March 01, 2005

President Bush praises the contribution of Wales to the international community. Wales flattered but nonplussed.

Presumably this is the equivalent of those hours stars of minor sci-fi shows spend recording station ident after station ident, but filling in the blanks for "Wales" in the multi-purpose wipe-clean address-to-nation cards seems to have given President Bush's speechwriters a bit of a headache. Given that Wales is a small nation conquered by an aggressive foreign power many times its size, I'm not sure where the "common values" he believes Wales and the US share might reside. Of particular note is his list of great Welsh Americans whose dedication to "faith and family" helped to make America great: Harriet Beecher Stowe (all right, fair enough), Frank Lloyd Wright (walked out on his first wife and five children, divorced twice, lived in sin with Mamah Borthwick Chaney, the wife of one of his clients, while still married - my kind of faith and family, there) and Bob Hope (Welsh mother, English father, born in Eltham, pushing it a bit, to be honest). Can you think of any great Welsh contributions to the American story? Will Quiznos start selling laver bread and rarebit? Will the Hudson be dyed red this St David's day? Incidentally, St David was a fascinating fellow - biog of sorts here. I think my favourite Dewi Sant factoid is that he was baptised by St. Elvis of Munster. St. Elvis of Munster. Is that not the best name ever?

posted by tannhauser 19 years ago
  • Ah, diolch - there's lovely now, isn't it? Of course America was discovered by the Welsh - Madoc, look you now, or was it Madoc?
  • He was probably talking about how many great firebrand socialists emerged from the Valleys mining communities to do battle with Mammon and advance the cause of the international working class. I say any nation that produces a Dafydd ap Gwilym has paid its debt to world culture handsomely and can loaf around quite smugly for the rest of recorded time.
  • Wales has never been conquered by England. Jack Daniels was (almost) a Welshman. I don't really understand this post or what its doing here.
  • dng, the Wikipedia entry for Wales seems to think that Wales was conquered by England. I'm with you on not understanding why think link is here though.
  • Will George gird his saffron buns for St. Piran's day on Friday?
  • The link is here because today is St. David's Day. Sort of the MoFi equivalent of wearing a leek in your cap.
  • I'm sorry - is this not Monkeyfilter material? There's no metamonkeyfilter, as far as I can tell, so I had to just throw it out there. Thought a discussion on St. David's Day of Welshness and of the contribution of the Welsh to the building of the US, inspired by a current news story, might be of interest, look you. Sorry. I'll try harder. I've got this great link about how British and American people smile differently... Abiezer_Coppe: Dafydd ap Gwilym is indeed mighty. In fact, arguably poetry is one of the great successes of Welsh society - which also ties in quite nicely with the war on Mammon. There's lots of really interesting stuff about the Eisteddfodai and the Labour movements - but that probably isn't a worthwhile topic of discussion.
  • It's a lovely post, tannhauser. I've not got much Welsh in me (about 1/16) but I'll wear a leek in my hat today.
  • the Wikipedia entry for Wales seems to think that Wales was conquered by England Well, it is from en.wikipedia.org. Wonder what Wicipedia Cymraeg has to say about it... Also, Wikipedia yn Kernewek! As Lisa Simpson put it so well, "rydhsys rag Kernow lemmyn!"
  • Does this mean the Welsh chose Charles Windsor as their Prince voluntarily?
  • The many Treasures online at the National Library of Wales (I think we had a link to one of the archives before but there's stuff aplenty). Currently downloading mp3 of a wax cylinder recording of the Welsh national anthem made in 1899!!!111
  • Happy St. David's Day tannhauser! Lots of Welsh blood flowing in my family. My favorite Welsh contribution to the American story? Hands down, Tom Jones singing at the MGM in Vegas. He always runs while others walk, he acts while other men just talk, he looks at this world and wants it all, so he strikes like thuuuunderbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall...
  • Hen wlad fy nhadau in a Sunday School piano teacher stylee! Fantastic!
  • No ancestors from Wales for me, but I did Welsh on a bet once...
  • (And what about The Black Cauldron! I'm surprised that Bush didn't mention his favorite historical drama about Wales!)
  • Ooh... the Black Cauldron is weird. It's like the Mabinogion, but with added crack. So, is there such a thing as Welsh-American identity? I've never really thought of the Welsh as having the kind of presence or the kind of cultural cohesiveness (or, if you're being nasty, rampant self-celebration) of, say, Irish-Americans. Obviously there are the Welsh-speaking Patagonians, but is there anywhere in the US of which you can say "the x Welsh", as one might "the Pennsylvania Dutch" or "the Mighty Ducks"?
  • I've always wondered. . . how is it possible to be "nonplussed" but not "plussed"?
  • Jeez, he was just trying to be nice! Is there no satisfying you people??? :D
  • Traditionally, no. The Welsh are a famously lugubrious people. I'm sure it was a very sweet gesture, but would be more touching if there was any likelihood that GWB would be able to pick out Wales on a map of the world. Or indeed a map of the UK. Or indeed a map of Wales.
  • I've always appreciated their love of consonants.
  • Personally, I was always kinda of the opinion that Wales was an imaginary place, like Narnia or Qwghlm. But, obviously, geography is not our strong point.
  • Dylan Thomas' Llareggub has to be the best imaginary Welsh place. For those not previously aware, spell it backwards.
  • lugubrious! I've been trying for ages to find out is that was a real word, after hearing it in a Jason Mraz song. Cool. Oh, and the whole of the UK is clearly fictional, like Narnia. Everytime people go to England, Scotland, Wales or Cornwall, magic ends up happening, and small children save the world from great evils. Unless they are in Newcastle, in which case there is poverty and melodrama.
  • The UK certainly bears comparison with Narnia... there are mythical giant cats roaming the wilds, it is ruled by an ancient and anachronistically powerful queen, and if you live there you're probably in the closet. I'll get my coat.
  • hmmm...I am not sure why there is any confusion re the welsh being conquered by the english. edward 1 (1272-1307) conquered wales and named his son and heir "prince of wales" the first non-welsh prince of wales and ever since the official title of the heir. I have a soft spot for the underdog myself, the story of the conquest of wales is a bummer, but if its any consolation it did take england some 200 years to conquer a much tinier nation. Also, the welsh language, they still speak it (unlike so much of the celtic world) they love it, its wacky as all get out. and llanfairpwll....gogogoch, you know, that little town. longest placename in the world. yeah wales!
  • I've been told if you get a few Welshmen together in the same place its impossible for a song not to break out. That said, Tom Jones' version of 16 Tons roXX0rz! Happy Welsh day all. Beauty post tannhauser )!
  • Oh. I see. Condoleeza Rice blows Canada off just like that because we won't go for the American Space Raygun thing, and yet gets all cosy with Wales? We attack at dawn.
  • I offer my services as an agent for the Lurking Canadian Menace. You can pay me in health care and Molson.
  • Don't shoot 'til you see the whites of their eyes?
  • ooh, I can also be bribed with alcohol and health insurance.
  • Excellent! You are both recruited as Mountie ninjas, Las Vegas Division. Bring me the head of Tom Jones. At once! While you're at it, rough up Celine Dion a little.
  • *slaps clip to stock, click-clack, aims* Mountie ninjas my ass! You mess with Celine, you get the horns! She's ours now, dammit! *squints menacingly*
  • I will take Celine Dion out, free of charge. Even -- no, especially if that means I have to go through Fes.
  • Thought a discussion on St. David's Day of Welshness and of the contribution of the Welsh to the building of the US, inspired by a current news story, might be of interest, look you. Sorry - I shouldn't really whinge on my lunchbreak and then disappear for 6 hours. My problem was that it appeared to be another thread to laugh at George Bush, and also belittling Wales. I misread your intentions, it seems. I'm not usually this much of a wanker I am not sure why there is any confusion re the welsh being conquered by the english. Yeah, I was being all confused and wrong. Again... I was thinking Wales had been slowly subsumed by England, for some reason.
  • Obviously President Bush has finished Chapter 1 of his geography book (Poland) and is onto Chapter 2 (Wales). I wonder what chapter three will bring. Also how long before beer companies cash in on St. David's Day with leek-flavoured brews.
  • A spot of Welsh Tea in Patagonia.
  • Come get some, ninjaboy! *flicks off safety, hoarsely hums opening stanza of "My heart Will Go On"*
  • I'm pretty sure there'll be a chapter about the United States of the Middle East too, tracicle. Been a while since reading any Lloyd Alexander. Wow.
  • dng, during the 200 years of unsuccessful english attempt to conquer wales they did in fact whittle away at the edges, seek to undermine what little political unity there was amongst the various welsh leaders etc., but the actual conquest was a bloody result of warfare and oppression. edward 1 then tried the same thing with scotland, but that whole braveheart thing happened and they couldnt do it, so they subdued them through the hideous and insidious sacrament of marriage...
  • Leek-flavored beer!. . . YUM! I'll order a shirt if I can get some of that along with it.
  • as opposed to the leak-flavored domestic brews in the states?
  • From Tannhauser's bio link of St. David: "St. David journeyed throughout the West, founding or restoring twelve monasteries and finally settled in the Vale of Ross, where he and his monks lived a life of extreme austerity. Here occurred the temptations of his monks by the obscene antics of the maid-servants of the wife of Boia, a local chieftan. Here also his monks tried to poison him, but St. David, warned by St. Scuthyn, who crossed from Ireland in one night on the back of a sea-monster, blessed the poisoned bread and ate it without harm." All the monks were out for fun But the Saint was having none. They put the poison in his bun. And looked for Boia to get it on. St. Scuthyn flew across the sea On the back of a big beastie He took the bun and cleaned it up. So the Saint could munch it during sup.
  • Happy St. David's Day! Take a leek!
  • Good work, patita. Better than anything I (wendell too) was thinking of. I'm glad I came back to this thread. How else would I have found out about the Sea-monster-riding Irishman!
  • One time on Family Circus, Bill Keane tunred the strip over to his son. It's funny, becuase he thought Wales was spelled "whales" and ful of whales. Oh boy. I got a kick out of that. That Family Circus is good stuff. Much better than that one Boondocks cartoon with the scray looking negro kids who always bad mouth our President Bush. I don't know why the newspaper putint hat cartoon, but I have sent off a few angry letters to the editor about it. I also like Ziggy.
  • Density of Light The raft of summer powders rides the stream. Death's gravel bed and a dragonfly about to plough its furrow of old stained glass. -- Dewi Stephen Jones, trans from Welsh by the author
  • Welcome back, beeswacky my friend! And not a moment too soon, I might add. You have been missed.
  • Thanks. Always good to see you, too, Fes.
  • Yes, but what do Gorky's and Super Furry say about this?
  • (Something with a lot of L's and W's, I'll assume.)