Xenophobe's guide to the Welsh - John Winterson Richards

Welsh willfulnessThe Welsh are stubborn-very, very stubborn. The Welsh themselves would probably rather say "tenacious," but to anyone on the receiving end a better description might well be "bloody-minded."Proud and proud of itWelsh pride is real pride-the sort of mindless, instinctive, animal pride that requires no justification or excuse. It is simply pride for the sake of pride. Such pride is the only thing one has left when one has been stripped of everything else.It's not unusual to be . . . an actorGiven the propensity of Welsh people of all types to overact at every given opportunity, it is not surprising that those who manage to tone it down a bit have gone on to world fame as actors (or politicians, who are, after all, only an inferior species of actors).Warriors at heartThe Welsh are extremely proficient at rugby. They enjoy it and they take it seriously. This is because rugby-with its physical aggression, tactics, disciplined use of brute force, and organized violence-is the closest thing modern day life can offer to Wales' traditional national sport: war.