The Third Classic Blunder

James Panero writes:

Remember the Classic Blunders? Remember Wallace Shawn’s melon visage in the dorm-basement-movie-night film The Princess Bride? Good, then you also remember his most famous line in that picture, which went something like: “You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The first is never get involved in a land war in Asia. The second, only slightly less well known, is this: never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line! Ha ha ha ha ha ha.” Now, get out your My Dinner with Andre action figures and repeat after me: In addition to getting involved in a land war in Asia and going up against Sicilians when death is on the line, there is a third Classic Blunder, and that is, Do Not Bomb the British.

But is there still a common British culture? That was a topic discussed by Peter Hitchens in his great The Abolution of Britain back in 2000, and is further explored in light of Thursday’s horrific events, by James Lileks.