Korean Job Discussion Forums

[John_ESL_White]

All American families have a tie to another country (except, native Am, of course).

So, why do 18th generation Irish Americans and Italian Americans pump themselves up and identify themselves so heavily with their granparents, 14 generations removed?

I recently had the pleasure of having brunch with a guy from the US. He had a few beers and all he could talk about was his "Irishness". He was so proud of the friends he has made in Korea who are actually from Ireland, that I almost had to vomit, but, I'm not French, so I held my liquor like a man.

I asked if he had ever been to Ireland. He said, "No, but someday i want to visit".

I asked if his parents had ever been to Ireland. He said, "No, but they've always wanted to visit."

I asked if his grandparents ever visited Ireland and, get this, he said, "no, but his grandparents' parents came from Ireland", on one side of his family. lol

Is this guy Irish?

Answer, NO, this guy is Irish-American. Just like Tiger Woods is African-American, even though there are 15 generation separating Tiger Woods from Africa.

So, basically, Irish-Americans are the same as African-Americans.

It's proved. Finish-e

[Bloopity Bloop]

I've always wondered this, too. Makes no sense to me.

[chonga]

Well when people ask me I say "half Korean half Irish." I do not boast about my irish-ness since i do not look at all, Irish.

I'm always asked here in the states "what are you?" and rather than say "half american, half korean" I just say im half Irish half Korean because I have the irish name, my grandfather was fresh off the boat Irish and my father was there many times. I know this isn't the same situation as what you posted but saying I'm American is very general and usually I'll get a question as to where my "American" ancestry is from. But yes I do agree with you I know many people who are Irish and Italian who boast they are Irish or Italian and it does get annoying.

Ironically it's usually only those two ethnicities (not sure if that's the right term) that boast. I guess they're just proud of their ancestry/heritage.

LOL at the french comment!

[in_seoul_2003]

[John_ESL_White]

[Smee]

Ethnicity is trendy in the US. It's irritating. Chinese-Americans do this, too, but I guess in their case you could still say that, even though they're five generations removed, they still suffer discrimination for being a visible minority in the US.

It always annoys me on March 17th when everybody suddenly becomes Irish for the sake of drinking. The worst, though, was in college when a student told the professor that she identifies more with her Italian side than with her American side because of the food and because of the "culture." From a girl who had never been to Italy, nor had her parents or grandparents.

[Yesterday]

[oskinny1]

[zstar5000]

I worked in Ireland and my wife and I came to love the people, the land, and the way of life in general. When we say that we would love to live there again one day, we always get asked if we're Irish, to which we respond "not one bit." Ireland in general has a good bit of cache in the States these days, which brings some people to search long and hard to find some ancestral connection with the Irish (and make one up if such a connection does not exist).

This article has quite a bit to say on why this might be the case:

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200901/end-of-whiteness

[eamo]

Well, as an actual Irishman, we get this a lot. Plainly American people trying to bring their roots to the fore.

It's a bit silly after 3rd generation I think. If your grandparent was from the old country, then your parents, and maybe even yourself, will have been passed a lot of the culture, values, 'philosophy', and whatever else makes Irishness.

After 3rd generation, it must surely become much more diluted. Unless you grew up in isolated hillbilly areas where there's less dilution.

[kiwiduncan]

[jkelly80]

I'm offtopic-american.

[Joe666]

John_ESL_White:

[Sergio Stefanuto]

[friendoken]

I took a national census in Canada a long time ago. There were upwards of 20:

Do you identify yourself as

a) Irish-Canadian
b) French- Canadian etc etc etc
u) Other ___________________

I wrote Canadian beside other. I received a call from some flunky in Ottawa sometime later who said, "You can't write Canadian, there's no such thing. We're all from somewhere else."

Now, I had been hitch-hiking awhile before that and had been picked up by a guy who asked my family name, explaining he was a genealogist. I told him and he told me the complete history of my family from the first one who set foot in what is now called Canada. Apparently gg....grandpa arrived in the very early 1600's from France.

I repeated this episode to the guy on the phone and he said he would get back to me, I could be in trouble etc etc.

He never did, nor did anyone else.

The question is, if I can't call myself a Canuck, who the hell can?