Mike wrote: >But I do believe that the well-educated population of the >world's most modern industrial country lives in a well->informed society with a huge media presence and this >would allow them (not force them) to have access to > this type of information. I simply expressed surprise that >these facts are unknown to many, and it's especially >surprising, to me, that if we throw an Irish ethnic >background into the equation, then we have a possible >reason for looking into these areas.
I think what I am hearing here is that something that is such a huge and crucial issue in the U.K. should of course be equally crucial and well-disseminated in the U.S. It's just not. That may seem unfair because I'm sure the U.K. hears and knows more about U.S. problems and issues than we in the U.S. hear or think about U.K. issues. That's probably what tends to make us seem national-centric. We no doubt are, but not always or neccessarily ecause we are only concerned about our own little world. Look at the size and diversity of the U.S. You can even look to some extent as the 50 states as 50 little countries. So much happens in the U.S. on so many regional and national levels that our interests and concerns are both on overload and also tend to disperse in importance according to location. Add to that our own personal problems and concerns and you can see how being knowledgeable about the situation in Northen Ireland can easily take a back seat. There are very few of pure Irish background across the U.S. There are concentrations of pure Irish in NY, MA and some other places in the east, but outside of that, the majority are mutts who consider themselves first as "Americans." Here is another, more current analogy. We just got attacked by an organization that has been threatening us and bombing us on a smaller scale for a number of years now. You can bet the large majority of Americans did not know anything about Bin Laden or the situation in Afghanistan before Sept. 11th. If we didn't even know about one of the worst enemies we've ever known, it is not hard to imagine that we don't have much knowledge about the IRA or organizations linked to them, Irish background or not. > Presidents Reagan, Carter and Clinton all made trips to >Ireland to find their roots, and thousands, if not millions >of US citizens go over to Ireland for the same purpose. Yes, and that has always been one of my dreams, too. But we go for more sentimental reasons and to take in the gorgeous countryside. We don't think of the political problems there. >In the case of the Irish, I imagine that these would often >refer to exile, famine, struggle and discrimination. That is very true, but no different than the tales handed down in families of Jewish, Polish, Ukranian, Native American or African background. Most all ethnic groups in the U.S. hand down their stories through their families. It's a common American tradition. I think where this bothers you is that the stories of Irish hardship inevitably makes the English look less than good. You probably feel that this has been perpetuated long enough and that it has led to nursing old greivances which can translate into money being sent by American Irish to the IRA, etc. I can understand your feelings. > Given that the IRA is now regarded as a terrorist >organisation in the USA do you really expect NORAID >to say it is a channel for raising funds for the IRA > to buy weapons? If they are, no. But then do you really expect for a naive softhearted Irish American to know that they are? I know the Europeans think we are a naive people in general and they are correct in some respects. We tend to be open, trusting and many of us believe everything at face value. If the media says it's true or doesn't tell us about something, that it's for a lot of people. We don't neccesarily go research the issue further. A trait that personally has bothered me quite a bit for a long time. >Does the CIA's website say that they >are undermining >democratic governments? I don't know - maybe I'll look it up. I do know for fact that the U.S. media or other information channels has always portrayed the IRA in a fairly hideous light, always as terrorists, and even more so by connecting it with other terrorist groups in the world. I just saw an article the other day saying they had fraternized with the Bin Laden operatives. Don't know if that is true, but the point is they are overwhelmingly not romanticized in the U.S. This discussion has been helpful to let at least some Americans on the list know more about these issues. If it stops someone from putting money in a box somewhere, it has been worthwhile. I will say that I am very saddened by the anti-American sentiment that I've seen revealed in a lot of the European press since Sept. 11th. I think we always had a vague idea that the Euros looked down on us a bit, but had no idea how deep the hostility runs. I think it is a rude awakening for a lot of us who go along like puppy dogs thinking everyone is our good friend. I am willing to reconsider how we are viewed by the world and the reasons why and I only hope that the Europeans would also try to reconsider us on some things, too. Kakki
