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shaysdays
2007-04-12 12:33 am UTC (link)

Oh, no, please do bash the Irish. We're pretty good at fighting back, it's all the practice we get from beating up our cousins and getting into fights at bars, donchaknow. When we're not running around in the woods worshiping trees or hurling. (Sports or vomit, take your choice.)

*******end horrible stereotyping******

Gah. I hate the American Irish 'defense by victimhood' more than almost any other one. If someone in Ireland said it, I might buy at least some of it due to horrible personal experiences based on national troubles, but I've never heard anyone say it who wasn't at least second generation AI (or further). Having an Irish last name doesn't mean you get to claim racism is against you unless you're Shaquille O'Neil or Soledad O'Brien.

You live in America, Paddy Faux'Reilly. No one enslaved you here. Probably no one enslaved your ancestors any more than every other non-noble family in Europe was treated at one point or another anyway. Gah!

*Throws hands up in air, goes back to stomping on 'Celtic Woman' CD's*

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sisterelwood
2007-04-12 12:42 am UTC (link)

I haven't read the wank but... a case could be made for the fact that when the Irish came here they were discriminated against- 'No Irish Need Apply'. *shrugs* That is, if I'm remembering my history correctly. Then again, that was more of a culture and ancestory thing.

Whatever. Those are my thoughts on Irish-Americans. Next time, my thoughts on Yaoi and how

gridlore needs to get hit by a bus... multiple times.

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shaysdays
2007-04-12 12:48 am UTC (link)

It's very true- in some places (not all) there was considerable anti-Irish sentiment. The same as with Italians in some places, Mexicans, Russians, Jews, Chinese, etc etc...

Any new and different/prominent immigrant group has a backlash at one time. I'm just pointing out that a couple signs saying "Paddy Go Home" and blockbreaking are hardly on a par with slavery, anyone seriously saying, "I'm as oppressed as a black person" (Or the converse, any black person is as free from troubles as I am) is as silly as any other comparative victimhood, but makes the speaker out to be a totally hyperbolic asshat.

*stomp stomp stomp*

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sisterelwood
2007-04-12 01:41 am UTC (link)

*nods* New motto for America... one we should have adopted a loooong time ago-

Welcome to America- we've oppressed everyone at some point or another. Some of you got it worse than others. Don't go trying to compare your group's strife with that of anyone else. Only wank can come of it because you look like an asshat.

There are just some people I want to tell to get out of my ancestry group.

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queencallipygos
2007-04-12 02:10 pm UTC (link)

See, all I can think of is that line from The Commitments:

"See, the Irish are the blacks of Europe. Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland. And us northsiders are the blacks of Dublin. So say it once, say it loud, we're black and we're proud!"

(For those unfamiliar: this statement is being uttered by a Dubliner, attempting to explain to his friends why it makes sense for a bunch of Dubliners to form a band to play soul music.)

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	fuzzybluelogic 2007-04-12 02:58 pm UTC (link)
	I so loved that movie...and had the soundtrack. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	sepiamagpie 2007-04-12 12:48 am UTC (link)
	That's the weirdest thing, it's almost like they don't do that to the Irish anymore at all, in fact they might just get treated like every other white person. That... oh my god, does that mean that they've lost their claim? I don't know what to think. PS: 10 times. Tiny buses. Like the death of a thousand papercuts. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sisterelwood 2007-04-12 01:38 am UTC (link)
	It would indeed. Re: PS Yes. I love it. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	heddychaa 2007-04-12 01:41 am UTC (link)
	There was a great deal of anti-Irish prejudice. A century ago. AKA gridlore can't claim to it, especially not since he's telling a black woman that she can't. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	tangentialone 2007-04-12 04:19 am UTC (link)
	Yeaaah. He lists his birth date as '66. So, not only was he not around for that, his grandparents probably weren't either. But remember, if any of your ancestors, at any point, were discriminated against and denied jobs, you totally get the Oppressed Minority card! (Reply to this)(Parent)

	kittenmommy 2007-04-12 03:57 am UTC (link)
	Paddy Faux'Reilly Win! Throws hands up in air, goes back to stomping on 'Celtic Woman' CD's Oh no, Kittendaddy loves them! I even got him tickets to one of their concerts for his birthday and sat for several hours in the pouring rain with him to see them. It was worth it because it made him so happy. ;) (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

shaysdays
2007-04-12 04:59 am UTC (link)

I'm very glad you made your husband happy by sitting in the rain and watching a concert, really, and if your spouse's happiness from listening to them has any bearing on my opinion of their music you'll be the first to know.

In the meantime, I reserve the right to think (and say) they're utter crap, and stomp on their music in semi-humorous text form.

*stomp stomp stomp crunch (Ooh! A tape! How retro!) stomp stomp stomp*

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kittenmommy
2007-04-12 10:04 am UTC (link)

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	exdee 2007-04-12 03:07 pm UTC (link)
	"Paddy Faux'Reilly" FTMFW. Need any help with those CDs? Someone gave one to my mother as a gift. Someone who hates her. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	altoidsaddict 2007-04-12 03:22 pm UTC (link)
	Lordy, I hate Celtic Woman. Mostly because our local PBS shows their concerts 5000 times a day. What, the Bridies were busy? Kindred Spirits not fancy enough? We're good enough to perform at their pledge drives but not as a show proper? (Reply to this)(Parent)

teruhiko
2007-04-12 04:28 pm UTC (link)

Instead of bitching like I usually do I'll just post this quote from the SA boards that I found, as it sums up my thoughts on obnoxious Irish Americans (not all of them are like this, of course) perfectly:

jfjnpxmy v 2.0 posted:

And while you're at it, can you all stop pretending that you're Scottish and/or Irish? You're American. There's no particular shame in it. You're as American as a great big eagle making GBS threads apple pies onto the freshly-waxed roof of an SUV, and so were your parents and probably your grandparents. I don't care if your great-great-great-great-great grandfather Seamus O'Donnell was a professional leprechaun and came to America clinging to the side of a boat transporting Guinness and sung "The Fields of Athenry" to keep his spirits up on the way. HE was Irish. Your great-great-great-great-great grandmother, Morag McShoogle, SHE was Scottish. YOU are basically a 115lb white boy from Ohio, with the alcohol capacity of a gnat and the brains to match. Stop desperately trying to lamp onto a culture other than your own, you fucks. Nobody believes you or cares when you drink three bottles of Rolling Rock on St. Paddy's day and pass out going "IT'S CUZ I'M IRISH WOO! gently caress YEAH!" and then the video gets uploaded to Youtube and Sailorboy4200 goes "lol" and then randomhouse2007 tells him to "SHUT THE gently caress UP YOU FAGGOT" and eventually comments get disabled and for no particular reason the "similar video" links are a videoclip of a gorilla picking its nose, a demonstration of fingerstyle guitar playing and someone miming to "Super Rad!" by The Aquabats.

God... brings a tear to my eye every time I read it. *sniff*

Even if someone here in Ireland said something like that, they'd probably still deserve a punch in the face as real prejudice against us (outside of the trouble in NI) is rare at best.

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	notjo 2007-04-12 05:09 pm UTC (link)
	applauds I have this ongoing issue, having spent the last 18 months living in Scotland. "Oh, are you going there because you're Scottish?" "No, I'm going there because I'm Canadian." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

teruhiko
2007-04-12 05:28 pm UTC (link)

Isn't it beautiful?

I think some people sometimes get confused when I say I'd like to live in America for a time. But I live in Ireland and I've lived in England! Surely they are utopias full of REAL culture!! Come on, guys. Everyone has to travel the world at some point. I don't have to have an existing connection to a place to visit it - I just want to visit for the hell of it!

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	notjo 2007-04-12 10:14 pm UTC (link)
	I haven't lived there, but yeah, the US has a huge amount of culture and interesting stuff and will be an entirely differently experience than living in Europe. Heck, as a Canadian, I want to spend a bit of time living in the US. It's a different culture! They do different things! They have more tall buildings and stuff! Woo hoo! (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	teruhiko 2007-04-12 11:46 pm UTC (link)
	I am 100% behind ogling tall buildings. I'm going to NYC again this summer to do that (and well, other stuff too). I've been to Canada a couple times before too, just Toronto. Nice place though. :) (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	notjo 2007-04-12 11:49 pm UTC (link)
	I'm required by law to tell you that Toronto is EVUL! EVUL! I'm a Westerner, it's in our constitution. ;) I really do want to go to NYC at some point. And New Orleans. And back to Seattle, now that I'm all grown up and stuff. Oh, and Washington! And... Damn it, I'm in AUSTRALIA! Stop tempting me with your forest of tall buildings, I'm busy! :) (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

teruhiko
2007-04-13 12:07 am UTC (link)

The only other place in Canada I've been is Montreal, but it was very brief so I didn't really get time to know it. :( What other places in Canada would you suggest I visit next time I'm there? I like finding out about town rivalries (I'm from Cork, thus I think Dublin is a hole, for example), hahaha.

NYC lures me in every time. I'm in love with it. I've been twice (once as a kid in '98, again in '02) and I can't wait to go back again. I don't know what it is about it. I guess it's just so huge and different from anything I know over here. :)

Australia! Fine for some, eh? I haven't been there either. One day!

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notjo
2007-04-13 12:13 am UTC (link)

I'm loving it. If I hadn't already pledged my eternal love to Edinburgh, I'd consider living here forever. Their definition of whether is based around heat! And sun!

Hmm... I'm from Alberta, which I love. Shitty politics, beautiful place. Check out Banff and Jasper. Edmonton is a beautiful city as well, although there's only limited things to do there.

The Maritimes are nice, but I've only been to Halifax. In Winter. During a blizzard. But it looked nice!

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soupspooks, 2007-04-13 04:00 am UTC

	shaysdays 2007-04-13 05:43 am UTC (link)
	I wand to stand up for Toronto and tell you I had a wonderful time on vacation there and the Royal Museum of Natural History (I think) is awesome and wonderful. I had two very nice natives show me around- always a plus. Niagra Falls on the other hand; let's just say there's culture... and then there's the weird half-alive things that grow in petri dishes. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

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notjo, 2007-04-13 11:31 am UTC

	caffeine_fairy 2007-04-13 11:10 am UTC (link)
	That is a thing of beauty, and I thank you for it. (Reply to this)(Parent)

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