What Does It Mean To Be Irish?
What does it mean to be Irish? Here is a site that provokes some thought. We might, after reading it, ask the question; what does it mean to be American? How does this line of thinking apply to so many of the cross cultural people here in America, both with a single external affinity and multiple external affinities? Weigh in and be heard!
The President on the Diaspora
posted by Traveler at 3:16 PM
1 Comments:
I read the article and enjoyed it.
To respond to your question... there is much that can be said, but nothing worthwhile that avoids generalization or contradiction.
I would say America is "of a type" and Ireland is "of a type," and most nations fall between those two types (which isn't to say that deprives them on contributions). On the one hand, you have Greece, Japan, Ireland, Israel and Palestine... states and ethnicities that, due to their size, location, and distinct boundaries, both develop a unique perspective and then send that perspective out into the world. Hence, diasporas.
America, then, is the opposite extreme. There is resource, size, the structures of growth... a sort of accessibility. Historically, we'd better compare to Russia, Rome, China, and Mesopotamia. We dissemminate other cultures, but also put a spin on it.
I do believe that it means something distinct to be American, and I do think it goes a little deeper than Coca Cola and baseball. I think that both its more admirable and frustrating qualities come from a sense of independence and initiative. Americans don't really believe in inertia, it seems, and would, on the whole, rather risk control than letting sleeping dogs lie. And because most Americans are relatively comfortable, and America's a relatively big place, in light of all this, there doesn't seem to be much of a diaspora.
Part of my pleaure in the article was how it made me think. I consider myself American, first and foremost, because that's where I've always been located, and I see in myself what I described above. But I can't deny that my Irish heritage has also helped to shape my perspetive in many ways.
Keep posting. I like reading what you have to write.
~ Connor
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