About being "proud of your roots"

[CleansingSurfaceWipe]

I was just idly reading about Dermot O'Leary being "extremely proud of his Irish roots" (his parents are from Ireland, I believe, though he grew up in England). It suddenly struck me how weird I think that whole concept is.
Is it not just as absurd as someone being "ashamed"of their "roots"? How can they be a cause for either pride or shame?

So "That sounds like an immensely privileged and blinkered thing to say" wasn't actually calling me blinkered, just the things that I say? Yeah, right - the other one has bells on, give it a pull. Customer doesn't seem unnecessarily aggressive and snarky at all.

"Nationality is an accident of birth, like the colour of your skin."

Yes, but you could deny your nationality or espouse it and be proud of it. Same with other kinds of roots.
I've been made fun of for being Welsh, for being a Welsh speaker, for having a Welsh accent, for having an accent that 'betrays' the fact that I'm a Welsh speaker when I'm speaking English, for having a Welsh name, for insisting that I am Welsh and not English, etc. etc. I could easily become ashamed of who I am, but rather I'm proud of it.

Can you answer my question SirChenjin - are you Irish?

No Maud, I won't - you can read the thread.

Although if demonstrating Irishness is so important to you, my maiden name would indeed suggest that my forebears were Irish. And?

My BIL is Irish though. Anything you'd like me to ask him?

Maud it's because you seem to be privileging your experience over everyone elses. We have all experienced jokes and insensitive comments about our country of origin, our cultures and traditions.

How am I being unnecessarily aggressive and snarky?

You've said you're from the SE of England, now living in Scotland.

This:

I am dismissing it your claim there is a widespread, systemic anti-Irish prejudice across the UK - because that is my lived experience of living in multiple parts of the UK and mixing with all kinds of people

Is rather like a man telling a woman that she's wrong in saying she has experienced sexism. Or a white person telling a black person that racism doesn't exist. You, as a non-Irish person, are telling me that my experience of having experienced systemic, low-grade anti-Irish prejudice in the UK is incorrect.

Your reality is not my reality. And you telling me and others that our reality of living in the UK as Irish people doesn't exist is breathtakingly arrogant.

If the country you were born in was not an accident of birth then does that mean you can be proud of your heritage from that country?
When my parents decided to start a family they were working in a different country, consequently they travelled here when my mother was pregnant with my older sister so that she was born here rather than where they were working, therefore it was a conscience decision for her to be born here and the same with me as they worked overseas again between dsis and I. Db was the unlucky one though, he was born overseas and wishes that he wasn't.

I haven't spoken about anyone else's experience at all customercare. Only about my own. Posters often post about their own experiences on MN. Not sure why this is "privileging my experience over everyone else's", especially on a thread that is about being Irish or second-generation Irish in the UK.

You talking about me "claiming the moral high ground", I did find snarky, yes. Don't worry, I won't lose any sleep over it!

And you telling me and others across the UK that we are guilty of widespread systemic anti-Irish prejudice is breathtakingly arrogant.

Im proud to be Scottish, If that makes me proud of my roots then so be it.

I now live in England and dh and ds's are English, and I am even more proud to be Scottish, having deal with the racist shit I've had to deal with the past few months.. apparently I am "foreign" and should speak "English"..

I've lived here for 16 years.. my accent has not changed much, but I've had more abuse aimed at me in the past few months in changing my career.

Probs now off topic, but am proud of my roots, I'm proud of being Scottish

You clearly don't understand the concept of something being 'systemic', SirChenjin. It doesn't mean that every single person is guilty of something. It means that it is endemic in society.

So does that mean that Scottish people are guilty of anti-Irish prejudice despite being on the receiving end of prejudice ourselves?

I understand the concept perfectly maud - I just disagree with you.

well. I work in Lanarkshire - now that's an education

I am proud of my Scottish farming roots. I come from long lines of decent hard working people who did more good than harm. I have lived half my life in SE England and a lot of people have mocked my accent etc. but I think they are jealous. I have a strong identity which cannot be erased.

No you clearly don't, if you think that when I spoke of systemic anti-Irish prejudice in the UK, I meant that every single person in the UK was prejudiced against the Irish SirChenjin. Your statement upthread denying that systemic prejudice exists in the first place in the form of amongst the whole population (or something like that) also betrays that.

derxa, I'm originally from North Lanarkshire, I agree its an education, in itself

Even now I refer to home as Scotland... I do find it funny tho... I asked ds1 to turn the light on the other day and he said, Mum do I turn the big light on or the wee one

And you telling me and others across the UK that we are guilty of widespread systemic anti-Irish prejudice is breathtakingly arrogant.

Of course it's not arrogant. People from a historically oppressed class who speak of present day discrimination are not arrogant. They should be listened to . There are many black people in the US telling white people that there is still rampant racial discrimination in the US. Would I, a white person, be justified in call them arrogant?

Ok Maud and MsJamie, lets all attack the non Irish for their anti Irish systemic prejudice and the non Scottish for their 'racist shit'.

I am proud to be English and tolerant.

No Maud I do - I just disagree with you. It doesn't matter how many times you say I don't you won't be factually correct.

And on that note I am away to a party.

SirChenjin, not sure if your comment is aimed at me... with the Scottish comment...I've only read the first few pages and replied...

Your posts suggest otherwise, SirChenjin.

Erm I am not attacking anyone

Just saw my name there Jamie - I was being facetious in light of the systemic prejudice claim.

Again Maud, in case you didn't get it the first time It doesn't matter how many times you say I don't you won't be factually correct

Pity you can't actually engage and have an adult debate, instead of just repeating over and over again that I'm wrong. Particularly when your posts are there for everyone to read and it's very clear that you haven't understood properly a concept that you claim doesn't exist.