An Irish Toast To All

It's funny how we chose to acknowledge cultural identity in America. The louder, albeit smaller, faction of the country wants you to adhere to this knowledge that we assimilate into some sort of a red-white-and-blue-robot, where you're ancestral traditions are to be disregarded and you're to be processed into a "real" (read: white) American who loves Pop Warner Football, Deep Fried Twinkies, Ford Explorers, Lee Greenwood and Smith & Wesson. Oh, and you better freakin speak English.

On the other hand, there's a train of thought that yes, regardless of how or why we came here, we are all Americans, proud Americans at that, but we're mindful of our own unique cultural identities and see no reason why they need to be whitewashed and wrapped up in a pair of cheap Wrangler jeans.

I'm not quite sure where this began, and I'm pretty sure it's not going to end during my lifetime. But for what it's worth - put me in the latter camp.

I'm a proud American of Irish descent. It's always tricky when I go down that path. For rather obvious reasons, it's considered a little different for those of us who trace our roots to Europe. Those "Real Americans" respect it because, well, Europeans are white and have been there for some time. Those of non-white ancestry, while respecting the point of view, must think how easy it must be, considering the horrible, xenophobic, racist disregard in which their backgrounds are often treated. I'm not saying this is true across the board, I'm just basically saying that's how I'd look at it if I was walking in another set of shoes. 

I mean, I'm not aware of the simple truth here: I was born a white male American. Any obstacles I've had to face have been primarily the result of my own laziness, stubbornness or apathy. While the Irish who emigrated to America a century ago or before had to deal with their fair share of bigotry and social roadblocks, that simply hasn't been the case since immigration patterns shifted after World War II. 

All in all, I'm rather fortunate. I don't say that to gloat, I say that with all sincerity. I am the child of an Irish immigrant. My Grandfather took his family from Dublin to North Jersey not long after the nation's first Irish President was assassinated. I have relatives overseas that, thanks to the miracle of social networking, I communicate with on a near-daily basis.

I argue vehemently that the Irish Potato Famine is among the most horrific genocides in human history. I will put Guinness up against any other beverage on earth. I sing "Fields of Athenry" in my sleep. I married a fair skinned beautiful woman with familial roots in Cork. There are no Stars and Stripes outside my house but I have four  Irish flags adorning my property. I rank Oliver Cromwell up there with Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot and the rest of them. And heck, I never even held Chappaquiddick against poor Ted.  

Yet I've been afforded the luxuries of never having my "Americaness" questioned, save for political debates when I dare question the wisdom of a bullshit war or the deprivation of basic health care coverage. Because to some, there's nothing more American than bombing brown people and shitting on the poor. But that's not today's point.

On this day when everyone proclaims to be Irish and uses it as a platform to get blind drunk and exploit the last remaining socially acceptable stereotype, my wish is that every American who chooses to acknowledge their lineage, customs and culture is afforded the same respect, acknowledgment and acceptance as the Irish.

We ARE one people. We ARE one nation. But nobody gets to dictate what our cultural norms are. The fabric of our DNA is not uniformity into a one-size-fits-all McCulture you can buy at Wal-Mart. Quite the contrary: What makes America great is that we are a diverse potpourri of peoples from across the globe. We are truly a remarkable experiment that I still believe will prove to be successful once we get out of our own way and realize that the foundation, expansion, industrialization, and future of this land was, and continues to be built by all, not one. 

Thank you for celebrating my heritage today. Please be as kind and welcome to my friends, neighbors and fellow countrymen of every other descent.