Alien America

Mitt Romney has been visiting and managed to offend by criticising the U.K.’s readiness to stage the Olympics. It’s quite funny, because he hasn’t said anything that one of the British newspapers hasn’t said, but we’re all still quite cross.

Well, of course, one can criticise members of one’s own family, and still be deeply offended if an outsider criticises them, and Romney should have had more sense and tact.  But the fuss started me thinking about the differences between the U.S.A. and the U.K.

 The first time I went to the U.S.A., I’d never been anywhere so completely foreign. I think that because Americans speak English, we expect them to think like us, and then are shocked to find this enormous gulf between our values and beliefs and theirs; and on top of this, Americans themselves seem largely unaware of the gulf. Beliefs which appear to them not as a belief, but as an unchallengeable fact, leave us utterly amazed. The two most obvious examples are gun control or the lack of it, and healthcare or the lack of it. There’s just been another mass shooting in Colorado, which sums up, to my European mind, the madness of American attitudes. First, the killer had assault weapons and 60,000 rounds of ammunition. 60, 000!!! What on earth is a civilian doing with this sort of arsenal? It can only be intended for mass murder – that’s the only purpose it can have. I remember the boys finding the signs on public buildings in Kentucky “No Concealed Weapons”,  hysterically funny, and all of us being open mouthed at the sign in Wal-mart, “We are sorry, we may not sell automatic weapons after 11 p.m.” I’m sure any European who reads this will be as staggered by these signs as we were. But Americans just don’t get it – they just don’t appreciate how it stuns non Americans. Apparently, after the latest shooting, the sales of guns in Colorado have greatly increased!  This is when you feel like giving up – they’re aliens, and it’s no good even trying to understand them.

On the health care topic, the newspaper was saying that some of the Colorado wounded  have no health insurance. Apparently American hospitals have to give life saving treatment, but should any of them need further treatment, they won’t get it. Good God, how can you call this a civilised society?  I simply can’t get my head round the fact that the richest nation in the world won’t take basic care of its citizens. It seems that even those who are insured are likely to be refused further tests if their condition is hard to diagnose.

Other issues that one simply can’t broach with most Americans are crime and punishment, the Middle East, and the fact that America’s ban on drugs isn’t working, creates crime, and is wrecking Mexico and much of central America. It’s the complete closed mindedness that’s so frustrating. Well, that and the attitudes that were outdated in Victorian times here.

We’ve just had the Olympic opening ceremony, and I particularly liked the tribute to the N.H.S., the gallop through our cultural history, and idea that it was for everyone. I’m feeling pretty patriotic at present.

The torch

On the day we left Swanage, the Olympic torch came through it.  When we went down to the beach for our swim, the owners of beach huts were all getting ready with bunting, balloons, and red, white and blue clothing for all. The council workers were primping the place – not that it needs it – and all over you could hear people discussing where to go to see it. “ Come over to mine, and I’ll make some scones.”  It was all really touching.

Then when we went down for our valedictory fish and chips, there outside the pub on the corner was one of the torch bearers. I think he must have been there with his mates and his wife for at least four hours and he was three sheets to the wind, but nicely. He was obviously bursting with pride, and rightly so, because he was an ex soldier who had settled in Swanage, and was the president of the local British Legion, and had done loads for the steam railway and lots of other charity work.

I took my older grandson to see the torch come through Nottingham and I’m afraid what he liked best was the Coca Cola bus, and the police motorcycle outriders. But the streets were packed and there were 16, 000 people in Market Square. So I know it’s all a bit rubbish, with the commercialisation and bloody Coca Cola, and the fact that the torch is mostly in a bus, but what I conclude is that it gives people chance to demonstrate a bit of pride in themselves and their country, and that is something good.

I feel exactly the same about the Diamond Jubilee – it is about the Queen, but only in so far as she’s ours, and we’re proud of her and glad to celebrate us – our country. So it’s an excuse for an outburst of patriotism, which is nice because we’re bad at noticing the good things about  Britain.

And a very very good thing about Britain is Dorset in general and Swanage in particular! (I should keep quiet about this – don’t want it turning into Cornwall.) 

Durdle Door

We’re on holiday in Dorset and I have achieved another ambition – today I swam through Durdle Door!  I thought it might not happen because the weather was so bad, but since we got here we’ve had very decent weather and number two son, Will, and I have swum every day. He has a triathlon wet suit, but I don’t think you really need one, if you were brought up in the North East and spent every half way summer Sunday at Saltburn. Although of course he swims faster and much further than me, and stays in the water longer. Yesterday I acted as (air) sea rescue, or maybe Baywatch. I was swimming and saw Phil waving at me, which slightly surprised me, but I waved back, and wondered why the people near him on the beach seemed to be staring so. I carried on swimming for quite a while, then eventually turned to come back into shore and saw something floating. Of course I swam over to investigate, and found a toy panda attached to a parachute. So then it all fell into place, and I towed it back in, much to the satisfaction of the little boy to whom it belonged, and much to the relief of the grandfather who had let go!

Going through - the first head is me, with Will catching up fast.

So today we went to Durdle Door, aiming for slack water at high tide, but it’s really quite windy, so the sea was really choppy. Going out was quite easy, but turning to go round the stack was quite hard; I think I made it harder for myself by giving the rocks an unnecessarily wide berth. Going through the arch itself was really hard work, with the waves apparently coming from all directions. Although I was swimming  hard, it was slow progress, almost all the way back to the beach. The really painful bit was getting out of the water onto the beach, as it’s shingle. I ended up flopping my way out on my tummy like an elephant seal.  But I did it, and I’m really pleased with myself.

The swimming team - Phil is excellent at handing a towel when I emerge from the water. 

Had a second swim in the next bay which was a little sheltered from the wind and had leisure to look down and see the kelp and red seaweed, extremely tall, 30 feet at least, and shaped like a juniper tree. I saw some small fish, too.

Also, as an extra source of happiness, I’ve been able to fly my new birthday present kite, and had all the fun of the company of the kids, their partners and the grandsons. What a wonderful time I’m having.