Without Slow Boring I’d be the most boring guest at cocktail parties. As it is, people think I’m so much more smart than I really am. For this, thank you!
I absolutely am in the office reading newsletters while pretending to work, but I'm in a different country!
I wanted to thank all the people who have made me think and rethink my positions and helped me to understand the most important country in the world - a country that I have never visited (and likely never will), but which has still had a profound effect on my life in many ways.
Also, I wanted to put this at top level: I'm going to try not posting about trans stuff here. I'm not an effective arguer on that point because I'm too emotionally invested and I don't think straight when challenged. I'd appreciate it if other people didn't try to bait me into talking about it and reminded me of this if I do start.
The US and Canada both have a Thanksgiving holiday, albeit on different days. Does Britain have anything similar, or is it just us Settler-Colonists who celebrate the conquests?
We don’t have any sort of equivalent. The big family gathering is very much Christmas for us, and our Christmas dinner has many resemblances to the US Thanksgiving dinner, not least in being centred around a turkey. But the concept of giving thanks is just not a part of the UK tradition.
The eight public holidays in England are New Years (1 Jan), Good Friday, Easter Monday (so a four-day weekend), May Day (first Monday in May), Late Spring (originally Whitsun - last Monday in May), Summer (last Monday in August), Christmas Day (25 Dec) and Boxing Day (26 Dec). The three that aren’t fixed days of the week, if they fall on a weekend, the holiday is moved to the next working day.
The other commonly-celebrated days are St George’s Day (23 Apr: England has no real national day, not having had a revolution or independence to celebrate, so this is the nearest equivalent), Fifth of November (aka Bonfire or Fireworks Night or Guy Fawkes Day) and Remembrance Day (11 Nov). Also, we do mark the Hallmark Holidays (Valentines, Mothers and Fathers Days), though UK Mothers and Fathers Days are different dates from the US ones and Hallowe’en (31 Oct) has always been a big deal, though the character has changed to be more similar to the US version over the years (traditionally it was a lot more scary and a lot more emphasis on the trick over the treat - stay up late at home lit only by the candles in the Jack-O-Lanterns and listen to ghost stories from my parents is a Hallowe’en tradition of my childhood).
There are obviously lots of religious days, with Eid (moves around the calendar) and Diwali (late October/early November) being ones that are much more noticeable now than when I was young. Christian festivals other than Easter and Christmas are much faded - I remember things like Candlemas and Trinity Sunday being big deals.
The three saints’ days for the non-English countries are celebrated as the national days for those countries (David, for Wales, on 1 March, Patrick, for Ireland, on 17 March and Andrew, for Scotland, on 30 November), plus Northern Ireland has the Boyne Day (12 July: the battle was on 1 July 1690 OS, 11 July 1690 NS, but by the time the UK adopted the Gregorian Calendar, the days moved by 11 days, so the commemoration moved to 12 July). These are the only Christian celebrations which are growing rather than shrinking, though I think most people would regard them as being national rather than religious in character.
One additional note is that Scotland has its own schedule of Bank Holidays separate from England and Wales, the most significant difference being a 2nd New Year's Bank Holiday on 2nd January. So the greater prominence of Hogmanay / New Years in Scotland relative to Christmas can still be seen. Scotland also does not have a Bank Holiday on Easter Monday, but has an extra one around St Andrews Day.
I’m thankful for the entire SB team, including the commentariat. I always learn something, even when I don’t think I’m interested in the subject matter. Skimming comments gets me through the many pointless teams/zoom calls I am obliged to join. It remains my desert island substack. Have a peaceful and delicious Thanksgiving, everyone!
I was watching an interview with Jon Stewart and Roy Texieria and Roy was going point by point through Yglesias Thought. And it was making an impression on Stewart.
Thank you for creating a forum on politics and policy that I genuinely trust (but still always seek to verify). And for this community of fine people who help keep me from feeling like I’m losing my mind sometimes when reading/hearing the general discourse. Happy Thanksgiving all!
I want to thank the entire SB commentariat* for offering such interesting and challenging perspectives, especially the ones -- and there's always at least one! -- who bring incredible knowledge and insight to the day's topic. The day's comments and discussion are at least half the reason for subscribing.
* Well, except for one of you. You know who you are.
Okay, okay, it's the guy (gal?) who insists on inserting "frivolity," "humor", "jokes", "puns" and all that sort of folderol into this deadly serious business. Looking at you, DT. We will have no more of your being droll and whimsical here.
Alright, fine, we can allow "the defenestration of Progs." Maybe even applaud it. But that's it. No more.
Matt and the team: I’m very grateful for your work. And Matt’s writing has gotten so good - I used to find the sarcasm unbearable, but that is gone and the prose style is pithy and substantive without losing the humor. Great job.
I'd say your biggest strength is helping people determine what's important and what matters. Which is funnily enough one of the things mainstream news sources are bad at.
Without Slow Boring I’d be the most boring guest at cocktail parties. As it is, people think I’m so much more smart than I really am. For this, thank you!
I don’t mind the part where people think I’m more smart than I really am.
I just mind the part where I’m even stupider than people think.
I absolutely am in the office reading newsletters while pretending to work, but I'm in a different country!
I wanted to thank all the people who have made me think and rethink my positions and helped me to understand the most important country in the world - a country that I have never visited (and likely never will), but which has still had a profound effect on my life in many ways.
Also, I wanted to put this at top level: I'm going to try not posting about trans stuff here. I'm not an effective arguer on that point because I'm too emotionally invested and I don't think straight when challenged. I'd appreciate it if other people didn't try to bait me into talking about it and reminded me of this if I do start.
The US and Canada both have a Thanksgiving holiday, albeit on different days. Does Britain have anything similar, or is it just us Settler-Colonists who celebrate the conquests?
We don’t have any sort of equivalent. The big family gathering is very much Christmas for us, and our Christmas dinner has many resemblances to the US Thanksgiving dinner, not least in being centred around a turkey. But the concept of giving thanks is just not a part of the UK tradition.
The eight public holidays in England are New Years (1 Jan), Good Friday, Easter Monday (so a four-day weekend), May Day (first Monday in May), Late Spring (originally Whitsun - last Monday in May), Summer (last Monday in August), Christmas Day (25 Dec) and Boxing Day (26 Dec). The three that aren’t fixed days of the week, if they fall on a weekend, the holiday is moved to the next working day.
The other commonly-celebrated days are St George’s Day (23 Apr: England has no real national day, not having had a revolution or independence to celebrate, so this is the nearest equivalent), Fifth of November (aka Bonfire or Fireworks Night or Guy Fawkes Day) and Remembrance Day (11 Nov). Also, we do mark the Hallmark Holidays (Valentines, Mothers and Fathers Days), though UK Mothers and Fathers Days are different dates from the US ones and Hallowe’en (31 Oct) has always been a big deal, though the character has changed to be more similar to the US version over the years (traditionally it was a lot more scary and a lot more emphasis on the trick over the treat - stay up late at home lit only by the candles in the Jack-O-Lanterns and listen to ghost stories from my parents is a Hallowe’en tradition of my childhood).
There are obviously lots of religious days, with Eid (moves around the calendar) and Diwali (late October/early November) being ones that are much more noticeable now than when I was young. Christian festivals other than Easter and Christmas are much faded - I remember things like Candlemas and Trinity Sunday being big deals.
The three saints’ days for the non-English countries are celebrated as the national days for those countries (David, for Wales, on 1 March, Patrick, for Ireland, on 17 March and Andrew, for Scotland, on 30 November), plus Northern Ireland has the Boyne Day (12 July: the battle was on 1 July 1690 OS, 11 July 1690 NS, but by the time the UK adopted the Gregorian Calendar, the days moved by 11 days, so the commemoration moved to 12 July). These are the only Christian celebrations which are growing rather than shrinking, though I think most people would regard them as being national rather than religious in character.
One additional note is that Scotland has its own schedule of Bank Holidays separate from England and Wales, the most significant difference being a 2nd New Year's Bank Holiday on 2nd January. So the greater prominence of Hogmanay / New Years in Scotland relative to Christmas can still be seen. Scotland also does not have a Bank Holiday on Easter Monday, but has an extra one around St Andrews Day.
There’s a long history of “days of Thanksgiving” in England, whether called by the monarch or the church, but not as a standing annual event.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Days_of_humiliation_and_thanksgiving
^not beating the allegations
"I love my job, and I like to flatter myself that I do it well."
Don't flatter yourself.
That job should be left to your readers, especially on this day of thanks.
So, here's the flattery: You do your job very well indeed.
Thanks for doing it, day after day.
But if you prefer, you can pretend that your readership just shows up every day, trying and failing to find the link to unsubscribe.
The comments section consists of AI bots trained on the first few months of now failed interest
Also, please don’t forget the oligarch benefactors.
REMEMBER THE NEEDIEST
I’m thankful for the entire SB team, including the commentariat. I always learn something, even when I don’t think I’m interested in the subject matter. Skimming comments gets me through the many pointless teams/zoom calls I am obliged to join. It remains my desert island substack. Have a peaceful and delicious Thanksgiving, everyone!
I was watching an interview with Jon Stewart and Roy Texieria and Roy was going point by point through Yglesias Thought. And it was making an impression on Stewart.
Good interview.But man does stewart, have a blind spot about DEI
Stewart has become arrogant. And so he doesn’t listen to others with an open mind anymore.
I think the reality is he always was arrogant, we just liked it more before.
He just kisses the ass of whoever he's talking to.
Here's that left-wing Joe Rogan people were talking about!
Thank you for creating a forum on politics and policy that I genuinely trust (but still always seek to verify). And for this community of fine people who help keep me from feeling like I’m losing my mind sometimes when reading/hearing the general discourse. Happy Thanksgiving all!
I want to thank the entire SB commentariat* for offering such interesting and challenging perspectives, especially the ones -- and there's always at least one! -- who bring incredible knowledge and insight to the day's topic. The day's comments and discussion are at least half the reason for subscribing.
* Well, except for one of you. You know who you are.
Thanks for remembering me!
Sorry, Tom. Nice try but it's definitely not you.
Freddie?
Nope.
Okay, okay, it's the guy (gal?) who insists on inserting "frivolity," "humor", "jokes", "puns" and all that sort of folderol into this deadly serious business. Looking at you, DT. We will have no more of your being droll and whimsical here.
Alright, fine, we can allow "the defenestration of Progs." Maybe even applaud it. But that's it. No more.
Aw, I’m touched. You cared enough to single me out for abuse!
It makes me feel like my efforts here are not entirely wasted.
Extra points for you for “folderol”
Matt,
Thank you creating something brand new that I look forward to reading every morning and share with my friends more than any other news source.
J
Matt and the team: I’m very grateful for your work. And Matt’s writing has gotten so good - I used to find the sarcasm unbearable, but that is gone and the prose style is pithy and substantive without losing the humor. Great job.
I'm kind of right and you're kind of left - about as much left as I am right.
I value you because you stick to facts and don't engage in name calling, unlike many of our respective brethren.
You've changed my mind on some issues and moderated the sharp edges of others.
What am I thankful for today? You. Thank you, Matt.
I am in the office :(
I'm not bored at the office but I am on the west coast visiting family and awake at 5 am. Happy Thanksgiving!
"is bored at the office reading newsletters while they pretend to work."
As the kids would say, "HE JUST LIKE ME FR FR"
I'd say your biggest strength is helping people determine what's important and what matters. Which is funnily enough one of the things mainstream news sources are bad at.
As a UK reader, I pay for one source of news from the US and it is Slow Boring. Thank you for writing it!
You have made the right choice!
Thank you very much to you, Matt, plus the rest of the Slow Boring team and the whole Slow Boring commenting community!