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the American paradox…
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I’ve been here for two months, and I have to ask; why is it that American’s are discriminated against? Why is it that I feel almost hated sometimes, just because of where I happen to be born? I’m not a bad person, but I feel isolated sometimes. I understand that the politcal state of things doesn’t make where I’m from a positive thing, but I feel as if I should have some sort of chance to establish that I’m not some total dusche (sp?) bag. What are the thoughts?
Welcome to the forum!
I’ll start of by saying that I’m not anti-American. Some of my friends (from VA, NB, NJ, OH, etc) are from and living over there. And my favorite sport is the NFL quickly followed by UFC. Some folks on these forums that I like are from over there. Most of the TV watch is American. Most of my holidays have been to the USA. I find most people I meet over there are genuinely friendly and nice. … apart from that one time I got lost in the one-way system in Tuscon and ended up in an interesting part of town where every yard had a car on blocks and I was definitely looking like a foreigner. :)
What I think you’ll find is a certain number of people here are not impressed with people (no matter where they are from) who waltz in and tell us how much better their life back home is, how we need to be more like them, etc. A lot of people’s first time experience with Americans is the tourbus of tourists. And lost of them act just like this. I”m not sayiong “all” or “most” … just a significant number of them. That tends to generate ill will. Heck, I’ve a relative over in the UK who comes over and acts like this – I refuse to deal with her so it isn’t just a USA thing.
Then there is the whole “we’re number one” and the anti-everyone-else attitude you see on TV. Sure, everyone wants to be proud of where they come from. But to assume that anyone from a foreign country is bad or lesser is just plain arrogant. Again, not everyone, but a significant amount of this is presented to us on TV to taint peoples atttitudes. Watch the news and how the presenter slags off Euro-weenies, sports where there is a Canadian against asoemone from elsewhere and there’s a “USA USA” chant when the crowd assumes the Canuck is American. I know what’s really going on … the news channel in question has a certain agenda but people abroad might not be aware of that. The people chanting in the crowd are probably uneducated drunks.
I think you’ll find this is not an Irish only thing. Go to the UK, Germany … Asia or Africa and you’ll find the same thing. Especially now after the Bush dynasty. He didn’t exactly act like a great ambassador.
I’m thinking most will not touch this thread with a barge pole. Anyway, just my observations of how I think _some_ people can react negatively to Americans. I might be totally wrong.
Well summarized Aidan.
Johnny, if you are not a bad person, you will not be discriminated or hated here, believe me. If you mention that you are from the US before every picture you post, well, we will get fed up with it pretty soon, but nothing else. The Irish are good people, they are certainly dealing better with foreigners than some other nations, and half of their nation is living in the US… I’m a foreigner living in Ireland, eating their food, taking their women, taking their jobs and they still don’t hate me :) (up until now)
Get over with your suspicions, and start posting your photos.
randomway wrote:
I’m a foreigner living in Ireland, eating their food, taking their women.
So that’s YOU doing that..!!!
and I thought it was something I was doing wrong…. :wink:
Seriously…I don’t know how any American can feel discriminated against here. I think there are a lot of other minorities that have a lot more to feel aggrieved about.
Most Irish people spend their time TRYING to be Americans. most of our TV shows are American…the majority of the music we listen to is American..we even love American humour. I meet Americans here all the time..and I don’t think any of them ever felt discriminated against.
One of my best friends on this planet is American..and to be honest..I don’t even think of her as American anymore…she’s just my friend.
Yes you will meet with apathy and sheer ignorance on your travels here..but believe me…there’s nothing anti American in it…they are just ignorant people..they don’t care where you come from.
If you’re from America they’ll mutter…”Bloody Americans” sure…but if you’re from Dublin they’ll just as quick mutter “Bloody Jackeens”…or from outside Dublin…”Stupid culchies” etc etc.
I think you secretly enjoy being American and a little different…
and so you should
Ceid Mile Failte
Robbie
8)Treat others like you would want to be treated………….
in my travels here and abroad everyone is basically the same………want the same things out of life………..etc you have good seeds and bad seeds everywhere…………
well said Aidan and others…………..just remember DAMN YANKS :evil:
(oh i am one of them :roll: :roll: )
Enjoy your travels and post up photos………..
Cheers everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Three good replies there-
A little homesickness might be understandable-
just as long as it doesn’t come across as being churlish towards where you happen to be at the moment-Historically, we’re used to being told that everything is better over there-
If you’re interested in some light reading,
I’d recommend ‘The Ginger Man’ by JP Donleavy,
another yank who came over here after WWII and studied in Trinity on the GI Bill-He liked it enough-
wrote the dream,
and still lives it here now-j
Well thanks for the feedback everyone. I was a little upset last night because someone had lashed out at me for something I didn’t even do, and then you kind of went about saying “goddamn americans” and mocking me. It’s not that I get a ton of crap about it, but I do get enough. I agree with the fact that there are good and bad people everywhere, and that some people are more ignorant that others etc etc….
My main thing is this: I came over here to try a different way of life, and to NOT be an American, so to speak.
I don’t agree with the Bush administration, and I don’t agree or buy into the false patriotism that occured after 9/11 and all of that.
I don’t know, I’m just a bit sensitive, so I suppose I might be blowing this out of proportion. Again, everyone thank you the responses. :wink:
Just a quick reply to that…don’t try to NOT be American..be proud of it…a lot of great things have come from that land..and the Irish have contributed enormously to it’s history.
You can’t be held responsible for your political leaders..any more than we can be held responsible for ours…and god knows we have some right tulips here!!
We elect them supposedly to do our will..
it rarely ever turns out that way.
I just want to say that I am an Amercian and Damm proud of it. I have never felt that I was being discriminated against on this or any other Irish site that I have visited. In fact I have always felt welcome. Also I know of very few Americans that are not Decendants of multi-nationallites. I myself am of German, French and Irish desent with an adopted Norweigeion name. America Has a Strong Irish Background. In fact there were Saint Patricks Parades everywhare today.
Jim
Hey Johnny have fun in Ireland..it’s a wonderful place and if you ever come home you’ll come with spectacular photos and lifelong friends!
I wouldn’t discount all that you say or are feeling, as I travel quite a bit, and am sometimes dismayed by people’s assumptions about me, but I would say in keeping with what the kind people here have said, it’s not you…you are not responsible for the negativity if you know you did all you could as one person to prevent some of the things that people find to stereotype you for….be a good person and you’ll make wonderful friends there.
People there are no more or less judgemental there than anywhere else on the planet including right here in America. There, just wanted to keep that simple.
And as for parades here~~here are two natives of Ireland enjoying one of those numerous American celebrations! My dear friend Aileen who hails from Galway and the Lucky Leprachaun himself!
sorry for the poor quality of this photo Pete! I know ya loves me anyway :lol: :lol:I’m Welsh, I have an RP English accent and I moved to the Catholic
side of Derry when there were still soldiers in the streets. To make
things worse I have a hilariously funny and often under-appreciated
razor-sharp wit (read that line as: I have a habit of putting my foot in
it and my darling beloved was terrified I’d end up in a ditch with a
quarter ounce of nickel-jacketed lead in my ear).From the word go I’ve found the Irish – all of them – to be a race who
will give you a chance to “be civil” and will make allowances for your
faux pas provided you make an effort to meet them halfway. I can’t
praise the Irish enough, best people in the world, I love ’em and they’ve
made me feel like one of them. I don’t think they give a stuff whether you’re
Amerkan, Polish, black, white, yellow or bright blue, if you join in the
craic, accept the teasing and be prepared to give some back, show you’re
ready to give a bit especially if you want to take a bit, you’ll find
friends here for life.And normally, if someone says, “Damn Yank” the correct response is, “Feckin
Paddy baaastid”.And normally, if someone says, “Damn Yank” the correct response is, “Feckin
Paddy baaastid”Don’t forget ‘Taffy Git’
At risk of being a rambling bore, I’m going to tell a story.
When I first came to Derry I was having a pint in a fairly
Republican bar and this bloke starting telling me how much he hated the
English, Maggie Thatcher, the army, Rupert Murdoch’s papers etc. etc.
I let him go on for about 15 minutes and then said triumphantly, “I hate
the English too. I’m Welsh”, thinking that we’d laugh together, spit towards
London and have another pint.He answered, “I hate the effin’ Welsh too. Lloyd George was Welsh and
he sent the Black and Tans over”.You just can’t win with some people.
I wouldn’t worry about it, us Irish can’t even stand ourselves half the time: culchies Vs jackeens, northsiders Vs southsiders, nordies Vs southies, etc.
Americans are the same as anyone else: mostly good, kind, helpful and decent people but with a sprinkling of gung-ho idiots, con artists, gangsters and skangers; some of whom aren’t even in government.
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