Cultural Appropriation on Saint Paddy's Day? Interviews Leave PC Libs Stumped
They don’t know what to think.
While colleges in 21st century America are hothouses for the easily offended – where Black History Month meals can cause a cafeteria controversy and the wrong Halloween costume is practically a hanging offense — St. Patrick’s Day has been generally accepted as a fine excuse for a spring drinking binge.
But when a Campus Reform interviewer took a camera to interview some college students on the streets of New York, he caused no small amount of confusion — and gave some tongue-tied libs an idea of how empty politically correct culture really is.
“Cultural appropriation” is a big liberal buzzword these days, and it’s an unforgivable cultural crime — unless you’re a Democrat senator from Massachusetts with a fake story about Native American ancestors.
So, today’s college students, steeped in liberalism from the time they entered school, should have a pretty good handle on whether a St. Patrick’s Day bash at the local pub is the sin called “cultural appropriation,” or just an acceptable reason for a rip-roaring good time.
But what Campus Reform found out was that most hadn’t given it a second’s thought — beyond the obvious, alcohol-fueled festivities.
Maybe the Irish are just too easygoing.
Check out the interviews here:
Of course, St. Paddy’s Day in the U.S. is mostly associated with boozy parties. (It’s generally spelled with two “d’s” by the way, since two “t’s” would make “Patty,” as in “Patricia.” USA Today explains it here.)
But its origins are a day marking the death of the patron saint of Ireland, the man who brought Christianity to the Irish, according to Catholic.org. His death is recorded as March 17, 461 — hence the holiday that’s been celebrated in the United States for more than 250 years.
Most Irish Americans know at least some of his story, but it’s a good bet that even for them, the holiday’s party atmosphere has long since overshadowed its religious connotations. (Though the two can blend well. For many Catholics, the holiday is a day off from whatever sacrifice an individual has made for Lent.)
But in an era when political nerves are strung so tight about identity politics, when a Cinco de Mayo sombrero can make fragile Newsweek writers reach for their smelling salts, should non-Irish heritage Americans be more sensitive to the feelings of their ethnically Irish compatriots?
Sad to say, there are plenty of people on social media who think so (check out a Twitter thread here. On the bright side, there are some pretty funny jokes, too.)
But just like the liberal college students interviewed by Campus Reform, those knee-jerk feelings seem more a like a reaction to the hyper-political nature of the times than any actual, heartfelt offense.
It’s St. Patrick’s Day, for crying out loud. It’s one day of the year when everyone, regardless of politics, should be able to relax and buy each other a beer. And if that’s cultural appropriation or politically incorrect, there’s only one word to say:
Slainte.
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