The idea is to highlight where we benefit from other cultures. You’re meant to read each example and think ‘but I like other sports’ ‘but I like other foods’ ‘but I like American movies’ etc.
There’s no actual family being mocked. No family on this island lives exclusively like that, we all use things from other cultures.
External-Chemical-71 on
This is the chickens coming home to roost of years of actively allowing a particular type of extremist to bed themselves within all arms of the state.
The worst part was that while discussing it last night with my partner we pretty much exactly matched the family description in the “diverse and desirable” example but we crucially seem to lack any brown members of the family. Our bad I guess.
caisdara on
Is this the most attention SPHE has ever received?
HypnoticMango on
It might not apply to everyone in Ireland, but it’s pretty bang on to what I experienced when I moved here, albeit to a smaller town. Resistant to change, eat the same 4 meals on rotation, and look at you as if you have two heads if you dare to step out of that 4 meal rotation. Only interested in GAA/hurling, and look down on you if you are not, or if you enjoy different sports. Distrust in ‘foreigners’ not from Ireland, it’s almost impossible to mnake friends as an adult in Ireland as everyone is so cliquey and insular. Constant, Facebook-level takes about migrants, and plenty of casual racism. Even the arran jumpers are prevalent.
DelGurifisu on
Can’t believe they want to turn Irish people away from sports and plain food 😂
PaddySmallBalls on
I don’t have the book tax review for myself to make an informed comment, but would people be upset about this if the family wasn’t mixed race?
The progressive family described in the article matches pretty much every family I know in this country.
JoyousDiversion2 on
My cousin knew a person who’s friend died because she took a risk and ate spicy foreign food. What does this book say about that I wonder? That’s why I stick to milk and plain potatoes. Safety first people
ghostofgralton on
Last of the silly season wine
stereoroid on
I get they were trying for “reductio ad absurdum”, showing the extreme case to turn people off it, but I think that might be too sophisticated for an audience of schoolchildren… or their parents.
WraithsOnWings2023 on
I wish my parents bought me some uilleann pipes instead of a shitty steel guitar
strandroad on
I kind of fail to see the fault in it I must admit. Both families are Irish families, one is very insular the other is very globalised. There are pros and cons to each scenario and the kids are probably supposed to discuss that and explore the attitudes. Clunky sure but I remember doing loads of exercises like this in foreign language courses for the culture and stereotypes part.
Do people take it that only the cottage family is the Irish family and feel insulted or what?
jaymatthewbee on
I feel that this sort of thing plays exactly into the hands of white supremacists who’ll use it for their own narrative.
johnnytightlips99 on
I also hate my Irish identity, why don’t we all band together and start a lynch mob, killing all “boring”, “awkward” native Irish scums!
TheBaggyDapper on
We need to ban books, they keep coming into our country and causing problems.
Wonderful_Flower_751 on
Mountains and molehills come to mind. Anyone with half a brain should be able to see that it’s a commentary on the importance of being progressive and inclusive.
Anyone offended by this needs to check themselves.
InterviewEast3798 on
when youre so anti racist you become racist
Stampy1983 on
I’m fully onboard with a diverse Ireland and love how much we’ve grown as a country in just my lifetime, and fuck the people screaming the loudest about this, but I’ve seen the part of the book in question and it’s really bad.
The book is clearly trying to (rightly) say it’s bad to be xenophobic, but they really fuck it up. It comes off less as “it’s bad to hate things just because they’re not Irish” and more “it’s bad to like things that are Irish.”
As an example, there’s a big spiel about how this particular family live, and how small minded and hateful the parents are. Kids are asked to imagine what it must be like to live in that family, but *everything* the family like or like to do is traditionally Irish, and they *only* like those things because they hate foreign people and culture.
The parents love GAA not because it’s great, but only because its not foreign. They don’t holiday in Ireland because it’s beautiful, they do it because they hate going abroad. They don’t eat Irish food because they enjoy it, they eat it because it’s Irish and that’s all that matters.
The entire message is that the only reason to enjoy anything Irish is because you’re a bigot and hate anything foreign. It’s insane, and then the picture underneath of this hateful small minded clan is just a normal, happy looking Irish family enjoying their lives. With the exception of the fact that all of them are in Aran jumpers, it looks like 90% of rural Irish families I’ve ever met.
I fucking hate that I’m agreeing with those Gript freaks on anything, but the message in the story is extremly off the mark.
AltruisticKey6348 on
Eight hundred years of British occupation, a portion of the country still occupied. No colonial history of invading other nations. One hundred years of independence and were being lectured at just like the clergy did a few decades ago.
18 Comments
The intent is obvious although poorly done.
The idea is to highlight where we benefit from other cultures. You’re meant to read each example and think ‘but I like other sports’ ‘but I like other foods’ ‘but I like American movies’ etc.
There’s no actual family being mocked. No family on this island lives exclusively like that, we all use things from other cultures.
This is the chickens coming home to roost of years of actively allowing a particular type of extremist to bed themselves within all arms of the state.
The worst part was that while discussing it last night with my partner we pretty much exactly matched the family description in the “diverse and desirable” example but we crucially seem to lack any brown members of the family. Our bad I guess.
Is this the most attention SPHE has ever received?
It might not apply to everyone in Ireland, but it’s pretty bang on to what I experienced when I moved here, albeit to a smaller town. Resistant to change, eat the same 4 meals on rotation, and look at you as if you have two heads if you dare to step out of that 4 meal rotation. Only interested in GAA/hurling, and look down on you if you are not, or if you enjoy different sports. Distrust in ‘foreigners’ not from Ireland, it’s almost impossible to mnake friends as an adult in Ireland as everyone is so cliquey and insular. Constant, Facebook-level takes about migrants, and plenty of casual racism. Even the arran jumpers are prevalent.
Can’t believe they want to turn Irish people away from sports and plain food 😂
I don’t have the book tax review for myself to make an informed comment, but would people be upset about this if the family wasn’t mixed race?
The progressive family described in the article matches pretty much every family I know in this country.
My cousin knew a person who’s friend died because she took a risk and ate spicy foreign food. What does this book say about that I wonder? That’s why I stick to milk and plain potatoes. Safety first people
Last of the silly season wine
I get they were trying for “reductio ad absurdum”, showing the extreme case to turn people off it, but I think that might be too sophisticated for an audience of schoolchildren… or their parents.
I wish my parents bought me some uilleann pipes instead of a shitty steel guitar
I kind of fail to see the fault in it I must admit. Both families are Irish families, one is very insular the other is very globalised. There are pros and cons to each scenario and the kids are probably supposed to discuss that and explore the attitudes. Clunky sure but I remember doing loads of exercises like this in foreign language courses for the culture and stereotypes part.
Do people take it that only the cottage family is the Irish family and feel insulted or what?
I feel that this sort of thing plays exactly into the hands of white supremacists who’ll use it for their own narrative.
I also hate my Irish identity, why don’t we all band together and start a lynch mob, killing all “boring”, “awkward” native Irish scums!
We need to ban books, they keep coming into our country and causing problems.
Mountains and molehills come to mind. Anyone with half a brain should be able to see that it’s a commentary on the importance of being progressive and inclusive.
Anyone offended by this needs to check themselves.
when youre so anti racist you become racist
I’m fully onboard with a diverse Ireland and love how much we’ve grown as a country in just my lifetime, and fuck the people screaming the loudest about this, but I’ve seen the part of the book in question and it’s really bad.
The book is clearly trying to (rightly) say it’s bad to be xenophobic, but they really fuck it up. It comes off less as “it’s bad to hate things just because they’re not Irish” and more “it’s bad to like things that are Irish.”
As an example, there’s a big spiel about how this particular family live, and how small minded and hateful the parents are. Kids are asked to imagine what it must be like to live in that family, but *everything* the family like or like to do is traditionally Irish, and they *only* like those things because they hate foreign people and culture.
The parents love GAA not because it’s great, but only because its not foreign. They don’t holiday in Ireland because it’s beautiful, they do it because they hate going abroad. They don’t eat Irish food because they enjoy it, they eat it because it’s Irish and that’s all that matters.
The entire message is that the only reason to enjoy anything Irish is because you’re a bigot and hate anything foreign. It’s insane, and then the picture underneath of this hateful small minded clan is just a normal, happy looking Irish family enjoying their lives. With the exception of the fact that all of them are in Aran jumpers, it looks like 90% of rural Irish families I’ve ever met.
I fucking hate that I’m agreeing with those Gript freaks on anything, but the message in the story is extremly off the mark.
Eight hundred years of British occupation, a portion of the country still occupied. No colonial history of invading other nations. One hundred years of independence and were being lectured at just like the clergy did a few decades ago.