Across the USA local community groups are preparing for MLK day, on Monday 18 Jan. Across the fifty states, this recently established public holiday gives focus to enthusiasm and commitment to service in the local community.
In the UK we see parallels in events like Red Nose Day and Children In Need, but there is a different sense to the American approach. Perhaps it’s part of the American psyche, to be enthusiastic without embarrassment: I sometimes think Americans don’t recognise the concept of embarrassment.
The British are said to be known for their understated, self-effacing nature but I’ve always resisted any attempt to pigeon-hole a whole nation in this way. There is, though, something to be said for this marked difference between the British and American characters.
I put it down to our different histories. In the UK, centuries of the class system have left their mark. The system itself may have all but disappeared, but, as a people, the many Britons retain a sense of their position in a perceived hierarchy of society. The famous comedy sketch from TW3 still strikes a chord, four decades on:
This post was inspired by A Persistent and Urgent Question on the Twitter blog.
