ipl-logo

Stereotypes Of Irish Drunk

1030 Words5 Pages

Critical Thinking Essay
''The stereotype of the Irish drunk makes for an unfair characterisation of the relationship between Irish people and alcohol''
Over the decades Irish people have been categorized into many different stereotypes. These include our love of potatoes, tea or talking about the weather. One of these which has perhaps become the most recognizable stigma and is internationally known as 'Irish drunk'. This stereotype has been forced on us by so many around the world but for what reason and why has it done so?
Visitors who spend their well earned money to come to the land of a thousand welcomes don't do so just to experience a culture of drinking Irishmen. Results from a conducted survey showed that 91% of holidaymakers …show more content…

We base a huge amount of emphasis on the recognized relationship between Ireland and alcohol. Take for example the successful visit of Queen Elizabeth and president Barack Obama to Ireland in recent years where the first party was given a tour of the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin and the latter was famously pictured enjoying a Guinness in Moneygall. This is the same situation that arises with almost every well documented visitor that comes to the Emerald Isle. We essentially publicly welcome visitors with open arms and a pint in each hand (Alcohol Action Ireland. 2013)
The image of the hardcore Irish drinker was something largely created by and among Irishmen in Britain, the United States and elsewhere. This image originates from the 19th century when Irish emigrants came to American and British industrial cities in search of work. At this time when poverty was at it's peak, many turned to alcohol to escape. This developing idea of the 'drunken Paddy' appealed to the Irish as it created a sort of psychological home in a foreign country, and so the myth grew until it became what we know it as today (Open …show more content…

(National lifestyle survey, 1999). This pattern of drinking has become the norm especially among men. Out of 100 drinking events, 58 men aged 18 years and over binge drink. This only occurs in about a third of cases for women (Irish Medical Journal, 2004).
Alcohol consumption has a major impact on our society and was responsible for at least 88 deaths every month in 2008 (Alcohol Action Ireland, 2013). It is a leading cause in mental health issues and with 76% of the Irish population drinking alcohol it is no surprise that alcohol was also a factor in 40% of all cases of self-harm in 2010 (Alcohol Action Ireland, 2015). Below are some facts about the effects of alcohol taken from alcoholireland.ie:
One in 10 cancers in men and one in 3 cancers in women are caused by drinking
9% of girls surveyed and 13% of boys said that they first got drunk before the age of 13
Almost half of the perpetrators of homicide were intoxicated when the crime was committed
76% of all rape defendants had been drinking at the time of the alleged offense
One in three road crash deaths were alcohol

Show More
Related

• What Does Source 1 Reveal About Gin And Beer Consumption Between 1700-1760?

912 Words | 4 Pages

Firstly, source 3 (a) shows beer drinkers as being functioning members of society as it shows people socialising and working while drinking whereas source 3 (b) shows gin drinkers as being unsocial and disorderly showing people lounging around or groups of people engaged in violent behaviour. 3(a) also depicts beer drinkers to be more upper class as it shows them in a up and coming city showing new buildings being made in the background where as 3(b) shows a lower class based on the state of their clothing and people who appear to be starving suggesting they can’t afford food or are spending that money on gin. Another conclusion that could be drawn is that beer drinkers were happier than gin drinkers as source 3a portrays the people smiling and engaging in conversation while 3b shows angry and sad people even featuring someone that appears to have committed suicide in one of the

Read More

Scotch-Irish Research Paper

415 Words | 2 Pages

The Scotch-Irish people were one of the numerous immigrants who looked for shelter and alleviation in America. The Scotch-Irish appeared in the mid-seventeenth century when the English government, on edge to dominate Ireland, removed Lowland Scots as pilgrims to the province of Ulster in northern Ireland. For around a century the Scotch-Irish squeezed out a living in Ireland, yet in the early piece of the eighteenth century their monetary condition endured a progression of grievous inversions. As a result, a flood of maybe five thousand Scotch-Irish moved to America in 1717. Before the end of the eighteenth century, four more influxes of Scotch-Irish withdrew Ireland for America and a few hundred thousand Ulstermen settled in about each area of the English provinces.

Read More

Alcohol Abuse In The Glass Castle By Rex Walls

534 Words | 3 Pages

He kept thrashing about and yelling things like ‘No!’ and ‘Stop!’ and ‘Oh my God!’ His face was gray and dripping with sweat.” (Walls 117) Alcoholism is clearly represented in The Glass Castle and it is an issue that needs to be fixed. 35% of people in the United States have taken part in

Read More

Comparison Of Girl Unprotected And A Modest Proposal

647 Words | 3 Pages

Analysis essay I have chosen two texts that use comparatively different techniques to argue their positions; Laura Robinson’s “Girl Unprotected” (May 2008) and “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift (1729). In Robinson’s essay she discusses the culture of dehumanization of hockey and the abuse of power by hockey coaches. In “A Modest Proposal”, Swift creates an empathetic character that puts forward a policy that might help ease Ireland’s economic hardships by selling their young toddlers as food to the English upper-class. I must ask: how much does imagery and tone affect a reader’s thoughts and ideas?

Read More

Influence Of Canadian Stereotypes

349 Words | 2 Pages

Canadian Stereotypes, Eh? How Canadian Stereotypes Have Influenced Our Past Canadian stereotypes(An oversimplified idea of Canada) have been going around the world for a long time, they are not new. They have been going on since before Canada was its Country. Stereotypes have affected immigration of the past all the way to our current Canadian identity. Some of the ones I 'm about to show you, have influenced Canadas past.

Read More

How Did Irish Immigrants Come To Romanticize The American Dream

1220 Words | 5 Pages

By romanticizing hardships suffered by immigrants in post wartime eras the American dream attributes success directly to the ability to overcome extreme hardship. This trend is evident in several different sectors of immigrants such as Jewish immigrants, Irish immigrants, and Hispanic immigrants as they assimilate to American pastimes and customs. Furthermore the children of these immigrants reflect this new American Dream successfully since they are apart of adverse cultures and are considered to represent both sides fairly equally. In addition by romanticizing the hardships suffered by immigrants in post wartime eras, certain characteristics are praised because they are believed to embody the American spirit and are thus adopted to further promote national pride.

Read More

Irish Immigration In America (1820-1920)

574 Words | 3 Pages

Irish Immigration in America (1820-1920) Irish immigrants fled Ireland when the potato famine nearly wiped out all of its people. Most of the Irish that left Ireland did so as indentured servants, this meant they had to be slaves in America until the cost of their trip was completely paid for. Despite a challenging immigration, the Irish culture and heritage has become a staple on American culture since coming here. We will be discussing some of the trials and tribulations the Irish people faced when they came to America and examples of how they perceived through the tribulations of immigration. Early turn of the century Irish Immigrants were not welcomed into America with open arms.

Read More

Stereotypes Of Irish Immigrants

1366 Words | 6 Pages

Word Count: Tal Yeoshoua AMH2097 - 01 - Fall 2015 Immigration into the United States was not a facile journey for any immigrant group. After a long trip on the ships, ranging from about one to three months across the Atlantic Ocean, immigrants arrived in the United States and were anything but welcomed. The WASPs considered any race different from them “the others” and created stereotypes against them, which made any immigrant group seem unworthy to be in America. The WASPs used political cartoons to stereotype immigrant groups such as the Irish and the Germans. Both the Germans and the Irish were stereotyped to be drunks and the Irish immigrants were thought to be especially violent.

Read More

The Fable Of The Mermaid And The Drunks Summary

494 Words | 2 Pages

The short story The Fable Of The Mermaid And The Drunks by Pablo Neruda shows what it's like to be an outsider and being alone and how people aren't respectful. In our current society men drink, part of a social ritual and it can skew the perception of good or bad, which can create these negative situations. It doesn't allow people to see their morals and ethics clearly. Being drunk legitimises doing the wrong thing for the consumer.

Read More

Injustic Of Drinking Age Essay

934 Words | 4 Pages

“A European Union study shows that the countries where moderate daily drinking is the norm like, Spain, Italy, and France, have the fewest binge drinkers at 2 percent, 2 percent and 8 percent, compared to 34 percent in Ireland and 27 percent in Finland, who were not exposed to moderate use” (“Lowering”.). Those who have grown up with alcohol and structure know the responsibility and do not abuse it or depend on it. Using alcohol is a right that one should have the right to choose whether to use it or

Read More

Functionalist Perspective

1008 Words | 5 Pages

“Malcolm and Antell (2001) argue that alcohol abuse and its related problems are not entirely objective phenomena; they also involve interpretation and stigmatization of deviant behavior” (Leon-Guerrero 2014). This could be because we view our older siblings, parents, and friends drinking and changes our perspective. For example, drinking is seen in media like music videos, television commercials and reality shows. This attracts the adolescents thinking drinking is a cool thing to do. For instance, during high school if you drink, you would be socially accepted but if you don’t then you can be considered an outcast.

Read More

Drinking In Religion

769 Words | 4 Pages

Drinking has gone on for thousands of years, dating back to biblical and Roman times. It was seen as a tradition, and even now in other cultures around the world it is too, but in the United States it is not as prevalent. Most Americans do not view drinking as a religious act and abuse alcohol. Even for those who are considered social drinkers do not overindulge and excessively drink. They know what their limit is and tend to stop.

Read More

Appointment In Samarra Analysis

1508 Words | 7 Pages

O’Hara illustrates this in the first chapter, when Julian’s swift decline begins. Irritated by the abrasive jokes of the local big shot, English throws a glass of liquor into a much despised but universally feared man. Unfortunately, Harry Reilly, the recipient to the highball in the face, is the biggest investor in Julian’s car dealership. Of course, this is not the real reason for English’s fall into the social and psychological abyss, however it is just the tipping point. O’Hara states, “He remembered throwing a drink at Harry Reilly, throwing it in his fat, cheap, gross Irish face.”

Read More

Informative Essay On Alcoholism

1322 Words | 6 Pages

Many people get used to drink alcohol , and they can easily abuse; that is the problem. Alcoholism is the abuse of alcohol by people who are unable to control their drinking behavior over an extended period of time. Alcoholics are not simply people who drink alcohol; instead, their entire lives revolve around it. At first, everyone who starts drinking alcoholic beverages, thinks that its something normal, and that it's okay to do it, but what they really don't know yet, is that this particular habit has a way of turning itself into one of the worst addictions in the world.

Read More

Essay On Teenage Alcoholism

830 Words | 4 Pages

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services acknowledges that there are 10 million teens in the United States drinking regularly and over 20 percent binge drink. ( Teen Alcoholism). This information illustrates the dependence that teens have developed for alcohol and many of them don 't even know the issue that they are building for themselves. The signs that demonstrate that a teen is becoming or is addicted to alcohol are that he/ she is a heavy drinker, they drink regularly for no reason and becoming upset over the removal of accessibility of alcohol.

Read More

More about Stereotypes Of Irish Drunk

Related Topics

Open Document