Dreading my first Paddys Day
Feb 23rd 2007, 1:19 pm
#32
Unmitigated Gall
Joined: Dec 2006
Location: it's still too dark to tell
Posts: 16,162
Re: Dreading my first Paddys Day
For gods sake, some of you need to remove the rod from your rectum, have a green beer (although I prefer mine stout and untinted)and relax.
I know if some country had a day of celebration where "everyone was an American" (I know, hell would freeze
) I would take it as a bit of a compliment. And as for people claiming various ancestries, that is a part of culture that I'm not sure I can explain without a little more time to think about it. It is sad that some get offended though.
I know if some country had a day of celebration where "everyone was an American" (I know, hell would freeze
) I would take it as a bit of a compliment. And as for people claiming various ancestries, that is a part of culture that I'm not sure I can explain without a little more time to think about it. It is sad that some get offended though.
Feb 23rd 2007, 1:28 pm
#33
spuggy
Joined: Jan 2007
Location: Yellow Springs, Ohio
Posts: 145
Re: Dreading my first Paddys Day
It isn't offensive, it is just, well a bit odd to say the least. It is one thing to mention heritage but claiming a nationality is another thing. My hertiage goes back to Norway and Scotland but I am not Norwegian or Scottish. Are you telling me if you visited or lived in africa, russia, ireland, france, or whatever and someone told you they were american it wouldn't come across as strange?
Feb 23rd 2007, 1:57 pm
#34
Unmitigated Gall
Joined: Dec 2006
Location: it's still too dark to tell
Posts: 16,162
Re: Dreading my first Paddys Day
It isn't offensive, it is just, well a bit odd to say the least. It is one thing to mention heritage but claiming a nationality is another thing. My hertiage goes back to Norway and Scotland but I am not Norwegian or Scottish. Are you telling me if you visited or lived in africa, russia, ireland, france, or whatever and someone told you they were american it wouldn't come across as strange?
Everyone in the U.S. either came from somewhere else themselves or is descended from immigrants. It's what links us, we all came from somwhere else at some point. I knew this would be difficult to explain!
Feb 23rd 2007, 2:01 pm
#35
spuggy
Joined: Jan 2007
Location: Yellow Springs, Ohio
Posts: 145
Re: Dreading my first Paddys Day
I would guess that most aren't trying to claim an actual nationality but as you say, a heritage. In common conversation someone might say"I'm half Italian, half Irish."
Everyone in the U.S. either came from somewhere else themselves or is descended from immigrants. It's what links us, we all came from somwhere else at some point. I knew this would be difficult to explain!
Everyone in the U.S. either came from somewhere else themselves or is descended from immigrants. It's what links us, we all came from somwhere else at some point. I knew this would be difficult to explain!
well can't stay and play, have work to do, time to quit being amused on the net, swirch off and tune out.
see ya later.
Last edited by spuggy; Feb 23rd 2007 at 2:18 pm.
Feb 23rd 2007, 2:45 pm
#36
Unmitigated Gall
Joined: Dec 2006
Location: it's still too dark to tell
Posts: 16,162
Re: Dreading my first Paddys Day
[QUOTE=spuggy;4446043]Someone saying they have irish or part irish heritage is vastly different than claiming a nationality and you know it./QUOTE]
Of course! If someone is claiming to actually be Irish or anything else and not was not born in that country but perhaps has never even been there then that person has a screw loose.
Of course! If someone is claiming to actually be Irish or anything else and not was not born in that country but perhaps has never even been there then that person has a screw loose.
Feb 23rd 2007, 5:03 pm
#37
A lion in your lap
Joined: Jul 2003
Location: Sparta NJ
Posts: 7,605
Re: Dreading my first Paddys Day
That is so true and actually a bit of a pet peeve of mine! 
I still try not to give a really vague, here we go again look, when someone tells me how there family is British Irish etc..... and when you ask where from?
It's usually a story of how they traced back the family tree to Uk descent.
I suppose I should be pleased at there wanting to be little bit Euro, but it get's so old after years and years of it
I still try not to give a really vague, here we go again look, when someone tells me how there family is British Irish etc..... and when you ask where from?
It's usually a story of how they traced back the family tree to Uk descent.
I suppose I should be pleased at there wanting to be little bit Euro, but it get's so old after years and years of it
Feb 23rd 2007, 5:41 pm
#38
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2004
Location: Mother Land.
Posts: 14,858
Re: Dreading my first Paddys Day
Bloke came to our house a couple of years ago to give us a quote for new windows. After talking to him for about two minutes and noticing his broad NJ accent he then said to me "hey, are you English? I'm English too!" I then asked him which part of England he was from and he replied "oh, I've never been there, I'm Jersey born and raised, but one of my grandfathers was born in England". Then he gave me his business card and his name was something like "Vito Spaghettini". Well, I thought, you can't get more anglo saxon than that.
the patter these sales men come out with 
did you get your windows off him then ?
Feb 23rd 2007, 5:46 pm
#39
A lion in your lap
Joined: Jul 2003
Location: Sparta NJ
Posts: 7,605
Re: Dreading my first Paddys Day
er no, we went with Pella. It also didn't help that virtually the first thing he said to me was "this is a cute neighbourhood - I've lived my whole life in this area and never even heard of this place". oookaay
Feb 23rd 2007, 5:53 pm
#40
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2004
Location: Mother Land.
Posts: 14,858
Re: Dreading my first Paddys Day
Feb 23rd 2007, 9:42 pm
#41
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 5,763
Re: Dreading my first Paddys Day
Feb 23rd 2007, 10:56 pm
#42
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2007
Location: Surreal City, Michigan
Posts: 164
Re: Dreading my first Paddys Day
Ooh, great idea! Right now we're just reminding each other to log out before we close the browser window. But it's easy to forget to!
Feb 24th 2007, 12:19 am
#43
BE Site Lead
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: MA, USA
Posts: 92,170
Re: Dreading my first Paddys Day
could always set it to not remember log in, that way after a few mins of not having the site open, you have to log in...
Feb 24th 2007, 12:24 am
#44
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2007
Location: Surreal City, Michigan
Posts: 164
Re: Dreading my first Paddys Day
I would guess that most aren't trying to claim an actual nationality but as you say, a heritage. In common conversation someone might say"I'm half Italian, half Irish." Of course they are going to look confused when you ask what town in Ireland, their descendants probably came over at the time of the potato famine! What they mean is their ancestors are Italian and Irish. It's so common to be mixture of many "nationalities" here that people have just shortened it to "I'm xxx." Instead of "My ancestors emigrated from xxx." It's just kind of taken for granted that that's the case.
Everyone in the U.S. either came from somewhere else themselves or is descended from immigrants. It's what links us, we all came from somwhere else at some point. I knew this would be difficult to explain!
Everyone in the U.S. either came from somewhere else themselves or is descended from immigrants. It's what links us, we all came from somwhere else at some point. I knew this would be difficult to explain!
It seems to me that Americans can never be truly american until they drop the Irish, German, English, Scottish or whatever from before the word american. You can't be two things guys. You are either american or you are not. Nobody in the Uk says - I am scots english, I am african english, I am welsh scots and so forth (though americans living there might claim to be Irish American English ha ha). Anyway, I guess it is harmless. I just don't like Shamrock dish cloths or the sight of people wearing Guinness hoodies when they would gag at even a sip of the lovely black stuff.
Bleedin bloody bollox - I have done it again. sorry. Silly Sod. Such a silly sod!!!!