The Irish and potatoes?

[Psychichobo]

Last Irish person I met had bright ginger hair, a massive beard, took to wandering around his uni house wearing nothing but a dressing gown, spoke loudly, drank a lot, and lived on a farm back near Kerry and ate potatoes every day of his life.

At that point my PC gland collapsed. I swear to god stereotypes follow me around. Worst part was seeing a photo of my irish grandad as a young man looking exactly like me with a pint of Guinness. I also drink Guinness more than any other drink. Halp.

[irishbarse]

But i have never had to discuss potatoes ever! If an American / (irish-american who's grandparents had an irish setter and so they believe themselves to be part irish!) ever finds out im irish its always 'man you guys like to get drunk yeaaaaaaaaaaa? like thats soooo coooooool! im part irish!'
And if europeans ask its generally, 'you guys like to drink!! and are (please do not swear) at football!'

[Geneva]

I was once asked if I knew anyone in the IRA. I said yes.

[logic79]

I would imagine this comes from Irish Americans who get overly touchy about their ancestors who had to flee their homeland.

Frank Carson (Irish comedian) visited Parliament recently and told me "There was no such thing as the potato famine, they just forgot where they planted them!"

[doberman]

Its suprising how little some Americans know about the outside world.
I worked in a supermarket in cape cod for a while, I actually had someone come up to me asking if we had cars in Ireland. I told them only the English had the cars the rest of us had donkeys and carts.
Another time I was asked if we had cinemas in Ireland, I said we do, but I'd recently been to the cinema in Patriot square, and was amazed by the colour, and I couldn't see the organ player.

Hook, line and sinker both times. No joke. LOL.

I would like to point out that they were not typical of the people I knew there, at all.

BTW I love the Mr. Tayto comparison. Had a good chuckle at that one.

[irishbarse]

Aye works well!
Americans really do not know anything....... I was in Vegas last November and while sitting at the bar i was watching Fox News! my god is that nothing but dribble! flashing lights and perfect white smiles and hair doos! the nonsence that was supposed to past for news...... ' Obama isnt even a US Citizen!!', Britney has a come back, J-lo bad hair day, 'Support for the preacher who wants to burn the Koran!', a story about an old lady who lost her cat was ahead of a gang shooting!

But I wonder how many americans can even FIND ireland on the map!

[logic79]

The IRA received funding from private donors in America for many years. It has been speculate that many people did not know what they where actually funding due to a lack of news coverage.

As for Fox news, we could run a whole forum on them. The worrying thing is that Sky News seem to be modeling themselves on it.

Was told by a taxi driver in Las Vegas that I couldn't be English as I didn't sound like Diana.

I refuse to believe that America is actually as daft as they make out to be. I think they just get a kick out of saying stupid things and winding us up! Lets face it, we all like to wind up the foreigners

[WestRider]

Apr 6, 2011 9:20:22 GMT irishbarse said:

But I wonder how many americans can even FIND ireland on the map!

OK, this doesn't really count, because she'd recently had a bunch of eye surgery and still couldn't see that well, but one time we were discussing something about climate and latitude and my Grandmother went to look Ireland up in the atlas. But like I said, she couldn't see to well, and ended up with the page for the northeast US instead, pointing at Boston. Which gave my Stepdad the opportunity to drop the line "That's Boston dear. Boston isn't in Ireland. Though a fair chunk of Ireland is in Boston."

logic79: As someone who has to live here, I can assure you that a great many Americans are, in fact, that...not stupid, necessarily, but that poorly educated and informed, certainly. For the most part, our education system and media are a joke.

[doberman]

I agree with Westrider, I knew people who were intelligent but not educated at all. A scary number of them couldn't even read or write, but they were not dim witted at all. It was a crying shame seeing people with such potential and no education. They certainly knew how to work hard and party hard though. Had some good times with that bunch of mentalists!

Just remembered one girl who couldn't understand why I hadn't driven from Ireland. I stood at the edge of the Atlantic pointed out to the horizon and told her I came from over there..She still didn't get it. She was very dumb.

[Geneva]

Mind you, the Irish can be just as slow witted as anyone else.

I had someone tell me Obama won his Nobel Peace Prize for finally ending the Cold War with Germany. I felt a pain inside me as my heart facepalmed itself.

Another time someone told me birds don't have legs. She defended this argument vigorously.

Yeah. Stupidity exists wherever you go.

[Hellbreaker]

Apr 6, 2011 21:34:22 GMT Geneva said:

Another time someone told me birds don't have legs. She defended this argument vigorously.

I'd love to hear her arguments for this.

[WestRider]

Apr 6, 2011 21:34:22 GMT Geneva said:

Yeah. Stupidity exists wherever you go.

Of course. It's part of the Basic Laws of Stupidity.

[irishbarse]

Sure I had to explain to a muslin college that not all irish are crazy priest loving pedophiles! same why he hates people thinking he says 'durka durka! etc!' HE DRINKS more than me!

thats a smash to the face for stereotypes