Are We an Immature and Irresponsible Society?

maykitrayen · 09-07-2012 09:51PM

Immature? Only when it comes to alcohol, I would say.

Irresponsible? Absolutely. As a nation, the Irish have an inbuilt function that makes them point the finger at every single other entity in existence to blame before considering that they're at fault. Then if the blame is directed at them, play the victim like nobody else and scream oppression.

As a nation we look like a bunch of arseholes from afar, in terms of stupid things like enacting blasphemy laws in 2009 (but hey, Iran loved it!) and upclose, when we've Irish people with the flag draped around their shoulders starting fights in Oz to the extent that they're now beginning to consider taking action against Irish as a nationality and its presence in the country.

Pottler · 09-07-2012 10:18PM

I know, it's a sh1thole.:rolleyes: But it's funny how whenever I go abroad, I can't wait to get back home so I can get away from the charmers I usually meet abroad. I'd say we have our fair share of faults, but where doesn't? When you get to know other nationalities, you start to realise that everywhere is everywhere. I prefer the everywhere I'm used to. At least here, I know in general what's what. Oh, and I don't think it's a sh1thole. I quite like it here actually, I even quite like the people. I can live with their flaws, I've a few myself tbh.

Azhrei · 09-07-2012 10:23PM

FatherLen wrote: »

is that true???

No, he based them on the English.

LH Pathe · 09-07-2012 10:28PM

Immature and irresponsible culture seemingly threatening to consume society as a whole after two decades plus; certainly but it's not indicative of society. Just so widespread it is accepted as the norm

Jimoslimos · 09-07-2012 10:40PM

bluecode wrote: »

I think our real problem is the lack of a true Irish identity. It's seem to me there are 32 different identities. People's counties seem more important than their Irishness.

I disagree, perhaps there may be a rural/urban divide but I've never noticed much difference in cultural identity between those from my area (NoCo Dublin) and surrounding counties, Louth, Meath, Kildare, Wicklow or indeed any other urban area in Ireland, Cork, Limerick or Galway.

The UK I reckon struggles more with identity. The obvious problems in Norn Iron, North/South divide in England, Scottish independence movement (will be unsuccessful IMO). I remember the resentment and anti-Scottish sentiment from the media when Gordon Brown was PM (and also towards other Scottish cabinet members) which had little to with his capability, or more accurately - incapability :pac:, to do his job.

Eve_Dublin · 09-07-2012 10:46PM

maykitrayen wrote: »

Immature? Only when it comes to alcohol, I would say.

Irresponsible? Absolutely. As a nation, the Irish have an inbuilt function that makes them point the finger at every single other entity in existence to blame before considering that they're at fault. Then if the blame is directed at them, play the victim like nobody else and scream oppression.

As a nation we look like a bunch of arseholes from afar, in terms of stupid things like enacting blasphemy laws in 2009 (but hey, Iran loved it!) and upclose, when we've Irish people with the flag draped around their shoulders starting fights in Oz to the extent that they're now beginning to consider taking action against Irish as a nationality and its presence in the country.

Nobody considers us from afar. The biggest mistake we make about ourselves is to think that other countries even notice were here half the time. We're tiny and insignificant. They wouldn't know enough or care enough about us to consider us, "arseholes".

bnt · 10-07-2012 12:03AM

Regarding Hobbits: if this Guardian article is correct, not only did Tolkien not base the Hobbits on the Irish, he did not like anything "Celtic" and would have been horrified at the apparently "Irish" Hobbits in the Peter Jackson trilogy:

Why, he would have asked in despair, has his quintessentially English shire been turned into an outstation of Riverdance? "I do know Celtic things and feel for them a certain distaste. They are in fact 'mad'," he wrote in an untypically snotty letter in 1937. So why do the hobbits do Irish jigs at Bilbo Baggins' birthday party? Why are two of the hobbits in the fellowship, Merry and Pippin, cast as prat-falling Irish clowns? Why does Howard Shore's music break into repeated Irish warbling? Because, as he would dolefully have guessed, James Cameron's Titanic proved that dollops of Irishry play well with the US box office.

criticalcritic · 10-07-2012 12:24AM

I agree with the OP

Kill all the Irish in Ireland I say, that will sort Ireland out

ArtSmart · 10-07-2012 12:48AM

have to laugh at the 'only wit drink' comments.

aint no 'only' about it.

AngeGal · 10-07-2012 01:12AM

Jesus, AH is incredible, every second day there's a new thread on the seemingly endless faults of the Irish. OP and all OPs on similar topics should travel and get some perspective. Either way, can the mods not just make one big super thread where all the moaners can congregate and castigate the Irish?!

AngeGal · 10-07-2012 01:25AM

maykitrayen wrote: »

Immature? Only when it comes to alcohol, I would say.

Irresponsible? Absolutely. As a nation, the Irish have an inbuilt function that makes them point the finger at every single other entity in existence to blame before considering that they're at fault. Then if the blame is directed at them, play the victim like nobody else and scream oppression.

As a nation we look like a bunch of arseholes from afar, in terms of stupid things like enacting blasphemy laws in 2009 (but hey, Iran loved it!) and upclose, when we've Irish people with the flag draped around their shoulders starting fights in Oz to the extent that they're now beginning to consider taking action against Irish as a nationality and its presence in the country.

Arrah will ya come off it, do ya really want me to point out equally ridiculous laws brought in by pretty much every other country in the world at one point or another? Politicians in creation of stupid law - hardly a peculiarly Irish phenomeneon is it???

Some lads in Oz have caused problems and some desperate media whore says he is banning his own nationality, yes that will ruin our international image. That only got coverage in Ireland anyway, whereas the great role played by our supporters at Euro 2012 has attracted attention far beyond our own boundaries (if you don't believe me, do a google search and find articles written in almost every language about them).

God... · 10-07-2012 01:26AM

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

Nobody considers us from afar. The biggest mistake we make about ourselves is to think that other countries even notice were here half the time. We're tiny and insignificant. They wouldn't know enough or care enough about us to consider us, "arseholes".

So true!!!

John Doe1 · 10-07-2012 01:37AM

Yeah

lets all just have a day say in august where every irish citizen lines up and take turns jumping off the cliffs of moher

grenache · 10-07-2012 02:48AM

If you were to judge Ireland and the Irish, from a purely subjective point of view, taking into account our character traits, tradition and history, one would have to somewhat agree with the OP. While we are amongst the friendliest of peoples in the world today, the Irish are generally not very good at getting things done. Whether it be enacting laws, drinking in a sensible manner, planning ahead, putting in contingency plans, or even managing our finances. But we are not alone in this, all countries on the periphery of Europe such as Greece and Spain also have some of these problems. I guess it comes down to lack of discipline more than anything else.

BillyMitchel · 10-07-2012 03:09AM

Meh.. We are a great little nation and I like it here (especially away from the cities) but I do think the scumbag element of society is getting out of control and it is getting worse and I don't think that could be denied.

chrissb7 · 10-07-2012 03:22AM

Ireland is laughable.This bullcrap attitude of if you can get away with it do it or the airy fairy manner in which things are dealt with.I refer to two things such as the dole scroungers and in general how Irish people accept and allow anything to happen to them without so much as a finger lifted.I won't rattle off the economy or our dreadful selection of politicians.I think Ireland is still a backward society.From a young persons point of view (me) all i see is a nation that doesn't want change.It wants someone to do it for them. Germany and other well developed european nations set the bar.Every year they are looking to improve society and fortify their respective economies.I see tiny changes for a small country.So laughable.

As for the drinking thing.I am in no position to talk.Every person makes their own lifestyle choices.All I can say is that I do indulge in drinking once or twice a week.I would welcome higher off license prices and lower pub prices.Beating out underage drinking and returning a sacred culture of community, a laugh and a chat that is the pub.

NIMAN · 10-07-2012 03:45AM

Lot of people need to get out and visit the world a bit more if they think Ireland is the only place to do such things.

Most of the 'carry on' I have seen in my life in Ireland I have also seen in the likes of Germany, Spain, Italy, Scotland, England, Holland.

We ain't so bad as many would have you believe.

vamos! · 10-07-2012 12:35PM

AngeGal wrote: »

Arrah will ya come off it, do ya really want me to point out equally ridiculous laws brought in by pretty much every other country in the world at one point or another? Politicians in creation of stupid law - hardly a peculiarly Irish phenomeneon is it???

The Irish government haven't passed a law allowing them to sell information about their citizens to private companies. The organised Germans have....

t-ha · 10-07-2012 01:28PM

Living in Germany... the road on the way to work was finally finished about a month ago - exact same road back all opened up again today... :S

Are We an Immature and Irresponsible Society?

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