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Finding
Our Lost Fáilte
Irish society today is increasingly having to come to terms with the
realities of immigration and multi-culturalism. As of yet, Ireland has
not really been able to fully grasp the concept of a multi-cultural society.
One reason for this of course, is the lateness of Ireland's development
in relation to other European states. In the same way as Ireland did not
experience its industrial revolution until the Lemass Era of the 1960s,
and was not economically comparable to the rest of Europe until recent
years, so too have we only experienced the phenomenon of inwards migration
in the last few years.
The fact that Ireland was a 'late bloomer' so to speak has caused us to
do things in fast motion. We were so slow to experience free market Capitalism
in this country that when we eventually did we had almost a cult-like
devotion to it, much to the consternation to those of us, that feel free
market economics is a self-destructive force. Similarly our attitude to
asylum seekers has become very extreme very fast. No sooner had the prospect
of Immigration become a reality in Ireland than we decided it should be
curtailed. Already we are trying to lighten the load of people coming
in, rather than giving things a while to develop. When I was 17 or 18,
(which was only about three years ago)I had a self imposed halo on my
head as far as racism and immigration was concerned. Anyone who didn't
believe in just leaving them all in would have been dismissed by me as
racist. When my views on the national question lead to me being dismissed
as racist by other people, I eventually concluded that it's unfair to
make snap judgements about people.
In reality, uncertainty about immigration is only to be expected when
you start going from an almost totally white homogenous society, to a
more mixed one. However, this is not to say that we can or should put
off the development of a multi-cultural society. I do not now and have
never really accepted all this talk about limiting economic migrants.
Are we so short-sighted that we can't see that economic migrants is exactly
what the majority of our emigrant sons and daughters were during the twentieth
century? DeValera wasn't going around with a machine gun committing genocide,
nonetheless hundreds of thousands of Irish men and women emigrated, to
the UK, the US and elsewhere.
We were, quite rightly, up in arms whenever our citizens were not welcomed
into their adoptive homes. Hence, it is hypocrisy in my view, not to give
other 'economic migrants' the same welcome we would have expected ourselves.
As for people fleeing war zones, we have a clear obligation to preserve
their right to human rights, dignity and integrity. If it is concluded,
that they cannot be kept on in Ireland, we should at the very least, ensure
that they are sent not to their home countries but to countries that will
allow them to live in the same degree of dignity and humanity we'd expect
ourselves.
What really made me ponder the reality of immigration was watching the
film 'Gangs of New York' last January. I remember looking at Bill the
Butcher and wanting, as a proud Irishman, to personally kill this racist
thug with my bare hands. I couldn't help wondering if we as a society
are going to experience the same things.
By Ghettoising and stigmatising those coming into our country, we are
facilitating, perhaps, a gang warfare situation. If those ethnic groups
in Ireland that are made to feel like the devil incarnate, seek to fight
back against their oppressors, it will serve us right. The fact that the
vast majority of Irish people are kind and decent will not matter if groups
feel their Identity threatened by the Irish state and some sections within
it. We may very well see Oldhams and Bradfords popping up in Dublin and
Cork for example. The Far-right fringe groups are beginning to rear their
ugly heads in Ireland.
If this trend continues, Ireland will become an increasingly dangerous
society to live in. Basically, as I hinted before, I think the criteria
we must apply to immigrants and asylum seekers, is "what if it happened
to me?" As human beings, people coming into our country are entitled to
as much fundamental rights as we are ourselves. Conversely, the small
number of 'bad eggs' (as there are a few of those in every basket)that
do try to take advantage must not be given a free ride because of their
ethnicity. Calling someone of a different ethnicity an asshole, doesn't
necessarily make you racist, it might just be that the other person is
actually an asshole.
None of us are angels, we just have to learn to judge people on their
merits.
by
Donal O'Driscoll
12th October 2003
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