NY Times Article on Irish Immigrants

[Simbo67]

Keeping with the 1980s theme (Virgin Mary's appearing, mullets, economic collapse, unemployment), the New York Times has a pretty depressing article on the return of the illegal Irish immigrant to the streets of NY. Sounds like it could have been written in 1986.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/10/ny...er=rss&emc=rss

[sauntersplash]

“I’ll do anything,” he says, “from shoeing a horse to capping a chimney.”

And that my friend, is how the world sees the Irish.

Laughable.

[Simbo67]

Woodlawn (Bronx) is a very depressing place at the best of times it has to be said. Only been there a couple of times and I have no desire to go back.

[toughbutfair]

I'm not denying that it is sad but I'd prefer people emigrate than stay here on the dole.

[Simbo67]

I'm not denying that it is sad but I'd prefer people emigrate than stay here on the dole.

That's a pretty damning indictment, send them away to work illegally rather than deal with it ourselves.

[toxic avenger]

God I hated Woodlawn. I was there a few weeks after September 11th 2001, I remember an Irish-American woman telling me (unsolicited) that she wanted to nuke all the Arabs and hoped their children would all die. The Irish Americans don't like the Irish immigrants because it casts doubt on their often tenuous self-description as 'Irish', together with their Victorian chocolate-box caricature of what Irish people do...

[YesSireeeBob]

God I hated Woodlawn. I was there a few weeks after September 11th 2001, I remember an Irish-American woman telling me (unsolicited) that she wanted to nuke all the Arabs and hoped their children would all die. The Irish Americans don't like the Irish immigrants because it casts doubt on their often tenuous self-description as 'Irish', together with their Victorian chocolate-box caricature of what Irish people do...

I'd say that was a common view among all Americans at the time.

[LINUSSdad]

Out of curiosity 'Victorian chocolate-box caricature of what Irish people do...'

which is ?

[Gruffalo]

“I’ll do anything,” he says, “from shoeing a horse to capping a chimney.”

And that my friend, is how the world sees the Irish.

Laughable.

And then he gets a job and says that he wont work it because it is exploitation. What does he expect from an illegal job? I guess reality still has not set in.

[toxic avenger]

Out of curiosity 'Victorian chocolate-box caricature of what Irish people do...'

which is ?

Wear green trousers, Arann sweaters, say 'top of the morning', eat nothing but boiled bacon and cabbage, and live in 'clans'. Before you chide me for lazy caricature, I thought the same myself, that it was an unfair stereotype. Then I went there...