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I mean actual Irish people. In Ireland and around the world. St. Patrick's Day has nothing to do with it.
I think you are the one with issues. I live in Australia & you hardly ever hear about Ireland here. You hear lots about the UK though. It's very Anglocentric but I suppose you wouldn't have a problem with that. So I don't really know what you are talking about if St Patrick's Day has nothing to do with it.
I understand what born and bred Irish mean by taking offense to Americans calling themselves Irish.
This is highly annoying as they simply are not and never will be. It is not a matter of Irish people looking down on them...it's just factual. It is such a puzzling phenomenon to me.
I'm from a country (born bred and still live there) that Americans also like to say they are from and it irks me to no end. You will never ever be my nationality because you do not live here. Even if you have visited many times it does not matter. You are American. Accept it and move on.What particularly irks me is these same people spread the most mis-information about their "homeland" and other Americans take their convoluted cultural interpretations as gospel.
It's listening to the Irish crap on about it for years. Nobody ever calls the Irish out on it because unlike other nationalities where it's seen as gauche, Irish nationalism is seen as cute. It isn't cute. It's annoying to those of us who see it for what it is.
No one calls the Irish on about it because the Irish don't pretend to be something they aren't and never will be.
I understand what born and bred Irish mean by taking offense to Americans calling themselves Irish.
This is highly annoying as they simply are not and never will be. It is not a matter of Irish people looking down on them...it's just factual. It is such a puzzling phenomenon to me.
I'm from a country (born bred and still live there) that Americans also like to say they are from and it irks me to no end. You will never ever be my nationality because you do not live here. Even if you have visited many times it does not matter. You are American. Accept it and move on.What particularly irks me is these same people spread the most mis-information about their "homeland" and other Americans take their convoluted cultural interpretations as gospel.
I think its very rude of them to say they are 'Irish' having never lived a day of their life in Ireland. They haven't a clue so really do they have the right to say they are Irish? Not really.
In the land of immigrants it's a very common practice to refer to yourself as whatever your ancestors were. It'll always be this way. Accept it and move on.
I don't think that you guys get it. Anyone who had the overinflated opinion that the Irish have of themselves would be rightfully pilloried by anyone who would bear witness to it. It's not about a parade. It's about a nauseating culture of endless self-congratulation.
But no you actually aren't Irish. We will not move on?
What does your passport say? American!!
That point has been made several times in this thread.
Another point that's been made several times in this thread is that when an American says they're Irish, they're referring to their heritage. It's something that happens in a country of immigrants.
I'm actually not Irish. Mostly German. But I don't claim that either. I'm an American thru and thru.
No American is confused as to where they were born, where they themselves are from. They are referring to their heritage and nothing else. It seems simple enough to understand.
When I said I was mostly German, without question you understood exactly what I meant. There was no need for me to explain that "No, I'm not actually from Germany, I was referring to my heritage." That was understood.
If you're a white American, your people came from somewhere else. This isn't always true for other countries...The 'What are you?' question seems to be an American phenomenon.
People from other European countries don't seem to get bent out of shape when an American says they are 'German, Polish' etc.. There's no confusion as to what the American is actually claiming..Judging by this thread, the confusion seems to an Irish phenomenon.
But no you actually aren't Irish. We will not move on?
What does your passport say? American!!
And neither will the Americans who refer to themselves in regards to their heritage. That was my point. No need to let something so trivial get your blood pressure up.
That point has been made several times in this thread.
Another point that's been made several times in this thread is that when an American says they're Irish, they're referring to their heritage. It's something that happens in a country of immigrants.
I'm actually not Irish. Mostly German. But I don't claim that either. I'm an American thru and thru.
No American is confused as to where they were born, where they themselves are from. They are referring to their heritage and nothing else. It seems simple enough to understand.
When I said I was mostly German, without question you understood exactly what I meant. There was no need for me to explain that "No, I'm not actually from Germany, I was referring to my heritage." That was understood.
If you're a white American, your people came from somewhere else. This isn't always true for other countries...The 'What are you?' question seems to be an American phenomenon.
People from other European countries don't seem to get bent out of shape when an American says they are 'German, Polish' etc.. There's no confusion as to what the American is actually claiming..Judging by this thread, the confusion seems to an Irish phenomenon.
This is exactly right. I don't see why this is so difficult to understand unless people go around looking for a problem.
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