Scotland is not Scrap

Some time ago I watched a Scottish film called Trainspotting. It was an interesting movie but one line in particular stuck with me for some reason. One in which that described Scotland as the" black sheep" of Europe. Of course, in the Irish film The Commitments, one of the characters said the same thing only difference was that movie was bases in Ireland.

All this reminds me of a Saturday Night Live sketch with Michael Myers playing the role of an abrasive Scottish nationalist screaming, “if it’s not Scottish, it’s crap.” And then there’s Grounds keeper Willy.

I digress.

Pound for pound the enchanting nations of Scotland and Ireland have made significant contributions to modern Western culture. To anyone who is reasonably well-read that much is obvious. Take this post as a refresher.

When I was studying history in University, the influences of the Scots was inescapable but this fact has remained largely unknown to many. When one studies European history the quadruple alliance of France, England, Italy and Germany take a large chunk of the attention – jointly and justifiably regarded as the most brilliant and influential of European cultures.

Scotland? Really? It is one of those odd facts of history. Scotland was generally poor and backwards for most of its history relative to England and most of Europe. That it would produce so many great minds is indeed astounding. Not only was Scotland brilliant, Scots also influenced the North American experience on a massive scale.

James Watt, David Hume and Adam Smith are among the most important names ever to grace mankind. Robert Louis Stevenson, David Livingstone and even Jackie Stewart (who is a revered legend in auto racing mad Italy) are but a few precious famous Scottish figures. Even in the category of the villainous and infamous Scotland has its say with Captain Kidd.

These weren’t just names; they were household names. Of course, firing off a list would be too great. For Canadians, the Scottish imprint on the land be sufficiently evident. Our first Prime Minster – Sir John A. Mac Donald was of Scottish heritage. One of this country's Nobel prize winners was Sir Alexander Fleming who was– you guessed it – a Scot.

Montreal in particular is a preserved museum of famous Scots. It seems every second street is named after a Scottish philanthropist or industrialist.

Our Commonwealth brethren Australia have Scottish blood in them so to speak as Lachlan Macquarrie is regarded as the “Father of Australia.” Here's an interesting fact involving the United States: nine of the first 13 governors were of Scottish heritage.

Whether it was during the Enlightenment, athletics, education, economic, scientific and political thought or inventions, Scotland – tiny, insignificant Scotland as one of my Professors (who was Scottish) once said – was not just about a bunch of savage Picts - it had its say in the advancement and development of Occidental culture.