Give Ireland back to the Irish

Give Ireland back to the Irish - Paul McCartney



Unfortunately, too cold and rainy to show my tattoo today, or I sure would. (It got me into the St Patrick's section of the newspaper one year!) So I will show it to yall instead. Apparently, it is considered extremely uncool that you can see my BODY HAIR in this photo. (gasp) Sorry, yall!

But I daresay, anybody made nervous by pale yellow or red body hair probably should avoid Ireland.

Happy St Patrick's Day everyone! :)

Happy St Patrick's Day!

And on this most Irish of days, let us ask:

What does it mean to be Irish-American? Anything?

Why do Americans invariably describe ourselves as ____ American? (Do they do this in other countries? I would imagine it depends on how much immigration is a feature of life.)

In America, we tend to consider ourselves "children of immigrants"--since the vast majority of us are. Jessica Aloe writes:

One of the topics we discussed outside the pub in Ballintoy [Ireland] was the tendency that Americans seem to have to describe themselves as [insert ethnicity here]-Americans. Growing up in New York, this was perfectly natural to me. I have described myself like that. Everyone described him or herself like that, even when it seemed like they were grasping at straws.

A friend of mine, whose roots are in Minnesota, bought a Norwegian phrasebook when we were younger because her great-great-great grandparents had hailed from there. In middle school, we were given an assignment to write a fake journal pretending we were travelling through Ellis Island as the nationality of our family. Nobody had trouble with it.

These two men thought it was ridiculous. They found it annoying, and even condescending when people came to their homes and described themselves as originating from there. So I asked them how I should describe myself. In my case, I have a European citizenship, I've spent summers there, and have close family there. Regardless of this, they answered, I was simply, "American." There was no other possibility for them.

Should everyone who is born in America describe himself or herself as solely American? Probably not. And you do have to take into account the attitudes towards immigrants in countries like Northern Ireland that, unlike the United States, attract very little immigration. It's a cultural difference, but one that I would have never become aware of had I not taken that risk.

Are you a hyphenated American? If so, would you give up your modifier?

Why is it important to you, to say what kind of American you are?

I find that I honestly can't say why, except that it was drilled into me, to remember: "No Irish Need Apply"..."No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs"(the sign later immortalized as the title of John Lydon's autobiography).

Another possible answer: I find that remembering which people I came from, keeps me from trying to be someone else.

Here on Octogalore's appearance thread (about Michelle Obama's arms!), I mentioned (and linked to) my signature Irish arms. Knowing that my people had bulbous Bill Clintonesque noses and fleshy bodies, comforts me greatly, since I have them too. I am short and stout, and I have never believed I could look like a supermodel. I am grateful for the lesson in common sense that Irish identity gave me. Now: If only I'd listened to the warnings about DRINKING! :P

And I guess this is as good a place as any to announce: I haven't had a drink of alcohol in 27 years. (Am I OLD or what?) So, yall have some green beer on me today, okay?

Have a happy St Patrick's Day!

~*~

Give Ireland back to the Irish - Paul McCartney & Wings

Happy St Patrick's Day

St Patrick icon from Byzantines.net.





An Irish Airman foresees his Death

by William Butler Yeats (1919)



I KNOW that I shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above;
Those that I fight I do not hate
Those that I guard I do not love;
My country is Kiltartan Cross,
My countrymen Kiltartan’s poor,
No likely end could bring them loss
Or leave them happier than before.
Nor law, nor duty bade me fight,
Nor public man, nor cheering crowds,
A lonely impulse of delight
Drove to this tumult in the clouds;
I balanced all, brought all to mind,
The years to come seemed waste of breath,
A waste of breath the years behind
In balance with this life, this death.

Dead Air Church - post-Groundhog Day edition

Lent officially begins this week, so trying not to slack.

For Church this week, I present U2's Gloria. Even though I know it is supremely uncool to cop to liking U2 (in any incarnation) these days, this is one of my favorite hymns.

Notice:

1) Bono's hair! Not quite a mullet, but definitely in 80s hair-band mode. This is relatively early; he was still fresh-faced and not so full of himself. (But you can see where he's ready to veer off in that direction!)

2) Listen to that killer riff by The Edge. Lots of people have stolen it since.

3) It's a beautiful video, as befits the subject.

4) The lyrics are so simple and just so perfect:


I try to sing this song
I, I try to stand up
But I can't find my feet.
I, I try to speak up
But only in you I'm complete.

Gloria
In te domine
Gloria
Exultate
Gloria
Gloria
Oh, Lord, loosen my lips.

I try to sing this song
I, I try to get in
But I can't find the door
The door is open
You're standing there, you let me in.

Gloria
In te domine
Gloria
Exultate
Oh, Lord, if I had anything, anything at all
I'd give it to you.

Gloria
In te domine
Gloria
Gloria


~*~

U2 - Gloria

[via FoxyTunes / U2]

Have a wonderful sabbath, everyone.

Odds and Sods - Special year-end edition!

Left: Mr Natural, by R. Crumb.

A round-up of interesting reading to round out 2007. An idea that I gather is common for bloggers... but I just decided to do it when reading Natalia.

*One of my very favorite bloggers, Kiya, writes in a post titled I'm too nerdy for my love:

I was too smart to ever be pretty. It shapes a lot of things.

It wasn't allowed, you know, for the likes of me to be attractive. I could be either attractive or smart, and smart was something I clearly was before the dichotomous choice came up as a visible fork in the road, so I was off down one branch before I realised I was well past the place I could maybe have decided about it.

Because it was forbidden for me to be pretty, it was forbidden for boys to like me (unless they were social rejects beyond the bounds of The Rules). It wasn't forbidden for them to treat me as some kind of sex toy, but kind attraction was forbidden. Crude comments, breast-grabbing and other unwelcome touch, and mockery were acceptable; those didn't depend on me being pretty, just on being female. Perhaps some of that was an outlet for taboo attraction. Perhaps they were just assholes who knew they could play with me with impunity. There's no way to know.
...

When I met someone who told me I was beautiful it broke me inside, a little. I didn't know how to deal with it, how to live with it, how to untangle the mess around this boy who broke the taboo for me.

*Here is Irish blogger Silly Old Twit introducing a video clip of U2 at Dublin's Croke Park:

This is a classic piece of Stadium Rock. But that’s all it is. The culture of the full belly as I like to think of it. Affluent white youth killing time while they take their turn to become landlords….A generation which has sold itself cheap. After 50 years of clerical abuse this generation stampedes to get it’s place in a good Catholic university… , and then a place on the property ladder……there’s little to respect here……like the proverbial good book say’s , “You cannot serve two masters”. ……

This is the generation which handed over Irish airports to the US military ………..this is the generation that wants unlimited immigration ( after they have left the neighbourhood that is )……

Bono reflects this generation well…..they look at him and see themselves……

*Irshad Manji writes provocatively on CNN.com about the death of Benazir Bhutto:

Writing to me through my Web site, American feminists say they are "aching" over the loss of "our dear, sweet, brave Benazir."

I understand the sentiment. But "brave" is not the word used by Pakistani women from whom I've also heard. They're hurting more over Bhutto's "self-imposed" conformity.

"She never realized her potential," a woman from Karachi tells me. "And not because she was killed but because when she had the chance, she did not effectively challenge the backward mindset that has now led to her demise."

For example, during Bhutto's time in office, Pakistan didn't defy the anti-female rape and adultery laws. Those notorious ordinances, known as Hudood, took their inspiration from tribal politics masquerading as Islam.

Imagine the opportunity: Bhutto could have championed a purer faith by tackling corrupt cultural practices.

In so doing, she might have created allies among conservatives, who can be persuaded that although Islam is God-given, culture is man-made.

Last year, a media campaign to strike down the Hudood Ordinances achieved this fine balance. But not because of her. And that, say many progressive Pakistanis, amputates Bhutto's legacy.

~*~

Check out Ren's posts on Creepy Dudes and Creepy Chicks. Adult content, please be forewarned. But you'll recognize them all, in some shape or form!

~*~

ZipcodeZoo is an awesome service that allows you to create a nature-based home page, determined by your zip code. ZipcodeZoo guesses your location according to ISP, although they do make errors. (I had to manually enter my zip code and email address for the information, but that's it.) You can see all invasive species, as well as a list of threatened species, and all species that live in this zip code! ZipcodeZoo visitors from the USA will also see their zipcode demographics, local attractions for naturalists, and the local weather. It's terrific, and is particularly recommended for the busy hippie-moms of homeschooled tykes who worry about the plants and animals! (yes, you know who you are!)

~*~


And don't forget to have a Happy Deadhead New Year! :)

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Listening to: Grateful Dead - China Cat Sunflower
via FoxyTunes