Today is Ireland
On this date every year, those who are diasporically descended from the country of Ireland traditionally celebrate their origins, and increasingly others who do not share these origins celebrate along with them. I myself have in recent years emphasized the Irish portion of my genetic heritage, and St. Patrick's Day is one opportunity to do so.
There is a desire within our fractured melange of a society to cling to a specific ethnic identity, to be something more concrete than merely American. We see this reflected in ethnicities from throughout the world, but also in those whose origins have been forcibly stripped away from them, such that they must identify simply as black; and in those whose parentages are so intermixed that there is not one origin to comprehensibly choose, and so they choose to identify merely as white, though this label comes deprived of cultural achievement or worth.
For me, Irish identity and heritage is not a matter of blood. The diaspora has influenced the surrounding world with its presence and perseverence, and today everyone knows what it means to be Irish, if only in a hackneyed and stereotyped way, but it is nevertheless easy for anyone to take part in the traditional festivities. I welcome such involvement, as I hope for myself to be welcomed to observe Dia de los Muertos, or Passover, or Holi, or any other ethnic tradition which has its place within the United States.
However, on this particular occasion on this particular year, I am drawn to reflect on the plights and triumphs of the Irish people and how these are reflected in the present day.
The history of Ireland contains no small amount of oppression and strife, and this is true of any long-standing country. In this case, however, such strife has primarily been visited upon the island by outsiders. Ireland is not unique in this aspect either. A specific series of events encapsulates this, and is the cause for the wide diaspora that has since disseminated Irish culture across the globe.
The Potato Famine, though called in Irish the Great Hunger, which I find is a more evocative name; what began with tragedy was transformed into a travesty, a natural disaster willingly cultivated into a form of genocide. The British aristocracy that controlled Ireland saw an opportunity to disenfranchise its people. Through economic pressures and continued taxation of grain and other edibles from the land, they ensured that the plight of the Irish would be stark, and its effects strikingly cruel.
Those who fled the realm found themselves working abroad, mostly in the U.S., where they were subjected to slavish conditions, which the U.S. was uniquely prepared to implement on any group of people. Their survival prospects were hindered, often by a language barrier, and as well by pervasive stereotypes that portrayed them as violent drunks. Pervasive poverty perpetuated the behaviors on which these stereotypes were based.
We see the same ruthless tactics employed today. They are routine in many countries, embedded in cultures so deeply that they need no laws to support them. And the plight of the Irish in the Great Hunger is reflected in the present situation
The pandemic provided an unprecedented opportunity for humanity to stand united (albeit while socially distancing), but it also presented a perfect opportunity for those seeking to profit from chaos, uncertainty and discord. Governments including our own deliberately instituted policies that would be ineffective in limiting the scope of the disease, knowing that it would affect the poor and disenfranchised most keenly.
Presently, the Irish in most of the world are not subject to substantial prejudice or abuse. We have overcome, as it is said. I can't say for certain how this came to be, but the fact that the Irish phenotype is very hard to tell from other European looks probably had a major part in it. There are, obviously, many other groups who have not overcome these prejudices and are still subject to genocidal and procedurally violent measures.
I was reminded yesterday of a story, that I think is magnificently instructive. During the Great Hunger, the Choctaw Nation within the Americas had just suffered forced relocation to reservations, a genocidal act even harsher than what the Irish experienced. They nevertheless managed to send aid, scrounging up $160 to send to Ireland. A greater value respective to its time, it was till a pittance compared to the magnitude of need, but I have no doubt it saved a few lives. Last year, the Irish collected 3 million Euro to send to the First Nations of North America, accorded in remembrance of the previous gift.
Those of us who are struggling- which I think is everyone- need to help one another to assure survival and prosperity. Let such a generous nature be the spirit of the day.
There is a desire within our fractured melange of a society to cling to a specific ethnic identity, to be something more concrete than merely American. We see this reflected in ethnicities from throughout the world, but also in those whose origins have been forcibly stripped away from them, such that they must identify simply as black; and in those whose parentages are so intermixed that there is not one origin to comprehensibly choose, and so they choose to identify merely as white, though this label comes deprived of cultural achievement or worth.
For me, Irish identity and heritage is not a matter of blood. The diaspora has influenced the surrounding world with its presence and perseverence, and today everyone knows what it means to be Irish, if only in a hackneyed and stereotyped way, but it is nevertheless easy for anyone to take part in the traditional festivities. I welcome such involvement, as I hope for myself to be welcomed to observe Dia de los Muertos, or Passover, or Holi, or any other ethnic tradition which has its place within the United States.
However, on this particular occasion on this particular year, I am drawn to reflect on the plights and triumphs of the Irish people and how these are reflected in the present day.
The history of Ireland contains no small amount of oppression and strife, and this is true of any long-standing country. In this case, however, such strife has primarily been visited upon the island by outsiders. Ireland is not unique in this aspect either. A specific series of events encapsulates this, and is the cause for the wide diaspora that has since disseminated Irish culture across the globe.
The Potato Famine, though called in Irish the Great Hunger, which I find is a more evocative name; what began with tragedy was transformed into a travesty, a natural disaster willingly cultivated into a form of genocide. The British aristocracy that controlled Ireland saw an opportunity to disenfranchise its people. Through economic pressures and continued taxation of grain and other edibles from the land, they ensured that the plight of the Irish would be stark, and its effects strikingly cruel.
Those who fled the realm found themselves working abroad, mostly in the U.S., where they were subjected to slavish conditions, which the U.S. was uniquely prepared to implement on any group of people. Their survival prospects were hindered, often by a language barrier, and as well by pervasive stereotypes that portrayed them as violent drunks. Pervasive poverty perpetuated the behaviors on which these stereotypes were based.
We see the same ruthless tactics employed today. They are routine in many countries, embedded in cultures so deeply that they need no laws to support them. And the plight of the Irish in the Great Hunger is reflected in the present situation
The pandemic provided an unprecedented opportunity for humanity to stand united (albeit while socially distancing), but it also presented a perfect opportunity for those seeking to profit from chaos, uncertainty and discord. Governments including our own deliberately instituted policies that would be ineffective in limiting the scope of the disease, knowing that it would affect the poor and disenfranchised most keenly.
Presently, the Irish in most of the world are not subject to substantial prejudice or abuse. We have overcome, as it is said. I can't say for certain how this came to be, but the fact that the Irish phenotype is very hard to tell from other European looks probably had a major part in it. There are, obviously, many other groups who have not overcome these prejudices and are still subject to genocidal and procedurally violent measures.
I was reminded yesterday of a story, that I think is magnificently instructive. During the Great Hunger, the Choctaw Nation within the Americas had just suffered forced relocation to reservations, a genocidal act even harsher than what the Irish experienced. They nevertheless managed to send aid, scrounging up $160 to send to Ireland. A greater value respective to its time, it was till a pittance compared to the magnitude of need, but I have no doubt it saved a few lives. Last year, the Irish collected 3 million Euro to send to the First Nations of North America, accorded in remembrance of the previous gift.
Those of us who are struggling- which I think is everyone- need to help one another to assure survival and prosperity. Let such a generous nature be the spirit of the day.