Overseas St. Patricks Parades - Embarrassing or Empowering?

futonic

This thread is inspired by yet another thread discussing gay pride. I would like to know boardsies, do you find the St. Patricks day parade in London/Sydney/New York, to be Embarrassing, Empowering, or Do you give a sh1t? do you all know what it REALLY stands for? not just an excuse for a small minority of migrants to get dressed up in silly clothes, drink a lot and generally make fools of themselves.

So good people of AH let me know how you feel. Is it all a bit Oirish? (see it's not offensive because I didn't spell it properly... much like Ghey instead of Gay. Why would a minority need a march eh?)

Nodin

Embiggening.

brummytom

We have the third biggest one here or something I think. It's just an excuse to get paralytic, and that's never a bad thing

7sr2z3fely84g5

One for the "my cousin is irish so im irish and they drink guinness" brigade..

Mr. Denton

The ones in Ireland are embarrassing. They're just copying an American idea after all. Plus they're shíte here. Chicago dye their river green for the day creating an iconic image. Ireland can't even come up with a decent fireworks display.

FTGFOP

With a shilleagh under your arm and a shamrock up your nose, we'll be off to Connemara in the morning!

Kevin Duffy

Sort of like Irish Christmas; nice for kids, meh for most adults, excuse to get hammered for lots of people.

Oranage2

parades are gay!

Badgermonkey

I was in Atlanta and Pasadena for the last 2.

Americans view it sorta like Halloween - they dress up and get sozzled, outside Boston, NYC & Chicago, the association with Ireland seems tenuous and incidental.

Its primary worth is as an exercise in keeping the brand alive.

OPENROAD

Is it March already :eek::eek:

veryangryman

Ive been to the one in NY

I find it empowering that they shut down 8 Avenue for a parade for a bunch of people on a small, largely irrelevant island. And I mirror that sentiment for the other major parades across the world.

Why the hell would you cringe at them? In days where there are few reasons to be proud to be irish, its good to see that major nations acknowledge the day with a parade

tallus

I think the American parades are more to do with a minority showing off it's strength / influence, than a celebration of being Irish.

My name is URL

Too mainstream

Mike 1972

brummytom wrote: »

It's just an excuse to get paralytic, and that's never a bad thing

Now theres an instance of conforming to a derogatory stereotype

Killer Pigeon

They only promote the negative aspects of Ireland.

General General

Israel may control Congress, the Senate & the President... but we control the 17th of March.

The Italians control the unions & the ports.

Daegerty

Mr. Denton wrote: »

Ireland can't even come up with a decent fireworks display.

They could if they weren't so worried about health and safety and the insurance