'Americans think the Irish are crazy and drink a lot'

Biggins

'Americans think the Irish are crazy and drink a lot'

Irish J1 students had difficulty getting jobs in California this summer because of their party-animal reputation. ‘A few Irish visitors are ruining it for everyone,’ they tell Stephen Mangan and Hugh McDowell

FOR SOME IRISH students, a summer of partying, surfing, and occasionally working, in California is considered a rite of passage. With all of the liberties and none of the responsibilities associated with adulthood, fun is guaranteed – but at what price to Californians?

In recent years, the reputation of young Irish people has been smeared by trouble and vandalism has been tarnished in popular American west-coast resorts such as Santa Barbara and San Diego. US beach resorts and cities experience a summer influx of Irish students year after year, but the reputation of some areas has been damaged because of behaviour linked to socialising and partying.

In 2005 the resort of Isla Vista in Santa Barbara, California, was the scene of an investigation by police after a group of Irish students caused $15,000 (€11,400) worth of damage in three apartments at an accommodation complex.
The problems are ongoing. This summer alone, Irish students are believed have caused $20,000 (€15,100) worth of damage, says William Sanchez, property manager of the Breakpointe apartment complex in Isla Vista. Sanchez describes housing Irish students as “the worst experience ever.

Last Tuesday night there was a couple of grand worth of damage done. Some Irish students were throwing microwaves into a swimming pool. It’s been going on for years.

Article continues: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2010/0807/1224276359790.html?via=mr

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So the question I put before the jury of After Hours is: Are a small number of Irish students ruining all the rest of Irish youths chances and reputation abroad - or are we as a nation just now just exporting our version of the "British Lager Lout" ?

SeaFields

"Irish think the american are fat, stupid and trigger happy!"

Biggins

Biggins wrote:

our version of the "British Larger Lout"

Larger than what? :pac:

But yes, I would say irish students have a bad rep abroad, and it's nothing new...

I loved the two J1's I went on. I had the craic. Although I see no reason for destroying houses. i was in Hyannis last year and the only thing the Irish there got in trouble for was noise violations.

Pittens

Deleted User wrote: »

I loved the two J1's I went on. I had the craic. Although I see no reason for destroying houses. i was in Hyannis last year and the only thing the Irish there got in trouble for was noise violations.

Is that where the 22 were locked up?

Pittens

Pittens wrote: »

Is that where the 22 were locked up?

Yeah. For noise violation.:rolleyes:

Overheal

I dont think you're crazy and drink a lot: I know you're crazy and drink a lot. Big difference.

Paco Rodriguez

Just the Americans think that?

SEPT 23 1989

Boys will be boys

mikom

Biggins wrote: »

'Americans think the Irish are crazy and drink a lot'

Biggins wrote: »

says William Sanchez, property manager of the Breakpointe apartment complex in Isla Vista......

Whilst spilling tequila all over his poncho as he swigs from the bottle.

BASHIR

Was in Hyannis last year too ,All of my friends had jobs and they knew our "reputation" for drinking. Our employer actually gave us the day off every Thursday because Wednesday night was Irish night after been pretty hungover one morning, honestly imo OP I think it was got to do with location and the availability of jobs rather than our reputation

ringadingding

Any American i've met can't drink soup !

Pittens

Deleted User wrote: »

Yeah. For noise violation.:rolleyes:

Well done the US then. Hope they come out as old men.

Im setting up a keep the 22 Hyannis locked up forever fb page.

Cypher_sounds

Biggins wrote: »

'Americans think the Irish are crazy and drink a lot'

Well we are a nation of people that drink a huge amount of booze so the yanks are right

seawolf145

Biggins wrote: »

'Americans think the Irish are crazy and drink a lot'




Article continues: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2010/0807/1224276359790.html?via=mr

---

So the question I put before the jury of After Hours is: Are a small number of Irish students ruining all the rest of Irish youths chances and reputation abroad - or are we as a nation just now just exporting our version of the "British Lager Lout" ?

The Americans think the hole world is worse then them,so i wouldnt worry to much

spider guardian

i'd have been more shocked if the article read "americans think irish students are sober, quiet and studious".

look at the way the irish are depicted in family guy and the simpsons, it's a stereotype that needs only a few madheads to propagate

Einhard

Biggins wrote: »

So the question I put before the jury of After Hours is: Are a small number of Irish students ruining all the rest of Irish youths chances and reputation abroad - or are we as a nation just now just exporting our version of the "British Lager Lout" ?

We do drink a lot. The craziness is largely a consequence of that.

BASHIR

Pittens wrote: »

Well done the US then. Hope they come out as old men.

Im setting up a keep the 22 Hyannis locked up forever fb page.

Being there last year from what i remember it was this small few that gave the rest of us a bad name, it was always the same house that had the reputation for having the cops over. So ya your right in a way the minority can ruin it for the rest.

Einhard

spider guardian wrote: »

look at the way the irish are depicted in family guy and the simpsons, it's a stereotype that needs only a few madheads to propagate

Actually I think there's more truth in it than the average stereotype.

JONJO THE MISER

A lot of Americans espically in well to do cities are very sheltered, if they heard a few people fighting and having the craic they would say its the end of the world, you can be sure a lot of mommy's and daddy's are warning there daughters to stay away from the wild Irish, might visit there myself some time, seems like a blast:D

Amhran Nua

BASHIR wrote: »

So ya your right in a way the minority can ruin it for the rest.

I'd agree with this, I'm living in an estate near the Uni and there are a good few student houses around about. 95% of them are sound, quiet, and confine the parties to the weekend, but there are a few (always the same) houses where you eventually have to get the college authorities to fine them.

johngalway

They're right.

fontanalis

Remember The Sunday World had a story a few years back where a few Irish students damaged property in San Diego? I met a fella in New York when I was there one summer about 10 years ago and he said Irish people had a bad name there due to people mucking around and not paying bills. All it takes is a couple bad experiences of someone form a different nationality to get an ugly picture of a whole group. There are alot of stereotypes floating around Ireland of nationalities.

seawolf145

fontanalis wrote: »

Remember The Sunday World had a story a few years back where a few Irish students damaged property in San Diego? I met a fella in New York when I was there one summer about 10 years ago and he said Irish people had a bad name there due to people mucking around and not paying bills. All it takes is a couple bad experiences of someone form a different nationality to get an ugly picture of a whole group. There are alot of stereotypes floating around Ireland of nationalities.

Why isnt the yanks so popular abroad i wonder?Not the Irish fault is it?

Rubik.

And frat boys are models of sobriety and clean living.:rolleyes:

47

MOST OF THEM ARE RETARDED

fontanalis

seawolf145 wrote: »

Why isnt the yanks so popular abroad i wonder?Not the Irish fault is it?

What (to the power of infinity)?

titan18

I can see where they'd get that from tbh

JONJO THE MISER

I must say im shocked, there wasn't a mention of swans in the whole article, oh wait that's the Polish:p

Sisko

Don't they go crazy themselves for what they call spring break?

St._Andalou

A lot of Irish people have stereotypical views of Americans. They're fat. They're stupid. They all keep guns under their beds, etc.

Why are we so shocked that other countries hold stereotypical views of us? It works both ways.

There is a large percentage of Irish people who are normal amongst their own but for some reason seem to play up to every Irish stereotype when they meet a foreigner or go abroad.

As for this J1 thing, it's difficult. I'm just out of college, and my experience is a minority -- I would say a sizeable minority -- behave attrociously when they do their J1. Don't forget that Americans have very different views on alcohol comsumption to us.

Also, keep in mind that this article refers to the ones who go to California -- Santa Barbara and San Diego. The students who go to these places are by far the worst of the bunch.

I remember reading an article in which a judge in San Diego complained that his whole summer was taken up by Irish students running amuck. I think he ended it by telling one of the guilty to tell his friends not to come back next year.

So it's fair to say it's not just one or two giving the majority a bad name.

seawolf145

St._Andalou wrote: »

T Don't forget that Americans have very different views on alcohol comsumption to us.
.

Dont forget the americans have a total different view of the world than we have.They think everything evolves around america and that america is the best thing on the planet.

Good luck

St._Andalou

seawolf145 wrote: »

Dont forget the americans have a total different view of the world than we have.They think everything evolves around america and that america is the best thing on the planet.

Good luck

Bit strong, don't you think?

But see what I mean? (Mis)conceptions work both ways.

seawolf145

St._Andalou wrote: »

Bit strong, don't you think?

But see what I mean? (Mis)conceptions work both ways.

Maybe on your planet not mine!!!

sock puppet

seawolf145 wrote: »

Dont forget the americans have a total different view of the world than we have.They think everything evolves around america and that america is the best thing on the planet.

Good luck

Quite the obsessed little critter aren't you?

MagicMarker

Breaking News

Water is wet.

seensensee

Excessive alcohol consumption is well renowned to cause mental health problems hence the "crazy" lable. Irish drinkers are known to consume more alcohol than many other nations, this has its consequences...
http://alcoholireland.ie/?p=1425
http://www.examiner.ie/ireland/country-has-almost-250000-alcoholics-95167.html

“Young people are inundated with sophisticated alcohol marketing whether on television, cinema, the internet, or social networking sites such as Facebook - it’s hard to imagine a sports, music or other cultural event in Ireland that isn’t sponsored by the alcohol industry. It’s time we recognise the cost of binge drinking and the price we all pay.”

Killer Pigeon

SeaFields wrote: »

"Irish think the american are fat, stupid and trigger happy!"

Yes American are fat, stupid and trigger happy but at least us Irish don't have a superiority complex and fearful of identifying our weaknesses, such as alcoholism, etc.,

(... and c'mon people, Ireland drinks more alcohol per capita than nearly any other country in the world.)

K-9

Killer Pigeon wrote: »

but at least us Irish don't have a superiority complex

Yeah, everybody loves us. How could we be superior?

PeterIanStaker

its funny cos its true

mufcboy1999

imagine a few of us real irish dole heads in america on spring break by god we would show them a real session

BASHIR

BASHIR wrote: »

Was in Hyannis last year too ,All of my friends had jobs and they knew our "reputation" for drinking. Our employer actually gave us the day off every Thursday because Wednesday night was Irish night after been pretty hungover one morning, honestly imo OP I think it was got to do with location and the availability of jobs rather than our reputation

Bashir lived on sea street. Sea street boys were sound. I lived in 269B Bashir.

Lloyd Xmas

Following on from this article, here's another incident from Australia that happened last night.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/passenger-assaults-cab-driver-steals-and-torches-taxi/comments-e6frf7kx-1225902323981

Its a shame really; but a lot of Irish youngsters are geared towards drinking as much as possible when abroad and have little respect for those around them.

Our ratio of backpackers etc wouldn't be as high as other countries yet time and again Irish kids feature in the headlines.

I think we really need to cop on otherwise we won't be welcome anywhere.
I've experienced nasty comments and seen initial enthusiasm from potential employers vanish, purely because i'm Irish. Its the reliability factor.
Is this lad gonna be reliable or will out on the pi$$ every night and hanging the next day. (I drink very rarely by the way)

Whether we like it or not, people think this is the way we all carry on.
I don't hold it against anyone who views me in this way, because being honest, people will mostly look to categorize, therefore its down to us to present ourselves in a better light.

Honestly, what was the chap thinking when he thought the above would be a good idea

Well, I was working at landscaping in Hyannis. I never missed a day of work despite partying to 5AM most nights. Most of our friends were appreciative of the jobs we had. We wouldn't have let our employers down no matter how hung over we were.

Lloyd Xmas

Good man; but a lot of employers want people to be ready and fresh for a days work... That's not to say you weren't, but there are plenty who'll head into work in sh!t shape.

If i'm an employer and I hire someone in a customer facing role, what kind of impression does my business give off if the eyeballs are hanging out of the lad on the front desk.

A lot of employers just won't take the chance with the Irish because of the reputation that's been built up; they'd rather shoot with a German etc... because they're reliable and never in the headlines.

Celly Smunt

Lloyd Xmas wrote: »

they'd rather shoot with a German etc... because they're reliable and never in the headlines.

WWII begs to differ

Lloyd Xmas

Lloyd Xmas wrote: »

Good man; but a lot of employers want people to be ready and fresh for a days work... That's not to say you weren't, but there are plenty who'll head into work in sh!t shape.

If i'm an employer and I hire someone in a customer facing role, what kind of impression does my business give off if the eyeballs are hanging out of the lad on the front desk.

A lot of employers just won't take the chance with the Irish because of the reputation that's been built up; they'd rather shoot with a German etc... because they're reliable and never in the headlines.

I was doing landscaping. Been Irish was a major advantage with clients no matter hungover I was. They always thought I was the mexican's boss.

minidazzler

They're students, they tend to think they're immune to everything, alot of students are pretty damn scummy TBH, but when students do scummy sh1t it's put down to youthful indiscretion, when scumbags do the same stuff, it's scummy!

spaceman67

After spendind some time in dublin I think OMG, Irish are not really europeans, ,you are drinking like there is no tomorrow , you are disrespectfull to your neighbours, your puke is everywhere,street of dublin are filthy ,you are noisy at night. You think this behaviour is fun and something to be proud of ? , wow impressive you got drunk in CA and people should admire you for that? go to ibiza and do that there, but you can't trash place,and if you came to work you work and have fun, but behave. Europeans know you as bunch of trashy drunks so do americans,sorry but you dont deserve no respect, and your accent SUCKS

DingChavez

spaceman67 wrote: »

After spendind some time in dublin I think OMG, Irish are not really europeans, ,you are drinking like there is no tomorrow , you are disrespectfull to your neighbours, your puke is everywhere,street of dublin are filthy ,you are noisy at night. You think this behaviour is fun and something to be proud of ? , wow impressive you got drunk in CA and people should admire you for that? go to ibiza and do that there, but you can't trash place,and if you came to work you work and have fun, but behave. Europeans know you as bunch of trashy drunks so do americans,sorry but you dont deserve no respect, and your accent SUCKS

Baby's first troll.

seawolf145

sock puppet wrote: »

Quite the obsessed little critter aren't you?

Really and what are you then?And i am not little,6`3" and 230 pounds.