A joke is only funny if there’s a punchline, “punching up rather than down,”.
Words & photography: Colleen Considine
Photo featured in Grafter magazine print issue 1.
How you see yourself is obviously very different to how others see you. Some may take one look at you and think they’ve got you all figured out. However, when you’re born in one country whilst your parents are from a complete other, there’s a disillusion about who you really are. You’re not quite sure where you’re from or your identity. And then people throw their ignorant objections into the mix, well, it’s more than confusing, it’s discrimination.
The other day, for the final time, I decided to listen to a friend’s uneducated perspective on Ireland. My ‘friend’ went on to make the claim; “The Palestinian conflict is like the Irish division, Ireland is still so divided,” they said. One thing I should state, they have never even been to Ireland. And the little understanding they have is built on their perspective as an English person.
Now, Ireland is somewhere my mother is from, and a country my grandparents are from so we’re a pretty Irish bunch. I'm from Luton so growing up a second-generation immigrant, we were surrounded by Irish folk music, old stories and each year we would go back to Ireland to visit our family. And I always understood why Irish people had to leave their country to start a new life somewhere else. And it's estimated that 10 million people since 1800 have left Ireland. Today, worldwide there are more than 80 million people claiming Irish descent. These people who left their homes to build lives somewhere else. And you might be thinking, there's no discrimination today, well you'd be wrong.
It might be the odd statement here and there, a 'joke' or a full-blown debate about the bombings, violence and whatever else. There's a particular favourite of discussing things I wasn’t even around to witness as if I am part of the issue. I’m not the issue, understanding however, that’s part of the solution.
You should know to do and be better, that your ignorance isn't just a funny statement. And that you can't just say, “I’ve got a lot of friends who are Irish, even my wife is Irish,” to defend yourself. You should know to do better then rather than stand by in the corner of discrimination when you know that is wrong. Just because you ‘know an Irish person’ doesn’t mean your understanding of Ireland is valid or true. Your ‘jokes’ weren’t actually that funny the first time, and they still aren’t, yet they are still being made. People are still being treated second-class citizens, all because you think you can say it.
For a few years I’ve thrown away the comments from this person as if they didn’t really mean anything, that they didn’t really mean it. Because they are ‘my friend’ and I was defending their ignorance because of that reason. When that isn’t a good excuse. Whether it’s being from Luton, being working-class or being Irish, everyone seems to think they know my life more than myself. They seem to think their unwelcome opinion is necessary. A joke is only funny if there’s a punchline, “punching up rather than down,” as Financial Times editor, Robert Shrimsley said. Making fun of the way someone is, that’s not humour, that’s ignorance.
There’s only so much you can take from people, because if it’s not someone saying that Luton is a shit-hole or that the best route in Luton is the road out of it, or a comment about the way and how I speak, then it’s about potatoes. We get it, you’re very funny, we’re Irish and we know how to cook the potato in over 500 different ways, but we’re fucking proud of it, OK!?
And sometimes the best thing you can say is absolutely nothing. If you don’t know what to say in that moment, walk away. You can’t bow down to stupidity so people think they are right. So I did what I do best, and I wrote, I told him why he was wrong and why self-ignorance isn't welcome.
Just because someone is your friend, doesn’t make them right. It's quite shocking the response people will have when you have animosity for where you come from. Because when you announce your ignorance, don't back into a corner when outed for something and claim ‘it’s a joke’. It’s people like my so-called ‘friend’ who re-instate the diaspora in England today.
The conversation came around with my previous university lecturers, both of whom are Irish. I was saying, ‘you go over to Ireland to visit family and say, I’m Irish, they respond; no you’re English, you go back to England and say; I’m English, and they respond; no you're Irish.’ You see, we’re not quite welcome anywhere we turn and there's a confusion about our identity. It's like we're floating in-between Ireland and England, with no one quite understanding who we are. Britain is diverse and multi-cultural, yet whilst having a feeling of division. There's deep-rooted misunderstandings for culture, who they are and where their family have come from. People think they understand when really, they aren’t bothering to learn in the first place.
Irish people had to flee famine, poverty, and violence, all in their own country, exiled from their land and their family. To countries they didn’t wish to go to, and to places they had little understanding of. Countries didn’t welcome them with open arms, and some still don’t. When St. Patrick’s Day comes around once a year, it’s a time of celebration, it’s a day for the Irish. And whilst you’re more than welcome to join in, just remember it’s not for you. It’s for anyone who has left Ireland, anyone of Irish decent, those who worked long hours with little or no thanks, going home to families just to do the same routine over and over again. With the prejudice of being who they are over their heads, as if being Irish is a bad thing. Discrimination isn’t old-school, it’s ignorance, you’re failing to understand lives because you simply don’t want to.
You might not fully understand ‘the division’ but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.
Follow Grafter:
Instagram: grafter_magazine
Twitter: @GrafterM
Facebook: Grafter Magazine
Email: graftermagazine@gmail.com
Now available to purchase again, Grafter print magazine Issue 1 is available to purchase via Newsstand UK! We decided to restock the remaining Grafter Issue 1 magazines, so encase you missed it the first time around, you can grab the first ever copy of Grafter now! We won't be re-printing or re-stocking Issue 1 after this, so grab yours here now!
SUBMIT! We are always taking contributions - we're currently looking specifically for personal essays, stories, interviews, features, art, poetry, music and films.
New Series! 'Get to know the next generation of...' A series in which we aim to showcase young people, recent or upcoming graduates and their creative means. Whether you're an artist, writer, painter, poet, filmmaker, political activist - whatever it is, we want to see your work! Deadline: Tuesday 1st June.
We want a wider range of artists, filmmakers, writers and political voices featured on Grafter! Or maybe you want us to review or feature your work!
Send it to graftermagazine@gmail.com and don't forget to add what it is in the subject line!