After seeing all the pro-Palestine protests over there, I think I was hoping that the Irish lacked the racist, right-wing contingent other European countries have been suffering, but no, apparently the Irish have a bunch of racist a-holes in their midst as well.
I was hoping that the Irish …
I find your remark somewhat prejudiced. “The Irish are …” bla bla.
Hate crime/ Racism/ Rape & Xenophobia are unfortunately, human behaviour.
And hate crimes world wide are on the rise. Basically, violent crimes in general are on the rise.
Ps: Nothing makes it right whatever happened to the poor guy whom got attacked.
Ps 2: It’s mostly the more powerful, established group who inflicts violence towards the" weaker group ", because the former believes they can get away with it. Honestly, I dont understand hatecrimes myself, so this is what I have come to believe.
Violent crime is on the decline globally though. Hate crimes are either up, or reporting is up in most of the developed world, it’s hard to distinguish between the two.
Political violence is up in the US, that’s true.
A prejudice, but a largely positive one, I thought. Somehow I thought that after all the s–t us English had given them over the centuries that each and every Irish person would instinctively know not to treat anyone even remotely similarly. Except possibly, you know, the English. I wouldn’t like that any more than I like the idea of an Indian man getting kicked bloody, but I’d understand it.
Instead my illusions (foolish though they may have been) are shattered and I am forced to confront the fact that people with the “it’s OK when I do it” attitude are everywhere. Even there.
prejudice, but a largely positive one
When illusions are broken it’s painful. But it does help us see a clearer path.
Maybe the good part here is that you know who and how you want to be, and who and how you definitely don’t.
There are also just good people who occasionally fuck up, and bad people who occasionally do good, and everything in between, and beyond. Just trust your gut, and you should be ok.
Lived in Ireland for 8 years. While a lot of European countries can be “casually racist” (that is to say, racist without specifically intending to be, or even realising), in Ireland I’ve experienced a lot of very overt, intentional racism.
Although… Hmm… I’m not sure if racism is really the right word, as you can experience the same kind of discrimination if you’re not from the local county. Or just from the local area…
Or from Dublin. There are a number of places in Ireland where you’re certainly a whole lot less welcome if you come from Dublin.
