Oh dear, Kevin....
St Patrick's Day, for all the "sophistication" of the Dublin parade, has thus become the one-day distillation of a ghastly year-long caricature. If the BBC were to offer comparable stereotypes of such paddy-whackery, our embassy in London would be howling about the racist portrayals of the Irish. Indeed, when the mayor of New York made some perfectly accurate observations about Irish behaviour there on St Patrick's Day, the 'Irish Voice' predictably shrieked: "Mayor Bloomberg outrages Irish Americans with 'people that are totally inebriated hanging out windows' comments."
I'm sure lots of people were outraged, indignation/anger/ offendedness being the default mode of the Irish. The point is: was Bloomberg right? If he was, what's the problem? Do Italians or Swedes or Spanish hang drunkenly out of windows on their national days?
10 comments:
"...indignation/anger/ offendedness being the default mode of the Irish"
Do you include your own strain of Irishness in that crass generalisation?
You're asking if the Northern Irish are on permament indignant, angry, offended mode? No, of course not;)
Re "crass generalisations", if you haven't read any of his material before, let's just say Mr Myer's oeuvre is somewhat of an acquired taste...
Myer's writings, while at times disagreeable, at least demonstrate the southern capacity for self-scrutiny.
On the other hand, your lazy, hypocritical generalisations about serve only to confirm the "bitter nordie" default-mode cultivated by so many generations of your ilk.
"On the other hand, your lazy, hypocritical generalisations about serve only to confirm the "bitter nordie" default-mode cultivated by so many generations of your ilk."
Want to point out a few examples of those generalisations?
"Want to point out a few examples of those generalisations?"
Have another read of the first comment.
"...indignation/anger/ offendedness being the default mode of the Irish"?
That one?
Wasn't me who said that, check the link. Struggling for more examples?
Take your time.
OK, you've succeeded in encouraging someone to validate your attempts at blogging. Try to get a good story or a good thread going. I debated whether to lower myself to your self-indignant and opinionated comments, but you won. I must leave you with the comment that your blogs are rather amateurish and if you continue to attack your contributors, then good luck for the future, unless you only want more like minded (close minded) contributors.
I don't blog here for the purpose of an audience or even "contributors". I blog principly for myself, as a means to clarify thoughts and yes, as a means to put in a spare hour when the TV is crap.
If along the way you and other people want to read it, then fine; if you and they don't, then that's also fine.
Myer's writings, while at times disagreeable, at least demonstrate the southern capacity for self-scrutiny.
I probably shouldn't intrude, especially seeing as O'Neill considers me part of the "Nationalist Insurgency" anyway, but I can't resist pointing out that Kevin Myers is actually English born and raised, (albeit of Irish extraction).
Personally I find it useful to expose your ideas to those that disagree, I think it helps to clarify and illuminate an issue being debated.
I do like Kevin Myers though. And I recommend his book "Watching the Door" if you haven't read it.
Your intrusions are always welcomed basically because you have a valid point to make and one which is backed up with evidence... doesn't mean I agree with you most of the time obviously!
I've read "Watching through the door" although I'm not sure what the proportion re fact/fiction is!
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