BodyButter
Vital Football Legend
Having seen it first hand, its the hundred little small things that add-up. We typically don't notice them at first but they hurt people an incredible amount e.g. asking to touch their hair, touching their hair without permission etc. Those sort of things make them feel like objects.
I think she had every right to feel and to be Irish. I used to say plastic paddy but there is a percentage of people who are 100% Irish without the Irish accent. I remember when I lived in Birmingham this Kerryman who worked on site had a daughter who was every bit as Irish as me. It was her identity but she was born and raised in Birmingham.
Societally I think whether you grow up black in America, black in Ireland, black in England you'll always be identified by others as black first. I believe we've been conditioned that way and its nobodies fault but its again this dancing around it as if its not real that's an issue.
My GF is worried about this exact issue happening with our kids. She wants them to identify as black first and Irish second because she expects incredible hurt, sadness and disconnect with the world if they see themselves as Irish. Most Irish people won't accept a mixed race American as Irish. I won't say I blame Emma Dabiri's mother for it but she fucked up.
With that said we're getting into the complications of the world with the racial differences between America, Europe and Africa. On those 3 continents what it means to be black, how you're perceived and who will accept you are so different.
My kids are mixed race. They have Malaysian passports and ID cards but most Malaysians don't regard them as real Malaysians. I think that's fair enough. They have grown up with one foot in eastern culture and one foot in western culture.
It will become more of an issue for them when they become teenagers but I've always told them that they can pick and choose the bits they like, they can be both or neither or anything in between.