Why are there so few "weird" Irish people compared to in the US?

Thomas24

I've gone to school and lived in the US and here for about the same time. What I find interesting is that the US has a lot more weird people.

Now you'll all be saying "We have knackers, scum teens etc" but almost all of these people you can agree don't fit into society. They are seen as outcasts. Scum teens tend to drop out of school, get into drinking, pregnancy, drugs and can't do anything productive.

In America the weird people are considered to be nihilist, misanthropists, conspiracy theorists, sociopaths but these does not generally impede their ability to be a successful member of society. e.g Donald Trump

From personal experience have never more than 1 sociopath in Ireland at the workplace. I knew 2 guys in my former community school here who were sociopaths and learned later that they ended up in jail. . In America that's definitely not the same story.

So is it population size, different cultures etc?

imitation

Population size I would guess, combined with the fact there seems to be poor mental health facilities for low income people.

Also as a nation we are as about as cynical as they come..

Niemoj

Island of Ireland: 6.5m-ish.

'Murica: 323m+.

You're bound to encounter more diverse people groups with such huge numbers like 'Murica has.

Rothko

Because America is a lot larger

silverharp

its the lack of a Wallmart here. If you google "people of wallmart" and people of Tesco , completely different....

AnonoBoy

Well I've met one new weird person today.

AnonoBoy

silverharp wrote: »

its the lack of a Wallmart here. If you google "people of wallmart" and people of Tesco , completely different....

So you're saying Wallmart is manufacturing these strange individuals?

blinding

Historically maybe a lot of the headers emigrated and the other less obvious headers stayed at home.

Ireland is not short of headers at home or abroad.

some headers might even be proud of this:eek::eek:

Fratton Fred

In Ireland we have plenty of weirdos, they generally represent Kerry in the Dial.

lawlolawl

We have plenty of weirdos in this country.

Go on any form of public transport in Ireland or go to any Irish city.

Headcases aplenty.

the evasion_kid

I thinks it's part down to the drugs they do,lot of mentallers in new York seem to have crack and oxycontin addictions same as toronto. Remember walking home from work one day and some fella outside a church asked me had I any percs(percocets) he clearly wasn't the full shilling from doing them,his movements were all eratic and agitated. It might sound harsh but there a softer bunch over that direction,doesn't take much to happen in their lives to send them under.

Baron Kurtz

Niemoj wrote: »

Island of Ireland: 6.5m-ish.

'Murica: 323m+.

You're bound to encounter more diverse people groups with such huge numbers like 'Murica has.

Why are you writing it like that?:)

bodhrandude

You are just not going to the right places, go to Body & Soul Festival and Electric Picnic festival, Knockanstockan Festival, you will find Irish weirdness to the core.

FalconGirl

the evasion_kid wrote: »

I thinks it's part down to the drugs they do,lot of mentallers in new York seem to have crack and oxycontin addictions same as toronto. Remember walking home from work one day and some fella outside a church asked me had I any percs(percocets) he clearly wasn't the full shilling from doing them,his movements were all eratic and agitated. It might sound harsh but there a softer bunch over that direction,doesn't take much to happen in their lives to send them under.

I'd agree with that. They like their meds over there. They have pharmacies over there the same size of supermarkets over here.

Niemoj

Baron Kurtz wrote: »

Why are you writing it like that?:)

Like what?

5rtytry56

Taking a cold hard nosed business look, the kind of shops that "weirdos" visit don't really last any longer than 6 months. Most of the shops they visit are the "pop up" type, and nothing more.

Baron Kurtz

Niemoj wrote: »

Like what?

The 'Murica thing.

the evasion_kid

FalconGirl wrote: »

I'd agree with that. They like their meds over there. They have pharmacies over there the same size of supermarkets over here.

The doctors must be flicking and bouncing the pills off their foreheads when they enter their office,it's ridiculous,.the dive bar around the corner from were I lived was like a pharmaceutical black market with the patrons selling off their prescriptions.

The Backwards Man

We're just better than them.

No offence Americans.

traprunner

Less chemtrails here.

Pat Mustard

Ireland was pretty sheltered up to about 25 years ago.

There was not a great deal of cultural or ethnic diversity in Ireland at that time. The bar for 'unusual' may have been to watch cricket sometimes, never mind playing such a game. Mormons would have been regarded as nothing short of weird.

If an Irish person went to the USA after having grown up with that level of localism during the 1990s or before, he or she could prepare to have their mind blown with exposure to different ethnicities, sports, etc.

Or you could ask an American what they think of the homogeneity of Irish people, perhaps among Irish men more so than Irish women. One American woman told me that she thought that Irish men seemed to be hugely over-represented by skinny guys with similar short haircuts, similar shirts and jeans. Possibly somewhat unfair but maybe there was an element of truth to it, at the same time.

Dravokivich

Its the fluoride in the water making us all docile.

The Backwards Man

traprunner wrote: »

Less chemtrails here.

Na, we're on one of the busiest flight paths in the world, if anything we should be moooooooorreeee looooooppppppyyyyyyy!

endacl

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=576
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1076

:rolleyes:

And to a lesser extent...
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=572
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=457
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=151

:pac:

osarusan

Dravokivich wrote: »

Its the fluoride in the water making us all docile.

We need to look after our bodily essence.

Nekarsulm

I sometimes wonderif its due to the scale of the country, and it's population size?
Its a lot easier to stand out in Ireland , and be considered "individual" than in America. All you have to do is perform a jumpy dance around a pint of Guinness and you get your 15 minutes of tv celebrity.
In a vast landmass like America, those with a deep need to be noticed/understood have more difficulty, especially if they have no skills to allow them success.
The transient nature of life in the States probably add to their feeling of insignificance and annoynamity.
If you need to be noticed, your options are limited. Possibly one reason for the seemingly high occurance of mass shootings.?

The Randy Riverbeast

Here we might have 10 weirdos, doing rough maths you might get 1000 in the US with the same proportion. Those weirdos can form groups a lot easier.

SEPT 23 1989

the heat over there sends them mad

endacl

The Randy Riverbeast wrote: »

Here we might have 10 weirdos, doing rough maths you might get 1000 in the US with the same proportion. Those weirdos can form groups a lot easier.

Ah. The much-vaunted Weirdo Accretion Theory?

Firefox11

osarusan wrote: »

We need to look after our bodily essence.

or sap and impurify our precious bodily fluids...

L'Enfer du Nord

Traditionally a lot of our 'wiredos' emigrate, basically they cross a line and are encouraged to leave by their community, or they leave as of their own volition. Not so much true now as in the past tho.

In the US they may move around internally and be attracted to certain cities but they seldom leave the country.

I've noticed that a lot of our 'wiredos' are on the fringes of society anyway. They are generally unemployed. Much more Wierdos in the US in main stream jobs, well spoken, seemingly educated.

As has been suggested it much easier in the US it's much easier for these to flit from place to place, group of 'friends' to group of 'friends' causing havoc.

Mental health services probably aren't great of there either, more people who need help just end up on the streets. Napping here now too of course.

smash

Apart from the small population size itself, we don't have the majority of our population doped up on prescription medication.

traprunner

smash wrote: »

Apart from the small population size itself, we don't have the majority of our population doped up on prescription medication.

Yet

Your Face

Also, this country tends not to like anything that's any way eccentric.

the evasion_kid

L'Enfer du Nord wrote: »

Traditionally a lot of our 'wiredos' emigrate, basically they cross a line and are encouraged to leave by their community, or they leave as of their own volition. Not so much true now as in the past tho.

In the US they may move around internally and be attracted to certain cities but they seldom leave the country.

I've noticed that a lot of our 'wiredos' are on the fringes of society anyway. They are generally unemployed. Much more Wierdos in the US in main stream jobs, well spoken, seemingly educated.

As has been suggested it much easier in the US it's much easier for these to flit from place to place, group of 'friends' to group of 'friends' causing havoc.

Mental health services probably aren't great of there either, more people who need help just end up on the streets. Napping here now too of course.

I'd agree, look at slab city in the states or nimbin in Australia,just attracts them all to one spot.

easyeasy

Have lived in a few cities in Ireland and find Cork has the largest percentage of weirdo's I've encountered.

Yes there's Junkies galore in Dublin but a quick youtube search and you see "Jesus is a Corkman"

homerjay2005

hop on the red luas line about 9.30 every sunday morning and you may change your mind about the number of weirdos in Dublin anyway.

this country is full of weirdos/wasters or what ever you want to call them.

There's plenty of "weird" people in Ireland.

You've obviously never been to Ballinasloe.

Billy86

The fact we're a pretty introverted culture probably plays a role too. While in the US if someone goes and really commits themselves toward achieving something they will often be vocally encouraged by their peer groups, in Ireland there is more likely to be a mix of quiet support and open begrudgery hoping to cut them down. Almost as if in the US, they see this person succeeding and want to keep up with and compete with them, while in Ireland people are more likely to want to cut them down so as not to see someone do better than them, which in turn would make them feel inadequate/insecure about their own lot in life. It would be interesting to see how much 'The American Dream' propaganda vs. the hopeless bleakness that existed so long in Ireland has a role to play in that.

As a result, less people actively go for what they want to achieve, and become quieter about their goals and aspirations than those in the US. Though I guess the upside to that is a less extroverted society in general, leading to less people like the woman singing and rapping aloud to herself on the street car I saw last week (Toronto, but a very similar culture as it basically thinks of itself as north New York) in the window of the door to see her reflection, using a hairbrush as her mic... and this woman could neither sing, nor rap.

It lends itself to a bunch of other areas too, such as people being more open to someone asking for their number in a setting that doesn't involve alcohol, or women regularly approaching men if they're attracted to them. So it certainly ain't all bad!

Billy86

the evasion_kid wrote: »

I'd agree, look at slab city in the states or nimbin in Australia,just attracts them all to one spot.

Sydney is actually very similar to Toronto or Chicago (more limited experience, but I did a J1 there about 9 years ago) in terms of extroverts and oddballs, to be honest.

HensVassal

Pat Mustard wrote: »

Ireland was pretty sheltered up to about 25 years ago.

There was not a great deal of cultural or ethnic diversity in Ireland at that time. The bar for 'unusual' may have been to watch cricket sometimes, never mind playing such a game. Mormons would have been regarded as nothing short of weird.

If an Irish person went to the USA after having grown up with that level of localism during the 1990s or before, he or she could prepare to have their mind blown with exposure to different ethnicities, sports, etc.

Or you could ask an American what they think of the homogeneity of Irish people, perhaps among Irish men more so than Irish women. One American woman told me that she thought that Irish men seemed to be hugely over-represented by skinny guys with similar short haircuts, similar shirts and jeans. Possibly somewhat unfair but maybe there was an element of truth to it, at the same time.

Bull.

I went to the US for the first time in 1986 and wasn't "blown away" by the ethnic or cultural diversity. Why? Because I expected to see blacks, orientals, Latinos. I was 17 and had actually educated myself a bit about the world and in case you didn't know we did have books and tv back in the 80's and 90's. There were movies and documentaries depicting life in other countries. Also New York was no more diverse than London, just hotter and more nuts.

I lived in the US for 8 years and there is a larger proportion of weirdos and headers there because a huge percentage of Americans have a tenuous grip on reality. They are gullible, overexposed to Hollywood fantasies and pitifully ignorant of the wider world. This breeds a shocking level of delusion. A lot of Americans actually believe in Hollywood solutions to real world problems. A friend (college educated) once postulated that hurricanes approaching the gulf coast be nuked to break them up, ffs.

Throw in the fact that doctors will feed toddlers Ritalin for behaviour that most normal toddlers display, you know, jumping around, playing, crying, laughing, the odd temper tantrum, etc., and then have that same toddler sucking down Prozac in his or her teens to counter the side effects of the Ritalin and you've got lots of mentally fcuked up people.

realdanbreen

Thomas24 wrote: »

I've gone to school and lived in the US and here for about the same time. What I find interesting is that the US has a lot more weird people.

Now you'll all be saying "We have knackers, scum teens etc" but almost all of these people you can agree don't fit into society. They are seen as outcasts. Scum teens tend to drop out of school, get into drinking, pregnancy, drugs and can't do anything productive.

In America the weird people are considered to be nihilist, misanthropists, conspiracy theorists, sociopaths but these does not generally impede their ability to be a successful member of society. e.g Donald Trump

From personal experience have never more than 1 sociopath in Ireland at the workplace. I knew 2 guys in my former community school here who were sociopaths and learned later that they ended up in jail. . In America that's definitely not the same story.

So is it population size, different cultures etc?

I take it you've never lived in Co Clare?

Robsweezie

A lot of the 'wacky" news stories of people getting ridiculous sex toys lodged in their butthole, random beheadings, toddlers shooting each other , bestiality, incest etc. seem to come from America.

"Man rapes donkey before going on meth fuelled killing spree in local Walmart" is something I'd totally expect from them.

5rtytry56

Pat Mustard wrote: »

Ireland was pretty sheltered up to about 25 years ago.

There was not a great deal of cultural or ethnic diversity in Ireland at that time. The bar for 'unusual' may have been to watch cricket sometimes, never mind playing such a game. Mormons would have been regarded as nothing short of weird.

4 years ago, Ireland's Own magazine had an article about the Mormon religion and pronounced it as such.

Wicklow Brave

I work in the tourism industry and interact with people from all over the world on a daily basis and Americans are like no other nationality. I shouldn't really generalise (I wil anyway!) but most Americans display deafening extraversion and a complete lack of self-awareness (I don't mean that in a bad sense). They care little what others may think of them and have no shame. It would take a lot to embarrass your average American. There is something quite admirable about that and it would be no harm if Irish people were a bit more like this, but I think it's why the US has more than its fair share of 'weirdos'.

Annasopra

imitation wrote: »

Population size I would guess, combined with the fact there seems to be poor mental health facilities for low income people.

Also as a nation we are as about as cynical as they come..

We don't particularly have great mental health facilities in Ireland though

Annasopra

blinding wrote: »

Historically maybe a lot of the headers emigrated and the other less obvious headers stayed at home.

Ireland is not short of headers at home or abroad.

some headers might even be proud of this:eek::eek:

Actually historically Ireland locked people away. Anyone with mental health difficulties or intellectual disabilities or pregnancies out of wedlock were locked away and thrown into institutions. Ireland had the highest institutionalisation rate in the world for mental illness in the 1950s and 60s and that continued for a long time afterwards as well.

Lyaiera

The weirdness starts when you're a teenager. You start to buy into it, and form yourself. And in Ireland we have a bountiful supply of beer-bellied, pint-drinking uncles who'll ask you to, "Say that again? Go on. Say it again!" Then laugh their arses off at you while calling you a fcuking weirdo. Then tell you you're grand, slip you twenty quid and a box of 20 Benson and Hedges before telling you to head out and get yourself a bag of cans.

Mad bastard uncles, the solution to Ireland's weirdos.

Cake Man

HensVassal wrote: »

Throw in the fact that doctors will feed toddlers Ritalin for behaviour that most normal toddlers display, you know, jumping around, playing, crying, laughing, the odd temper tantrum, etc., and then have that same toddler sucking down Prozac in his or her teens to counter the side effects of the Ritalin and you've got lots of mentally fcuked up people.

The Americans are fond of their "meds" alright. It seems like it's almost a rite of passage for American teenagers to go through phases of guzzling down these kinds of tablets. Not being insensitive but if a friend for example told me they were on those kinds of medication, I'd be surprised but in the US, it seems to be par for the course.


I think someone mentioned here a while ago that apparently the painkillers given to patients who just had a tooth extraction/toothache in the US is nearly the equivalent of what is given in Ireland for someone with terminal cancer.


I think the Americans would look at us as being cynical, cold and distant but we see through their fakeness and OTT approach to everything.

Nekarsulm

Joeytheparrot wrote: »

Actually historically Ireland locked people away. Anyone with mental health difficulties or intellectual disabilities or pregnancies out of wedlock were locked away and thrown into institutions. Ireland had the highest institutionalisation rate in the world for mental illness in the 1950s and 60s and that continued for a long time afterwards as well.

Prevented them breeding, so actually an Irish form of eugenics.

jimgoose

Lyaiera wrote: »

...Mad bastard uncles, the solution to Ireland's weirdos.

Many fine Mad Bastard Uncles of some note and distinction started out as relatively unremarkable weirdos. Don't knock it.