Are the Irish as reserved as other Northern European countries?

Eve_Dublin · 01-06-2010 09:23PM #1

Hi everyone,

I live in Spain and get into discussions about the differences between Northern and Southern Europeans with my students during classes sometimes. There´s the (I believe justified) perception that us Northern Europeans are generally more reserved than our Latin counterparts but several students have commented on how they spent time in Ireland learning English and how surprised they were to find that we´re the exception to this rule. They said they found us to be warm, good fun and laid-back and commented on how have a more relaxed attitude to rules and regulations, just like they do(which is not necessarily a positive thing). One guy said were just as lazy and unproductive as the Spanish are (unlike most other European countries) and that we have the same "work to live" attitude that they do.

I have a few English friends who live in Ireland and have commented on how Ireland is relatively "lawless" and that they´re less likely to have the law in all its forms breathing down their necks over every little misdemeanour and that they found us to generally be more laid-back and less rigid in our social interactions than people in England.

I know you can´t generalise but if we were to generalise just for the sake of argument, what would your opinions be?

I have my own opinions on this but I´d be interested in hearing what others think. Are we the exception to this stereotype?

schween · 02-06-2010 04:47PM

I have heard discussions like this also. I used to think of the whole European thing as an East/West thing with Germany, Austria and Italy as the divider. In the south though it's very much a Northern/Southern thing. It's almost as though Spaniards, Portuguese, Italians etc are brothers and sisters and they look north to the colder, more industrialised, more intensive countries.

I agree that there are many similarities in attitudes between the Irish and Spanish, in a way I think this is something people from other countries love. For example, I have a German friend who is always late for everything, hands things in late etc and when I asked him why he said he loved the laid back attitude and wanted to enjoy it before his return to Germany. But as you said, it may not be a good thing.

Of course sometimes it goes a little too far like when you make the long trek to your 9am lecture and the teacher doesn't bother turning up or even posting a notice or when offices that should be open shut unexpectedly

Still though, it's always nice to have a cancelled class:D

muffy · 02-06-2010 05:00PM

Sure the Andalucians think the Catalunyans and other notherners are cold, snobby and boring!
I personally don't think the Spanish and Italians are as carefree and breezy as they like to think they are, on an individual level. (This is from my experience of living with a mixture of European's in Malaga for a few weeks). As a nation, the Spanish are more relaxed etc, I think this is to do with weather and the traditions- to spend to evenings with friends having a drink, talking and being sociable is very important. The Irish and Spanish I think have this importance of socialising in common, which might be why they see us as different from other Northern European nations. Don't forget also, we were wild passionate Celtic people until the English civilised us

irishh_bob · 02-06-2010 09:11PM

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I live in Spain and get into discussions about the differences between Northern and Southern Europeans with my students during classes sometimes. There´s the (I believe justified) perception that us Northern Europeans are generally more reserved than our Latin counterparts but several students have commented on how they spent time in Ireland learning English and how surprised they were to find that we´re the exception to this rule. They said they found us to be warm, good fun and laid-back and commented on how have a more relaxed attitude to rules and regulations, just like they do(which is not necessarily a positive thing). One guy said were just as lazy and unproductive as the Spanish are (unlike most other European countries) and that we have the same "work to live" attitude that they do.

I have a few English friends who live in Ireland and have commented on how Ireland is relatively "lawless" and that they´re less likely to have the law in all its forms breathing down their necks over every little misdemeanour and that they found us to generally be more laid-back and less rigid in our social interactions than people in England.

I know you can´t generalise but if we were to generalise just for the sake of argument, what would your opinions be?

I have my own opinions on this but I´d be interested in hearing what others think. Are we the exception to this stereotype?

its a catholic thing , ireland while having a cold climate is baschically more mediteranian at heart than the rest of the protestant northern europe

philologos · 03-06-2010 11:16AM

irishh_bob wrote: »

its a catholic thing , ireland while having a cold climate is baschically more mediteranian at heart than the rest of the protestant northern europe

Irish culture goes much further than Catholicism. Unless, you are suggesting that there is a real difference between how Irish people who happen to be of different Christian groups, of different religions, or of no religion behave to others?

Eve_Dublin · 03-06-2010 01:55PM

schween wrote: »

I agree that there are many similarities in attitudes between the Irish and Spanish, in a way I think this is something people from other countries love. For example, I have a German friend who is always late for everything, hands things in late etc and when I asked him why he said he loved the laid back attitude and wanted to enjoy it before his return to Germany. But as you said, it may not be a good thing.

Yeah I know a lot of Northern Euorpeans living here who get very frustrated at how things work over here. They don´t understand why shops close for siesta in large cities and don´t adhere to their opening hours, why they only have one person serving a very long queue of people while other staff members have a chat on the side, why people are always late to meet you etc. It came as no shock to me personally as I´m well used to that kind of attitude to work and in fairness, I was ready for it after hearing the Latin steretypes (mañana mañana) but they find that kind of carry on abhorrent. I remember when I was travelling in Colombia and I saw a German woman shouting at a bus driver for being 10 minutes late (he ruined her whole sight-seeing schedule apparently).

muffy wrote: »

Sure the Andalucians think the Catalunyans and other notherners are cold, snobby and boring!
I personally don't think the Spanish and Italians are as carefree and breezy as they like to think they are, on an individual level.

This is true. There´s definitely a North-South divide within Spain itself (and the regional divide....never realised how complexed this country was ´till I moved here). The more South you go, the more laid-back the people are supposedly. I´m guessing it´s to do with the heat and the fact that they can´t actually function in those temperatures.

And you´re right about the fact that the Spanish (not sure about Italians) are not as easy-going as they like to think, at least not here in Madrid. They can be quite serious, conservative and reserved which really surprised me. Totally dissolved any stereotype I had of them as liberal-minded party animals. I thought anything would go here but I was very wrong. I guess that must be a legacy of the dictatorship perhaps.

irishh_bob wrote: »

its a catholic thing , ireland while having a cold climate is baschically more mediteranian at heart than the rest of the protestant northern europe

But is it that simple? What about Catholic Eastern European countries? Pretty reserved no? Mediterranian Catholicism is a very different beast to Irish Catholicism. The Catholic Church is hardly known for it´s easy-going, liberal, live and let live teachings in Ireland...the Protestant Church is much more liberal than the Catholic Church (doesn´t condemn female priests, divorce, abortion, contraception, sex before marriage etc.) so that´s not really a convincing explanation for our allegedly more easy-going nature.

Jakkass wrote: »

Irish culture goes much further than Catholicism. Unless, you are suggesting that there is a real difference between how Irish people who happen to be of different Christian groups, of different religions, or of no religion behave to others?

So why are we less reserved if that´s what you believe? Can we put it down to our wild Celtic heritage or the fact that we´re pretty much baloobas at most social occasions?

prinz · 03-06-2010 02:39PM

We are not as reserved as other Northern Countries in a lot of ways, but much more reserved in other ways etc.

In each country/region things developed over centuries or decades. There is not going to be any specific answer as to why we differ in some ways and are alike in others, it is historical, cultural, social, economic, etc etc.

Eve_Dublin · 03-06-2010 02:51PM

prinz wrote: »

We are not as reserved as other Northern Countries in a lot of ways, but much more reserved in other ways etc..

I very much agree with you here. I suppose I´m talking on a superficial level.

caseyann · 03-06-2010 03:04PM

I will give you idea,Irish dont like themselves so everybody else likes them

philologos · 03-06-2010 03:38PM

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

So why are we less reserved if that´s what you believe? Can we put it down to our wild Celtic heritage or the fact that we´re pretty much baloobas at most social occasions?

I wouldn't say that it is so much what I believe, but 15% of us in Ireland according to the last census don't hold those beliefs. So naturally I would argue that it is down to more than religion. Which all culture is.

I would say that it is a behavioural trend, or a societal norm.

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

the Protestant Church is much more liberal than the Catholic Church (doesn´t condemn female priests, divorce, abortion, contraception, sex before marriage etc.)

This also isn't entirely true. There are liberal elements within Protestantism, but many do regard abortion as wrong. Some churches do say that ministers should be only male. A lot would hold conservative views on divorce. I.E That it should be only used in cases of marital unfaithfulness, and sex before marriage. Contraceptives are a different story.

There are differing groups within Protestantism. A lot of those issues come down to Christianity itself rather than Protestant or Catholic.

Eve_Dublin · 03-06-2010 07:48PM

Jakkass wrote: »

I wouldn't say that it is so much what I believe, but 15% of us in Ireland according to the last census don't hold those beliefs. So naturally I would argue that it is down to more than religion. Which all culture is.

I would say that it is a behavioural trend, or a societal norm.

This also isn't entirely true. There are liberal elements within Protestantism, but many do regard abortion as wrong. Some churches do say that ministers should be only male. A lot would hold conservative views on divorce. I.E That it should be only used in cases of marital unfaithfulness, and sex before marriage. Contraceptives are a different story.

There are differing groups within Protestantism. A lot of those issues come down to Christianity itself rather than Protestant or Catholic.

Ah I meant if you believed that we´re less reserved or not and not if you´re Catholic.

In fact I blame my Catholic upbringing for the more reserved aspects of my personality, particularly with regards to sex. Somewhere tucked away in the catacombs of my conscience there´s still a guilty feeling that some of the things I get up to or think or look at etc. is dirty and wrong. This is lessening over time though but it´s still there and raises it´s ugly head at the most inconvenient times.

Protestant countries in Europe are much more liberal-minded with regards to sex and have less hang ups in this area generally. But then neither do the Italians, French or Spanish...perhaps the climate has counteracted this or their sexual liberation was a reaction to the fall in their dictatorships (Italy and Spain)?

I agree there are different extremes of the Protestant Church also but I´m talking about the Church of England and it´s equivalent in other countries. I think (but I´m not sure) that this branch of the Protestant Church would have the most members. I can´t think of any European country that has a ultra-conservative Protestant Church in power.

Sorry...not even sure if this issue can be debated...just something I´m interested in and it´s brought up a lot by the Spanish here.

philologos · 03-06-2010 08:36PM

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

Ah I meant if you believed that we´re less reserved or not and not if you´re Catholic.

I agree that we are, but it isn't for that reason.

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

Protestant countries in Europe are much more liberal-minded with regards to sex and have less hang ups in this area generally. But then neither do the Italians, French or Spanish...perhaps the climate has counteracted this or their sexual liberation was a reaction to the fall in their dictatorships (Italy and Spain)?

I don't think Protestant countries still exist.

I'm not sure what you would mean by "liberation" either. There is nothing wrong with the idea that one should wait until they are in a marriage before they engage with each other sexually. In fact I can see a lot of good in it particularly in relation to limiting unplanned pregnancies.

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

I agree there are different extremes of the Protestant Church also but I´m talking about the Church of England and it´s equivalent in other countries. I think (but I´m not sure) that this branch of the Protestant Church would have the most members. I can´t think of any European country that has a ultra-conservative Protestant Church in power.

Anglicanism (Church of England, Church of Ireland etc) has 70 million. There are 500 million Protestants.

I know many in these churches who still think that people should wait until marriage, that divorce should be considered deeply and that abortion-by-choice isn't right.

I've yet to see what is so wrong in holding these positions. I mean if the churches start to be like the rest of society, why would people go if there isn't anything unique about them? Christianity has a unique message, and it needs to be kept as it is rather than changed to suit people.

The views you have described are far from marking off someone as an "ultra-conservative". They are mainstream Protestantism.

Eve_Dublin · 03-06-2010 09:54PM

The Lutheran and Episcopilian church would be very close to the Anglican branch, both of which would make up another large percentage of Protestants? I honestly can´t claim to know much about the Protestant religion but I was always lead to believe that these branches were a lot more "liberal" than the Catholic Church. I could be wrong though.

When I talk about liberation I´m not just referring to sex before marriage (although to condemn sex before marriage as WRONG like Franco advocated is most definitely not a liberal attitude to sex, at least in my opinion). Lets just say most other Europeans I´ve come across would have fewer hang ups with regards to sex than us Irish. Our sex ed in school consisted of a video of an abortion in religion class in 6th year. This was in 1999 not 1959. I don´t believe this would have been the case in most other European countries. Have a look at a thread on the Ladies Lounge about the amount of information they were told about their period and what to expect....a shocking number of us were told nothing. Something totally normal and natural and inevitable like periods were considered something of a taboo and "dirty".

But anyway, digressing, I don´t think it´s the reason either. Was responding to a poster who stated it was.

philologos · 03-06-2010 10:07PM

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

The Lutheran and Episcopilian church would be very close to the Anglican branch, both of which would make up another large percentage of Protestants? I honestly can´t claim to know much about the Protestant religion but I was always lead to believe that these branches were a lot more "liberal" than the Catholic Church. I could be wrong though.

I'm not so sure what is so great about liberal views on sexuality to be honest with you. I think it is good if people want to wait until marriage, I think it's good that people want to regard sexuality as something special and expression of love if you will rather than a bodily expression.

I believe God has given us a good structure as to how we should live our lives, and it is up to us whether or not we want to follow it.

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

When I talk about liberation I´m not just referring to sex before marriage (although to condemn sex before marriage as WRONG like Franco advocated is most definitely not a liberal attitude to sex, at least in my opinion). Lets just say most other Europeans I´ve come across would have fewer hang ups with regards to sex than us Irish. Our sex ed in school consisted of a video of an abortion in religion class in 6th year. This was in 1999 not 1959. I don´t believe this would have been the case in most other European countries. Have a look at a thread on the Ladies Lounge about the amount of information they were told about their period and what to expect....a shocking number of us were told nothing. Something totally normal and natural and inevitable like periods were considered something of a taboo and "dirty".

I don't see what is so "liberating" about it. People are just as free if they decide not to have sex before marriage, and I wouldn't see it as a hang-up either.

Eve_Dublin · 03-06-2010 10:13PM

Jakkass wrote: »

I'm not so sure what is so great about liberal views on sexuality to be honest with you. I think it is good if people want to wait until marriage, I think it's good that people want to regard sexuality as something special and expression of love if you will rather than a bodily expression.

I believe God has given us a good structure as to how we should live our lives, and it is up to us whether or not we want to follow it.

I don't see what is so "liberating" about it. People are just as free if they decide not to have sex before marriage, and I wouldn't see it as a hang-up either.

As I said, I wasn´t just referring to sex before marriage though? Not sure why you keep bringing that up? I was referring to contraception, abortion, safe sex, knowing what the hell sex actually is, knowing what a period is etc.

I´m talking about the Catholic Church´s view that sex before marriage is wrong. It´s not. If people want to wait, great! Nothing wrong with NOT waiting either.

Anyway, nothing to do with my OT. I´m not religious and don´t want to get into a discussion about religion.

philologos · 03-06-2010 10:32PM

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

As I said, I wasn´t just referring to sex before marriage though? Not sure why you keep bringing that up? I was referring to contraception, abortion, safe sex, knowing what the hell sex actually is, knowing what a period is etc.

Abortion is still a hugely contentious topic, but it isn't because of being reserved, it's because of there being real difficulties with it. It's a very hard issue for a lot of people in a lot of places.

Sex-education is paramount. However, I think ultimately the changes in society concerning sexuality have probably gone too far in many respects and we do need to emphasise the consequences of carelessness so as to care properly for the next generation. I.E - to help people reach their full potential and have a family when they are ready.

Contraceptives are an area where I maintain a disagreement with the RCC.

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

Anyway, nothing to do with my OT. I´m not religious and don´t want to get into a discussion about religion.

No problem. It was kind of led down this path though.

irishh_bob · 03-06-2010 10:45PM

Jakkass wrote: »

Irish culture goes much further than Catholicism. Unless, you are suggesting that there is a real difference between how Irish people who happen to be of different Christian groups, of different religions, or of no religion behave to others?

irish people are culturally catholic in the same way that new zealanders or west coast canadians are culturally presbyterian , this cultural influence effects all areas of society , from how people interact with each other to how they do business , its not entirley pervasive but it certainly exists

philologos · 03-06-2010 10:49PM

irishh_bob wrote: »

irish people are culturally catholic in the same way that new zealanders or west coast canadians are culturally presbyterian , this cultural influence effects all areas of society , from how people interact with each other to how they do business , its not entirley pervasive but it certainly exists

I find that difficult, as in many cases people were raised all their lives in different religious groupings. It threatens the "belonging" if you will, of many Irish people to be a part of it all.

That's probably where it is difficult to suggest that all Irish culture is down to one group which doesn't represent all Irish people.

irishh_bob · 03-06-2010 10:53PM

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

Ah I meant if you believed that we´re less reserved or not and not if you´re Catholic.

In fact I blame my Catholic upbringing for the more reserved aspects of my personality, particularly with regards to sex. Somewhere tucked away in the catacombs of my conscience there´s still a guilty feeling that some of the things I get up to or think or look at etc. is dirty and wrong. This is lessening over time though but it´s still there and raises it´s ugly head at the most inconvenient times.

Protestant countries in Europe are much more liberal-minded with regards to sex and have less hang ups in this area generally. But then neither do the Italians, French or Spanish...perhaps the climate has counteracted this or their sexual liberation was a reaction to the fall in their dictatorships (Italy and Spain)?

I agree there are different extremes of the Protestant Church also but I´m talking about the Church of England and it´s equivalent in other countries. I think (but I´m not sure) that this branch of the Protestant Church would have the most members. I can´t think of any European country that has a ultra-conservative Protestant Church in power.

Sorry...not even sure if this issue can be debated...just something I´m interested in and it´s brought up a lot by the Spanish here.

while protestants ( in nordic countries ) tend to be more liberal about sex , protestants tend to me much more buttoned up and reserved than catholics in other ways , , they tend to be more austere , cautious and slower to let thier hair down

while the average scandanavian lutheran is more socially liberal than the average irish catholic , the average baptist from alabama is far more conservative than the average irish catholic , in a nutshell , while most protestants are more liberal than most catholics , the fiercests conservatives ( northern ireland , parts of usa ) tend to be protestant more so than catholic

p.s , im an agnostic

irishh_bob · 03-06-2010 10:58PM

Jakkass wrote: »

I find that difficult, as in many cases people were raised all their lives in different religious groupings. It threatens the "belonging" if you will, of many Irish people to be a part of it all.

That's probably where it is difficult to suggest that all Irish culture is down to one group which doesn't represent all Irish people.

italians and irish people being laid back about punctuality , informal apporaches to both business and meeting people , theese are examples of a catholic culture , swiss and german people being meticolus about how and when something is done is symptomatic of the protestant culture that exists in those countries

prinz · 03-06-2010 11:01PM

irishh_bob wrote: »

italians and irish people being laid back about punctuality , informal apporaches to both business and meeting people , theese are examples of a catholic culture , swiss and german people being meticolus about how and when something is done is symptomatic of the protestant culture that exists in those countries

Except the number of Proestants in Germany is only slightly larger than the number of Catholics. Religion isn't the most defining thing.

philologos · 03-06-2010 11:05PM

irishh_bob wrote: »

italians and irish people being laid back about punctuality , informal apporaches to both business and meeting people , theese are examples of a catholic culture , swiss and german people being meticolus about how and when something is done is symptomatic of the protestant culture that exists in those countries

I don't know if that is down to either Protestantism, or Catholicism. I think there is much more to it than this.

irishh_bob · 04-06-2010 09:59AM

prinz wrote: »

Except the number of Proestants in Germany is only slightly larger than the number of Catholics. Religion isn't the most defining thing.

in none of my posts was i refering to catholicism in the literal sense , i mean in a cultural sense , ireland is culturally catholic , germany is culturally protestant , doesnt matter if their are more catholics in germany than protesants

philologos · 04-06-2010 03:40PM

What does culturally Catholic even mean? Likewise for cultural Protestantism? I think you're trying to work it out too deeply. There is most likely another explanation.

caseyann · 05-06-2010 12:52AM

Jakkass wrote: »

What does culturally Catholic even mean? Likewise for cultural Protestantism? I think you're trying to work it out too deeply. There is most likely another explanation.

Been closed off on an island and cant drive to the next country i would say has alot to do with

southsiderosie · 05-06-2010 01:11AM

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I live in Spain and get into discussions about the differences between Northern and Southern Europeans with my students during classes sometimes. There´s the (I believe justified) perception that us Northern Europeans are generally more reserved than our Latin counterparts but several students have commented on how they spent time in Ireland learning English and how surprised they were to find that we´re the exception to this rule. They said they found us to be warm, good fun and laid-back and commented on how have a more relaxed attitude to rules and regulations, just like they do(which is not necessarily a positive thing). One guy said were just as lazy and unproductive as the Spanish are (unlike most other European countries) and that we have the same "work to live" attitude that they do.

I have a few English friends who live in Ireland and have commented on how Ireland is relatively "lawless" and that they´re less likely to have the law in all its forms breathing down their necks over every little misdemeanour and that they found us to generally be more laid-back and less rigid in our social interactions than people in England.

I know you can´t generalise but if we were to generalise just for the sake of argument, what would your opinions be?

I have my own opinions on this but I´d be interested in hearing what others think. Are we the exception to this stereotype?

I'm an American who moved to Ireland from Spain, and whenever I told Spanish friends I was heading to "Irlanda", they would always say something to the effect of, "Oh, the Irish - they are like us, like Mediterranean people". I think the main thing is the importance of socializing and social ritual - greeting people, meeting with friends, not being a cheapskate, etc. Also Spaniards and Irish are generally more relaxed about things, and not just time; my take is that both groups are willing to have a laugh at themselves, their government, and the general ridiculousness of everyday life.

However, the regional differences within Spain are noticeable - Madrilenos are generally much friendlier and more open towards strangers than Catalans (in my experience anyway). To be fair, a lot of countries seem to have that one region where people are more serious and industrious, and are seen by everyone else as being kind of cold and unfriendly; when I worked in Mexico (another Catholic country!), people from Monterrey/Nuevo Laredo had this reputation.

Eve_Dublin · 05-06-2010 10:59AM

southsiderosie wrote: »

I'm an American who moved to Ireland from Spain, and whenever I told Spanish friends I was heading to "Irlanda", they would always say something to the effect of, "Oh, the Irish - they are like us, like Mediterranean people". I think the main thing is the importance of socializing and social ritual - greeting people, meeting with friends, not being a cheapskate, etc. Also Spaniards and Irish are generally more relaxed about things, and not just time; my take is that both groups are willing to have a laugh at themselves, their government, and the general ridiculousness of everyday life.

However, the regional differences within Spain are noticeable - Madrilenos are generally much friendlier and more open towards strangers than Catalans (in my experience anyway). To be fair, a lot of countries seem to have that one region where people are more serious and industrious, and are seen by everyone else as being kind of cold and unfriendly; when I worked in Mexico (another Catholic country!), people from Monterrey/Nuevo Laredo had this reputation.

Yes I agree with you Southsiderosie but WHY???

elegantemma · 06-06-2010 12:26AM

irishh_bob wrote: »

its a catholic thing , ireland while having a cold climate is baschically more mediteranian at heart than the rest of the protestant northern europe

I really really dislike the criticism some religions get especially the catholics. I happen to find the spanish and italians to be very likeable people. Very warm and charismatic in general.

Italians tell me all the time how they consider the italian personality to be the same as the irish personality, which i always found to be a nice complement. North europeans tend to be reserved, very serious, cold and sometimes snobby. Alot consider the finnish, flemish and germans to be very boring people. Scandanivia is almost 100% protestant so maybe this has something to do with it

So many people go on and on and on about the oppressive regime of catholicism, well it makes little or no sense. Look how content, fun and cheerful the mediterraneans are, the irish and most of all the south and central americas. These are all catholic countries. Im only saying this as many people seem to think religion affects the way everything is.

Its also worth nothing way back in the 5/6th century i think denmark did rule all of britain

Eve_Dublin · 06-06-2010 12:59PM

elegantemma wrote: »

I really really dislike the criticism some religions get especially the catholics. I happen to find the spanish and italians to be very likeable people. Very warm and charismatic in general.

Italians tell me all the time how they consider the italian personality to be the same as the irish personality, which i always found to be a nice complement. North europeans tend to be reserved, very serious, cold and sometimes snobby. Alot consider the finnish, flemish and germans to be very boring people. Scandanivia is almost 100% protestant so maybe this has something to do with it

So many people go on and on and on about the oppressive regime of catholicism, well it makes little or no sense. Look how content, fun and cheerful the mediterraneans are, the irish and most of all the south and central americas. These are all catholic countries. Im only saying this as many people seem to think religion affects the way everything is.

Its also worth nothing way back in the 5/6th century i think denmark did rule all of britain

Let me guess, you´re Catholic right? So you´ve just called Northern Europeans boring, snobby, cold, serous and reserved and you put it down to the fact that they´re Protestant..but it´s not okay to do the same when it comes to Catholicsim? That´s completely hypocritical elegantemma. I hate these double standards each religion applies to themselves.

In all the 11 years of my life that I had Catholicism shoved down my throat, I found nothing "fun" about the religion whatsoever. Nothing. The Catholic Church has nothing to do with the South Americans and Latin European´s more laid-back attitude to life unless it was a total rejection of a religion that basically condemned any form of enjoyment.

Anyway if you actually read the thread you´ll see no one insulted the Catholic Church (except maybe me but I despise it and I´m entitled do to so)...Irish Bob´s comment was not a criticism and you felt it was, then you misunderstood it.

philologos · 06-06-2010 01:46PM

Scandinavia is a majority irreligious society. Look at the figures at the bottom of this post.

With such secularisation taking place, the notion of Catholic and Protestant countries has effectively gone out the door.

Religion is not important (Gallup) -
Sweden - 83%
Finland - 69%
Denmark - 80%
Norway - 78%
Ireland - 42%

Belief in a God (Eurobarometer) -
Sweden - 23%
Denmark - 31%
Finland - 41%
Norway - 32%
Ireland - 73%

Church attendance (weekly) -
Sweden - 4%
Denmark - 5%
Norway - 5%
Finland - 4%
Ireland - 46% (IONA Institute)

irishh_bob · 06-06-2010 02:26PM

elegantemma wrote: »

I really really dislike the criticism some religions get especially the catholics. I happen to find the spanish and italians to be very likeable people. Very warm and charismatic in general.

Italians tell me all the time how they consider the italian personality to be the same as the irish personality, which i always found to be a nice complement. North europeans tend to be reserved, very serious, cold and sometimes snobby. Alot consider the finnish, flemish and germans to be very boring people. Scandanivia is almost 100% protestant so maybe this has something to do with it

So many people go on and on and on about the oppressive regime of catholicism, well it makes little or no sense. Look how content, fun and cheerful the mediterraneans are, the irish and most of all the south and central americas. These are all catholic countries. Im only saying this as many people seem to think religion affects the way everything is.

Its also worth nothing way back in the 5/6th century i think denmark did rule all of britain

agree with everything in your post , none of my posts were inteded to come across as hostile to catholics , or protestants for that matter

Are the Irish as reserved as other Northern European countries?

Comments