Comments on: Nobody Gives a Fuck That You’re Irish. http://mindyourowngoddamnbusiness.com/wordpress/2009/07/nobody-gives-a-fuck-that-youre-irish/ Nothing to see here, bitches. Fri, 13 Aug 2010 02:26:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Tommy http://mindyourowngoddamnbusiness.com/wordpress/2009/07/nobody-gives-a-fuck-that-youre-irish/comment-page-1/#comment-2933 Tommy Wed, 19 May 2010 16:04:04 +0000 http://mindyourowngoddamnbusiness.com/wordpress/?p=769#comment-2933 You should change your name too czech republic dude! get with the times, as long as it doesnt harm anyone ive got no problem with it You should change your name too czech republic dude!
get with the times, as long as it doesnt harm anyone ive got no problem with it

]]> By: Atkins's Wife http://mindyourowngoddamnbusiness.com/wordpress/2009/07/nobody-gives-a-fuck-that-youre-irish/comment-page-1/#comment-1575 Atkins's Wife Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:09:39 +0000 http://mindyourowngoddamnbusiness.com/wordpress/?p=769#comment-1575 Ouch, yeah, that was a tough one. In fact, I think that's around the time I became a Chargers fan. haha So, we should join in our hatred of the 49ers and systematically destroy them. You know, in keeping with the theme we have going here. I'll actually just sit here at my computer and shake a fist. But damnit, it will be a fist of RAGE! Ouch, yeah, that was a tough one. In fact, I think that’s around the time I became a Chargers fan. haha
So, we should join in our hatred of the 49ers and systematically destroy them. You know, in keeping with the theme we have going here.
I’ll actually just sit here at my computer and shake a fist. But damnit, it will be a fist of RAGE!

]]> By: myogdb http://mindyourowngoddamnbusiness.com/wordpress/2009/07/nobody-gives-a-fuck-that-youre-irish/comment-page-1/#comment-1574 myogdb Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:50:13 +0000 http://mindyourowngoddamnbusiness.com/wordpress/?p=769#comment-1574 That's fair. I also see what you're saying with St. Patrick's day. I guess that the Jews are going to have to step up their game if they want to compete. As for football, I got to enjoy what is still the most lopsided game in super bowl history when the 49ers systematically dismantled Denver. It's interesting. For the most part, the Broncos have been a fairly competitive team while I've followed them, but they also seem to be on the receiving end of a lot of records like that. That’s fair.

I also see what you’re saying with St. Patrick’s day. I guess that the Jews are going to have to step up their game if they want to compete.

As for football, I got to enjoy what is still the most lopsided game in super bowl history when the 49ers systematically dismantled Denver. It’s interesting. For the most part, the Broncos have been a fairly competitive team while I’ve followed them, but they also seem to be on the receiving end of a lot of records like that.

]]> By: Atkins's Wife http://mindyourowngoddamnbusiness.com/wordpress/2009/07/nobody-gives-a-fuck-that-youre-irish/comment-page-1/#comment-1573 Atkins's Wife Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:35:12 +0000 http://mindyourowngoddamnbusiness.com/wordpress/?p=769#comment-1573 Oh, I certainly don't think it's fair. Germany shouldn't have to live in the shadow of the things perpetrated by people in the past. All I'm pointing out is that it does. I guess the real kicker is that St. Patty's involves a lot of drinking. There are no Jewish holidays (at least none I know of) where the main point is to get shit-faced. Though if you could make a cool blue-and-white layered shot and call it something awesome (I'll leave that part up to you, Mr. Fatal Dreidel) maybe you can get people on board. Drinking is a great uniter of people. And then a great divider as they start beating the shit out of each other. Which leads me to football. I remember in 1995 sitting eagerly in front of my tv hopeful that the Chargers would pull off a super bowl win only to watch them get the shit kicked out of them by the 49ers. Though I was only 15, my waning excitement and growing disappointment as the four quarters of slaughter crawled on will stay with me always. That being said, I still have a Natrone Means jersey. Oh, I certainly don’t think it’s fair. Germany shouldn’t have to live in the shadow of the things perpetrated by people in the past. All I’m pointing out is that it does.
I guess the real kicker is that St. Patty’s involves a lot of drinking. There are no Jewish holidays (at least none I know of) where the main point is to get shit-faced. Though if you could make a cool blue-and-white layered shot and call it something awesome (I’ll leave that part up to you, Mr. Fatal Dreidel) maybe you can get people on board. Drinking is a great uniter of people. And then a great divider as they start beating the shit out of each other.
Which leads me to football.
I remember in 1995 sitting eagerly in front of my tv hopeful that the Chargers would pull off a super bowl win only to watch them get the shit kicked out of them by the 49ers. Though I was only 15, my waning excitement and growing disappointment as the four quarters of slaughter crawled on will stay with me always.
That being said, I still have a Natrone Means jersey.

]]> By: myogdb http://mindyourowngoddamnbusiness.com/wordpress/2009/07/nobody-gives-a-fuck-that-youre-irish/comment-page-1/#comment-1572 myogdb Sun, 19 Jul 2009 07:27:13 +0000 http://mindyourowngoddamnbusiness.com/wordpress/?p=769#comment-1572 <a href="#comment-1571" rel="nofollow">@Atkins’s Wife</a> I see what you're saying, and you make some really good points. Let me try to explain myself. First of all, you're absolutely right; WWII is extremely recent. 60 years is pretty much nothing in the grand scheme of things, and there are still people who were around during those times. That being said, I would guess that the vast majority of people living in Germany now were far too young to have played any sort of meaningful role in Nazi Germany. I'm not trying to downplay what a dipshit Hitler was or how tragic the Holocaust was, and I think that it will always be remembered as a really, really dark period in German history. I'm guessing that no one will (or should) ever be proud of it, but I feel like it's a little bit unfair to take a one extremely fucked up 20 year chunk of history from a country that's been around for a few hundred years and say “That's it. Your country sucks because a group of people two generations above you were assholes.” I also don't know where one ranks WWII and the Holocaust with all of the bad things that humans have done to each other (Or how you would even do that). They're both probably pretty near to the top, but there are plenty of other countries with ugly periods in their history too that still have pride in their country. As far as I know, Russians feel pretty OK about being Russian, but it seems like they're still digging up dead bodies from when Stalin was in charge. You're also absolutely right about American slavery – it's still a really sensitive subject two hundred years later, but it's never gotten in the way of most Americans being proud of being American. Actually, America has a pretty extensive list of shitty things we've done – slavery, Japanese internment camps during WWII, sweatshops, dicking over Native Americans at every available opportunity- those are the major ones I can think of off the top of my head, and I'm probably forgetting some other doozies. Nobody is proud of those events, but they haven't really prevented people from being proud of the kick-ass things that America has done, at least as far as I know. As for the Irish, I still don't see it. You compare them to the Jews, which I can understand. The Irish have had a hard history, and I think that we can all agree that nobody in the history of anything has ever gotten fucked harder on a more consistent basis than the Jews, so the similarity is there. And yet, it still doesn't really explain the behavior to me, because as far as I know there's no similar phenomenon with the Jews. There's no huge surge of bandwagon Jews during Yom Kippur, no “Ride my Hog to the Synagogue” tshirts (Once again, I should be submitting this crap to threadless typetees), no “Spread those thighs, I'm circumcised” tattoos (I'll admit that one was a little bit more of a reach), no Jewish rap group called Fatal Dreidel (I know, I know, I'm just embarrassing myself now. It sounds better when you say it out loud, I swear) and no one at parties saying things like “I'm part Jewish because my step dad is a huge Philadelphia 76ers fan, and Moses Malone won a championship with them, and Moses led the Jews out of Egypt, so I eat gefilte fish like it's chocolate. MAZEL TOV, MOTHERFUCKER!!! I'm not even going to dignify your crack about the Broncos with a response, but I will say that liking a team that sucks and then watching them get good and win a championship is really awesome, and I think the Chargers are headed in that direction. If this is their year, enjoy it while it lasts – you have dreams of Lombardi trophies dancing through your head, and then one day you wake up and find out that the GM has fired your coach, the replacement has alienated your pro bowl quarterback and when you look at the schedule, you only see about three games that you think they can win. I think I'm going to have to do a lot of heavy drinking during the 2009 season. @Atkins’s Wife
I see what you’re saying, and you make some really good points. Let me try to explain myself.

First of all, you’re absolutely right; WWII is extremely recent. 60 years is pretty much nothing in the grand scheme of things, and there are still people who were around during those times. That being said, I would guess that the vast majority of people living in Germany now were far too young to have played any sort of meaningful role in Nazi Germany. I’m not trying to downplay what a dipshit Hitler was or how tragic the Holocaust was, and I think that it will always be remembered as a really, really dark period in German history. I’m guessing that no one will (or should) ever be proud of it, but I feel like it’s a little bit unfair to take a one extremely fucked up 20 year chunk of history from a country that’s been around for a few hundred years and say “That’s it. Your country sucks because a group of people two generations above you were assholes.”

I also don’t know where one ranks WWII and the Holocaust with all of the bad things that humans have done to each other (Or how you would even do that). They’re both probably pretty near to the top, but there are plenty of other countries with ugly periods in their history too that still have pride in their country. As far as I know, Russians feel pretty OK about being Russian, but it seems like they’re still digging up dead bodies from when Stalin was in charge. You’re also absolutely right about American slavery – it’s still a really sensitive subject two hundred years later, but it’s never gotten in the way of most Americans being proud of being American. Actually, America has a pretty extensive list of shitty things we’ve done – slavery, Japanese internment camps during WWII, sweatshops, dicking over Native Americans at every available opportunity- those are the major ones I can think of off the top of my head, and I’m probably forgetting some other doozies. Nobody is proud of those events, but they haven’t really prevented people from being proud of the kick-ass things that America has done, at least as far as I know.

As for the Irish, I still don’t see it. You compare them to the Jews, which I can understand. The Irish have had a hard history, and I think that we can all agree that nobody in the history of anything has ever gotten fucked harder on a more consistent basis than the Jews, so the similarity is there. And yet, it still doesn’t really explain the behavior to me, because as far as I know there’s no similar phenomenon with the Jews. There’s no huge surge of bandwagon Jews during Yom Kippur, no “Ride my Hog to the Synagogue” tshirts (Once again, I should be submitting this crap to threadless typetees), no “Spread those thighs, I’m circumcised” tattoos (I’ll admit that one was a little bit more of a reach), no Jewish rap group called Fatal Dreidel (I know, I know, I’m just embarrassing myself now. It sounds better when you say it out loud, I swear) and no one at parties saying things like “I’m part Jewish because my step dad is a huge Philadelphia 76ers fan, and Moses Malone won a championship with them, and Moses led the Jews out of Egypt, so I eat gefilte fish like it’s chocolate. MAZEL TOV, MOTHERFUCKER!!!

I’m not even going to dignify your crack about the Broncos with a response, but I will say that liking a team that sucks and then watching them get good and win a championship is really awesome, and I think the Chargers are headed in that direction. If this is their year, enjoy it while it lasts – you have dreams of Lombardi trophies dancing through your head, and then one day you wake up and find out that the GM has fired your coach, the replacement has alienated your pro bowl quarterback and when you look at the schedule, you only see about three games that you think they can win.

I think I’m going to have to do a lot of heavy drinking during the 2009 season.

]]> By: Atkins's Wife http://mindyourowngoddamnbusiness.com/wordpress/2009/07/nobody-gives-a-fuck-that-youre-irish/comment-page-1/#comment-1571 Atkins's Wife Sun, 19 Jul 2009 01:31:43 +0000 http://mindyourowngoddamnbusiness.com/wordpress/?p=769#comment-1571 You have a pretty narrow view about WWII. WWII ended only about 60 years ago. (P.S. People are living much longer than 70 years now. :p) That is extremely young in the wide scheme of things. Think back to the Clinton administration during which Clinton apologized for slavery. That was 200 years ago and obviously still a rather sensitive topic. When it comes to WWII and the Shoah, people are just as, if not even more, sensitive. Interestingly, people don't dig being ritually exterminated or enslaved or oppressed. Which is probably why Germans aren't super exuberant about proclaiming their nationality. It's kinda like saying you have "White Pride" which basically says "I am happy for everything white people have done and I am so glad I am part of that race." Maybe it SHOULDN'T say these things, but it certainly does. Now, given all of this, let's move on to Irish Pride. The Irish have long been oppressed, killed, generally undermined by the English. You can read/hear countless stories of the potato famine being engineered by the English (more or less) or the English trying to exterminate the Irish language and culture. The English aristocracy did, in fact, refer to that entire country and its people as the "Irish problem." Sound a little like Hitler, who came up with the "final solution"? Yup. So, given this underdog spirit, the fact that they were able to maintain their language and culture through such outright and blatant persecution, it makes sense that they would want to broadcast their love of being Irish. "Fuck yeah," they're saying, "my people survived and are awesome and have sexy accents." Okay, perhaps not in those exact words. Now, why do people with 1/160 Irish in them proclaim their Irish heritage and go batshit crazy with the color green, especially in March? Two easy reasons: 1. people like to fit in and 2. people like to drink. "Being Irish" lets you state how awesome you are at drinking, forgives you for binging (and likely purging later) and connects you with other loosely Irish people. Think of it like jumping on the bandwagon when the Broncos are actually doing well (I know, you have to think back pretty far here) and suddenly everyone's a Broncos fan. Once St. Patty's comes along, everyone's Irish. Ask these same people whether they are Irish in November and they would, for the most part, be less exuberant about it. I don't even really know my heritage. I think I'm roughly 1/4 Italian, some Irish and Scottish, and then the other 1/2 is Scandinavian or some such thing. So, I'm basically an American. But fuck American pride. Too many people use that as an excuse to hate other people, which just leads to more strife and war. I'm not a great example, though, as I'm not a very big bandwagon person. I mean, I've been a Chargers fan since 1992 or so. I take the hard knocks. You have a pretty narrow view about WWII. WWII ended only about 60 years ago. (P.S. People are living much longer than 70 years now. :p) That is extremely young in the wide scheme of things.
Think back to the Clinton administration during which Clinton apologized for slavery. That was 200 years ago and obviously still a rather sensitive topic.
When it comes to WWII and the Shoah, people are just as, if not even more, sensitive.
Interestingly, people don’t dig being ritually exterminated or enslaved or oppressed. Which is probably why Germans aren’t super exuberant about proclaiming their nationality. It’s kinda like saying you have “White Pride” which basically says “I am happy for everything white people have done and I am so glad I am part of that race.” Maybe it SHOULDN’T say these things, but it certainly does.
Now, given all of this, let’s move on to Irish Pride. The Irish have long been oppressed, killed, generally undermined by the English. You can read/hear countless stories of the potato famine being engineered by the English (more or less) or the English trying to exterminate the Irish language and culture. The English aristocracy did, in fact, refer to that entire country and its people as the “Irish problem.” Sound a little like Hitler, who came up with the “final solution”? Yup.
So, given this underdog spirit, the fact that they were able to maintain their language and culture through such outright and blatant persecution, it makes sense that they would want to broadcast their love of being Irish. “Fuck yeah,” they’re saying, “my people survived and are awesome and have sexy accents.” Okay, perhaps not in those exact words.
Now, why do people with 1/160 Irish in them proclaim their Irish heritage and go batshit crazy with the color green, especially in March? Two easy reasons: 1. people like to fit in and 2. people like to drink.
“Being Irish” lets you state how awesome you are at drinking, forgives you for binging (and likely purging later) and connects you with other loosely Irish people. Think of it like jumping on the bandwagon when the Broncos are actually doing well (I know, you have to think back pretty far here) and suddenly everyone’s a Broncos fan. Once St. Patty’s comes along, everyone’s Irish. Ask these same people whether they are Irish in November and they would, for the most part, be less exuberant about it.
I don’t even really know my heritage. I think I’m roughly 1/4 Italian, some Irish and Scottish, and then the other 1/2 is Scandinavian or some such thing. So, I’m basically an American. But fuck American pride. Too many people use that as an excuse to hate other people, which just leads to more strife and war.
I’m not a great example, though, as I’m not a very big bandwagon person. I mean, I’ve been a Chargers fan since 1992 or so.
I take the hard knocks.

]]> By: myogdb http://mindyourowngoddamnbusiness.com/wordpress/2009/07/nobody-gives-a-fuck-that-youre-irish/comment-page-1/#comment-1570 myogdb Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:32:19 +0000 http://mindyourowngoddamnbusiness.com/wordpress/?p=769#comment-1570 Give me the proper answer. I'd be interested to know what you think about all of it. Give me the proper answer. I’d be interested to know what you think about all of it.

]]> By: Bibi http://mindyourowngoddamnbusiness.com/wordpress/2009/07/nobody-gives-a-fuck-that-youre-irish/comment-page-1/#comment-1569 Bibi Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:19:17 +0000 http://mindyourowngoddamnbusiness.com/wordpress/?p=769#comment-1569 A proper answer to that calls for something essay-length. I'd gladly write it but I'm aware that the topic concerns me and the rest of Germany much more than others and I get easily carried away xD So just say if you're interested in hearing it, but I understand that serious answers probably weren't what you're going after with this post^^ In short: there is a German poem that describes us rather well. I can't find it now and I'm translating it from memory so it might be only vaguely correct. "Ask a French what he is and he'll say 'I'm French', ask a Brit what he is and he'll say 'I'm British', ask a German what he is and he'll say 'I'm a mailman'." We just don't have national pride. A proper answer to that calls for something essay-length. I’d gladly write it but I’m aware that the topic concerns me and the rest of Germany much more than others and I get easily carried away xD

So just say if you’re interested in hearing it, but I understand that serious answers probably weren’t what you’re going after with this post^^

In short: there is a German poem that describes us rather well. I can’t find it now and I’m translating it from memory so it might be only vaguely correct.

“Ask a French what he is and he’ll say ‘I’m French’,
ask a Brit what he is and he’ll say ‘I’m British’,
ask a German what he is and he’ll say ‘I’m a mailman’.”

We just don’t have national pride.

]]> By: myogdb http://mindyourowngoddamnbusiness.com/wordpress/2009/07/nobody-gives-a-fuck-that-youre-irish/comment-page-1/#comment-1568 myogdb Sat, 18 Jul 2009 17:20:37 +0000 http://mindyourowngoddamnbusiness.com/wordpress/?p=769#comment-1568 Which kind of surprises me. From what I know about the period during WWI and WWII, it was a pretty dark time for Germany, but it seems like pretty much anyone that was older than ten at the very end of WWII is probably gone at this point, and it also seems like Germany has done quite a bit of stuff to be proud of too. I've only been to Germany once, but I had a really positive experience when I was there. I hope the stigma goes away. Which kind of surprises me. From what I know about the period during WWI and WWII, it was a pretty dark time for Germany, but it seems like pretty much anyone that was older than ten at the very end of WWII is probably gone at this point, and it also seems like Germany has done quite a bit of stuff to be proud of too. I’ve only been to Germany once, but I had a really positive experience when I was there. I hope the stigma goes away.

]]> By: Bibi http://mindyourowngoddamnbusiness.com/wordpress/2009/07/nobody-gives-a-fuck-that-youre-irish/comment-page-1/#comment-1567 Bibi Sat, 18 Jul 2009 13:27:21 +0000 http://mindyourowngoddamnbusiness.com/wordpress/?p=769#comment-1567 I know I shouldn't have googled butthole pride, I should've trusted you. But I couldn't believe you were able to find ANY side that included that phrase. For German pride... well, I bet you at least half of the articles including that are about how Germans aren't/shouldn't be proud to be German. I know, my grandma was a little kid when WWII ended, but it's still pretty much current for us. Trust me, the sentence "I'm proud to be German" can, over here, ruin anything. Your birthday party or your political career. I know I shouldn’t have googled butthole pride, I should’ve trusted you. But I couldn’t believe you were able to find ANY side that included that phrase.

For German pride… well, I bet you at least half of the articles including that are about how Germans aren’t/shouldn’t be proud to be German. I know, my grandma was a little kid when WWII ended, but it’s still pretty much current for us. Trust me, the sentence “I’m proud to be German” can, over here, ruin anything. Your birthday party or your political career.

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