Cornish pride
From Mr Maurice Smelt Sir: Petronella Wyatt (Singular life, 24 June) says that the Cornish are a primitive bunch of idle, disobliging, spitting, grunt- ing, nose-picking, physically afflicted, xeno- phobic peasants. What interests me most about this thesaurus of hogwash is that she can say it, and you can let her. You would surely spike any article that took a similar line on Jews, Germans, Japanese, Indians or most other people.
So the Cornish, like the English, must belong to those few happy groups which are so proud of themselves, and with such patently good reason, that you can't slag them off without looking ridiculous. But does some list exist which names these invulnerable groups? Are the Yorkshirese or the Scots, for example, above abuse, or is one racist if one insults them?
Maurice Smelt
Penzance, Cornwall
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