When Mayor Michael Bloomberg began his off-the-cuff speech to the hundred or so gathered at the American Irish Historical Society for the launch of a book about the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Wednesday night, the atmosphere was jovial.
But a few sentences in, the crowd’s mood changed with his utterance of an Irish stereotype, that he would later publicly apologize for.
Speaking about the Society’s building on 80th and Fifth, which was the venue for the event, the New York mayor said he lived close by and that “before I came here, normally when I walk by this building, there are a bunch of people that are totally inebriated hanging out the windows and waving.”
“I know, that’s a stereotype of the Irish, but nevertheless. We Jews from around the corner think this," he continued much to the audience’s dismay.
News of the Mayors slur spread quickly after it was first reported by IrishCentral. Yesterday, it was the main story in the two new York tabloids, the Post and The News as well as the lead in the New York Times Metro section.
For many, the Mayor’s comments came as a shock due to the close ties that he has cultivated with the Irish American community.
“In a city where stereotypes go out the window and diversity is embraced, it is shameful and inappropriate for the Mayor to reinforce a stereotype that Irish people have been trying to shake off for decades,” Amy Feran, a New York resident originally from Co. Louth, told IrishCentral.
“I think people reacted rightly, we need people to speak up against these kind of slurs, which further perpetuate negative views of Irish people,” she added.
However, for others the widespread media coverage and airtime that the story was awarded was too much.
“It was a frivolous comment playing on the Irish stereotype, there was no malice as far as I can see,” says John McKeown, a Dublin filmmaker on vacation here in New York.
“I know politicians have to be careful, so if people are offended, that’s legitimate but that’s just politics and communications these days, they’re all trained to be as bland and insipid as possible so as not to at all offend.
“However there was nothing innately malevolent in what he said. Print media is dying... so news doesn’t sell papers any more, "controversy" does," McKeown added.
Despite the mixed reactions to his comment, the Mayor was quick to formally apologize.
“I apologize. I certainly did not mean to offend anybody,” he said in a statement issued on Thursday.
Was the apology necessary? Meabh McDaid, a bartender living in the Bronx thinks the damage was already done.
“I don’t think the apology really made a difference, the man still said what he did,” she told Irish Central.
“I was reading about in the paper, and I really think the man meant no harm. I think a lot of Irish over here would laugh it off; after all Irish people have given that impression to people when it comes to drinking," McDaid admits.
But Deirdre Foy, living in Queens, thinks an apology was the least the Mayor could have offered
“He was right to apologize, but his apology seems prompted entirely by the bad publicity he received from his comments. It seemed hollow and insincere,’ she said.
Foy said the Mayor should never lean towards stereotypes in one of the biggest melting pots of the U.S.
“In a city like New York with so many ethnic groups living side by side there is no need to resort to this kind of stereotyping especially when it comes to a national holiday that has such a history with the city.
“He wouldn't dare say something similar about Martin Luther King Day or Cinqo di Mayo,” she added.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.jerryoneill | Feb 17, 2011, 08:24 PM EST
How about I used to walk past this black neighborhood and they were all sitting around eating watermelon and drinking wine in paper bags? Or this Italian neighborhood and they were booking bets and strong arming the businesses or Wall Street where the Jews were..........All of these things happen. That's where stereotypes come from but it does not apply to the preponderance of the people. The Irish are far beyond this petty bullshit. We are among the most literate and educated nationalities in America. Go to any book store and read the names of the authors and you will find an amazing number of Irish names. We are past this stupid stereotyping it is too bad Bloomberg is not or maybe he just had a little nip of Mogen David before he spoke.
dan Breen | Feb 14, 2011, 05:39 PM EST
The nyc Jews case out Ronan tynan to boston ! The mayor should join him in his native state. Lets see how long he would last up there? This mayor Sucks ! WE JEWS AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT ! WE JEWS !
Kells46 | Feb 14, 2011, 05:14 PM EST
I think our esteemed Mayor may have been "tipping the glass" before his speech, bless him. He is a friend of Ireland, so give him a break. He tried to tell a joke, it did not work, so what? Slainte agus l'chaim go leir.
ancavker | Feb 14, 2011, 04:45 PM EST
realist: You are way off base there. Victiemhood, and Irish?? The number one cardinal rule Irish, or Irish American, is never ever talk about it period. If they were such victims, the Irish never would have survived,and the Irish-Americans never would have made it as far as they have in the U.S. Try again.
kurtjohnson | Feb 13, 2011, 11:50 PM EST
In any event, this was blown out of proportion although it certainly would have been taken much more seriously had it been directed against another ethnic group.
kurtjohnson | Feb 13, 2011, 11:46 PM EST
No where on earth can compare to britain in terms of social degeneracy (ask any country unfortunate enough to host them to a sporting event). The ones in denial are british apologists who cannot come to terms with the worldwide terror and nation mugging of their whitehall contrived monstrosity. Anyone who invokes terror state culpability through indisputable historical facts is accused of "victimhood." That fat alcoholic terrorist Churchill no doubt believed the people of Dresden should not have been offended by the terror bombing he endorsed there (or the "uncivilized tribes" he advocated using poison gas against). The ones obsessed on here (as well as most of cyberspace) are british trolls who frequent Irish cites on a daily basis. These insipid creatures typically have failed lives in the anglo-sphere and need to somehow attempt to compensate.
mamaginnty | Feb 13, 2011, 06:27 PM EST
When irish eyes are smiling, sure it's like a morn in spring, oh how I remember how our eyes twinkled, twas the tears running from laughter, when the americans came over to see our quaint thatched cottages and our green fields. Yes we laughed, the big hat, the big belly, the big mouth, and an even bigger credit card. Put that in yer pipe and smoke it. Or does it hurt a little?
sporty5mics | Feb 13, 2011, 05:32 PM EST
Ulysses you gotta be kidding, Bloomberg is ALL for the Jews, but just the ones who can help HIM...under 100,000 grand a year an to him your not a jew...but he'll jump to help Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf..a man TIED to the Terriosts..money talks with him..how do you think he was allowed to even RUN for mayor again AND win !!!
sporty5mics | Feb 13, 2011, 05:14 PM EST
I think Bloomberg is nothing but a typical dirty sterotyping jew...he's the same as Mel Gibson...what would happen if he offended the BLACK race, or HISPANIC race, or EVEN the terriost Muslim race...not to even say his type. Disgusting to constantly hear people putting us Irish down.
JimmyJK | Feb 13, 2011, 03:23 PM EST
Realits: Wow... you've been quoting Culture Club???? Great reference... i guess
JimmyJK | Feb 13, 2011, 03:22 PM EST
What is your interest here? I You haven't answered any questions or revelations I've put forward... so either you are not interested in my comments and are just sitting next to your computer with a pathetic grin waiting to bait people and put them down via comments.... I like your dedication to this site and the comment section! Thanks So Much! It's fun... but you are so boring with the comments... no real offense. Keep your comments coming... but remember the most important part of an argument is to make a point. Your only point so far is that Irish Americans are heavy handed on victimhood.... Shall I write a dissertation to refute this ridiculous claim? Please answer all the other things I have asked and commented on...
Realist | Feb 13, 2011, 02:49 PM EST
JimmyJK: Of course you can "feel the hate" in my comments because, like all recreational victims, you seek to be offended. Lol.."....our past and current sufferings...." Ronald Reagan (former "Irish American" president), "there you go again". However, you're right on one point, this is not just about one comment made by Mayor Bloomberg - it's about the "Irish American" victimhood addiction. As for 'Pancake-gate" at Denny's last year - nothing short of pathetic. Those who could be bothered to notice (precious few I might add), were rolling their eyes as "Irish America" spoke out about yet another infamous slight.
JimmyJK | Feb 13, 2011, 02:10 PM EST
Realist: Why are you on this blog? I can feel the hate in your comments... but what is it you would like Irish and Irish Americans to be? The issue is not this one comment but rather a trend in recent years to take the Irish Americans for granted.... our past and current sufferings are just fine to make fun of and exploit. " Hey let's have old navy make t-shirts for people extolling the trait that all Irish like to get drunk. ( This is a Real Story) That is not acceptable to me... OR Denny's restaurant encouraging people to stuff their faces full of pancakes to celebrate the famine.... ( This is another Real Story) This is not about this one comment by mayor bloomberg but rather a trend to disrespect a people and yes the Irish and Irish Americans are a people and a community... some communities are stronger than others but we are a community. Much of our community is a member of former member of the Catholic Church.... I do not believe you can go much longer than a few weeks until some commentator or comedian will bash the Catholic Church.... and rightfully so in many instances but not in ALL instances... Realist: There are 7 million Irish in Ireland and 5 times that in the United States alone... Winston Churchhill - "We have always found the Irish a bit odd. They refuse to be English."
Realist | Feb 13, 2011, 12:35 PM EST
JimmyJK: "The Irish are unprone to victimhood they refuse to talk about horrors that they have experienced, encountered and witnessed until after years and years of repression"? In the words of a famous "Irish American" from the World of tennis, "you cannot be serious". This very site is little more than a shop window for the very sentiment you seek to deny. Moreover, scarcely a week goes by without some 'story' referencing the famine or past/current injustices inflicted on the Irish by someone or other (usually the British). For some Irish (usually the "Irish American" i.e. surrogate/pretend variety) this is an addiction - and, like most addicts, they are steeped in denial. To paraphrase Winston Churchill - never in the field of human sensibilities have so many been offended by so little.
mamaginnty | Feb 13, 2011, 11:33 AM EST
Right on McNabb, wonder what Realist would make of this statement, "The mayor was wrong it happened to be a bunch of Jews hanging out the windows drunk and the blacks were so drunk they were falling out the door" In reality I would never make jokes about a jewish person or a black person, any nationality. I have noticed though a lot of bigotry from so called americans towards the irish.
Ulysses | Feb 13, 2011, 11:28 AM EST
Mayor Bloomberg does not represent the Jewish community one iota. Therefore, don't come down hard on the Jews, because of the despicable remarks remarks of the Mayor. In fact, the Mayor is not that popular in the Jewish community at the present time. He was completely oblivious to the suffering of neighborhood residents, during the recent snow storms, where various neighborhoods were not cleared for weeks. When Fiorello LaGuardia, John Lindsay, Ed Koch, and Rudy Guiliani were Mayor, they would walk the various neighborhood streets to see how NYC citizens were doing. Bloomberg rarely, if ever, does that.
mamaginnty | Feb 13, 2011, 11:15 AM EST
GeorgeDillon, GET A LIFE, I have not seen a Drunk in years, maybe the younger ones after a night out, singing or even staggering, but I would not call them "drunks" the "drunk" you refer to is most likely an alcoholic, who needs help more than ridicule. As for the way a lot of people in the states see us, I think they have watched the film " The Quiet Man " to many times. In referance to the T-shirt, did you actually stand in that shop and watch the "few" and the "majority. You are the imbecile.
JimmyJK | Feb 13, 2011, 09:38 AM EST
Realist: There can be no way you are Irish or Irish American. The Irish are unprone to victimhood they refuse to talk about horrors that they have experienced, encountered and witnessed until after years and years of repression. Bloomberg is a billionaire politician... there is something inherently wrong about this. Irish Americans can take a joke, a ribbing and be made fun of but as of 2010 things have changed. There is a huge double standard in the U.S. regarding what is free speech and what is inciteful hate speech. Jewish Americans partly due to the horrible historical oppression and genocide of the haulocaust have something now called the Anti-Defamation League. This league is basically a watchdog against any speech directed at Jewish Americans that might be interpreted as negative.... Should Irish Americans and Irish Catholic Americans have a similar group that we fund and support? Should all ethnics have their own groups? This is about a mayor who doesn't see the REALIST view that he is a Billionaire and he and his ethnic group is "protected" by the Anti-Defamtion League and large numbers that are writers and journalists, etc. Irish Americans do not have this power at this time... Thank goodness this was reported on and the mayor can now hopefully reflect on this.... to offend any group of people is wrong... isn't that right?
Realist | Feb 13, 2011, 08:09 AM EST
McNabb1966: I stand by every syllable in my comment. The fact that this is an "issue" at all let alone one that warrants mention in print only further reinforces my point about the "Irish American" sweet-tooth for victimhood. This is yet another classic example of the lengths to which some people will go to be 'offended'. If these elements within the Irish "diaspora" (whatever that is) don't learn to grow out of offering up knee-jerk childish responses like this each time they perceive someone has looked at them the wrong way - they will never really be taken seriously on the World stage. By the way, remember to enjoy your patronising bowl of shamrocks at the White House next month.
McNabb1966 | Feb 13, 2011, 06:04 AM EST
@Realist...I suggest you grow up, at least enough to avoid misrepresenting the issue. This is not about whether or not the Irish like to drink or get drunk. Nor is it about the Irish being "victims." It's about whether or not the Mayor of New York City should be held accountable for his comments about one of the city's ethnic groups. It's about whether or not the Mayor should be making jokes out of other people's stereotypes. Could an Irish-American mayor get up before a Jewish audience and make jokes about Jewish stereotypes and NOT get howled at afterwards? Ronan Tynan certainly found out just how sensitive some Jewish people can be over a simple joke and he wasn't eveb mayor of the nation's largest and most diverse city. It should be simple enough for even you to understand: Bloomberg's inappropriate comments and the mentality behind them are at issue here, nothing else. As I've said before, the truth of a person's obesity, for instance, doesn't make the telling of fat jokes about that person less insensitive or obnoxious. The fact of the matter is that there was no good reason for such "jokes" by the Mayor and so it's reasonable to wonder what on earth he was thinking.
Realist | Feb 13, 2011, 04:43 AM EST
The real Irish stereotype is not one of inebriation or violent behaviour but the victim mentality. At the slightest and most ridiculous 'provocation' the usual elements within the so-called "Irish American diaspora" play the all-too-predictable victim card - and, lo and behold here it is yet again. To be honest, I'm surprised someone hasn't tried to trace Bloomberg's lineage back to a Black and Tan officer or Oliver Cromwell himself....lol. Always the international emotional charity cases and perpetual candidates for the MOPE title (Most Oppressed People Ever). As the old Culture Club song goes, "....the victims we know so well....". I suggest you grow up, get over it, and move on.
JamesBMulcare | Feb 12, 2011, 09:17 PM EST
After this remark a dozen Irishmen marched to City Hall to protest but were arrested for public intoxication and disorderly conduct.
kickstar | Feb 12, 2011, 08:10 PM EST
Well just for that I am going to let the cat out of the bag, Bloomberg's buddy Timmy Geithner is just about to de-value the US dollar, and China knows this she holds in excess of 500 billion of them and is desperately trying to get out of them before de-valuation by spending like a squad of drunk sailors, buying up anything it could possibly use. Anyone selling anything to China should demand payment in Euro....The dollar is toast...You have been warned
oldpieface | Feb 12, 2011, 07:10 PM EST
I think it was rather insensitive, but harmless. The Irish themselves have contributed to this 'Irish drunk' picture, as have I. My father, a McKinney, was the town drunk, but I never attributed it to his race, only his weakness, and never felt as if it made me less a person . .
killianyacht | Feb 12, 2011, 05:28 PM EST
Well Bloomberg's sort of going off the deep end these days. Like for instance his "sting" of Arizona gun shows. How would you like the mayor of New York going to pubs in Ireland saying there's too much fat in your butter? Well he's doing this very thing in New York... Anyway, don't worry. There's no way this wing-nut will EVER be President. several billion dollars in wealth and he wants to put down the Irish and force his morals on the rest of us... Pi$$ Off Lord mayor
LoyolaM | Feb 12, 2011, 05:16 PM EST
I think any Irishman or woman not deeply offended by Bloomberg's comment needs to do a gut check. If something similar were said about Jewish people or an African American, the politician probably would feel forced to resign. A leader of the stature of Bloomberg who perpetuates a damaging stereotype in front of a core constituency, must be going soft in the head. Just goes to show, we need an Irish Al Sharpton.
GeorgeDillon | Feb 12, 2011, 03:33 PM EST
The Irish have no right to complain. For two reasons: First, a lot of them ARE drunks. Second, they regularly sell materials which affirm the nastiest stereotypes about themselves. A case in point: Last year Dublin department store Penneys was selling a T-shirt which depicted an "Irishman" (leprechaun-like) on the floor, lying in his own vomit. This was supposedly the store's effort to mark St Patrick's Day. A few Irish complained, but the majority of Irish were capable only of an imbecilic giggle, like the boy at school who makes a fool of himself in the hope that'll make him popular.
mhichil | Feb 12, 2011, 02:29 PM EST
Bloomberg will be resigned to the halls of karma and you will all grow a thicker skin till the rest of them evolve. see how they run!
IrishColleen50 | Feb 12, 2011, 01:54 PM EST
I Think the Mayor needs to learn to watch his mouth how would he feel if someone made that remark about his heritage i doubt it if he would like it nor would anyone else so quit stereotyping the Irish as a bunch of drunken eejits i dont think he should march in the parade unless he is geniunely sincere !
Liamkeyes | Feb 12, 2011, 11:21 AM EST
Yes, I agree...forget about it and look forward to the Parade. I know the Mayor will be more careful in future. I'm a Dub, think of all the slaggin' that I get, I don't get offended, I hear it all the time, in fact if I don't get a slaggin' I'm disappointed. Beannchtai na Feile Padraig agus Slainte go leir.
offalymike | Feb 12, 2011, 11:17 AM EST
i think the most damage was done to the mayor himself, i think if the comment were made about his jewish background it would have generated a lot more negative comments,we have always said i"ts o k to laugh at yourself but dont let anyone else laugh at you.
dermot.r | Feb 12, 2011, 11:13 AM EST
I'm from Ireland, and like everyone, I have opened my big mouth thinking something was funny, only to discover that it was offensive to someone else. You apoligize sincerely and move on. Mr. Mayor, from this Irishman, "pology accepted." Let's shake hands and move on -- we've a parade and a party to get ready!