Must make a slight correction...

The thread originator, who identifies himself as British, asks "are we anti-Irish?"

So far I have tried to make it quite clear that I do not see myself as British, but English. In particular, Lancastrian and to be even more specific a Mancunian!

I say so far because I have also mentioned that I am also part Polish/Russian. I mention it again here because of the statement So far, Dave everybody has come across it. That's a fair batting average for a start. I too have come across prejudice. In my younger days, before my parents changed our name to something suspiciously made up (Polshaw if you must know!) my name was Polakow. I was mercilessly teased at school. I was hit and spat at by the older kids because of 'What my lot did in the war' (Huh?) Does that make the average Englishman anti-Polish? Nope. A bit more recently during a stay in Antigua a young black lad on the back of a wagon shouted 'White nigger' at me. Does that make the average Antiguan anti- English? Nope. Right up to date with a visit to Listowel during a Sean McCarthy memorial weekend I was treated to various renditions of how the English are all bastards. While walking down the main street I was also greeted by 'You're a fucking Englishman aren't you?'. Does that make the average Irishman anti-Enlish? You've guessed it - Nope! To be fair, btw, the guy with the nice line in opening patter did offer to by us a pint because he was well rat-arsed after celebrating his daughters medical degree pass:-)

Is it prejudice though? Of course it is. It is human nature. It is a defence mechanism against the unknown. We are all guilty of it in some way or another. It is how we deal with it that matters. To turn any of the above situations into the average 'x' is anti 'y' I would need to see more than schoolground bullying or the odd racist remark from a tiny minority that haven't got the brains they were born with.

Unless we begin to see examples of how and where the 'average Brit' (Still not defined btw) is anti-Irish I can only draw the conclusion that the claim is linked to the few bad experiences of our correspondants. The fact that anyone can draw the conclusion that the average attitude amongst 60 million people is represented by the ignorance of a ridiculously small portion is beyond my ken I'm afraid. Unless of course our respected correspondants have seen more prejudice than others? If so, could this be anything to do with the inflamatory or controversial nature of such statements as the average Brit is anti-Irish? Perhaps people who look for fights do see more animosity than those who do not;-)


Cheers

DtG