Stereotype: All Irish are hot tempered
From WikEd
What evidence is there that this is a “common�? stereotype?
The best evidence to support the claim that the Irish like to fight is the nickname given to the athletic department at the well known catholic institution Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame are universally known. In addition to the nickname, Notre Dame’s team mascot is a little green leprechaun with raised fists, ready to fight. The nickname the Fighting Irish is said to have been developed by the press to describe the team’s never-say-die fighting spirit and the Irish qualities of grit, determination and tenacity. The term likely began as an abusive expression tauntingly directed toward the athletes from the small, private, Catholic institution.
There have also been many depictions of the Irish temper featured in both the movies and television. During the golden age of movies, Hollywood continually depicted the “violent�? Irish temper. James Cagney and Spencer Tracy were often cast as the tough, eager to fight Irish “boys�?. Never let it be said that the stereotype was exclusively male. The Irish temper is associated with women as well as men. Maureen O’hara was a favorite as the beautiful Irish girl with the red hot temper. Some movies which cater to Irish stereotypes are: “The Quiet Man�? (1952), “This is my Father�? (1999), “Evelyn�? (2003), “Rebel Heart�? (2001), “ Boys and girls from Clair County�? (2004).
A few seasons back, the popular television show The Simpsons took their stab at the Irish. During a Saint Patrick’s Day parade a news anchorman stated, “All this drinking and violence,�? … “Are these really the things we think about when we think of the Irish?�?… And so, after the anchorman’s comment associating the Irish with violence, the very next scene was that of a British pub blowing up. (Deign, 2005) Another example of television depicting the Irish as hot tempered is the television sitcom “The Fighting Fitzgeralds�? (2000) This show was picked up by NBC and was full of ethnic stereotyping.
Present analysis results that support or refute each of the several assertions in the stereotypes.
The historical development of the Irish nation has indeed been a tumultuous one. Their fight for autonomy from the time of the Celts to the present conflict in Northern Ireland has played an integral role in shaping the ‘fighting Irish�? image. Its long history as a colony and the long-term effects of that history make the Irish struggle for and subsequent but problematic realization of nationhood a major component of Irish identity.
After the potato famine in 1847 the Irish had to face new battles as they emigrated to the United States. These immigrants had to fight their way past oppression and into main stream society. With their hearts, wits, and fists, they made America their own. “Over the decades violence often flared between Irish neighborhoods and those of other ethnic groups like the Italians or Jews. That violence was not, as Marxists always like to say, due to the conditions of capitalism or of poverty, because the other groups were equally poor but rarely fought with each other. Time and again the common correlate of the violence was the participation of the Irish.�? (Epstien, Rand, Sowell 2005).
