Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Like about 40 million other Americans, I trace my ancestral roots to Ireland, in my case, on both sides of my family.  St. Patrick's Day began as a day to celebrate a feast day of the patron saint of Ireland.  It has evolved into something very different from that religious beginning.  Do you ever think about what it means to Americans?

Well, look around.  It is apparently about green beer, four leaf clovers for luck, wearing green or risk getting pinched, drinking to excess and fighting.  Oh, and making racist comments and assumptions about the Irish.  What, you say, racist?  Isn't this all in good fun?

I don't know-- how funny is blackface?  How funny would it be to have a day during which everyone 'spokem Injun and spentum wampum on the squaw'?  Or a day in which we all wore big noses and yarmulkes and argued prices with retailers and shouted 'Oy vey!'?  Are you kidding me?  The ACLU would be all over something like that!  But, it's okay to depict the Irish as drunken, irresponsible, childlike slackers--everyone does!  Right?  (If all your friends jumped off a cliff...)

This racist representation has it's roots in the mid-1800's, after many Irish families escaped famine and genocide by the English in their own land and came to the U.S.  The Irish were refused work and openly hated and shunned.  It was common to see signs stating 'Help Wanted--No Irish Need Apply'.  When one of the first St. Patrick's Day celebration and parade was held in New York City in 1867, Harper's Bazaar depicted the Irish in cartoons as drunken ape-like violent barbarians brutalizing the police (see above).  We haven't made that much progress, despite having our own first Irish president in the sixties.

If you want to celebrate the Irish culture, or St. Patrick's Day, do so!  Have a ball!  Just do it without demeaning the Irish themselves.  And if you really want to celebrate Irish culture, learn something about them, about us.  The history and culture of the country, the Irish and Irish immigrants is enthralling and deeply entwined with the history of America.  There are many Irish cultural centers throughout the country.

The Irish are deserving of respect and the dignity of accurate depiction.  Maybe its time for us to raise some hell!  

Is O' Eirenn Me

'I am of Ireland'