To think that the Peter Brookes cartoon of Joe Biden in the Times is pretty offensive towards Irish people?

[Hedwigharlot]

The cartoon depicts him dressed as a leprechaun. It's like a depiction of Irish people from a Punch Magazine in the 19th century. Who thought it was appropriate? And why are the British media working themselves up into such a jealous frenzy over Biden coming to Ireland? Very poor behaviour.

Here is a photo of Americans dressed as Leprechauns on St Patrick’s to identify with their Irish-ness.
Here is a photo of Irish football fans using the Leprechaun trope.
Here is a photo of a General Mills breakfast cereal using a Leprechaun to promote its Lucky Charms breakfast cereal that you find “at the end of the rainbow.”

This stuff is tiresome, but to single out the Times for picking up on s well known trope that Biden has dove into head first seems a bit of a stretch.

Of course its fucking racist. But apparently its ok to be racist towards irish people.

The truth is very amusing indeed.

@belleager
I totally agree with this

Exactly. If this was aimed at any other indigenous group there would be world wide outrage.

@GreyGreyGrey Irish people can do what we want with our own culture and stereotypes. British newspapers can't. Black people can use the n word, white people can't.

Does that include the estimated 6 million Brits who qualify for Irish citizenship through a parent or grandparent?

He's not much more Irish than English and the Biden name comes from Sussex, he's a plonker about it and he's trying to play the arbiter when he's clearly biased against the UK. The joke is on him, not the Irish. I'd want him to loose if Trump wasn't his likely opponent.

I think you are assuming Ireland is like Britain (if that is where you are from). They are very different in some ways.

Ireland acknowledges that it has a worldwide diaspora - people whose ancestors emigrated recently, or generations ago. Famine and evictions drove many of these people into exile in the 19th century. If you visit Dublin, you will find genealogical services and museums dedicated to this theme. I don't know how "Irish" you are, but Biden's story is a common one to Irish people. I don't see anything equivalent in Britain, but if you know Irish history and culture, this makes sense. Everyone has family in America. There's no pantomime. Ireland has an important history of diaspora, emigration, return, renewal, connection.

I have always disagreed with that. It shouldn't be allowed.

Irish people can be Irish any way they like @GreyGreyGrey

Why not? Many other countries have similar rules.

Ireland has a completely different outlook from Britain in that it recognises and values its huge diaspora. Emigration has been a part of Irish history for hundreds of years.

Very clearly it is. Have you seen the cartoon?

Do you not sense the seething jealousy?

Loving the suggestions of some really obscure meta humour here

Yeah, that's what this cartoon is.

Also worth noting that the Irish language will never recover from the penal laws. Words, phrases, customs are lost forever. As a ruthless oppressor Britain has done so much harm to Ireland. And this is something that must be acknowledged. That right now a lot of generational British prospered by starving Irish people to death.
A British newspaper printing such a cartoon would be like an American one mocking slavery.

Because as far as I'm concerned Irish citizenship is handed out like sweets. It's too easy to get even illegals are being made citizens.

My Irish family are all for us claiming our citizenship rights (I have it automatically through my father as he was Irish) but I can pass it on to my children too. They think we’d be mad not too.

This website itself is extremely anti-Irish yet it never gets called out on here.
I actually think the opposite, I was always worried I shouldn’t be commenting on a uk website as I’m Irish but have never faced anyone commenting on the fact that when I make comparisons I use Irish references (eg I’ll talk about pennys not Primark or quote the euro). The people who get offended by leprechauns etc are people who’ll get offended no matter what, sure as Irish we capitalise on oirishness when it suits us- look at our touristy shops, at guinesses etc

You sound extremely self hating so I'm not going to waste my time writing a longer reply.

@DandyMandy The 'illegals' as you call them have lived and worked in Ireland and passed the citizenship test, the same as most other countries. They enhance our country, nobody wanted to come here for years because we were a struggling new independent state.

Wait, I can't work this out? How many generations do you have to go back before you move from being a victim of British oppression to being a British coloniser? Would I be getting reparations or putting my hand in my pocket? Does it depend on how jealous or not jealous I am?

God forbid anyone should offend the delicate sensibilities of the DUP, who are in danger of being relegated to second largest political party in NI, en route to the dustbin of history.

All the combined Unionist parties are currently outnumbered by Sinn Fein, Alliance, and the SDLP.

I am Irish living in UK with children (father is not Irish) who don't have a strong connection to their Irish heritage. However, I think if I was forced to leave Ireland because of the Great Hunger I might have made more of an effort to ensure my kids were connected to their Irish heritage. I do think the Great Hunger has had a long lasting impact on the subsequent generations and still reverberates today.

I don't know a whole lot about Biden but I know the part of Ireland very well his family left for the US. I am sure he is thinking of vote share.

THIS ^^

So it's OK to depict Irish people as leprechauns if you're not Irish? Because it looks to you as if the Irish have embraced the leprechaun thing?

If your answer is yes, then you've got a lot of education ahead of you.

Begin with a look at rap and dig deep into why certain terms are OK for some to use and not OK for others