Kurari Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 I'm just feeling a bit frustrated with St. Patty's day today. My office is big on holidays, and yesterday we had a ton of St. Patty's day cookies, games, and an afternoon party. Unfortunately I couldn't really escape the party because they often merge company meetings into them, so I had to attend. I didn't get a lot of work done, which was kind of frustrating. I did not wear any green. I made it a point not to wear green. I don't wear green on St. Patrick's Day because I frankly take offense at the whole concept behind it. I don't feel the bringing of Christianity to Ireland was a good thing and I don't see why I should celebrate it. Never been to Ireland, so I don't know much about it. I know it's also a secular national pride day, and I think that's fine. But I didn't grow up there, so I have no real connections to it. Since I've lived and grown up in America I've always been radically annoyed with this bastard of a holiday. It's an excuse to drink green beer and get drunk off your arse, and in school I had to wear green to avoid getting pinched all day long. Yippee. I'm glad I don't have to worry about the pinching anymore, but I've spent all day yesterday trying to shove off surprised inquiries to why I'm not wearing green or want a damned blinkie shamrock button. I'm partly Irish. I think at most tonight I'm putting a snort of Bailey's in my hot chocolate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsmoke Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 It's a great excuse to get drunk, or to celebrate culturally if you're actually Irish (though I've read the event itself is barely acknowledged in Ireland), but I've never really needed and excuse for the former, and I'm in love with Irish culture and history despite not having a drop of Irish blood in me. Personally, I love St. Patty's Day as a cultural celebration; the thing what really screws it up (as you alluded to) is other people. Mostly, as you so aptly pointed out, all the occasion really does is necessitate we have to put up with the obnoxious antics of others who simply can't be bothered with respectfully restraining their "festive" attitude to those who don't see it as something to be endured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astreja Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 Technically I'm one-eighth Irish due to an Eire-born great-grandmother. Probably where I got my fiddle-playing gene, too. And I speak a bit of Gaeilge as well. But I really, really dislike Pádraig's influence on Ireland. Fortunately the Tuatha Dé Danann are a hardy bunch who have already reclaimed the land much as the Æsir and Vanir have taken back most of Scandinavia. Who needs Dead Middle Eastern Guy on a Stick when you can have... the Morrigan? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lycorth Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 I have to agree; St Patty's Day is another Xian holiday I have no desire to partake of. Celebrating the spiritual enslavement of the Irish people is a sick thing. Thankfully, it's becoming more and more secularized, which means that, despite the name, the Xian connections are being fast forgotten. Humans naturally like to party and have fun, so holidays like this are the perfect excuse. Before Xianity, we humans used to party on various Pagan holy days. Really, nothing's changed, deep down. It's a rather silly day, all in all, and plastic shamrocks and green beer don't make a person any more Irish than they were born as, nor do they serve any useful purpose, so I don't have time to waste with it. Not being Irish, I'd feel kind of like a hijacker, anyway. Having fun is a good thing, but I do think St Patty's Day is overrated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheilanagig Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 I was adopted into an Irish family, but I've been to Ireland. I know now that I'm not Irish. Even if I'd been born into the family, I still wouldn't be Irish. Neither are they, because none of them have lived there or really know anything about the place. Even if they did, they may find that they no longer wanted to be Irish once they'd seen what they're really like. It's not really anything special. It's like an entire country with rapid-cycling bipolar disorder, and they self-medicate with drugs and alcohol. I imagine that's the influence of the church to a large degree. No, I don't think St. Patricius (get a load of the pretentious name, too. It's assumed.) did anything good for Ireland. They'd have been better off and happier if they'd never been introduced to that kind of poison. So many of their problems stem from it. Sometimes I think the only reason they accepted it was to have a powerful ally in Rome. Shame how that turned out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheilanagig Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 Not being Irish, I'd feel kind of like a hijacker, anyway. Having fun is a good thing, but I do think St Patty's Day is overrated. Don't feel too bad. For one, you've got a lot of people who consider themselves Irish by way of their last name, and they don't know anything about the culture anyway. Then you've got Cinco de Mayo. People will hijack any reason to get drunk. It's like those days are the days when they're allowed to be an alcoholic without being criticized for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vixentrox Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 I seen on History Channel today that a large reason why it is celebrated in the US is becuase the original Irish immigrants were treated terribly. It was a way to mobilize thier population and show that they had political power with thier votes. Politicians would pander to the Irish voters by visiting the parades. So in that sense it's interesting. A downtrodden group mobilizing to get political power denied them in thier home coutry then overcoming hostility in thier new land. Now days the religious aspect is largely ignored. It's just another day used an excuse to party. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jella Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 I seen on History Channel today that a large reason why it is celebrated in the US is becuase the original Irish immigrants were treated terribly. Yes they were, and then they started treating others terribly once they achieved some power. I'm a gay irish man, and all I care about is a nice plate of corned beef and cabbage, along with some new potatoes. love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 I'm half Irish...at least, both my grandparents on my mum's side were born and raised in Ireland, so I'm third generation half Irish. But, fortunately, I can use cultural relativity and the fact that ethnicity is defined by subjective self-description and mutual recognition to feel as Irish as I like. Oh, and as my aunt pointed out yesterday when some of the younger members of my family dared to support England over Ireland in the rugby, "Just because a cat's born in an oven, it doesn't make it a loaf of bread." I don't care about the connections to religion, and I'm pretty keen on my own personal 'Catholic' culture anyway, so that's cool. Though I spent a few hours with my extended family last night, it was Saint Patrick's Day and they're all 'Catholic', it was in no way religious. Then again, I appreciate any excuse to go out and get trashed. Happy belated St. Patrick's Day!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 How do I feel? Beyond the feeling of not caring two flips? I may not make any friends with this, but I feel like when I left the church I no longer had to be a stick in the mud over my or anyone elses good time cuz it might be offensive. Good gravy like anyone in the US really gives two flying fucks about some dead not irish dude that brought xianity to the island. If someone wants to put up a cheesy shamrock, wear a "Kiss me I'm Irish" button and greet you with "Happy St. Patrick's Day" you are offended?? Seriously? Really? You must lead a really REALLY pain and hazzel free life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toxic Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 Technically I'm one-eighth Irish due to an Eire-born great-grandmother. Probably where I got my fiddle-playing gene, too. And I speak a bit of Gaeilge as well. But I really, really dislike Pádraig's influence on Ireland. Fortunately the Tuatha Dé Danann are a hardy bunch who have already reclaimed the land much as the Æsir and Vanir have taken back most of Scandinavia. Who needs Dead Middle Eastern Guy on a Stick when you can have... the Morrigan? I'm 1/8th Irish too, and I used to study with this coven whose patron (or rather matron) Deity was the Morrigan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurari Posted March 19, 2007 Author Share Posted March 19, 2007 How do I feel? Beyond the feeling of not caring two flips? I may not make any friends with this, but I feel like when I left the church I no longer had to be a stick in the mud over my or anyone elses good time cuz it might be offensive. Good gravy like anyone in the US really gives two flying fucks about some dead not irish dude that brought xianity to the island. If someone wants to put up a cheesy shamrock, wear a "Kiss me I'm Irish" button and greet you with "Happy St. Patrick's Day" you are offended?? Seriously? Really? You must lead a really REALLY pain and hazzel free life. Right, the only reasonable and logical explanation for this rant is that I'm offended by people wearing green shamrock dealie-boppers on their heads. It's such a nice, simple, lazy explanation for a differing opinion. YES, I'm offended by the concept behind St. Patrick's Day, and I'm sticking to this opinion. Why shouldn't I? Why is it any different than what everybody else rants on this board constantly, illustrating examples of how Christianity has not been a good influence somewhere? The Catholics and the Protestants are still waging a holy war over there to this very day. It's lunacy. It's the truth. Christianity really HASN'T been a good influence on Ireland. Gee, it's a good thing that it's becoming so secular.... Except when you come over to MY desk in the middle of the workday and interrupt MY work to ask why -I- am not wearing green, waste MY time insisting -I- take an ugly blinkie button, steal MY worktime with a party I don't want to participate in because you're inserting important company information in it that could have taken at most 15 minutes instead of an entire hour, I think I have EVERY right to be upset. Seriously, WTF? I don't care about you and the fact you want to drink green beer or be Irish for a day...I want to cross the two blocks to my busstop and go home without some idiot stepping in front of me saying, "Hey baby! Why aren'tcha wearing green? It's St. Patty's Day, ya know!" Do you really think you have the right to come over and pinch me because I'm not complying with what YOU think I should be doing on March 17? THAT makes me a stick in the mud? I don't want to be told by the religious nuts or the secular nuts what I SHOULD be doing with my time, what I SHOULD be wearing, or what I SHOULD be thinking. Not on St. Patrick's Day, or ANY other time of the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fweethawt Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 I'm not Irish, but my last name is Patrick. Go figure... But anyway, I don't even know the reason for St. Patrick's day celebration and I'm not one who normally celebrates it. However, the wifey and I went out that night and had a few drinks. If it wasn't for the fact that we went out on St. Patrick's day, I probably would never have seen, let alone tried, an Irish Car Bomb. Very good. It didn't have the whiskey in it, but it was still good. Just Bailey's and Guinness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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