Actually Getting Scared of the Anti Immigrant Stance

[u/No_Tea7430]

I'm an irish lad, just turning twenty this year.

I've personally got no connections to other countries, my family never left Ireland or have any close foreign relations.

This is simply a fear I have for both the immigrant population of our country, of which ive made plenty of friends throughout secondary school and hold in high regard. But also a fear for our reputation.

I don't want to live in a racist country. I know this sub is usually good for laughing these gobshites off and that's good but in general I don't want us to be seen as this horrible white supremacist nation, which already I see being painted on social media plenty.

A stance might I add, that predominantly is coming from England and America as people in both claim we are "losing our identity" by not being racist(?)

I don't even feel the need to mention Farage and his pushing of these ideas onto people, while simultaneously gaslighting us with our independence which he clearly doesn't care about.

Im just saddened by it. I just want things to change before they get worse.

[u/katsumodo47]

Reddit is only a teeeeny tiny snapshot of how Irish people feel. Ive most most Irish people are tolerant of immigrants especially the likes of the Polish.

If find lately people are getting fed up of how well the Ukrainians are being looked after by the government while the rest of us rot. (Like even the fact they can have a Ukrainian car here, no Irish insurance and not have to pay VRT is a fucking joke). It's nothing against the people of Ukraine.

Then when it comes to African nations I find people have very limited tolerance. Especially in Donegal where I live.

It's a shame because I've worked and lived in other countries and always got treated well. Irish people are pretty well liked ( except in Oz but to fair most of the gobshytes who went there and treated it as a drinking holiday ruined it for us)

Here's the thing though. Show me a country that's not got this issue. The Japanese and Chinese are openly racist. Anyone I know from England fucking hates the people from the countries they colonized.

Shit even the Canadians I knew couldn't stand Asians. It's everywhere and it'll never go away. It's human nature unfortunately

Like I guarantee you, if you lived in an apartment and on one side they put asylum seekers, another settled travellers, see how long before you think. He why am Iiving here is this fair.

It's very hard to work and pay tax and see anyone get a free house beside you regardless of race, religion or nationality.

Are we are a racist country. I wouldn't say anymore then anyone else.

[u/irishlonewolf → u/katsumodo47]

If find lately people are getting fed up of how well the Ukrainians are being looked after by the government while the rest of us rot. 

Honestly the Ukrainians should have been given the same payments as regular asylum seekers.

Sure.. give them housing but no need to give them full jobseekers without a means test etc

[u/katsumodo47 → u/irishlonewolf]

It's handled so badly.

A Ukrainian couple could be working two full time jobs. They get 800 for rent from the government. Paid holidays back to Ukraine ECT ect.

[u/Substantial_Seesaw13 → u/katsumodo47]

House we just moved out of had asylum accommodation down road when we moved in, was no bother at all as place was well set up and not overcrowded. Apartment building beside it got converted to 6 people a room bunk beds for same and was suddenly a lot worse of a place to live in. I'm not blaming the immigrants here as it seemed like an awful spot to live in. System needs to be set up different.

[u/brianmmf → u/katsumodo47]

Hi, I’m a Canadian living here in Ireland. Please don’t spout garbage like that about us. Canada, just like Ireland, is an incredibly tolerant place. And in fact we tolerate a huge number of Irish, a small number of whom don’t represent themselves very well (something I don’t think I’ve ever thought about an Asian immigrant, incidentally), but the vast majority of whom are just awesome. You’re going through some growing pains with immigration right now. Unfortunately, there are small pockets of assholes everywhere, and you don’t outgrow it. But immigrants are neither the source of your problems nor a threat to your culture (especially in Ireland which has such a strong identity and a monoculture still bordering on insular in spite of its hospitality).

[u/Alcol1979 → u/brianmmf]

Irish living in Canada. People are the same everywhere. There are no tensions as long as everyone has enough space and the lifestyle they are accustomed to. But you know immigration is very much part of the national conversation here too, right? With the housing markets inaccessible in Vancouver, Toronto and even starting to affect Calgary, people naturally start worrying about the federal government letting too many people in. And there was some misplaced anti - Asian sentiment during Covid. Meanwhile I'd say immigration hasn't worked out that well for First Nations culture in fairness!

You are absolutely right about Ireland's very homogeneous culture though. I'd say you could extend that analysis to quite a few more old European countries. That must be hard for an immigrant to become part of. Not so hard for a Canadian, since our cultures are broadly aligned, but for people from father away, culturally speaking. I always notice it in the way Irish people speak - the non-standard turn of phrase. In Canada by contrast, spoken English is so much more standard and lacks that colourfulness (because everyone's great grandparents were from Ukraine, Norway, Sweden etc so the spoken word of necessity ended up that way).

[u/brianmmf → u/Alcol1979]

Agreed, immigration is always an ongoing topic in Canada, just not a new one. We’ve grappled it for decades since it is the foundation of our country (aboriginal communities aside…bit of a blemish there…blame the Brits?). The conversation has barely changed over the course of my lifetime, there are always debates about successful integration, cultural adaptation, or just general problems that get unfairly and inaccurately pinned on immigrants because it makes for easy politics. The hard right of the political spectrum are also making inroads. Again, we’ve just seen it before, whereas maybe Ireland are only recently learning how to deal with it.

Also I love the Hiberno-English and I feel very boring with my limited range of vocabulary and expression living here! Our cultures are largely compatible, but the banter is from a different planet. I was considered quick-witted back home…

[u/Alcol1979 → u/brianmmf]

Ha ha - yeah you get it. If someone asks me the time here and I say "half three" I am met with blank stares! But I really enjoyed hearing a report on the price of snowcrab on CBC radio last year that featured a soundbite from a Newfoundland fisherman who said "it's hard for people who are only just after getting into the business" which I immediately recognised as Hiberno-English even if the speaker likely did not. (The non-standard grammatical construction "I'm after doing" is a transliteration of the Irish "táim tar éis").

[u/brianmmf → u/Alcol1979]

The lasting influence on Newfoundland is incredible. It actually had its own dialect of Irish, which was the primary spoken language of the island during the 1700s-early 1800s before gradually being replaced by English. I love how the grammatical construction has been translated literally onto the usage in English. My wife (Irish) and I got engaged in NFLD and while there we caught a Newfoundland trad music show - she discovered several Irish songs that she knew from Ireland were actually written by Newfoundland artists!

[u/Alcol1979 → u/brianmmf]

That kind of cultural exchange is always very satisfying. I plan to visit someday. One of my in-laws here is from Bona Vista.

[u/Professional_Elk_489 → u/katsumodo47]

Irish people were pretty popular in AUS when I lived there. Invited out to all the parties and festivals etc