Why I Am The Way I AmIn a word...I am Irish. I am mostly Irish, with a little bit of Indian and a couple other things thrown in. But for the most part I am Irish. We have a unique way about us, and I think it was best captured in a book by James Webb called "Born Fighting". In it, you will find many in my opinion accurate views of who we are, where we came from, and what those who emigrated to America and their descendants have contributed to our history and culture. According to Webb, "It is estimated that there are more than 27 million descendants of the Scots-Irish migration now living in the U.S. Because people from this culture also identify themselves as of Scottish, English or Irish descent, the actual number is probably much higher."
The following excerpt from an article in Parade Magazine adapted from the book clearly defines who I am in a nutshell:
The Scots-Irish are a fiercely independent, individualist people. It goes against their grain to think collectively. But, as America rushes forward into yet another redefinition of itself, the contributions of the Scots-Irish are too great to remain invisible. My culture needs to reclaim itself—stop letting others define, mock and even use it—and in so doing to regain its power to shape the direction of America.Because our country needs us.
We are the molten core at the very center of its unbridled, raw, rebellious spirit. We helped build this nation from the bottom up. We face the world on our feet and not on our knees. We were born fighting. And if the cause is right, we will never retreat.
Not that I am looking for an excuse about my views, but perhaps now you can understand better why I am the way I am.
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Comments
I love the Irish! And I mean that . . . my other half is from Dublin!
Lovely site. I'm going to poke around a bit longer, if that's okay with you.
Michele sent me... :)
Posted by: kimbofo on September 17, 2005 06:16 PM
It's my very un-PC opinion that *in general* peeps who were brave enough to leave yucky conditions somewhere else and come to the U.S. have a streak of fierce independence coded into their DNA that gets passed down, etc., and the descendants of peeps who stayed "over there" are not going to understand this in a fundamental way.
Posted by: Paula on September 16, 2005 12:00 PM
irish! i love the irish! but as i type the word 'irish' i am finding it to be a very funny word and i feel like i've never heard it before. don't you hate when a word suddenly turns unfamiliar on you?
irish!
Posted by: honestyrain on September 15, 2005 09:39 PM
