Yeah, Barbara, point well taken. And a very good post, by the way. I didn't find much in it that I could take issue with.

The stereotype of the drunken Irishman is a difficult one to describe. There is merit to the fact that the craic is, or at least in most circles that I have been involved in, is best enjoyed over the jar of the dark stuff. There is no denying that the revel involved with the wake included drinking. What I object to is the portrayal of us as drunken Irishmen and women not capable of participating in society. I also object to the portrayal of the Paddy as a sloped forehead, ignorant lout of no use to the civilized world. By the way, I also object to those of Irish descent who use that as a reason to go out and act out those roles. These are the worst offenders, in my mind. I think what I am trying to say here is that there is a distinction to be made between a stereotype of a people that enjoy a drink, and characterizing them as a worthless, drunken race of slope headed savages that are of no use to the civilized world. Our people have contributed mightily to the cultures of many lands. Ours is among the oldest written histories, and literature in the world. When we poke fun at ourselves, or the human condition, that is one thing. But when the purpose of the song is to demonstrate that a whole body of any peoples is something less than another, that is where I draw the line. I know, from my wartime and Union Organizing experiences, that as soon as one side can dehumanize the other that the gate is open for wholesale discrimination and moral as well as criminal persecution. Maybe that is the distinction, eh?

Thanks for asking, my friend.

Mick