I’ve talked before about how the Irish (as in, the actual, born and raised in Ireland, people actually living in Ireland) do not understand and/or are offended by the American celebration of St. Paddy’s day. This week on the internet, I’ve seen mockery over things like, “That shirt says St. Patty’s, not St. Paddy’s! You horrible xenophobic Americans!” to which I must reply, “Yes, but you should see the way some of these jackasses misspell Christmas,” allegations of racism due to our stereotypical celebration of drinking and wearing green, to which I say, “Since when the hell has ‘Irish’ been a race, and do you for real believe that in a country where lynching is still a ‘thing’ that shamrocks on March 17th constitute actual racism that requires activism?”, and the classic, “I’m going to wear black, on behalf of all the pagans who died cruelly at the hands of the Roman Catholic church,” to which I say nothing, I merely point and laugh, because neopagans with no real grasp of the historical “conversion” of Ireland are one of my most favorite chuckle opportunities ever.
That said, I’m obviously celebrating today. Usually, I throw a party. My husband said no. Two years ago, I got drunk and got a mohawk; I fear his reluctance to have an awesome party might stem from that. This year, I won’t even be going out to drink, since the early spring has brought waves of plant sex that are direct assaults on my sinuses. I can’t watch The Quiet Man, as is my tradition, because some jackass in this house messed up the dvd and put it back without telling me. I’m bummed that my St. Patrick’s day isn’t as awesome as it usually is, but there will still be corned beef (she said, crossing her fingers that her husband remembers to pick it up). And there is plenty of reason for you to rejoice, for I am going to leave a little linky-doo here for you to read my further ruminations on this most Irish-American of all holidays. Now, I’m off to watch Gangs of New York, my stand-in Irish-American pride movie. Even if Leonardo DiCaprio doesn’t seem like all that Irish a name. Everyone is Irish on St. Paddy’s day, Right?
