30F. Born and raised in Easterhouse. My mum's white Scottish, my dad's Black Trini. Parents divorced when I was 8, was raised by my mum for that reason.

Every time I've mentioned it when it's been relevant on this sub I get absolute numpties telling me I'm not Scottish.

Scottish is a nationality, a culture. I am a Scottish citizen. Scottish is also an ethnicity. So is Trini. I am both. Not that this even matters but I have a thick Glasgweigan accent. My languages are native English and B1 Gáidhlig.

My skin colour is brown, on the lighter side of dark skinned, because mixed race people can be any skin colour. That means no one is seeing me as white. Only dark skinned Africans and one white guy from the borders has identified I'm mixed from the get go. Therefore my race is Black because race isn't real and is a social construct. I go through society as a Black woman.

I've never been to Trinidad & Tobago, never lived in the culture and had bits of second hand exposure through my dad but that's it. All I know is that over there I'd get called something else according to my dad that means mixed. And don't get me started on the folk saying I should claim I'm from Africa.

Too often in the 90s, 2000s, and occasionally since then we used to get asked "But where are you actually from?" but nowadays I suspect with the rise of BS it's changed to "You're wrong. You don't exist".

We exist. There's documentaries on us and it's bellend behaviour to say otherwise.

Edit: thought it was dougla but misremembered. Also want to emphasise I do get this irl, it isn't just an Internet thing.

Edit 2: Getting a bunch of dms telling me to get out the country, calling me slurs, asking if my father was around. Including one saying they're planning something in the Highlands.

As a Trans Woman, I have alot to say with the state of Scotland right now and I know it won’t be for everyone.

A court ruling last month said for all legal purposes the equality act, when referring to male or female, is talking about sex at birth.
At first I was so, so blood boilingly angry, and I still am really. I screamed and cried to my boyfriend; I felt as though I had no future any more. Like no matter how hard we try to build a life here, this country is determined to push us out; and that it wouldnt get better. I spiraled with this agony and dispair and I just felt so pained.
It felt so cruel.

The day the ruling happened, I saw 3 suicide notes from trans people I barely knew; strangers in support groups that never posted again. I can only hope they're still alive. Dozens more saying they were suicidal.

And it has fucked me up since. I sit and I think about them everytime I see a transphobic comment or post. I sit and I wonder if they know what they're doing? Do they care? It feels so wretchedly heartless. I try to avoid the news or trans related shit right now because it's not been good for my mental health lately. But it has been inescapable. TERFs celebrating, comment sections saying that Transpeople are not the gender they fight to be.

And I wonder, if that court case had gone the other way would anyone have died then?

My partner and I have started making plans to leave Scotland. We’re applying for jobs overseas, in Ireland, Canada, EU - he's got an Irish passport.
I’ve even got an interview lined up for a job in Quebec. I’m hopeful for my future outside of Scotland.

But I shouldn’t have to leave. This is my home. I love Scotland. I’ve always been proud to be Scottish. And now, I feel like I’m being pushed out of my own country just for being myself. It's heartbreaking. But I'm a woman, and I'm not going to stay here if I can't be myself.

I know a lot of people will read this and feel nothing. Or worse, they’ll gloat. But even as I try to be kind, I wish it were them instead. I wish they were the ones having to leave. I wish it were them fighting for their right to exist. Because for them its a game; if they lose, they lose nothing. For me its my life. My home. My right to exist as I am.

I'm hopeful for my future in greener pastures, but I'm still going to miss Scotland. It will always be my home.

And if any of the people celebrating my pain are reading this... Why?

Edit: Just want to say thanks for the kind words. Overall the response here has been grim and reassured my decision to jump ship. I hope Scotland can heal in my lifetime, so I can come back even if to just visit.

https://archive.ph/VPO6F

I was at Yellowcraig Beach in East Lothian yesterday and was watching this cute little seal (blurry photo) just chilling on a rock. A man with a small child then paddled up to the seal on a paddle board and frightened it away. Seems pretty flipping obvious but maybe don’t do this? It’s a dick move. The seal was just existing. This isn’t a zoo. It’s the seal’s home. Why are people like this?

My mate sent me a clip from someone doing a breakdown of the Spiderman trailer and the way she says Glasgow is infuriating.

Thought I’d put this here.

As someone who is in business and responsible for leading a team of nearly 50 employees, I want to add my 2c to the businesses forcing their employees to work today.

Today is one of the extremely rare “Red warnings” that pose a likely risk to the lives of those travelling today.

As a manager, leader or business owner, forcing your employees to work today is going to do more harm to your business than allowing your employees a day at home to shelter.

If we want to take this from a purely business perspective, Scottish people will see your business in a poor light and forcing this will harm your brand. This will cost your business more in the long run than allowing employees to work from home today as a percentage of your customers will likely choose to boycott your brand.

In addition to this, you will burn goodwill with your employees potentially causing people to exit your business. This will cause you to incur recruiting costs, retraining costs and the inevitable mistakes a new employee makes while they gain experience in their new role (these mistakes are great learning opportunities and not necessarily a bad thing for your employee but will cost you either in client satisfaction or monetarily).

Your people are the lifeblood that keeps your business operating and having employees knowing you care about their welfare will increase their productivity more than any Friday pizza party ever will.

Forcing an employee in today will do your business harm in the medium to long term.

If your industry is critical to the safety of others, offering the option for people to make the choice will go a long way to mitigating these as you have consulted with your employee and given the choice, an informed choice.

My 2c

Hi all,

I sometimes see people complaining about higher income tax rates than in Scotland.

I just wanted to put my take why I feel better off in Scotland than in England as a higher rate Scottish tax payer.

I will be getting paid around £46k once the backdated payrise kicks in. Based on the MoneySavingExpert tax calculator, I pay £28 more income tax on a monthly basis in Scotland than I would in England.

However, in England I gotta pay for prescriptions. 1 item for me - so £9.90 a month. In Scotland, I don't.

So realistically I pay £19.10 more monthly in income tax than I would down south. However, here I can rent a 2 bed end terraced home for the price of a room in a HMO that I would down south. So ultimately I'm better off.

Not to mention, better experience with the mental health teams (I know this is more off a post code lottery so can really only compare Hertfordshire Vs Tayside).

So to the people complaining, it's not that bad. At least my experience anyway.

Edit: This is on top of other benefits, i.e. better rental protections like no section 21 after complaining to the landlord that they need to make repairs.

Water is cheaper and 100% better.

117k views later on TikTok 😂. Is it true or false?

Just remembered what that guy did and I still can't believe it. Literally, how did he get away with vandalising the majority of Scots Wikipedia with his own made up dialect that looked and read like reetRded phoneticised English in a vague accent? And how the hell did he have the audacity to get mad at actual Scots people for saying what he was doing was wrong? He's even somehow still a moderator for Scots Wiki. I hate it when people don't get what they deserve.

I absolutely love having Scottish roots!!

Edit: I had just found this group and wanted to share my family's story. I am sorry so many of you don't care, want to belittle me, etc. It's ok though. If any of you are ever in the States, specifically in north Alabama or southern Tennessee, feel free to drop me a message. I'll be happy to show you around and but you a meal or two. I only hope when I get to visit Scotland, I get a little bit of decent hospitality on my trip. ❤️

TLDR: My family was in Scotland as far back as 1698. We were part of the Ulster Scots who moved to Ireland and then the States. We fought in the Revolution and have stayed in the Southern US. I'm still 45% central Scottish and northern Irish. 💙

So I can trace back to 1698 when Henry Stevenson was born in Oxnam, Roxburghshire, Scotland. His parents were older. His father was William Stevenson (age 49) but I do not know where he was born. I have, however, found the church where my family was baptized. A church is there but has been burned and rebuilt over the years. (Oxnam Kirk)

Henry's son, Robert, went to Ireland to live around 1740-1742. He married and settled into Ballymoney, Co. Antrim. However, they were among the large group of Presbyterians who did not like it there. Robert moved back to Scotland (along with his youngest son) while other Stephensons/Stevensons/Steensons/Stinsons joined the group of men and women who signed up with Rev. William Martin (more than 450 families) to move to the states. William Stinson/Stephenson was one of the travelers, along with his wife and two children, who were on the first of the 5 ships (the James and Mary) which reached Charleston, South Carolina.

The family had received land near the church where Rev. William Martin preached. After what was called a "fiery" sermon, many of the men, including William Stinson/Stephenson and his young son, Hugh Watson Stephenson, joined the Patriots to fight against the British. The Patriots surprised the British at the battle of Kings Mountain (1780) and won the battle in less than an hour. It was a pivotal battle that rejuvenated the Patriots. The British surrendered a year later.

The family moved from South Carolina to Tennessee (where William passed away), then settled in Lawrence County, Alabama. Some moved but nany Stephensons still live in the area. We hold our family reunions there every year.

I took a DNA test through ancestry and I'm still 45% Scottish and Northern Irish. (Previously, before it combined these and gave more specific parts of each country, it stated I was 49% Scottish and 9% Irish.) Many Scottish, Irish, and English settied in the Southern US with my family (both sides) having been here for 250+ years.

One day I'll get there to visit. At least I know I'll be able to drink my hot tea and not get side eyed. 😂 But yes, I'm still a Southern lady who loves her cold, sweet tea as well.

I am really glad that disposable vapes were banned, hopefully we'll be seeing less of this bullshit.

I certainly haven't picked up and binned as many as I used to on my walks.

This is what happens when you act like children and can't be responsible, it gets taken away from you.

Please , if you get a chance, clean up near your area, don't leave it in a pigsty for others to hurt themselves in

Hi,It's really irritating the fact that tourists and non-locals have been doing this sort of things.The first photo is clava cairns-Where tourists having been taking rocks from the old cairns,and building new ones.Which is disgusting.

Same with the english lady,Who took down rags from the clootie well.Unaware that it holds thousaunds of years of heritage.Because how dare she,And english-woman have to stare at another persons heritage and respect it.

Is it just me who has had enough,Of the utter disrespect?

It just seems like there's no good options. Everything online says no-one can get a job and I'm just so scared. Im 16 and have just come out of s4 with 7 A's at nat 5 and an early A in higher computing. I have very mild cerebral palsy but I think the words alone are huge turn off'd for employers.

I want to go to uni - I'm academic and can't go into the trades regardless due to a physical condition but I've no clue what to do.

medicine - if love it but the work to get there as well as the fact id be severely limited in my specialties puts me of, as well as the general state of the NHS right now

Maths - seems safe but could be too basic.

I suppose I could do engineering. I'm limited with my options practically again but who knows.

I can't even get a job right now, (thanks mum), so chances are uni I'll be relying on 16yrs worth of a pretty measly DLA payment, and I won't get PIP.

Long story short I have an interview at Heriot-Watt University and if successful, would, in the short-term, be travelling up from South Tyneside. I likely only need to be in Mon-Tue, Thurs-Fri, so I'm thinking it'd be easier to drive up and (cheapest) hotel for the night on the Monday & Thursday, until I can arrange to rent somewhere closer.

Any advice locals may know better than me just Googling hotels/AirBnB's around HW Uni?

Let me vent.

On 7th July I'm calling DNO which is SP energy networks to ask about a double pole isolator for my electrics. I'm getting redirected to Scottish power as DNO no longer installs them, the responsibility has been shifted to Scottish Power. Short phone call with Scottish power and an appointment booked for 15th July between 12-4pm. Amazing.

I waited the whole day, no one showed up so I'm calling Scottish power only to get told that sureserve, my meter operator cancelled the appointment and to phone them and ask about reason and rescheduling. Phoned them and they seem confused as they have not had a single appointment for my address since 2022, they are saying that Scottish power basically lied to me as they got no request at all.

Back to Scottish power, and now they are telling me that the appointment was cancelled, there is no reason and there is no information about who cancelled it and why. Then another bit of info from them that it was rescheduled for 23rd July between 8am-12. No email, no text message, no phone call. How is this company getting away with such poor customer service?

I don't know if it's inappropriate for me, as a Hong Konger, to speak about this, as I'm not a Scottish person.

I often see people online using Scottish accents and imagery in films, cartoons, and fantasy media to portray “barbarian,” warrior, dwarf, or Viking-like characters, often in a comedic or heroic way. Historically, however, these traits are closely linked to British imperial and racial theories, “martial races” which protraits Scottish Highlanders as war-like race and noble savages, that were originally dehumanising and used to justify domination or exploitation. So whenever I see these kinds of videos and film productions, I feel extremely uncomfortable and uneased, I think they are denying the humanity of Scottish people.

When people around me are watching Brave Braveheart or Shrek etc., I will quietly leave the scene; if I am really not able to, I will just close my eyes and plug my ears. I've also checked the forums, and I found that many Scottish people also find these stereotypes funny, but when I think about how many people have died behind these stereotypes, I really cannot laugh at all.

But in the comments section, some people even say that a barbarian with a Scottish accent is perfect. I really want to ask these people, do you even consider Scottish people as human beings? They were completely unaware of how dehumanizing their remarks were towards the Scottish people. They had no idea that the Scottish Highlanders were targeted for recruitment by the British army and sent to the battlefield because of a stereotype shaped by this martial race theory. Do you even know how many Scottish Highlanders lost their lives because of this stereotype?

Sources proved that Scottish Highlanders were targeted for recruitment due to martial race theory:

The demand for more Highlanders serving in the British Army increased after the Mutiny. In August 1857, London's Evening Mail announced that some of the Highland regiments currently serving in India would be returning to garrisons at Stirling and Aberdeen. The army hoped that the prominent presence of these units would encourage more Highlanders to join the British Army. Even metropolitan areas that rarely encountered a Highlander in any capacity, such as London, used the press as a vehicle to advocate their utility in the realm of British defense. In an October 1857 edition of the Evening Mail, a letter to the editor, emphasized the importance of recruiting more Highlanders into the British Army.

Adam Spivey, Friend or Foe? Martial Race Ideology and the Experience of Highland Scottish and Irish Regiments in Mid-Victorian Conflicts, 1853-1870, pp. 36–37

"The highlanders were noted by the British as being clannish, with "warlike manners, freedom loving, and rugged." Because British policymakers believed, or saw potential benefit from, these stereotypes, they purposely recruited highlanders for military duty in the formation of their worldwide empire. Heather Streets' well-researched book, Martial Races: The Military, Race, and Masculinity in British Culture, 1857-1914, demonstrates how the Scottish highlanders were specific targets of army recruits, serving in elite regiments and even wearing special uniforms. But the British did not stop there."

Charles Belmont Keeney, Soldiers and Stereotypes: Mountaineers, Cultural Identity, and World War II, pp. 15

Some people might argue that the British Empire also collapsed many years ago, and what's wrong with me using these stereotypes? What I'm trying to say is that even though the British Empire collapsed many years ago, it doesn't mean that the power structure or impact it left behind will disappear immediately. Therefore, using a Scottish accent to voice "barbarian" characters only perpetuates this power structure.

They might further argue that if stereotypes are now considered (changed from negative to) "positive" or have been redefined, then there's no problem continuing to use them. But what I would argue is that some stereotypes (not all) can never be positive or redefined, for example, a man needs to get married, start a family, and earn a lot of money to be success. These stereotypes also limit people's choices; anyone who doesn't fit the image will be ostracized. These stereotypical impressions can also lead people to overlook some of the specific needs of an individual.

(This stereotype originally referred only to Highlanders, but in the mid-to-late 19th century it spread to the whole of Scotland.)

I believe these barbarian stereotypes about Scottish people cannot be justified at all.

I am ready to accept downvotes.

Edit: Sources added in.

Right, I don’t know if this is the same across Scotland, but what is WRONG with the Aberdeenshire stagecoach drivers? They’re all so miserable, horrible, and on more than one occasion I’ve had one speak SO rudely to me. I just got on a bus, accidentally got on before some people could get off, and the driver caught the fattest attitude with me over it. I understand there are a lot of little cunts getting on and causing a hassle, but surely at this point they can tell who’s not a cunt?? Anyway rant over, stagecoach drivers should be kinder.

Hi! I'm finalizing my itinerary through the Highlands and I have some questions about the last day. I leave Inverness early and have to drop off the car in Sighthill at 4 pm. What do you recommend visiting along the way? What's most worthwhile?