Yes, I'm ranting about it again.
'It' being how so many people, namely Americans, boast about being Irish (or Scottish, or German, or whatever else) when their only claim to it is that their great-great-great-great-grandparent was born here.
I've heard the the reasoning that America is such a young country that people go back through generations to find culture and history to live off. I understand that, but at the same time I really don't. At what point do Americans start calling themselves American? How old does a country have to be before people born and raised (and probably have never left) there claim to be of that country's nationality?
You. Are. Not. Irish. Stop pretending to be. Your ancestors my have been Irish, but you are American. K?
Now, I know most of the people reading this are wondering why I'm ranting AGAIN about this. Well, I was watching Wife Swap US, and one of the families were 'Irish'. Shamrocks and clovers all over, (let me just point out that SHAMROCKS (three leaves) are the Irish national plant... CLOVER (four leaves) is not, and they are very different things), framed 'limericks' and 'blessings' (they were the typical gimmicky poems, not one of them a limerick), Irish dancing, music and songs, and... and this is what made the whole thing spark off again... a sign that said 'Fáilte' over one of the doors, which was described by the mother as, "This is an Irish greeting. It's pronounced fayult. It means welcome."
NO!!!! DAMN IT! This is how we KNOW you're not Irish! It does mean welcome, but it's pronounced FALL-CHA! FAAAAALLLLLLLLL-CCHHHHAAAAA!
Fricking fayult. *twitch*
The next American who claims to be Irish and can't even pronounce fáilte, I will stab them. Dead.
Eh, we've had this discussion muuuuuuuuuultiple times, so you already know what I'll say :P And to be fair, it's not that they consider themselves Irish over American... it's that they consider their cultural history to be Irish, while they themselves are American. It's the way they phrase it that causes the issue, though your feeling about that particular family likely wouldn't change one way or another. Even if they just claimed ancestry ties, you'd have been equally horrified.
ReplyDeleteYes that's why I saaaaid I've ranted about it before. And I understand it all already. I accept it, even... until you get people like that mentioned above.
ReplyDeleteIf they'd said they were part Irish, that they had Irish blood in them, like the other family did, it wouldn't be so bad. But that... oooohhhhoho... it's like trying to convince someone "I Engrish!" You know?
haha, I dunno.. with the clovers and the bad limericks, I don't think it would have mattered HOW they said it. Just the word "Irish" coming out of their mouths would have set you off (and rightfully so).
ReplyDeleteMy ancestry is 100% Irish, I have lived 95% of my life in Ireland. I was born in England, whenever anyone asks me where on from I say Ireland. But whenever anyone asks me what nationality I am I say English or British.
ReplyDeleteI am strange.
Well, but you were born in England (which I only learned this weekend, btw) which means you are as English as you are Irish. These people have never been in Ireland, their parents have never been in Ireland... but they claim to be Irish.
ReplyDeleteI've been to Ireland but have basically zero ancestry... does that mean I get to say I'm Irish too???
ReplyDelete;)
Now you're just trying to annoy me.
ReplyDeleteyeah pretty much :-*
ReplyDeleteUhhuh
ReplyDelete