By Lisa O’Rourke
It seems like something as simple as talking about the weather could trigger a political fight. We are that divisive now. Times like these are enough to make anybody wish for an escape.
Oh, to live in a little fishing village, a simpler place where everyone gets along, and your biggest worry is what’s for dinner. I’ve heard more and more people mention Ireland as that place to escape. Postpone that daydream. The pandemic of division seems to be spreading everywhere.
St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland has become a day of massive celebration, like it is in many other countries. It is also a day for Ireland to look in the mirror. They look to see how their culture looks as it is represented abroad.
So, when Conor McGregor, the outspoken UFC champion, was invited to the Pentagon, it surprised many Irish. They were even more surprised and dismayed to see his controversial opinions given airtime here.
Conor McGregor
It’s not just that Conor McGregor is rough around the edges, it’s how rough those edges are. There aren’t many levels of assault that Conor hasn’t been arrested and even convicted for in several cases. Because of his violent history and extreme right-wing opinions, Conor McGregor is not a man that most of the country is proud of.
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Garron Noone
And here is where Garron Noone, the enigmatic everyman and social media star of Mayo, stepped into the fray. Garron was asked to comment on Conor getting the proverbial keys to the city, representing Ireland in America, DC in particular.
Garron posted a video on social media. In it he said, as a comedian, he wasn’t sure why people wanted him to comment, but here goes … He said that Conor McGregor was not the type of man who should be representing Ireland.
In addition to his other colorful traits, Conor McGregor is anti-immigration and has become a right-wing darling because of it. Garron responded to that in his video: “There absolutely is an immigration issue in Ireland. That doesn’t mean that people feel like we shouldn’t take the refugees that we’re able to take. It doesn’t mean that people feel like people shouldn’t be able to come here for better opportunities.” And there you have it, the worst kind of opinion these days, nuanced and sincere.
The backlash from both extremes was swift. Garron quickly deleted his social media accounts.
No one was sure if the sensitive giant of a man was coming back. In minutes, it had become a media controversy.
After a few days, he was back.
His comments on his return were telling. He said that he wished that he had been more specific in his immigration remarks. He warned about the inability to have a conversation on sensitive topics. He said, “I don’t think that we have to look further than the US to see where that gets you.” Ouch!
Immigration in Ireland
Is immigration a problem in Ireland? I think that most people think it is. But most people, like Garron, don’t oppose immigration in theory.
I imagine immigration is like a Titanic life raft. In a perfect world, everybody gets on. But we know that if everyone tries to get on the same raft at the same time, it isn’t going to work out.
Ireland is a small raft. Besides its size, something is lopsided in the Irish/EU government who are distributing national services. I have a friend who has been self-employed in Galway his entire life. He has had a few different businesses like house painting and running deliveries.
A few years ago, he was going through an employment drought and decided to apply for the dole for the first time in his life. After a struggle with his pride, he applied only to be denied. The reason for his denial was because he was self-employed, even though he had paid tax his entire life.
He watched as immigrants arrived and received many of the benefits that he felt entitled to. It was impossible not to notice the dichotomy. He was angry, but at the government, not the people.
The surge of immigrants has even contributed to the rising cost of visiting Ireland. B&B’s and landlords were given the option to house immigrants year-round or to ride the tides of tourism. Many chose the steady check of housing immigrants year-round. That in turn has decreased tourism capacity and raised prices.
Dublin looks different. Some small towns look different. But looks aren’t everything.
Many of the new immigrants to Ireland embrace the culture. They do what many immigrants do. They take the hard jobs.
They look for opportunities. They try to improve the quality of life for themselves and their families.
Irish Alliance
The internet algorithms that seem to have my interests figured out, have started sending me some sinister posts. I didn’t really have to research this group to find out who they were, but I did anyway.
The Irish Alliance are a far-right group that believes Ireland needs to close its doors. They believe that immigration is bad and brings crime. As I said, I didn’t need to look them up to figure them out.
Why? Their posts are all negative. Images focus on dreary scenes like Henry Street in Dublin, looking destroyed after the street market closed for the day. Perfect chaos. Then the camera pans, like a pointy finger, to brown people.
You get it. You see who is to blame for the mess, the gray, the poor people.
This stuff is everywhere. There is no fishing village or mountain chateau to hide in. The globe is trying to figure out how to handle these issues.
There are real problems. Bureaucracies, in their inherently botched attempts to do things, have upended common sense sometimes. There are practices that need to be fixed.
What won’t fix anything is cruelty and scapegoating. People leave their countries for the same things that our Irish ancestors did. Who wouldn’t do what they could to improve life for their family? That is universal.
What can be done? I’m not sure, but for me, there is no better guidance than the Golden Rule. That is another universal truth.
How to Spot an Idiot
There is a commencement speech delivered by Governor JB Pritzker at Northwestern University, called, “How to Spot an Idiot.” In it, he talks about how our ancient ancestors were suspicious, they feared strangers and stuck together. Survival depended on it then.
The tribal inclination lingers in us. But over generations, as the human brain developed, we learned that this tribalism is not as good for us as cooperation. The developed mind leaves the animal brain behind. Evolved brains are kinder and empathetic. He states that if you are looking for an idiot, he’s the cruel one.
The smartest person in the room is often the kindest. I couldn’t agree more.
