my take on racism in ireland, this is an essay i wrote

this is an essay i wrote for sociology..
the title of the essay is,"there is racism in ireland today, discuss"

i think its a good topic to bring up here, so id love a few responce pieces from you guys..
by the way i am in no way saying what i wrote in my essay is right, its just my oppinion.

id love to read yours..






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There is racism in Ireland today. Discuss.








 
There is racism in Ireland today. This fact has become apparent over the last 30 years because of the European influence on Ireland and the need to be up to European standards.
There are many different types of people in Ireland nowadays and some are from different ethnicity than that of the organic dominant one, Irish.
The Irish society is now a multi cultured diverse society that in essence strives to be intercultural, well, theory logically speaking of course. However, as we know from life experience, it is impossible to rule out any incidents of racism. The Irish government like to think that society will give way to cultural grace in time, and that is all that has really been allocated to alleviate the stresses incurred on the minority. For the last hundred years there has been a huge change in the type of racism in Ireland. From what was once a clear cut case of class distinction and mild prejudice, in regards to certain Irish people; for example, Irish Travellers.
Irish travellers are Irelands only organic ethnic minorities, they were traditionally a nomadic people, who survived by the use of trades required by people on their travels. They were known as tinkers, (tin smiths) and travelled Ireland all year long. But as Irish society progressed into the more cosmopolitan and essentially richer country, the use of the tin smith diminished, and with it, the traditional traveller. The travelling people of Ireland will be my prime reference point in this essay as an example of a minority. Given that I will be talking about racism in Ireland it will be completely necessary to discuss other minority groups and, the prejudice and discrimination experienced by them.
The polish community in Ireland have been on the fore front of the battle against racism in the last few years in Ireland. The one thing Irish people dislike, is when people get jobs, which they believe is theirs by nationality. This is an absurd belief, absurd and hypocritical for the Irish people to have. Ireland has enjoyed many years and millions of immigration stories in their own right, and the idea of being annoyed at others using Irelands economic boom for personal gain is ridiculous. This in itself to me results in the divide being caused between polish and other non Irish citizens, and the Irish public. However it has to be said that the racism is practiced by a relatively low amount of people. But bigotry runs deep in Irish society and although there may not be actual physical or evidential amounts of discrimination, we must also account for the mental implications the divide has caused on society at large. While the majority of people may not be openly bigoted, there is the mentality of the people who are silent in their thoughts about minorities. For example, a person may not openly act out on their racist thoughts through abuse or physical manifestations of their bigotry, they may have a sub conscious ideology that holds them back from for instance and sake of an example, allow a minority to drink in there bar or be employed by them on the same level an Irish person would be. The very fact some Irish people allow themselves to take advantage of a skilled migrant worker and pay them substantially less than semi skilled Irish workers, is evidence that they are allowing their prejudices and discriminatory mentality use and abuse on a regular basis.
Another mentality which is common in Irish society is that the minority is somewhat inferior or subordinate to the social norms of Ireland. Many Irish men and women who speak in broken English or act as though they need to over illustrate the conversation also take part in a type of discriminatory practise. Treating a grown adult like a child is a sub conscious attempt at diminishing a person’s character. This example is seen in Ireland every day. While this can be argued to the point, where people say that the need for speaking in broken English, is a result of the language barrier. But the inherent act is practiced as soon as someone is identified as a foreign national.

Irish travellers have experienced many types of discrimination in the last 30 years. Since the need for travellers as a tradesman or as someone useful on farms has depreciated, so has the need for interaction. So facing the progressing segregation, travellers and non travellers are faced with growing up in a generation with no interaction, thus, resulting in a cultural divide and cultural racism. Travellers being denied access to public houses and clubs or associations, is apparent in Ireland to this day. This act of institutional racism was a leading factor in the instigation of the black human rights drives and rally’s of 1960’s America. Ireland in the last 20 years has been forced into concentrating their human rights strategies on nine grounds of discrimination. One of the grounds specifically deals with Irish travellers. On the implementation of this act and law, Ireland has seen the rise in institutions and government organisations formulated with the plan of dealing with traveller’s issues, ranging from educational, medical and legal, to heritage and traditional plans on preservation of such practises. The education system has also started to be socially inclusive and culturally diverse. This resulting in more educated and highly skilled members of the travelling community. Irish travellers are a recognised minority in Ireland, even though, the only difference noticeable today, is minor traditions like marriage and the low number of people who actually travel. The divide between travellers and non travellers in the past 30 years has caused the racism and discrimination today. The fact that travellers were marginalised and segregated meant that non travellers had no physical dealings with travellers. Not being allowed in to public house and being denied a social life would be a main factor in the segregation process. As with everyone today, the only way to be diverse and culturally educated is in a socialising way. With socialising the groups in society become integrated and therefore become familiar with characteristics and traits of other groups. This is the only way forward and towards being inter cultural.
I think it is fair to say at this point of my essay that evidence of racism and prejudice is not a one sided affair. Irish travellers are more than guilty of being a practitioner of racism and discrimination. The main thing I disagree with in the whole hypocritical actions of travellers is the way some, plays innocent and act as though holier than thou. The high amounts of colour or nationality discrimination in the travelling community is vast, and the religious aspect of traveller society has maintained a steady level of homophobia. The lack of respect for people outside their community may be a result of comraderie brought about by the (“us against them”) mentality. However, given that this is the reason for their dislike or hatred in some cases; shouldn’t the travelling people be more accommodating or embracing for different culture or practises? This seems to not be the case. This is evidence that the cross contamination of racism is possible, and with that point, the effect the dominant group has on the minority. Therefore it is fair to say that Irish society has been conjoined through racism. This crossover of ideology is a piece of evidence that the Irish travellers and mainstream society have found common ground. The common ground between the two groups should eventually result in the loss of a division between the two. But Ireland being an organic country, with loss of rationality and embrace for change somewhere in the last century, racism will always be ripe.

So in conclusion I would have to concur with the question of this essay, Ireland does, and for the foreseeable future will continue to be a racist country. Until the day Ireland becomes practical and open with inter cultural diversity, Ireland will remain a country who is guilty of being racist and in the dark ages in regards to the aforementioned.

Very well writen. I have always found the idea of travellers who are themselves people of discrimination just an insane thing as wanting equality and keeping it from others shows a lot of other issues. Any thoughts of why travellers discriminate against their own community and all that means as well as the diversity within it?

hi casey,
thanks.well wriiten i think so too..but,,i was only given 45% for it in class.
the tutor said t was too opinionated and not academic enough,
i suppose she is right about my opinion.

travellers seem to hold a lot begrudgery towards there own i think. its a strange set up really, because you usually discriminate against someone you dont know how to act with..so maybe its because some travellers dont know or are just afraid to let the gay taboo into their lives. as i said its a strange one..however , as with all things, it is something that will eventually become more accepted. as the ammounbt of openly gay travellers rises, then so too will the ammout of acceptng and educated travellers. its all about becoming aware and embracing change to the norms..

what do you think

peace

Sounds good and a good lesson to know as with sociology its always a good idea to have studys and stats to back up the opinion as supportin why we think as we do can only empower the message. Exposing people to the bigger picture seems the only way even if people are going ta get wounded at first. As a transgender individual the ideas about gender roles, sexuality and all that are very taboo in both the irish and traveller community and I think highlight a bigger issue too Almost any difference in the traveller community gets picked at be someone to tall, heavy, hair colour. voice, clothes... why do you all think were so sharp with one another?

Great post 1of-dem – really enjoyed reading that.

Very interesting side topic too Casey and certainly one in which our community will have to explore if it is to survive.

I feel it is both membership of a unique cultural minority as well as our celtic tribal dynamics that have nurtured such undesirable aspects into present life.

Our community, like all other communities can be defined by a common experience of the world, in both a synchronistic and diachronically sense, bound by vocabulary peculiarity's and group alliances, most often lineage and family ties are of great importance and the Irish Travelling Pavee culture is of no difference.

With slow integration and the swift erosion of the Irish Travelling Pavee culture it becoming more and more defined by it's remaining language and traditional flow, it's use, practicalities and there place in the modern world.

Our rebellion against difference is something I find hard to explain – or even scrape the surface of its own understanding.

In a way the lines between the Irish Pavee community and that of the wider community may have its impact; as a majority of individuals from a primary imperial singular culture may never experience social and linguistic relativism, and all to often find it a difficult task to accept that not all aspects of culture or language are interchangeable and that it can actually provide a uniquely different world view. This conflict and identity confusion, experienced by the wider community undoubtedly has its impact on the esteem and sense of belonging of Irish Travellers.

Perhaps even more so due to the Irish Travelling Pavee cultural derivations and tri-manifested linguistic forms rich with Gaelic lexicon churned among the words of English – each providing a unequalled platform for review, investigation and a greater understanding of not only the Irish Travelling Pavee but Irish society as a solitary whole.

A diversion from this view point as both a moral and social guide can readily be seen as a weakening of the social unit itself and can inspire swift and firm action.

Paradoxically it is this very same complexity that has assured that many modern Pavee enthusiasts have being so reluctant to investigate and explore corresponding cultural inheritance.

It must also be recognised that culture is a deeply complex construct in which it can not ,and indeed must not be reduced to salient features but for the moment I can think of three primary points of order.

Laziness/ Apathy

As crude as it may sound it is recognised that for most people the main reasoning for the dwindling and weakening culture and somewhat aggressive stance on change is the apathy in conviction of its virtue and importance as well as a resistance to the disciplined effort required. Transformation, wherever it be of ourselves or others involved energy and invested skill. When people do however change, it can highlights the lack of action in others which all to often have clear consequences.

Internalised Colonial Prejudices

This is a far more insidious issue, which is much more of a difficult task to identity and return to a sense of progression..

There is often a reluctance to engage and incorporate a progressive review and adoption of a wider spectrum of tradition and heritage, such things are a red flag highlighting the need to examine the external and internal reasonings, for unknown to ourselves we may be betraying our past for sake of a lesser future.

On a very core level it is difficult to honour a tradition who's members, due to oppression and denied rights, feel that they are honoured by the wider community. As social creatures we seek refuge and solidarity which often responds with denying anything traveller related.

Fear

So too can the above point be inverted on a person in rebellion, one that finds a sharp denial of anything non-pavee. When your sense of identity is overlooked and your cultural markers dwindling anything that feels beyond the cultural flow of the community is all to often rejected – out of fear that it may weaken the remaining sense of belonging, as well as undermine the present cultural ideals and expectations.

Self rejection

When somewhat marginalised by the government, media and common opinion self rejection is very often presented. We all speak of pride, but some things risk being hollow words if they are unsupported by action and may in fact just be a false face to hide wounds behind. In the same sense people who are unhappy with themselves on a very wide scale are very rarely happy with anyone else.

I think I've ranted on for enough now

Like both of your ideas though!