Why is there so much sneering at Americans with European ancestry?

[BrBa]

I don’t understand! I identify with all my ancestors whether they came as religious refugees or early colonisers, were already indigenous to the region or brought in as slaves.

Yours
Swiss, German, Native American North, Central and South, Sephardic, Irish, South East African, Scottish, Acadian/French, and English

Not offended by who was colluding funding ,arming and prottecting the loyalest contingent then ??? British government and armed forces to name but a few .
Ignorant much ?

@Mocara it's just how people work, a story repeated over and over through human history and long before "the British " were ever a thing.

I don't know why it bothers people (particularly British people for some reason). If Joe Biden claimed to be Azerbaijani in the morning, what fuck difference does it make to British people?! 😂

„My DH grandparents came from Poland in the 1930s. Not even his Dad would claim to be anything other than English. Cos that was where he was born and lived his whole life.”
It depends on individual families and how strongly they identify with their heritage.
My daughter, who is half Polish and half English, attended a Polish weekend school here in the UK. When I met her teachers, I assumed that they were recent immigrants from Poland. It turned out most of them were born and raised in the UK. They still see themselves as Polish- British.
In places like USA and Canada, there are a lot of communities who strongly identify with their Italian, Polish, Irish, Chinese, etc. heritage . They still preserve their traditions, cook their cuisine. Many of them speak their heritage languages, even if they are the second, third or fourth generation of immigrants.
It’s fine if somebody, whose parents/grandparents came from another country, sees themselves as just English/American/Australian, etc.
However, there is nothing wrong with seeing yourself as Italian-Canadian, Irish-American, Chinese-English or Polish-Australian, even though your family emigrated generations ago.
Nobody has a right to say; you are just American/English because you were born there. You are not Irish/German/Italian because you have never lived there.
In fact quite often it is untrue. There are countries which give automatic citizenship to the children of their citizens(e.g. if one of your parents is Polish, you are a Polish citizen regardless of where you live).

The lack of insight and naivety was horrendous, otherwise I'd be forced to believe that they were happy to fund the slaughter of so many.

Exactly. It seems to be one of the rules of American politics that anyone wanting to run for the highest office has to find some Irish ancestry to tick that box, failing Irish then they have to find other Celtic roots, eg Trump's Scottish roots.

I've always found this interesting. Because it seems if you're white you can be British, American etc. But if you have coloured skin you'll always be asked "where you're from". Interesting there's a double standard. I always thought people said they were from a certain country after a few generations ie American, Australian, because they didn't actually know where they were from

I find it odd too. Having one great grandparent who is Irish means having seven who aren’t.

To be fair, virtually all American presidents (with the ignoble exception of 45) identify as Irish. Even this dude

I agree with you, but I think the post you're referring to reveals exactly why people do this, and why they don't claim to be 'English American'. It's because they think their heritage makes them on the side of the 'goodies' and so they get some sort of moral virtue by association without actually having to bother to do anything in particular.

If Biden claimed British heritage in the same way right now I am pretty sure that Boris Johnson or Rishi Sunak would have played on this in the same manner as they did the 'special relationship'. Ireland has always had a strong connection with America and while I have many problems with aspects of the politics of that country at the very least without American support the GFA and peace in NI would not have happened.

Because they unironically use a one drop rule and usually be the extreme charactisation , go onto Reddit which is predominantly American in usage and look at how the Americans get treated in national subs.

So much so it is now becoming an internet meme and why you are suddenly being aware and offended by it.

A great song - thank you! But tongue-in-cheek as I'm sure you know: he was pleased to acknowledge Irish ancestry but I don't think he ever claimed it shaped him. And yes with patterns of Irish immigration to the US, not surprising you find ancestors for all the presidents.

But it's also about identity. Kennedy and Biden very obviously had life long connections to Ireland, shaped by family tradition, education, religion, politics. Biden would be a very different man (and likely not a president!) without his Irish roots and identity. So all power to him. The Irish diaspora is a real force.

What do you mean by "even this dude" when you refer to Obama?

Are you being just a little bit racist, there?

“i identify with all my ancestors…

Yours
Swiss, German, Native American North, Central and South, Sephardic, Irish, South East African, Scottish, Acadian/French, and English”

Well, like a PP said it’s more bewilderment than sneering. Trotting out words like “identify” - in what way exactly do you “identify with both your Swiss and Native American (very distant) relatives? I just don’t see that you can. It just sounds like you’ve done Ancestry DNA and are attention seeking over being Jewish and African and Scottish. I mean, basically - bollocks are you! Hence - bewilderment. It’s laughably tenuous.

That explanation conveniently forgets that Britain was invaded and oppressed by a variety of other people throughout history.

Also that the Irish themselves were colonisers.

Its cherry picking history

Let’s be honest. The sneering is purely as Joe Biden, one of the most powerful men on earth is immensely proud of and lives out his Irish heritage. Many British people (as evident with racist cartoons in one of the main papers, on Twitter and general sneering in U.K. media that prompted the OP to start this thread) view Irish people as lesser and so can’t stand that someone so important is giving Ireland and Irishness centre stage in the world and media.

Mmm. But it's mass migration of the 19th century in particular that shaped Irish-American culture, and the continuation through the 20th century that shaped ideas of Irish diaspora.

I don't disagree with you about settlers and colonisers - it's not as simple as that. But the fact that the Irish in their major waves of emigration left reluctantly and often in traumatic circumstances shaped their bonds to each other and to Ireland for generations afterwards. These things fade. But you are still seeing them play out in Irish and American culture now.

I was interested in his emphasis on democracy and republicanism.

I am less surprised than I was that he's not going to Charles's coronation. I don't think that's about disliking or disrespecting Britain. But as he puts it - values.

No. Because we really don't care and think its utterly bizarre. Its not just British people either. Europeans think this too.

Fair enough if its your parents possibly grandparents, but otherwise claiming you are XYZ because of long dead ancestors makes you look like a fool. Its fake and smacks of a fetish.

Where does it stop? I guess I must identify as a Viking lol.

"Brits seem to be raging that the POTUS went to Ireland and swerved the UK. That is where the sneering is coming from I think."

@CordyLines You couldn't be more wrong - I'm a 'Brit' and I couldn't care less that Biden is visiting Ireland - why would we?!

The main issue of the thread is something I do - I don't understand why Americans don't just say they're American. It's usually Irish American, Italian American, African American etc. For one of the most patriotic countries in the world, American people are very keen to claim that they're from elsewhere.

I have Italian blood in my family but I'd NEVER describe myself as "Italian British". Neither would most people from other countries - it's a peculiarly American thing.

@Anonymous48 "To many Americans, saying "I'm Irish" means "I'm Irish American."

Yes, we know that - but saying "Irish American" etc is ridiculous if 2+ generations of you were born and raised in the US!

Ironically Biden has just as much one drop rule heritage to the Uk as he does Ireland, and the fact that it has become tradition for Americans to joke about who will be the Irish connection to share a pint of Guinness with after they have done the essential first few phone calls and visits to the UK on inauguration be.

American presidents want to keep there tax efficient companies in the EU via Ireland, the average American embarrasses themselves by bring up black and tan up the ra rhetoric at any possible convenience and get all U.S.A with any criticism.

This.

We lives in the US for a while and SO MANY would claim to be Irish, or Scottish hey they’d never been and they were 5th generation. Ridiculous

It's all just a bit odd. Joe Biden seems to be on a holiday combined with a state visit, playing up his Irish heritage which is in the distant past at best.

I used to live in the US and it's true that few are happy to be 'just' American, however I'm afraid I agree that if they could find some sort of link to bring Irish American then it seemed to have extra kudos.

I probably have similar Irish roots to Joe Biden but it wouldn't occur to be to describe myself as of Irish heritage.