Hello again!
 
I've found a sentence, written by a 25-year-old Churchill, when praising the "Dervish" enemy during the campaing of Sudan.
 
At twenty-five, he had written that if Britain were ever invaded "there would be some – even in these modern days – who would not care to accustom themselves to a new order of things and tamely survive the disaster."
 
The author of the biography I am translating, uses the quote now to explain that Churchill was determined to fight the nazi ennemy in his assuming the premiership the 10 May 1940. What I find puzzling is the sentence that reads "[some] would not care to accustom themselves to a new order of things" if attacked by an invader.
I understand that saying one "doesn't care to accustom to a new order of things" means that one "accepts" that new order of things, or doesn't mind to; and I see that a contradiction with the fact that Churchill was absolutely determined not to get accustomed to any new order of things of that particular kind (eg. a subdued one). And even worse: he seems to suggest that, once accustomed, these people would seem ready to "tamely survive the disaster". That doesn't look like a ravenous speech to fight Hitler, does it?
 
Is it possible to understand that sentence to mean differently (or precisely the opposite: not to be accustomed to the new controller and not surrender tamely to him?).
 
After that statement, there's no nuance whatsoever which could possibly explain what the author wants to point at, just a list of other facts in Churchill's life.
 
 
I really thank you for all your help here.
 
 
CM

"Would not care to" is a mild way of saying "would be opposed to". So he is saying that some people, even in these modern days, would refuse to accustom themselves to a new order of things and tamely survive (acquiesce to) the disaster of having been invaded and the new demands placed on them by that invader.

That's it!
The context asked for that, but the formula got me bewildered. I am sorry.

You have helped me crucially. Thanks.

CM

The full quote from his book 'The River War' (1899) is:

"I hope that if evil days should come upon our country, and the last army which a collapsing Empire could interpose between London and the invader was dissolving in rout and ruin, that there would be some - even in these modern days - who would not care to accustom themselves to the new order of things and tamely survive the disaster." [my emphasis].

ie to paraphrase:  he hoped there would be some who would not want to just tamely accept defeat ...

*** Crossed posts with Nord ***

Yes - the problem is with how English uses the word "care", especially in a negative sentence.

"I don't care to snorkel" or "I don't care for snorkeling" means that I hate snorkeling, and I'm politely letting you know this fact.

"I don't care about snorkeling" means that I really couldn't give the slightest shit whether people choose to submerge themselves with tubes sticking out of their orifices or not.

And of course "I don't care for my mother-in-law" means I detest the old cow, or alternatively that she's actually a good old egg but it's thankfully not my job to look after her.

Take care, now!

You've made me laugh, nordmann!!!
Absolutely great. :-)

Hi Meles meles,
I just want to thank you also. No worries that you crossed posts with Normann (it was me crossing meanings, so to say).

All the best.

I wonder if nordmann's mother-in-law is/was a snorkling enthusiast?


It made me laugh, too!

nordmann wrote:

"Would not care to" is a mild way of saying "would be opposed to". So he is saying that some people, even in these modern days, would refuse to accustom themselves to a new order of things and tamely survive (acquiesce to) the disaster of having been invaded and the new demands placed on them by that invader.

nordmann and MM, coincidentally I prepared yesterday the whole evening a thread in honour of comic monster about, translating, concept of words, semantics and context in the sentence as I had in the last sixteen years a lot of trouble in understanding English texts, and less French ones and even less German ones. I suppose it has to do with exposure during the years to the language, as French, as a Romance language,  is normally more difficult for someone accustomed to a Germanic language. See you perhaps on the language forum.
Excuse me, for the serious tone   in the middle of all this laugh...I wanted to say: "You know me as I sometimes "fell out of the tone" (uit de toon val), but they translate it in my dictionary with "to be bad style, to be incongruous" which is not in my opinion the whole meaning. It is more: to be not as the rest, to be essentric, to do something others as the general public expect of you..

PR