Irish bashing

[ASAS]

Is it just me or have there been an unusual number of threads passive aggressively bashing our Irish sisters lately?

I'm not Irish so not particularly sensitive, but just seems to have come up out of nowhere. Prior to this most Irish threads were about the price of tinned tomatoes in euros and staff booking St Patrick's Day in NYC without authorization.

Peace and love, remember, peace and love.

I think you are quite correct OP in fact I would go as far as saying the last acceptable Racism is anti Irish.

It seems to be perfectly acceptable on Mumsnet to slate the Irish and the Catholic church in a way no other nation or religion is slated.

It amazes me that abortion rights in Northern Ireland (a part of the UK) never get raised on Mumsnet. Not to mention the dire anti gay sentiments of many of the DUP ministers.

Ireland is a democracy, it has referenda where the people vote on issues. Seems like a great system to me.

There is lots of it, and much more lately. It's seen as acceptable, its ok to be rude and ignorant about Ireland in a way that would be unacceptable for anywhere else.

3 out of 4 people now want at least some access to abortion. But changing laws is not easy, especially in a country with a strong constitution. And people from the UK really have no room to criticise, glass houses and stones come to mind.

Christianity bashing is common on mn.

Crustsaway it's actually Newtownards, not Newtonards.
All the best people come from there

The Irish bashing over the last couple of days is extremely boring.
Most of the 'criticism' comes from really misinformed views. A poster hit the nail on the head the other day when they said it was like people wanted the Irish to get back in their box.

Ireland will deal with it's own problems, the UK can deal with it's own. There are plenty in both countries.

Yes, there has been plenty if Irish bashing. Yes I am sick to the back teeth if it.

Let me be clear. I'm a 30 year old Irish woman. I've never lived anywhere but Ireland. I had an abortion when I was 17, yes I travelled to the UK to do so. I'm am a very active campaigner for womens reproductive rights. So I reckon I kind of know what I'm talking about here.

I voted yes on marriage equality. This does not make me a hypocrite. I was too young to vote in the last referendum on abortion. I campaigned for a yes vote in the mar ref. I also work,tirelessly re abortion. I march, go to meetings, write letters, support women, feck, I even travelled to the UK with one as she couldn't face going alone. Caring about one issue doesn't mean I care not about another.

And to clear up the seeming misconceptions (as faux wide eyed innocent as I suspect many if them are) we are not all god fearing super religious types who start and end every day with 10 decades of the rosary. I have very much opted out if all things catholic - believe it or not, we're free to do so. Oh, and we don't all support the IRA, and plenty of us think Gerry Adams is pure vile.

I've had enough if being patronised, belittled, and spoken down to. Of being spoken about like I'm stupid and in need of educating. Of being told I'm backwards and need rescuing. Of all my efforts and hard work towards the legalisation of abortion in this country rubbished and dismissed. You think you're telling us anything we don't know when you tell us how fucking awful it is that an Irish woman has to travel to the UK for an abortion? Of course we know, we're the ones living it. And actively fighting it as hard as we can.

Well said Shadows

Don't worry, Shadows most people with more than one brain cell realise this; "Caring about one issue doesn't mean I care not about another."

A second well said for Shadows.

Shadows the fact that abortion rights and Gay Rights in NI are never mentioned suggests to me that a lot of these threads are political in intent.

Then again that can't be blamed on the church so maybe it's just church bashing but either way I don believe any of these threads are what they are made out to be.

Shadows

Well said Shadows.

Thanks, everyone. Really, your support means a lot to me.

Indeed, Carrie. Heaven forbid you make any mention of abortion rights in NI in response to all the criticism of us. It's baffling.

I have to say, it's been shocking to realise how many people look down on us and think we're stupid. Or think we're pathetic and in need of pity. Then there are the people who tell us that we're far too proud of Saturday's wonderful result, that we're bragging and posturing and bigging ourselves up far too much. It's been really upsetting.

I think that there has been some blatant anti-Irish comments and a general undercurrent of anti Irish.

And YY to ShadowsCollide's post.

Cannot agree more with Shadows.

As I said on one of the other threads, nobody in Ireland under the age of 65 voted for the 8th amendment and we haven't been given an opportunity to get rid of it (yet). Lots and LOTS of people are campaigning for reproductive rights here, a lot of the same people who campaigned for marriage equality. Also we are not "a Catholic country" except in name any more if actual Mass attendance and religious observance is anything to go by.

So yeah, bit tired of the "WOW it's so WEIRD and IRONIC that the Irish voted for equal marriage when they're all really religious and anti-abortion and craw-thumping priest-ridden lunatics who hate women! And them showing off this week about being so tolerant! Bit hypocritical, yeah? You think they'd sort that out, eh? Maybe we need to TELL them, the poor things. And rescue the poor benighted Irish women who can't help themselves!".

Shadows
I am Irish, living in Ireland. Much older than you are. I have thought long and hard to come to my own view about abortion. If (hopefully when) there is a referendum, I will be voting in whatever way allows Irish women to choose. KOKO.

There is an element on here that does like to kick Ireland and the Irish ...but I suspect the same element comes on to kick people for voting Tory or on parking threads etc etc. Haters gonna hate.

UK women having a go at us for not having abortion need to look to their own back yard, and start asking themselves what they can do for all the women in their own country who don't have access either (NI).

There are plenty of issues you can get involved with if you care about womens rights. Starting threads on MN about what we don't have doesn't help anyone.

I agree with the Irish bashing on here- surprising turn of events. The only thing I will say is I think people in the south might be surprised to realise how many people in the UK don't realise there is no abortion in
NI- I certainly believed that whilst abortions weren't performed there, as Uk citizens and taxpayers NI women were referred to the mainland for their procedures. And I am (along with millions of others, lol) from an Irish family as well as extremely pro choice so have no axe to grind and am not completely unaware of Irish matters. It's not something that is discussed here.

Shadows, thanks for speaking so much sense on here over the past couple of days.

Agree with all of this. A particular high point was the poster who round #hometovote 'upsetting' because she was sure the same people would not travel home to vote in a referendum on Abortion.

YY leedy

The person who was 'really upset' by the Home to Voters really got my goat.

Not only upset, Mitzy, but apparently posters were disgusted at the mawkish sentimentality of it and the hypocritical self congratulation!

I don't understand the confusion about this coming first. Gay marriage is a feel good topic. Most people are sad even having to think of abortion, which is often a difficult choice even in countries where it is not at all restricted.

People usually like seeing people in love. People are often uncomfortable with sadness and difficult situations. Many people have all sorts of thoughts and ideas about pregnancy and when life begins that have nothing to do with Catholicism, maybe as a result of their own experiences eg with infertility or miscarriage or having people with special needs in their lives.

Abortion is a very divisive topic even in countries where it is legal, many conservative religious people in these countries feel it is wrong. That is not something confined to Holy Joes in Ireland, who are increasingly a small part of the demographic.

My grannies had no issue saying yes to gay marriage but both would say no to abortion and in both cases it is not because of the Catholic Church but because of their own experiences with being pregnant and having miscarriages. That is a hard thing to work with. One granny in particular (93, marital rape survivor) is vociferous that abortion is anti woman and just encourages men to sexually abuse women 'and get away scot free'. I don't agree with her but I honestly think people underestimate the strength of feeling about abortion when it's put to popular vote and also the complexity of people's voting reasoning. It suits people to make out it is all about cowed women subjected to spitting priests but it is more complicated than that.

Just to update because apparently I can't add, nobody under the age of 50 voted for the 8th amendment. But yeah, it's hardly still "the will of the people".

Good post duplodon.