Top o' the Racism to Ya

Scott Hardie | June 24, 2020
With a societal push to stop mistreating minority cultures, will we see an end to crass and cartoonish St. Patrick's Day celebrations?

I have known Irish-American people to dislike it, though my sample size is small. It's a parody of Irish culture to them, and that's before you get to the pinching. Every March, I see decorations up in stores and offices like cartoon leprechauns and their pots of gold taped to the wall. I can't help but think that if this was Hanukkah, would you tape up caricatured drawings of Jewish folklore characters? If this was Kwanzaa, would you go around pinching black people for good luck? (I know St. Patrick's Day is not the same kind of holiday as those, but I think the double standard is still relevant.)

If it's wrong to do to one, it's wrong to do to all. But I don't expect to see this one change for a long time.

Scott Hardie | June 24, 2020
I'm part Irish via my maternal grandfather. I find the celebrations offensive. Does that count for anything?

Samir Mehta | June 24, 2020
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