Make America Kind Again Bumper Sticker
Response to: "Make America Irish Again" Bumper Sticker
I've been disturbed lately to run across multiple instances at present where Irish civilisation has been in some way associated with white nationalism in the United states. In at least ii documentaries, I´ve noticed the Irish gaelic flag present at white nationalist rallies. In each case, the flag was conspicuously drowned out past Nazi or Confederate flags, but every bit someone of Irish gaelic heritage, the Irish gaelic flag stuck out similar a sore thumb and I noticed it quickly.
Then earlier this week, I noticed a 'Make America Irish gaelic Again' bumper sticker in a parking lot (see photograph above). Although an argument could be fabricated that this might not TECHNICALLY speak to white nationalism directly, it clearly speaks to wanting a specific group of (white) people in the Usa to gain or maintain prominence. I had not written whatever posts like this in a while, but this sticker bugged me enough that I at to the lowest degree wanted to capture how I feel virtually this undercurrent in this specific U.S. subculture.
America Never was Irish
I should at first country what should be obvious. America never was "Irish gaelic" in the first identify. Long before the first Irish blood came aground, America was inhabited past the Cherokee, the Iroquois, the Choctaw, the Cree, the Navajo, the Seminole, the Hopi, and many other people (all typically grouped nether the 'Native American' umbrella for ease of reference). Even America'due south conquerors were not typically Irish. Both Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci (America's namesake) were Italians who sailed for Spain. Spain, England, Portugal, Netherlands, Russia, and France… were all involved every bit national entities in colonization of North America. Republic of ireland was not.
Although the Irish have been present in the United States since its birth (~25% of the Revolutionary War regular army has been reported of Irish heritage), we have never been anywhere nearly a majority of the land'due south population. In 1790 (the year of the state's first attempted census), people of Irish background fabricated up less than x% of the population. It is worthy of note that: (1) the African population (i.east. slaves) in the country at that time was 2.5 times larger and (ii) there was no specific mention of Native Americans in the data I reviewed. Other information I establish puts Irish population in the The states at ~13% in 1890, ~15% in 1980, and ~10% currently.
Irish Culture and Ceremonious Rights
My ancestry.com contour shows that I have DNA that is an 86% match to the Ireland-Scotland-Wales region. I have visited Ireland twice and feel a strong connection to many parts of the multi-layered Irish gaelic culture. Although I do not still have the Catholic connection to the culture, I have fallen in love with other aspects of the culture that have more than replaced that loss. The music, the seeking, the naked sorrow, the honest joy, the living… all things that I beloved about this culture.
Equally an Irish American, I have also been able to connect with what I saw as a chip of an Irish gaelic season to a small contribution to the Civil Rights movement(s). The Kennedys were the poster children for this, only there were others actively involved, including many Cosmic nuns or priests with Irish backgrounds that strongly advocated for the improvement of ceremonious rights in the county. (This includes someone I knew personally in Fr. Dan Berrigan, an infamous effigy to many in the 1960'south for his typhoon-card-burning, anti-Vietnam war stance at the time — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Berrigan.)
I do not typically say that I am "proud" of my Irish culture. "Pride" to me has typically been a personal thing. I may exist proud of someone I know for individual actions she has taken, and I may even be proud of individual actions past people who share my Irish heritage, but pride specifically considering I am part of a subculture has only non been my thing. Afterall, I had aught to practice in the development of the civilisation. I simply inherited parts of it. I volition, notwithstanding, say that I am "appreciative" of Irish culture (at least parts of information technology anyway.)
Likewise, I do not feel a personal "shame" that part of Irish American culture seems to align itself with white nationalist causes. I practice indeed feel a sense of shame for white nationalist individuals, but this is more on behalf of humanity in general as opposed to on behalf of Irish culture. I alluded in a previous article about white privilege ( https://medium.com/@stevedowpe/a-dissimilar-white-ability-e2a25fad984e ) that I do non feel personal guilt for existence white in the U.Due south., merely I practise feel a certain responsibleness every bit a white person in the U.S. Similarly, as an Irish American, I imagine that I could take a platform to address this effect that others might not have; hence, my taking the time to write this now.
The Irish Story
As is the instance for many cultures, Irish gaelic and Irish gaelic American history has had its share of tragedy. The English were terrible to the Irish gaelic long before the infamous "Irish potato famine" in the 1840's. To correct a surprisingly mutual misconception, the Irish did not starve simply because all they ate was potatoes and the potato crop failed. There was a variety of nutrient bachelor on the island, and enough to go around. The money and resources were simply non distributed to those most in need, and this resulted in the death of approximately one one thousand thousand Irish (xiii% of the entire population of Ireland) due to starvation or other hunger-related complications.
Millions left these horrible atmospheric condition to observe a improve life in the U.s.a. and upon arrival, many were greeted with naked bigotry past non-Irish Americans. The infamous "NINA" signs ("No Irish Demand Apply") were common. Irish were viewed as uneducated drunkards, immoral and criminal, and as violent threats to society (and even the police). They were frequently pictured as apelike, subhuman animals in the papers. Christopher Klein writes in "When America Despised the Irish gaelic: The 19th Century'southward Refugee Crisis" that groups such every bit the Lodge of the Star-Spangled Banner "wanted a return to the America they once knew" (prior to mass-Irish immigration). The American Political party created at that fourth dimension had a "fundamental belief that Catholicism was incompatible with bones American values". Nearly all the immigrating Irish gaelic at the time were Catholics.
Several people I know who are proud of their Irish gaelic American heritage volition point out that many Irish were enlisted in the Matrimony regular army during the Civil War and/or were put to work doing the backbreaking (and unsafe) chore of railroad construction. Clearly, this is truthful. The figure of 150,000 soldiers with Irish background in the Union army is a mutual guess, representing 25% of the approximately 600,000 Union soldiers at the fourth dimension. There besides was indeed a high corporeality of Irish gaelic working the railroads as well, but proceed in mind that many of these folks were recent immigrants and very poor — motivated in large role by the power to get three-foursquare-meals a day.
The Irish Victim and 'Savior'
If you are ane of the Irish Americans who takes personal pride in the work or cede of others whom you likely accept never met, I suppose experience complimentary to do so (although this makes no sense to me). The Irish certainly did play a significant role in "edifice" the country… but let's not get ahead of ourselves here. Many others fought in the land'southward wars and worked hard labor besides the Irish. As stated earlier, the Irish were never anywhere nigh a majority of the U.South. population. They conspicuously did non practise everything by themselves.
Nevertheless at that place is still today a segment of Irish gaelic America that loves to look dorsum on the struggles of the Irish as if they themselves personally shared in those struggles — and they want praise for them. These folks glorify, and also exaggerate, the part the Irish gaelic take had in the Usa. To say that the Irish "built America" is incredibly disrespectful to all other groups that besides congenital America. It is most notably disrespectful to the millions of African slaves who did non come to the country voluntarily.
Yet for some, no corporeality of credit for the Irish (and by extension, themselves) is enough. Despite the significant contributions of the Irish gaelic, information technology is laughable to imply that the Irish should be revered for their collective contribution as much as some Irish Americans may want. Multiple indigenous and national groups built the country, yet "the Irish built the country". Multiple ethnic and national groups fought in our wars, still it is the Irish that are somehow the silent, forgotten saviors of the nation. This need to keep pumping upwards the ethnic grouping you are accidentally part of speaks to me of an enormous insecurity.
Irish Insecurity
And equally it oft does, one groups' insecurity will materialize as attempted subjugation of those other groups perceived as a threat (i.e. contest for work or resource). I sense that many Irish Americans I know hold a bigotry against others not similar them just under the surface. It is not easy to put my finger on this just reviewing social media posts helps shine some of the light. Facebook has helped me come across what appears to be a correlation between posts that prop up Irish Americans (typically posted by those of Irish gaelic background) and those that minimize the plight of non-Irish gaelic others. The "Irish were Slaves Likewise" meme (equally referenced in manufactures similar this one: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/17/us/irish-slaves-myth.html ) is a clear case of this. The meme typically reads "The Irish were slaves, as well. We got over it, so why can't you?"
I recommend reading the whole NY Times article, but there is no equivalency whatsoever between the plight of Irish indentured servants and that of African slaves. Saying, "hey we got over information technology" implies that the "it" is the aforementioned… and information technology clearly is not. The circumstances were drastically different, as was the history since slavery and/or indentured servitude. (Every bit an bated, I should notation that I am very disappointed in my child's school social studies curriculum for spending far also much time deifying the founding fathers at the expense of learning about the experience of Africans during the menstruation of Civil War reconstruction and afterwards. The teacher unsaid early on that they'd run across if they could "get to reconstruction", merely they apparently did non. This is a shame, every bit I believe the glossing over of reconstruction in history form has been playing a part in the continued race relation struggles nosotros have today. I barely remember a thing almost reconstruction from my history classes, but I do call up that Thomas Jefferson wore "patently clothes" and walked to his inauguration.) Oh aye… too… Irish people are white, and they could much more easily assimilate into the greater American civilisation. Their very skin, for instance, was not perceived by bigots as an undeniable dissemination of 'otherhood'.
I want to brand sure I am fair when discussing this insecurity. Insecurity, after all, is probable function of all ethnic cultures in ane way or another. Nosotros did in fact evolve in tribes and tribes by their very nature include an "us" and a "them". This was maybe necessary as resources were express and survival depended in part on sticking together. That existential anxiety is wholly understandable. When the Irish were subjugated by the English language, the defenses went up. When the Irish themselves were the subject of bigotry in the 'new world', the defenses went up. Many Irish Americans may like to see themselves equally the graphic symbol in Bruce Springsteen's Built-in in the U.Southward.A.: "Cease upwardly like a canis familiaris that's been beat also much, 'til you spend half your life only covering upwards…"
I become all this, but in summary, I notwithstanding have several things to ask of Irish America…
My Ask of Irish America going forward
* Bespeak of Clarification that I'd promise I would not have to brand, but probably do: This is of course non directed at all Irish Americans. This is directed at those Irish Americans that think a "Make America Irish Once more" bumper sticker is a skillful idea.
one. Delight recognize that Irish America is not the only American subculture with a hard history. I am not interested in a 'Victimhood Olympics', merely it is quite an piece of cake argument that other ethnic groups in the United States have suffered far more than than nosotros take. Even if that was not the example (which it clearly is), I ask that y'all please snap out of the victim mentality if you still take information technology.
2. Delight wait around you lot and recognize that these other groups of people have also had a difficult history in the United States, just more than importantly recognize the people that are having a difficult "electric current events". Recognize the notable similarities between those who "wanted a return to the America they once knew" back when Irish immigration was high and those who desire to "brand America great again" now. Look back at how the Irish gaelic were demonized back then, and how other groups are demonized now. The parallels are obvious and stunning. Please see that the history yous cherish IS the electric current events of today. This is to say, the struggles experienced in Irish American history that you speak of with such fondness and admiration, you now minimize and discard as unworthy and a "nothing burger" as they relate to other people today. The hypocrisy is immense.
iii. Please recognize that the general Irish success since its harder history in the country is not only due to "hard work". There are multiple factors at play hither… and our skin color is not the least of them.
4. Please accept an agile part in increasing your tolerance of other people. Think that the Irish flag itself is a symbol of tolerance and peace between different "tribes". The green represents the Catholics, the orange represents the Protestants, and the white between represents the peace and tolerance between the 2. I tin think of no place where such a symbol should be more out of place than a white nationalist rally.
5. Lastly though, I inquire that you go beyond mere tolerance and coexistence. I ask that you recognize yourself and the things you honey nigh your own civilization in the lives of others, whether they look like yous or not. Practice your part to recognize and promote the mutual humanity nosotros all share. Do your office to build a single tribe. Those existential threats that led us into tribes in the outset place can be dealt with. We accept solutions for them right at present. We first need to get over our own psychological hurdles between each other. We need to recognize others as our equal and we need to work together to solve these commonage problems.
I connect with my Irish beginnings in a deep and personal manner, but I have also found incredible pleasure in inspecting and appreciating the other branches on humanity's tree. Seeing how my brothers and sisters accept grown differently from our common roots in Africa is a source of endless amazement and joy. It reinforces my desire to look outward and to make connections with others. I therefore ask that you lot think about what is written in a higher place and that yous consider exchanging the "Make America Irish Again" (and/or "Make America Dandy Again") mindset with something much simpler… and that is to "Brand America Better" … indeed to "Brand the World Better"… and then let'southward piece of work together to practise simply that.
Some References
https://world wide web.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/abroad/generation-emigration/from-ireland-to-the-us-a-brief-migration-history-1.2409960
https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/where-are-all-the-irish-americans-going-census-shows-population-in-decline
https://world wide web.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2018/02/22/infographic-irish gaelic-diaspora-united-states
https://www.pewhispanic.org/2015/09/28/from-ireland-to-germany-to-italia-to-mexico-how-americas-source-of-immigrants-has-inverse-in-the-states-1850-to-2013/#total
https://world wide web.nytimes.com/2017/03/17/us/irish-slaves-myth.html
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/irish-slaves-early on-america/
https://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/past/dearth/demographics_pre.html
https://www.history.com/news/when-america-despised-the-irish-the-19th-centurys-refugee-crunch
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Americans_in_the_American_Civil_War
https://irishamericancivilwar.com/2015/01/18/how-many-irish-fought-in-the-american-civil-war/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographic_history_of_the_United_States#Population_in_1790
Source: https://medium.com/@stevedowpe/response-to-make-america-irish-again-bumper-sticker-1ff9e879441e
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