To not want to be slagged off all the time because I was born in England?

[JustaNickname]

I've lived in Ireland nearly my whole life and my heritage is Irish essentially Both my parents were born in England when my grandparents went there to work when times were hard. My parents grew up in England, met each other, had me, moved to Ireland and had my sister etc. Even though my family tree would be Irish and my son was born here I'm not ashamed of having been born in England and I love it there and still have plenty of family there. My problem is that a lot of the people I know slag off the English all the time to the point I actually end up getting into heated discussions with them. Usually on FB over Football matches and such but sometimes in RL as well.

AIBU to expect that If you really hate the English that much and insistent on labeling every English person a C**T then maybe you shouldn't be such a hypocrite and Go to England, eat English food, watch English tv shows/films and support English football teams? I think i might actually be over sensitive but it honestly bothers me :(

Actually the other time was in Dublin being called all sorts of horrible names for being from NI. It was such a shock for my Catholic SIL who was with us. Just as much as a shock as it was for my Protestant parents who identify with being British and always support England in sporting events and so on, being on the receiving end of racism for being "Irish".

KenDoddsDadsDog yes they do :( I regularly during a discussion of this kind get called a 'black and tan' or a 'dirty tan'

Some of the experiences people have posted are truly shocking!

Suda what an awful thing to happen in your work place :(

That's so narrow minded! But next time remind them that the black and tans were not just English!
But DH has been Semtex, taig, fenian over here so it proves there are idiots everywhere!

Sudashesalive, I do find it a bit ironic that those women took exception to your football shirt when usually at least half of the Irish football team are British.

Thanks Kendoddsdadsdog I'll do that :) You poor DH being called those things. So out of order!

Those names are all horrible Kendoddsdadsdog and JustaNickname. There really are fuckwits everywhere.

OP never came back to tell us where he/she is living.

My husband and elder two children are from Edinburgh.

Sometimes, it seems there are more Londoners living there than in London, but it's been nearly 4 years since we lived there. No one seemed to really give a toss.

Now we live in the W. Highlands and there are plenty of English, although admittedly I cannot think of but a few, all with a Scottish spouse, who are not from the north of England.

No one bats an eye.

I am foreign myself, an American born.

Nope, no bad comments.

We holiday in the East, usually the Eastern Highlands as this is where my MIL's people were from, and FIL's were Fifers.

Again, no remarks.

As for the Irish, I can't speak, obviously. Have only been there twice and once, our base was in Armagh with friends, but even then, went about, no hassle. Got lost in Belfast, back in 2003. We saw a soldier in a central reserve, we were really lost so at that point, I had to beg DH to stop and ask direction, as we were about to miss the ferry and we were desperate to go back to Scotland as he could miss no more work. But the lad was from Royston, the shitehole estate in Edinburgh where DH was born before they were able to move to down the road.

The other time, landed at Dublin via Holyhead and drove about in the P-reg Astra with Scottish DH and two Scottish children.

Not a bother.

Just being ourselves. No problems.

Sorry expat I though I had replied in an earlier post. I live in Co. Mayo and Co.Galway before that.

YANBU
I got sick of the Anti-English Racism in the USA. Some of it is casual and institutionalised like only letting our actors play cowardly villains and re-wrting all the history, but I also got some nasty personl jibes there - and before anyone starts, I didn't go around moaning to them about the films/TV stuff.

I got slagged to my face purely on the basis of my English accent. I was working in a US company that regularly had e-mails and internal forum postings going around taking the piss out the Brits.

When I first went to Boston I saw a bloke walking down the street with a T shirt that said "IRA freedom fighters" on it.

I've been slagged off for the potato famine too - as if my ancestors had anything to do with that.

I never used to be that proud to be English, but all the anti-English/British crap there is about makes me slightly prouder.

how is a man in a t-shirt getting at you personally though?

WinterOfOurDiscountTents
He wasn't (well not exactly) but it was stunning to see. BTW I loved your earlier translations.

My parents are Irish, I was born in Scotland and live in England. And I'm a ginger. Nobody likes me

Except maybe the Welsh, because I've only been there once, for a wedding and moaned a lot about the bridge toll.

macfromCUK, I hold you personally responsible for the potato famine!

you mean an Górta Mór (The Great Hunger), its anglo history that called it the famine, not least to deflect the real causes of what happened. Its highly debatable that the word famine is accurate since so much food was exported to England even at the height of the hunger.

Not to start a row by th way, just pointing it out.

When I first met people here in the pub I got
"Oh..you're English" raised eyebrow
"Yeah... sorry already about the potatoes, d'ya want a pint ?"
never had a bother

Cailin

I think your the right person to have around in this debate Winter :o

I don't think it matters who is doing or saying what to whom, there are examples here of utterly vile and unacceptable comments and actions which should be condemned. There is no excuse!

Cailin thats brilliant!

cailin

pmsl Cailín

There's a few of us around the west now.

Fine thanks SummerRain! Still pregnant or at least I hope I'm not puking for nothing!

Glad to hear it Only 2 months of vomiting left to go

One little point about the potato famine
What did the irish grow and eat before potatos were introduced?