tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13336104.post115408638071127463..comments2024-01-07T13:24:03.640+00:00Comments on Nothing Tra La La?: Sieg heil, Jeeves!0tralalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06818587472660040921noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13336104.post-1154349238651922212006-07-31T13:33:00.000+01:002006-07-31T13:33:00.000+01:00"Bluff!"I must admit I thought similar when we wer...<I>"Bluff!"</I><BR/><BR/>I must admit I thought similar when we were told it while going round HMS Victory. And phrases can modify their meaning over time. And it's nicely gruesome.<BR/><BR/>So I'm sticking to it.0tralalahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06818587472660040921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13336104.post-1154343162927084922006-07-31T11:52:00.000+01:002006-07-31T11:52:00.000+01:00Hmmm...I say Bluff!Even if they did do that to fak...Hmmm...<BR/><BR/>I say Bluff!<BR/><BR/>Even if they did do that to faking sailors, it wouldn't fit the meaning of the phrase.<BR/><BR/>PaulPaul Rhodeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04870347889607069551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13336104.post-1154264377048724542006-07-30T13:59:00.000+01:002006-07-30T13:59:00.000+01:00They were just looking for someone to punish.Orwel...<I>They were just looking for someone to punish.</I><BR/><BR/>Orwell also makes the point that he was an easier stooge to pick on than other targets.<BR/><BR/>Agree with everything you say (of course), and will endeavour to send you something else I'm writing for which this all counts as legwork.0tralalahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06818587472660040921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13336104.post-1154188828168826062006-07-29T17:00:00.000+01:002006-07-29T17:00:00.000+01:00No-one is suggesting that Wodehouse's actions - or...No-one is suggesting that Wodehouse's actions - or lack thereof - and lack of thought on the issues make him an angel, or that he ought not to have behaved differently. But there's a world of difference between that and being a paid-up member of the Nazi party. <BR/><BR/>To counterargue that no-one's suggesting that Wodehouse was an enthusiastic goosestepper is disingenuous at best. That's exactly how he was painted, the taint of which plagued him up to his death and, evidently, beyond. Even now, for many, Wodehouse was a traitor. Which equates in some minds to the sort of bloke who spends their Sunday afternoons gassing Jewish babies. <BR/><BR/>Do you really imagine that those in the media or government who pilloried him had thought through the issues as closely as you have? That theirs was not the lazy, tribalistic kneejerk reaction of the good, solid 'patriot' in a time of war? "If you're not with us, you're against us". Guarding against that sort of mass-hysterical thoughtlessness is as relevant now as ever. <BR/><BR/>So I can't fault your criticism of Wodehouse's failure to recognise his moral obligations. But there's more than one kind of stupidity and it's pretty clear, to paraphrase Orwell, that those with their knives out were at least as naive as Wodehouse.<BR/><BR/>They didn't feel betrayed because he'd so delighted them. They were just looking for someone to punish. <BR/><BR/>Yes, Wodehouse should have known better. But it's important to remember that, in the event, he didn't. And that, no more, is what he should carry the can for.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com