Defense of the Plastic
“Be authentic” my mother would tell me. “Why aren’t you wearing all green?” My father would ask. Two sides of the coin I had growing up, my mother as a first generation Irish immigrant who grew up in America, and my father who is culturally Irish a few generations back. The argument in my head was always “Don’t be all Plastic Paddy” around the holiday. For those unfamiliar with the unfortunate derogatory term: meaning a person drinking green beer probably being very inebriated and decked out with a wardrobe of various colors of green, with a shirt probably stating “Pog Ma Thone, Erin Go Bragh or Kiss me I’m Irish.” Half the family was repulsed by it, and my other half tentatively embraced it. For ages all I wanted to wear was perhaps an Aran sweater with a shamrock pin and/or the genuine thing, because it was authentic (and I’d wear it to this day). But, the idea of having Mardi-Gras beads with leprechauns and wearing 40 shades of green was (and still is) appealing. I’ve come to a conclusion though, which may be unpopular. There’s nothing wrong with being a Plastic Paddy, even looking from the more subdued traditional community. I’m proud of my heritage as being Irish, many folks say I’m the most Irish person they know for many years. I’ve started studying the language (poorly), tried playing a bodrhan (equally poorly), and was an Irish Step Dancer for 12 years growing up. I love how Hiberno-English works as a subset of English with all its eccentricities. I still continue to be steeped in culture throughout; But, that’s specifically Irish culture being one generation removed. The Plastic Paddy culture isn’t, it’s a product of the Irish dysphoria and very prominently Irish-American which is separately awesome in its own right. I’m proud of that heritage also. To listen to “The Wild Rover” and give the necessary response after “No, Nay, Never” To have Corned Beef & Cabbage for the holiday (Hey, it’s a very New York Irish thing) To attend a St. Patrick’s Day parade (either in person or via telecommuting) To actually enjoy Diddly Dee music To enjoy time with others who are Irish (or at least, Irish for the day) Watch “Darby O’Gill and the Little People” With more people of Irish descent (i.e. the Irish Dysphoria) around the world, and particularly in America than those who actually live in Ireland, I think it’s important to recognize the separate culture. It’s not something to demean being Irish, but to celebrate in their own way, with a dash of good old American hubris. So, if you see someone today celebrating in their own way give then a head nod and a wink because it’s all good no matter what shade of green we wear.