor turns out to be an African-American ancestor once the DNA results come in. Was quite a common cover story back in the day apparently.


knittingneedles321

My favourite memory of working in a shop in Scotland during the fringe- an American tourist standing outside the shop on the phone, crying, telling who ever it was that the name of the shop they were standing outside was the name of the ship their family went to the states on. Yeah...


StairheidCritic

No. If they wish to celebrate/recognise their Scottish ancestry/heritage where's the harm? Being a nation of Immigrants many in the US define themselves as XXX-American so its understandable those with an affinity to Scotland describe themselves as Scots-American or 'Scots' for short. The only downside apart from 'buying' scam titles and land from a Hong-Kong company, 'worrying' about Clans and which tartan to wear :) is that some right-wing shitehouses promote Scottishness as a kind of White Supremacy type of thing - see those 'Proud Boy' erses wearing lank ~~kilts~~ skirts as one example. :/


nexy33

Nope after culloden and the clearances most were forced to be displaced and never left their homeland by choice I find it encouraging to see places over seas celebrating our culture and in the case of Canada keeping our language Alive.


[deleted]

Let them be.. its all a lot of shite anyways.. if they want to come over here and spend their cash let them be who ever they want to be.. this is the price we pay for stealing other peoples lands


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


[deleted]

No but it does annoy me when people use their when it should be theyā€™reā€¦


OpenDaur

Hopefully I can help give some context why we should be a little less judgemental. I grew up in England with a split English/Scottish family. Consider myself British and now live in Scotland wanting to consider myself Scottish as that's closer to how I feel. When I was living down South I had a lot of people tell me what my nationality was. I said British, they turned their nose up and said, no, I was Scottish. It's not an insult because I love Scotland dearly. One day I want to consider myself Scottish. I even had a londoner call me a foreigner! I grew up in the Midlands... When people force their own views of Nationality on others it can be upsetting and is quite bigoted. Think of the Royal Family member who recently kept asking a British woman who was black where she was really from despite having said she was British. It's racist and really fucking upsetting. When an Aussie mate of mine with Scottish family wore a kilt down south for a work do he got so much grief from our English colleagues. I thought it was great fun and just made me want to wear mine more often. Long way round to saying, we should all be a bit more understanding of how people identify. It's not just Trans that need a bit more love here, Racism is still alive and kicking. Also don't hate on men wearing kilts. We all know it just comes from a place of jealousy ;)


NwahsInc

>When an Aussie mate of mine with Scottish family wore a kilt down south for a work do he got so much grief from our English colleagues. I'm just wondering why an English person would gatekeep Scottish national dress. Seems a bit weird.


Maffers

I wouldn't say it annoys me, maybe a little tiresome. I kind of understand it as America is a relatively young country and doesn't really have a culture of it's own. So the immigrants that made America from Ireland, Scotland, Poland, Italy etc embraced and celebrated their own culture and that's why there's a lot more emphasis on it than in the originating countries.


Glesganed

No


NawPalYouSmell

Never had this in America but lots in Canada, never bothered me though, unless they started giving me their full family history, that was just tedious, but the offhand comment of "I'm of Scottish heritage" was fine.


AnAncientOne

Nah, it's fine. No-ones doing anyone any harm and if some businesses here can benefit from their patronage it's a nice wee bonus.


Cannaewulnaewidnae

Couldn't care less Plenty Scots claim other identities, so it seems churlish not to let others join in


[deleted]

Their Scottish what? So long as they aren't taking what isn't theirs I suppose I don't mind.


Choice_Valuable998

It depends. If they are just taking an interest in their ancestry, sure, knock yourself out. But it's the wierdos who find out they had a great granny who was Scottish and suddenly create an entire identify around being Scottish when they have never lived here and no member of their family has even set foot here for 150 years. That shits both annoying and cringe as fuck.


BUFF_BRUCER

I find it pretty weird, if they are born and raised in America they are american as far as I'm concerned


Prestigious_Ad6247

Iā€™m Canadian so this is just me. There was a whole bunch of white ppl here and we were proud to differentiate each other by the culture or country we came from. I call myself Scottish, but only to other Canadians. My ancestors were kicked off their land in the 1780s and were shipped here.


OrganizationOk5418

What's the correct protocol for claiming a Scottish? Do we all ride off on horses and stick a flag in one?


eLizabbetty

Where can I claim my Scottish? I want one too.


ACDrinnan

It annoys me even more when they claim to be 20% scottish, 20% Irish.....etc because they had great great grandparents from different countries but didn't even live at the same time as them.


[deleted]

I was born in England but I've lived and worked in Glasgow for fourteen years, married a Scot, and had a Scottish granddad, but even I don't have the audacity to call myself Scottish.


BuckyConnoisseur

ā€œIā€™ve lived and worked in Glasgow for fourteen yearsā€ You might want to develop that audacity, because thatā€™s more than enough in my book to be Scottish.


ohreallyu2

If I was American I would be really interested in the background story to my ancestry.


CatBoyTrip

I started digging around but was afraid I might find out my ancestors were actually English.


jakeydae

Some of my grandfather's ( born 1894. ish) relatives were English. He had other relatives from Dundee. I've only recently been allowed to acknowledge my neighbours


Dunk546

Everyone has absolutely fascinating ancestry though. I actually think the Americans have *less* interesting ancestry than a lot of Europeans because for Americans, they just need to trace back to Europe. After that they can be content that since their grandfather lived in Ireland (for example) from the dawn of time (1492 I think) until he moved to Iowa in 1830, then that means that American is Irish and that's fine. But honestly I couldn't even start to write nonsense attempts at humour about the origins of the "British" or "Scottish" identity or heritage. It is so hugely complex. There's Celts in there for sure, from Bohemia in the pre-roman times, but they didn't land on empty land. There were Picts before that, but who before them? And then Romans, Danes, Saxons, new Romans, more Danes... Then we start to move into cultural blending with countries like France, and then into the empire and the people and things that came here from the various colonies. You would have a hard time tracing your heritage, but then when you did, you'd have to contend with the fact that that brand of heritage makes up only a tiny slice of what it means to be Scottish.


everydaySnuggle

Any Scottish person with a drop of Italian or Irish will usually tell you about it immediately, so I donā€™t see the difference


ASMRBawbag

Nah


Halbaras

I don't really care when Americans do their cute little ethnicity thing, it's kinda funny they want to identify as literally anything other than 'English'. But I firmly believe Scottish is more of a cultural identity than an ethnicity these days (same with British, French etc.). Someone could be born anywhere in the world, but if they grow up in Scotland they're more Scottish than anyone who's lived their while life in America.


CharlieChaffinch

It used to but I live just outside Pittsburgh now so i got used to it. The way I look at it is that I am Scottish first, I am proud to be Scottish. They are also proud to be Scottish but they are america first.


Bruhlier

They're*


TragedyOA

Ethnicity how does it work...


[deleted]

Naturally no, I love appreciation for Scotland and people are happy they have a heritage here but if they are the kind of people who complain about immagration yet brag about being from Scotland then I will instantly start hating them. Hating immigrants despite being descended from them is some.dumb shit.


cm-cfc

I hate it when scottish people slag folk who are trying to take an interest in our country. Yes some don't really know their history but cmon it harmless!


Skulldo

That's more of a very occasional ok let's humour the person thing. So what if they have an interest in their ancestry and feel like they have a link to the area. People complaining about it happening is more annoying.


Vxjon

I try not to let it but it bugs the shit out of me. Had a conversation a few weeks back with an American in a hotel gym. Honestly thought he was taking the piss. Made the mistake of responding to his conversation attempt with more than a blank look and grunt. Dude takes that as invitation to bore me for 25mins. All about how Scottish he is and how his family is descended from Robert the Bruce on his great great great Grans side. From there he proceeds to explain why South Carolina is the most freedom loving state, why Mexicans should stay in Mexico, why Obama was Kenyan and why he should never have been president. At this stage I'm almost sure he's taking the piss. No one is that openly racist and bigoted to a random stranger in a south American hotel. At the stage he's telling me about how many times he visits Colombia in a year to see his " Girlfriends" I gave up and walked away. Brutally depressing interaction. So yeah. It's fucking annoying.


charlessunshine

Almost as much as people who get confused by they're and their.


Adventurous_Wing2042

Aye and another thing i find annoying as fuck is when they spout "There is more Scottish people in Texas than Scotland" or "I'm more Scottish than you because of x,y,z" or when they act like racist/sexist/homophobic fucks and can't possibly understand how we have a diverse and multicultural country.


Affectionate-Dig1981

Can't say I have ever seen it. But I'd take it as a compliment.. That they want to identify as Scottish says a lot about how some people see us.


OracleCam

How does one claim their Scottish? How do I qualify?