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?

Oh sorry MsFraser, I thought you were attacking the English for subjecting you to 'racist shit'. Maybe I should have said 'complaining about'

I will always complain about anyone who makes racist comments, too me they are narrow minded and uneducated twats!, no matter what country they were born into.

But NO I wont and never will be intolerant of anyone tbh!, same the same cannot be said to myself because of my place of birth.

Dh and my sons are English to slate someone over being English is like slatting my immediate family. It makes no sense.

Tbf customercare, I am struggling to understand how you came to the conclusion from my post that I was attacking English people? when I am the one who is being attacked with racist comments for being Scottish.

Not looking for a bun fight, just confused somewhat.

Anyway never mind its been cleared up, Im off to watch a film with Ds's.

sirchenjin very invested in to telling a number of Irish posters that they're wrong.

I don't think that normal English people are bigoted or racist. I think that their perception of Ireland is one that is just that, a perception. It's not the reality and often the disparity between the two is jarring for Irish people.

Plenty of Irish people could tell you that assumptions, generalisations, and ''jokes'' are commonplace, that their accents are teased...... and this could be from friends! Imo it's not ''bigotry''. It's assumption, it's thinking you knwo. That to be Irish is the short straw compared with being British which is the winning ticket.

We could argue all day sirchenjin but I am an Irish person who lived in London for years.

Are you of a certain age - because I don't believe my DCs have any view on Irish people.

I find it surprising that there are anti Irish jokes today. I've met many Irish in many places and they seemed popular and likeable, their dry wit and down to earth attitude could be relied on.

I am "proud" of the country I am from, as it's an awesome place. I really don't see the issue.

I think younger people will definitely not have the anti irish ingrained trait that their older generations had. Of course it exists, subtle and even unconscious and then the not so subtle. I also feel it towards Catholicism - again subtle and ingrained.

I felt that I was assumed to be working class because I was Irish. If I had been working class I wouldn't have noticed that. But there were occasions where I thought, hang on, what you think of me, and what I think of me, they don't match. And before I'm accused of being a snob, it doesn't matter but it is definitely interesting that Irish equals working class in the UK in a way that French or German does not. ie, yes, be here, be likeable, be popular, but know your PLACE. ie, not quite as good as Us. There is a bit of that. It's not so palpable that you'd be struggling to ignore it on a daily basis, but it's subtle and it exists.

And the jokes don't have to be nasty , it'd be more along the lines of rehashing stereotypes.......

The Irish incomers were Navvys in the past. Didn't they build the M6/ M1 - before my time so I'm not sure. Any few French and Germans would have been skilled tradesmen or professionals most likely. Google says the M1 was built in 1959 so we are going back a long way. There's always been Irish nurses working in Britain, my DM prewar had Irish nurses working with her.

Ninared I've just seen your delightful comment from earlier today. Presumably you wouldn't say the same thing to a Nigerian, Indian, Chinese person?

It is my prerogative as an EU citizen to live freely in any other EU country if my choosing, without, thankfully, having to justify myself to the likes of you.

However, my pride in being Irish doesn't mean I should forever remain there ffs! I haven't moaned about living in England aside from saying I feel annoyed at the questioning of my nationality and the usual jobs and teasing -annoying, but generally borne of ignorance or lightheartedness. In fact I love living in England, I just have no desire to be English - nor should I surely?!

In any event, my DH is English and has no desire to move to Ireland, so here we will remain.

Jibes not jobs!

Well, yes scoobydoo, but what's your reason for pointing that history out? Is it to justify negative assumptions that you acknowledge still exist!?

scarlettf0x
it doesn't matter but it is definitely interesting that Irish equals working class in the UK in a way that French or German does not

It was in response to this. Does Irish equal working class? Not ime.

I am a bit flummoxed at the comments by Irish posters that they are mocked and joked at by the english natives.

I'm scottish and would say comments about stingey or drunken scots don't register, when I lived in the SE of England there were so many incomers that they outnumbered the SEasterners by a long shot. So there wasn't really an opportunity to feel got at.

Irish to me means friendly, witty and v chatty, so perhaps the 'negative' comments received by other posters are due to Irish people coming across as friendly and well able to take a joke, more so than some from other parts of the country, hence they receive jibes more often than most.

It might be that it isn't being Irish but having what seems to snobby folk a regional accent which could make them think they're superior but that would apply to most regions of the uk.

This response is too literal

"I am a bit flummoxed at the comments by Irish posters that they are mocked and joked at by the english natives."

It's subtle and it's ingrained. It's not unpleasant. It's an assumption, that all of the assumptions (!) so safely held are the truth. The jokes and the banter are delivered right to your door with bonhomie ...... and most of the time, you laugh right back. Cos you've already said, no, I only have two sisters, no I am not Catholic, no my mum's not called Mary, no actually my father's not a builder, we don't say oh jesus all the time

I'm not implying that English people were unpleasant or rude or snippy to me. It's the sort of thing that your come to realise gradually. Eg, I didn't realise what a sanctimonious article Oprah Winfrey was at first. I thought she was a really nice woman. You have to watch the show quite a lot to get that she judges anybody for remaining in poverty because she escaped it. And again, don't take that too literally, it's an example!

FWIW this is the main OED definition of pride:

"A feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements, the achievements of one’s close associates, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired".

I always end up wondering about definitions on these kinds of threads.

only read the OP
Pride is often a dodgy emotion. No one's got any right to be proud of something they had no control over. I feel lucky that I have the good roots that I have, and pleased with myself that I've overcome the crap roots that I have.