Kiss Me, I’m Irate over St. Patrick’s Day products - Give me a break
By: Paul Allen | Published Friday, January 4, 2013, 11:34 AM | Updated Friday, January 4, 2013, 11:34 AM
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| Urban Outfitter St. Patrick's Day products |
The essential item of clothing this St Patrick’s Day for some Irish people should be a t-shirt emblazoned with ‘Kiss Me, I’m Irate!’
Yes, you’d think we’d have enough political and economic turmoil to be dealing with, without getting our knickers in a twist over some hipster clothing store and the world’s largest sports brand.
Urban Outfitters had the audacity to
suggest that the Irish have an unhealthy relationship with drink when it released a range of “drunk Irish” t-shirts
One featured the phrase “Irish yoga” and beneath depicted an image of a person on their hands and knees being sick. Another ran the lines – ‘Kiss me. I’m drunk or Irish, or whatever.’
On both sides of the Atlantic the Irish were up in arms. How dare Urban Outfitters defame the Irish people, they cried. But, in reality, the store’s only crime was telling the truth.
Whether it is in Dublin, New York or Boston, the sight of Irish people staggering around drunk or doing “Irish yoga” on the street or sidewalk is relatively common.
Next in the firing line was Nike. The sports clothing giant’s mistake was simply using color to describe one of its products.
Nike was forced to apologize after
naming its new running shoe the Black and Tan in advertisements. The $90 limited edition sneaker sparked fury among certain Irish communities because they linked the name with memories of the notorious British paramilitary unit that terrorized Irish citizens during the War of Independence.
While the official name was the SB Dunk Low, adverts for the trainer read: “Tis the season for Irish beer and why not celebrate with Nike. The Black and Tan sneaker takes inspiration for the fine balancing act of a Stout (Guinness) on top a Pale Ale (Harp) in a pint glass.”
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Read more: Outrage as St. Patrick's Day deemed too religious and renamed "O'Green Day" Top ten words invented in Ireland - useful for St. Patrick’s Day---------------------
But when did Irish people become so sensitive and stuck in the past?
Yes, someone at Nike should have at least Googled the term before unofficially christening one of its running shoes Black and Tan, but surely it can be forgiven for not taking into account the troubled history of a small nation.
Irish people have succeeded not by, as Patrick Kavanagh put it, “paddling in the pools of the past”, but by reaching outwards. Irish people have always had the resilience to put the past behind them and move forward.
However, there are those who believe in an Ireland that no longer exists.
When the New York St Patrick’s Day Parade’s website recently published its set of guidelines, one stated: “The only banners allowed are ones identifying the unit or ‘England Get Out of Ireland’.”
Many may point to the apparent hurt caused by Nike or damage done by Urban Outfitters, but I can assure you that such outdated thinking does far more to put a dent in the Irish community’s reputation.
But thankfully, the Irish nation is no longer stuck in such time warp. And neither should Irish Americans.
4 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.Seanmor | Dec 28, 2012, 10:56 AM EST
Unfortunately too many Irish people seem to comsume too much booze on St. Patrick's Day and on other occasions. However, there are some noteworthy exceptiobns that the media always ignore. For exaple, I attended St.Patrick's Day celebrations at Delhi (Delaware County) in late March, accompanied by my wife. We happened to be interviewed by a reporter of the local newspaper and were mentioned in the front page of its next issue. The Delhi parade was conducted in a very dignified manner, and there was evidence of boozing at this event, which reflected great credit on the Irish and all other participants.
citizen69 | Mar 16, 2012, 01:34 PM EDT
I tend to agree with Allen here. Irish-Americans are stuck in the past and with each passing year are growing more out of touch with today's Irish in Ireland. Time to leave the old hatred behind. I mean, the fact that the NYC parade still encourages people to bring banners stating 'England Get Out Of Ireland' is just one example of how irrelevant they seem. Haven't they heard of the Good Friday Agreement? Troops are long gone and an Irish assembly governs Northern Ireland. The people have a free choice of whether they want the UK to withdraw or not and the UK will not stand in the way of that decision. The people of the Republic of Ireland overwhelmingly agree that its upto the people of Northern Ireland to decide on their own future and right now 80% of them are happy as they are.
Rebelforce | Mar 16, 2012, 01:29 PM EDT
As long as we have thick Paddies of the self-hating variety like Paul Allen who will buy and wear the dopey hats, the leprechaun suits, and other offensive clothing that defame the Irish there will be a ready market for this junk.
IrelandNorth | Mar 16, 2012, 10:02 AM EDT
If the Irish have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, whether in America or at home in Ireland, it might not be entirely unrelated to the saturation advertisement by the intoxication industries in both jurisdictions. More cash-register eyed paradigm from Public Relations apologists who pronounce on royal visits through the rose-tinted [retro-]spectacles of historical revisionism. And ignore an inconvenient truth of a global superpower (China), and their shameful rape and theft of Tibet. There are other values than materialism, Mr. Allen. Get a frickin' conscience!