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Location: On the "Left Coast", somewhere in "the Land of Fruits & Nuts"
8,852 posts, read 10,458,803 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by clongirl
Ulsters don't consider themselves Irish.. they claim loyalty to the Queen up in Northern Ireland and their ancestors come from Britain. Their monetary and political systems are different than the Republic's. Their roads are certainly better to drive on and even the price of groceries is cheaper).
I certainly wouldn't claim to understand "the Troubles" because I didn't grow up there and wouldn't dare bring up something so complex and that I don't fully understand. You would be foolish to bring it up yourself.
If you were born and raised in America, then you are American (you can claim whatever heritage/lineage you like, but it doesn't change the fact)
As for the drinking.. Sure, there's an awful lot of binge drinking in Ireland among it's youth. You will also find heavy drinking in Russia, Poland, Eastern Europe, America, Britain, and in many parts of the world. It's not unique to Ireland. Alcohol ruins many lives all over the world and you don't have to be Irish to be an alcoholic or a binge drinker.
Actually, Ireland has the highest rate of alcohol consumption in world (http://www.jesuit.ie/news-pressreleases_addiction.html - broken link).
But thanks for coming all the way over "from Ireland", to the "the Bay Area", to lecture us about alcoholism, what's "foolish", and to tell us who the "real" Irish, Italians, Scots, etc. are.
Unfortunately, while you may know something about Ireland, it's clear you still have alot to learn about America.
I never claimed to know about Scottish or Italian culture. I never lived there. (Did spend holiday in Scotland though)
And since I am an American, born and bred (parents and grandparents also) ..please tell me what I don't know about it my country. What don't I understand about being an American?
I obviously hit a nerve with your lack of understanding on the Irish thing. I'm sorry..I wasn't trying to offend you, but when you used a poor example to back up a point your trying to make about something that you seem to know very little about, I felt the need to correct you on a couple of points. You shouldn't get your knickers in a twist about it.
I don't really think the premise of the thread is about alcohol consumption.
I just hear a lot of Irish Americans proclaiming their "Irishness" when they don't really know what that means outside of the American stereotypes of Irish culture. That's all I'm saying.. If you want to blame alcoholic tendencies in America on someone's Irish lineage, I just think it's a poor stereotype to trivialize it as an Irish thing..
I just hear a lot of Irish Americans proclaiming their "Irishness" when they don't really know what that means outside of the American stereotypes of Irish culture.
Oh really? Thanks for clearing that up. We didn't understand what you meant the first 500 times you stated the same exact thing.
Going with the OP's questions and since one cannot answer it without generalizing here goes. (just for fun)
To me when I think of the Irish I think of a people who are lyrical wordsmiths in their own right. Whether playwrights, poets or tellers of tall tales they have the gift of the pen and the gab.
The Welsh sing in chorus their hopes and sorrows. We are also fine stage actors and train our sheep to stay on the hills without need for fences.
The Scots, well you lovely people are the thinkers and practical doers. You are not known for spendthrift ways but on the other hand you are well known for your whiskey.
I agree with most of the points Clongirl makes. Most of those who consider themselves Irish Americans really know very little about the reality of Ireland. The same is true of those who consider themselves Scottish Americans. In truth, Irish/Polish/Scottish/Finnish/Russian/etc. Americans have much more of a shared culture with each other than they have with the country of their distant origin.
It seems to be fashionable to be "Irish" these days. You get the same thing in the West of Scotland with the descendents of Irish immigrants vying to be more Irish than the Irish. We call them "plastic paddies".
Going with the OP's questions and since one cannot answer it without generalizing here goes. (just for fun)
To me when I think of the Irish I think of a people who are lyrical wordsmiths in their own right. Whether playwrights, poets or tellers of tall tales they have the gift of the pen and the gab.
The Welsh sing in chorus their hopes and sorrows. We are also fine stage actors and train our sheep to stay on the hills without need for fences.
The Scots, well you lovely people are the thinkers and practical doers. You are not known for spendthrift ways but on the other hand you are well known for your whiskey.
Just for fun...a must see..can't comment on whether it's actually real or not but amazing nevertheless. I think it was done in Wales.
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