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Are Irish People Xenophobic?

24

Comments

  • #32
    walshb
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 61,100 ✭✭✭✭walshb


    UsernameInUse wrote: »
    I see nothing wrong with the free movement of people in and out of the country - why are some people willing to bite the head off you for saying that? Surely, it's a basic Human Right?

    It's particularly hypocritical when we are the people, who have been discriminated against in earlier times for doing just that - perhaps we could show some compassion for those that just want to make a better life for themselves. I think it's highly racist that some of as are very anti-multicultural.

    The problem is when folks label others xenophobic just for voicing concerns about immigration levels; or for being angered by those who are here to sponge.

    No problem with anyone wanting to make a better life for themselves, but if I am out working, and they are sitting on their holes getting hand outs, then **** off back to your own country.

    You want a better life, earn it and I will applaud this.


  • #33
    tallaghtmick
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,724 ✭✭✭tallaghtmick


    NeedaNewName wrote: »
    Don't know about us but switch from English to polish on this site...

    http://www.umlub.pl/index2.html

    :eek:

    i must be thick as i cant see the racism:confused:


  • #34
    CreepingDeath
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,015 ✭✭✭CreepingDeath


    UsernameInUse wrote: »
    I see nothing wrong with the free movement of people in and out of the country - why are some people willing to bite the head off you for saying that? Surely, it's a basic Human Right?

    If they just came over here, no problem.
    But they're looking for social welfare, rent allowance, putting their names on the housing list, taking up school places ahead of the locals etc.

    There's absolutely no problem with people coming over here if they can support themselves and aren't displacing Irish people excessively.

    But as I've said before, Ireland belongs to the Irish.
    We have a right to be at least a little "territorial" and defend the resources our parents and us have built up and paid for.

    I believe EVERY country has a right to put their own population ahead of immigrants. That includes America getting tough on illegal Irish etc.
    UsernameInUse wrote: »
    It's particularly hypocritical when we are the people, who have been discriminated against in earlier times for doing just that - perhaps we could show some compassion for those that just want to make a better life for themselves.

    Did they Irish get social welfare when they emigrated to America ?
    Can't say I know for sure, but imagine not nearly as generous as the Irish system is now.
    UsernameInUse wrote: »
    I think it's highly racist that some of as are very anti-multicultural.

    The "racist" remark overused far too much.
    If a black guy is attacked in Ireland it's considered racist, but if a white guy is attacked by a black guy then people question why they mentioned race.

    Link from today


    I'm sick of these liberals that think Ireland is a soup kitchen for the worlds population. As a country we're broke, and can't accept all these people who expect us to build them a house, pay them social welfare, pay for their kids education etc, all for nothing.


  • #35
    ilovelamp2000
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,435 ✭✭✭ilovelamp2000


    So to clarify - is everyone that's against completely unfettered freedom of movement a racist then ?


  • #36
    haydar
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 377 ✭✭haydar


    i work with a lot of immigrants(Polish, Lithuanian, Pakistani) and iv asked them all have they experienced racism. They all answered yes but said it wasnt too bad!

    Judging by people i know its only the people who havent traveled or dont know any foreigners who are racist


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  • #37
    Overheal
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 86,683 ✭✭✭✭Overheal


    UsernameInUse wrote: »
    I see nothing wrong with the free movement of people in and out of the country - why are some people willing to bite the head off you for saying that? Surely, it's a basic Human Right?

    It's particularly hypocritical when we are the people, who have been discriminated against in earlier times for doing just that - perhaps we could show some compassion for those that just want to make a better life for themselves. I think it's highly racist that some of as are very anti-multicultural.
    thats inaccurate:

    Article 13
    1. Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
    2. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

    People don't have the right to freely enter and exit other countries, beside their own.


  • #38
    twinQuins
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,199 ✭✭✭twinQuins


    walshb wrote: »
    The problem is when folks label others xenophobic just for voicing concerns about immigration levels; or for being angered by those who are here to sponge.

    That's the problem? As opposed to those who feel any immigration is too much and that all immigrants are spongers.


  • #39
    Son Of A Vidic
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,370 ✭✭✭✭Son Of A Vidic


    Xenophobic? certainly not. We are great at looking after the stranger and treating our own like sh1t.


  • #40
    NeedaNewName
    Closed Accounts Posts: 409 ✭✭NeedaNewName


    tallaghtmick wrote: »
    i must be thick as i cant see the racism:confused:


    In the banner at the top right. Note the coloured bloke is now white when you go from English to Polish.

    Not racism par se but like....


  • #41
    Amhran Nua
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,124 ✭✭✭Amhran Nua


    ilovelamp2000 wrote: »
    So to clarify - is everyone that's against completely unfettered freedom of movement a racist then ?
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5D_tvtT2Ig


    Couldn't find the "so I hear you're a racist now father" clip. By some of the random and arbitrary definitions out there a lot of people might be labelled racist by some, I think! Not that they are, of course.


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  • #42
    Seanchai
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,401 ✭✭✭Seanchai


    UsernameInUse wrote: »
    I see nothing wrong with the free movement of people in and out of the country - why are some people willing to bite the head off you for saying that? Surely, it's a basic Human Right?

    It's particularly hypocritical when we are the people, who have been discriminated against in earlier times for doing just that - perhaps we could show some compassion for those that just want to make a better life for themselves. I think it's highly racist that some of as are very anti-multicultural.

    Em, surely every single nation state is based upon opposition to foreigners, an opposition which turns to "xenophobia" when necessary. What would be the point in having a nation state unless you're going to define it, in large part anyway, as being against "outsiders"?


  • #43
    dilbert2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 364 ✭✭dilbert2


    Seanchai wrote: »
    Em, surely every single nation state is based upon opposition to foreigners, an opposition which turns to "xenophobia" when necessary. What would be the point in having a nation state unless you're going to define it, in large part anyway, as being against "outsiders"?

    The concept of the nation-state is mostly rubbish, modern humans DNA can be traced back 100,000 years to Northeast Africa or thereabouts - long, long before the nationalist movements in the 19th century. It's all rubbish to be honest, humans have the same DNA and genetic makeup across all supposed borders. When NASA take photos of the earth, does it look anything like your political wall map?


  • #44
    CreepingDeath
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,015 ✭✭✭CreepingDeath


    dilbert2 wrote: »
    The concept of the nation-state is mostly rubbish, modern humans DNA can be traced back 100,000 years to Northeast Africa or thereabouts - long, long before the nationalist movements in the 19th century. It's all rubbish to be honest, humans have the same DNA and genetic makeup across all supposed borders. When NASA take photos of the earth, does it look anything like your political wall map?

    Completely and utterly wrong.

    From an evolutionary point of view, we evolved from monkeys who had a social group of around 150 tops. That was our world.

    Our brains aren't built to accept 4 million, or 4 billion people.
    We have to break down people into manageable cliques and groups.
    Even in Dublin, we have Northsiders and Southsiders.... in work we might have different departments, sales, qa, development, finance etc.

    We have to fit people into hierarchies and groups.
    As humans, we define ourselves within groups, and against groups.

    So it's completely naive to think that a photo from space is going to make everyone hug each other.


  • #45
    Faith
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,661 Mod ✭✭✭✭Faith


    Some are, some aren't.

    /Thread

    The point has been well made about immigrants being welcome if they earn their place in society, so I won't reiterate it. So you think there was a sign-up booth for social welfare on Ellis Island? If you emigrated to America back in the day, your only option was to work to support yourself. There were no handouts.

    The other thing is, other cultures behave differently to us, which can cause problems. I've noticed from working in retail that many Africans don't use "please" and "thank you". Whereas an Irish person might say "Can I have X please? Thanks", an African customer will often say "Give me X". They're not being purposefully rude, they're just not used to using "please" and "thank you" like we do. Differences in cultures is a significant contributor to xenophobia because of lack of understand IMO.


  • #46
    dilbert2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 364 ✭✭dilbert2


    CreepingDeath wrote: »
    Completely and utterly wrong.

    From an evolutionary point of view, we evolved from monkeys who had a social group of around 150 tops. That was our world.

    Our brains aren't built to accept 4 million, or 4 billion people.
    We have to break down people into manageable cliques and groups.
    Even in Dublin, we have Northsiders and Southsiders.... in work we might have different departments, sales, qa, development, finance etc.

    We have to fit people into hierarchies and groups.
    As humans, we define ourselves within groups, and against groups.

    So it's completely naive to think that a photo from space is going to make everyone hug each other.

    This sounds more like evolutionary psychology pseudoscience and mumbo-jumbo to be honest as opposed to hard science, whether physical or biological. Humans are no doubt competitive, but the concept of nationality and race is purely nonsensical and an artificial construct.

    As far as my brain is concerned – and I’m sure this is the case with most people – I would have no problem with the concept of a trillion humans, with whom I share physical similarities with and tolerate them on every other level. And this is the same brain whose neurological makeup has probably changed little since our hunter gathering days, despite our clearly superior level of knowledge to our early ancestors in all areas.

    And no NASA photos don’t make us all hug each other, but they at least show us that the earth has no barriers. That’s only in the minds of certain people, not in the reality of the physical world


  • #47
    twinQuins
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,199 ✭✭✭twinQuins


    CreepingDeath wrote: »
    Completely and utterly wrong.

    From an evolutionary point of view, we evolved from monkeys who had a social group of around 150 tops. That was our world.

    Our brains aren't built to accept 4 million, or 4 billion people.

    It's funny how you discuss evolution in your previous sentence before coming out with this gem.
    Don't you think that, oh I don't know, our brains might have evolved to cope with larger groups? After all, human societies have only been getting larger throughout history.
    We have to break down people into manageable cliques and groups.
    Even in Dublin, we have Northsiders and Southsiders.... in work we might have different departments, sales, qa, development, finance etc.
    That's more to do with the fact that we like to compartmentalise everything - it comes from being a species of language users. Being able to define everything in our world is generally helpful and the more descriptive information we can attach to everything the better.
    We have to fit people into hierarchies and groups.
    As humans, we define ourselves within groups, and against groups.

    So it's completely naive to think that a photo from space is going to make everyone hug each other.
    So... on the one hand, man is gregarious and on the other... he's not? Your post seems rather paradoxical.
    Humans like to belong, more than anything. We like to feel that we're a part of something larger than ourselves - down through history we've sought out larger and larger structures of order.

    Funny how you talk of evolution and then dismiss the possibility of evolving beyond our tribal origins.


  • #48
    Monife
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,014 ✭✭✭Monife


    I think it is the under-educated that are a bit xenophobic.

    My partner is black, and has experienced some racism. In fact, he was in town (Dublin) today waiting for me to pick him up and what I could only describe as some "young wan" came over to him, got up in his face and shouted "you fcuking blacks, I hate you". He was just standing there minding his own business, that is what annoys me.


  • #49
    Riamfada
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,246 ✭✭✭✭Riamfada


    Monife wrote: »
    I think it is the under-educated that are a bit xenophobic.

    My partner is black, and has experienced some racism. In fact, he was in town (Dublin) today waiting for me to pick him up and what I could only describe as some "young wan" came over to him, got up in his face and shouted "you fcuking blacks, I hate you". He was just standing there minding his own business, that is what annoys me.

    Undereducated express their fear in that way, little skangers have been acting like this to Irish people for years. Rather than le'skanger approaching your boyfriend and saying "im afraid for the future of the Irish ethnicity with the greater influx of foreign cultures into my city and for the future ethnicity of my children" he states "I ****ing hate you blacks".


  • #50
    dsmythy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,589 ✭✭✭✭dsmythy


    Monife wrote: »
    I think it is the under-educated that are a bit xenophobic.

    Funny how un-"diverse" the well educated are considering this statement.


  • #51
    gcgirl
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,044 ✭✭✭gcgirl


    I'm not racist BUT ..........................


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  • #52
    dsmythy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,589 ✭✭✭✭dsmythy


    gcgirl wrote: »
    I'm not racist BUT ..........................

    I think this is a symptom of the fear people feel about expressing opinions on anything migration related. A sad thing really.


  • #53
    Riamfada
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,246 ✭✭✭✭Riamfada


    dsmythy wrote: »
    I think this is a symptom of the fear people feel about expressing opinions on anything migration related. A sad thing really.

    why?


  • #54
    dsmythy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,589 ✭✭✭✭dsmythy


    Riamfada wrote: »
    why?

    Why I think it's a symptom or think it's sad?


  • #55
    gcgirl
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,044 ✭✭✭gcgirl


    dsmythy wrote: »
    Why I think it's a symptom or think it's sad?
    i hate when anyone says it, its totally ignorant and totally raciest


  • #56
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 3,251 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Atari Jaguar or GTFO back to your own country Frenchie.


  • #57
    Solnskaya
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,463 ✭✭✭Solnskaya


    No, I quite like xenon lights, not a bit phobic of them at all, but what really gets my goat is dem ferrigners, coming hear taykun or jorbs, feckin blow ins, and most ov my mates ar the same.

    edit, I'm a bit of an immigrant myself, or so my dad Pablo says.


  • #58
    walshb
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 61,100 ✭✭✭✭walshb


    Faith wrote: »
    The other thing is, other cultures behave differently to us, which can cause problems. I've noticed from working in retail that many Africans don't use "please" and "thank you". Whereas an Irish person might say "Can I have X please? Thanks", an African customer will often say "Give me X". They're not being purposefully rude, they're just not used to using "please" and "thank you" like we do. Differences in cultures is a significant contributor to xenophobia because of lack of understand IMO.


    I think you are being a little naive. Don't you think they know the words please and thank you, but choose to be abrasive because they are maybe a little hostile towards the westerner, the white man, the "oppressor?"

    Are you implying that Africans do not know/use these words? How about amongst their fellow black Africans in Africa. Can you say that they are not used to please and thank you there? Are they rude and ungrateful even in Africa when dealing with fellow Africans? I don't think so. So, they are well aware of the words, and well aware of manners; they just choose to be abrasive. Not all of them.

    And, IF it is really their lack of words like please and thank you, or their cultural differences, then why come here
    to our alien (civilised/mannerly, for the most part) culture. What is here for them?


  • #59
    Medusa22
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,400 ✭✭✭Medusa22


    I do agree that it can be cultural differences to a certain extent, my boyfriend is german and when they are conversing in germany then it is more unusual for germans to use ''please'' and ''thank you'' and they usually tend not to say ''can I have?'' but rather ''I will have'' when addressing a waitress/waiter, in this case it isn't meant to be rude and is just a cultural difference. In fact my boyfriend has been here for a while so when he goes back home he often finds the waitress looking amused when he says ''can I have...?''


  • #60
    aDeener
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,487 ✭✭✭aDeener


    UsernameInUse wrote: »
    I see nothing wrong with the free movement of people in and out of the country - why are some people willing to bite the head off you for saying that? Surely, it's a basic Human Right?

    It's particularly hypocritical when we are the people, who have been discriminated against in earlier times for doing just that - perhaps we could show some compassion for those that just want to make a better life for themselves. I think it's highly racist that some of as are very anti-multicultural.

    i find it interesting that you make such a generalisation.... i also note your thankers, yet more anti irish tones from you mike. would you ever act your age?


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  • #61
    Mike 1972
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,017 ✭✭✭Mike 1972


    Monife wrote: »
    My partner is black, and has experienced some racism. In fact, he was in town (Dublin) today waiting for me to pick him up and what I could only describe as some "young wan" came over to him, got up in his face and shouted "you fcuking blacks, I hate you". He was just standing there minding his own business, .

    If this is a regular occurrence he should consider carrying a bottle of p1$$ with him when he goes out ?


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