[Mandy]

How can I respond to U.S. colleagues who, because I come from Northern Ireland, assume that I sympathize with Republicanism/IRA? They talk of 'the cause' and refer jokingly to pro-IRA songs. This is upsetting, as the IRA almost killed me when I was three.

User Detail :  

Name : Mandy, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 31, City : Reading, State : NA Country : United Kingdom, Occupation : Technical Writer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Geoff R]

There's no easy answer to your question. Fundamentally, it's the old 'one man's terrorist is another man's freedom-fighter' problem. It's very easy to turn around and point out the Oklahoma bombing, one of the few domestic U.S. acts of terrorism that is on the same scale, but it does seem to play on sympathies and is also unrelated. My suggestion would be to try and subtly enter into conversation about The Troubles. If the person shows no knowledge of the history and background, then you can either try to set them right or tell them in no uncertain terms that they don't know what they're talking about. If they do know the background, then, hey, you'll have to respect it and agree to differ.

User Detail :  

Name : Geoff R, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 24, City : Edinburgh, State : NA Country : United Kingdom, Occupation : Bartender, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Iteki]

Being from Dublin, I find the same issues are relevant. They assume that coming from the Republic, I am a hardline republican. The only advice I can offer is to do the same as one does when offended by any other comments: explain that it offends, and educate on why. Chances are they know nothing of the situation in Northern Ireland and how it came about. Explain to them that it is very insulting to you that they assume that you are a person who would support violence as a means to an end. Tell them it reflects badly on them that they would joke about something they know nothing about. Make the comparison (cheap shot, but it might get the point across) of how entertaining they would find pro-McVeigh jokes about the Oklahoma bombing. You could also try giving them a brief history of the situation, and explaining who the various players are. I identify, as I said, with your issues because while my feelings are that Ireland should never have been divided, and that Ireland is the whole of the island, no belief is strong enough, and no piece of land important enough, to kill for. This might be an extra-difficult premise for Americans to grasp, considering their own highly combatent national history. Come to think of it, they can sing all the pro-IRA songs they like, they are still living in a country that they took with violence from the people who lived there first...

User Detail :  

Name : Iteki, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Lesbian, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Recovering Catholic, Age : 25, City : Stockholm (Via Dublin), State : NA Country : Sweden, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Dan27164]

As I'm sure you are aware, if this sort of thing happened back home, it would be called 'harrassment,' and the perpetrators would expect a good ticking off from the boss (or the law). If it happened in England (and I have seen it on a number of occasions), it seems the best thing to do is spread a little education. Explain to the bigots the difference between the IRA, the UDF, etc., and the vast majority of Northern Ireland Citizens. I'm sure most of the people saying this would never dare think of walking up to an African American and saying, 'Don't throw bloody spears at me' (for anyone who doesn't know - apocrophal reference to expression reportedly used by Michael Caine during making of the film Zulu). (I'm English by the way).

User Detail :  

Name : Dan27164, Gender : M, City : London, State : NA Country : United Kingdom, 

[Hallie21405]

You can respond by letting the jackasses know exactly what you went through and how their comments make you feel. Frankly, I can't see how an adult could be so presumptuous or behave so callously about such a serious matter. Most Americans haven't had direct experience with war and may not know how to respond to it, but that's a reason, not an excuse.

User Detail :  

Name : Hallie21405, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, City : Frankfort, State : KY Country : United States, Occupation : Clerk, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

[Author]

Posts