By John Mc Cormack
Racism was something
that I once had only heard of. To me it was something portrayed on TV and in
movies that how showed African Americans were once treated in America. As a child and a teenager I believed that
these encounters of racism towards blacks, often very inhumane treatments, were
records of the past, and were now displayed in a form of historical
story-telling that brought tension and interest for the viewer. Soon, topics of socialization during
secondary level education brought to light the realities of racism, and that
racist behaviour still existed. Until this point I had still not experienced
any racial discrimination on a personal level, or witnessed it inflicted on
anyone else. Having experienced bullying
to a large degree, I held a degree of empathy with the hurt that can be endured
by the unnecessary treatment from one person to another because of how a person
looks or where they come from. The one thing I did not understand was how and
why people could possess the evil characteristics it takes to do this.
Years later I travelled
overseas, open to accept the ways of other nations. In doing so, I also learned
that the racism I once saw in movies and on TV did not only exist as an
entertaining form of history, but in the shocking reality of the present.
Two memorable incidents
on two distantly separated continents remain very clear. Although both were
non-direct, and part of an opinionated conversation the mentality of the
perpetrators to hatefully separate humans into very different categories in
such a manner shocked me.
The first incident was
in the U.S.A. where an employer was advising me where to find accommodation for
the duration of my stay. I was advised not to buy or rent in a particular area
because it was “full of n…”....” once they move into an area, they destroy it”.
I questioned my employer’s view, only to receive the response that “when you
live around them long enough you will know”.
The second encounter
happened in Australia, where another employer, angered by an employee not
showing up said “Sure he’s only a dirty Abbo” When I also questioned this
statement, the man replied “Yes, all Abbos, Aboriginals, are useless drunks,
they’re primitive, they should be rounded up, given some land, fenced off, and
let them live there, away from normal people, because they are not normal”.
Although non-direct or physical, the incidents
I described are clearly racial, and I use them because they were my initial
encounters of very outgoing racist comments from people I knew at nearly opposite
areas of the globe. In both incidents I found the people in question (victims)
to be very likable and one remains a friend today.
There is clearly
racism, and discrimination joins it hand in hand. I believe both come in many
forms and begin as a mind-set, progressing to a verbal stage (as the two examples)
on to actions and physical behaviour.
But is there racism in
Ireland? Let me explain that in a very personal way. Discrimination falls under
many categories, often not involving clear race/ethnic differences. I say this
because the most outrageous and discriminating incidents I encountered were
attacks on myself by fellow Irish men with enormous hatred towards me being
from Dublin. The attacks were physical assaults, one causing grievous bodily
harm, and the other causing property damage. Both were based on the fact that I
was not from the area of Ireland where these attacks took place, and in both
cases it was clearly stated that I was from Dublin and did not belong in these
rural areas. ‘Jackeen’ and ‘Blow in’ are discriminative terms still used in
rural areas of Ireland towards Dublin people or people not born in those
particular areas. Perhaps also here
refer to the experiences of travellers? Who despite being of the same
ethnicity/religion they are very much discriminated against perhaps in ways
that parallel those of black Americans and Australian aborigines
The little country of
beauty with some remaining primitive ways, still holding a reputation of being
welcoming and friendly, may only hold valid to ‘money-spending’ tourists and
certain nationalities.
In the same way that
most of the world opened its doors to Irish immigrants to come and share their
way of life, when Ireland became part of the E.U. it opened its doors to
foreign nationals to come here share our way of life. But the famous Irish
welcome may not have greeted all that came. While I did not witness any cases
myself, I know there have been many cases of racist attacks due to their
exposure in the media. I see good caused by the exposure of racial
discrimination in Ireland and I feel there has been a certain amount of fear
injected into the minds of members of the Irish public not to behave in a
racist manner.
As mentioned at the
start, my experience of bullying helped me empathize with the endurance of
racism abroad, but now I have empathy towards people of a different race living
in Ireland due to the experiences of hate I endured from fellow Irish. What I
once had to travel to see, I shamefully see deeply ingrained in many of the
people of my country of birth, Ireland.
Although racial acts
may have decreased in Ireland, or at least that is what the media portrays, I
feel that many Irish people possess the ability to hold a deep hate towards
others who are not local. While I think it is great that many of the racist
cases were addressed, I feel that discrimination, race based or not, need to be
the main focus. I think every act that stems outside the norms of how society
should treat each other, no matter who is the victim, needs to be treated for
the crime it is.
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