It's November, so obviously this time it'll be the right of people to wear their poppies in public which is disturbing their sense of equilibrium- and obviously,the usual "I've a right to be outraged" mob needs to be requisitioned for their views. But alongside those individuals, the kind who'd complain to the Met Office if the sun set with an orange tinge, is Jake MacSiacais:
"While people have the right to wear the poppy, it must be remembered that we are a divided society and there is a lot of sensitivity around the issue.As an individual he has a right to express his opinion and in comparison with the bile spewed out by others on the subject on the A/town News, his views sound almost ecumenical. But bearing in mind the "sensitivity" surrounding a certain other issue in our "divided society", was it really that clever for Jake MacSiacais, "Director of Irish language development agency Forbairt Feirste" as opposed to Jake MacSciacais, the private individual, to be giving his opinion on the rights and wrongs of poppy-wearing?
"I am a licence fee payer and I wouldn’t like to think that my money was being used to buy poppies for the BBC."
11 comments:
The real connection of course is that many Irish speakers wear poppies. It's no big deal.
"OFFENDED"?!?!?!
PERHAPS TUV OUGHT TO APOLOGISE TO JAKE MAC JACKASS NOW THAT THEY'RE ON A ROLL!!!!!
Americaphile, watch the personal insults there's a good lad.
Am I the only one who finds the artificial outrage surrounding the wearing of the poppy emanating from the likes of the AN a little melodramatic and infuriatingly illogical?
Er, no.
http://threethousandversts.blogspot.com/2009/11/remembrance-and-perceiving-hostile.html
http://keithruffles.blogspot.com/2009/11/symbols-of-remembrance.html
Where is the contradiction you are getting at? The public money issue is valid.
I don't support the false jingoism that is currently responsible for the gullible coming home in body bags, and their families not buying them out. I do not support remembering the dead who have fought in imperialist/racist wars just because they are 'our boys/heroes*yueik*. My good manners preclude me from doing anything other than abiding silences when caught up in them.
If only we could seperate some wars from another, until then, poppy? No thanks!
And that's completely up to you "Tony", "Mr General Man on the Street", purporting to represent nobody else other than yourself.
I was questioning the fact that the last person, with his title as a leading Irish language activist clearly outlined, was doing his cause much good by allowing his position at an IL Development Agency be listed alongside his name.
Put it another way; "Sam Brown" can give his opinion to his heart's content to the media about an Irish language act. "Sam Brown", "Chairman of the NI British Legion", giving his opinion on the Irish Language Act becomes a whole new kettle of fish.
I'm not entirely the daftie oneil, I do get what you mean regarding positions. However the fact that the guy has a position within an Irish language development agency is irrelevant. Except to those I suppose who instead of making up reasons to hate Ireland's native language now get to sow the odd threads together and somehow make a cardie.
>>..that's completely up to you "Tony", "Mr General Man on the Street",...<<
Ah beg yir pardon, I'm quite a weel kent man ye know!
"However the fact that the guy has a position within an Irish language development agency is irrelevant."
Why did the Atown News see fit to mention it then?
I've done several positive posts on here about the IL, one in particular resulted in me receiving a slightly miffed email from my party's press-office (to be fair to them they pointed out their policy on the language was more enlightened than I'd first assumed). But as Jake S himself points out, in a divided society you should be a lot more circumspect about wading into this kind of argument if you want your own cause to be perceived as remaining aloof from the normal communal nonsense.
"Ah beg yir pardon, I'm quite a weel kent man ye know!"
No offence intended, for all I know you could be the the city's Lord Mayor or even the second most famous Tony presently residing in Glasgow...
and who's the primo, numero uno Tony if not me, ma good man?
Don't tell me................is it himself? With Cherie? Never?
"primo, numero uno Tony", or let's stick with "famous" residing in Glasgow...
Clue, hhis old team had an excellent result today...
O'Neill you are quite correct on this one. I personally am the last person to remember the soldiers of the World Wars, but I find the poppy thing rather harmless. And something a Gaelic language activist should stay a million miles from. He should read more about the Young Irelanders and how Gaelic culture can be used for healing the tribal divisions.
Post a Comment