Why I Am Not Wearing Green

[deborahjross]

The reasons, let me count them for you.

Mostly, because the ostensible reason is to show one's pride in being Irish on the occasion of the name-day of the patron saint of Ireland. I am not Irish. There is almost zero probability that this nice Jewish girl has any Irish ancestry whatsoever. There are many aspects of Irish culture I appreciate and I have great sympathy and solidarity with the historical struggles of the Irish. I honor them best by practicing my own integrity.

I am not Christian. Jews disagree on whether it is appropriate to participate in cultural holidays derived from Christian observances. I feel strongly that it is a matter of personal conscience. I resent being pressured to do so, under threat of being pinched.

Here's the big one. Regardless of the verneer of "fun," this is assault. Think I'm being too grim about it? Talk to any survivor of violence. It's not fun, it's recreating trauma. I don't invade other people's physical integrity this way and if you do it to me, I may well introduce you to a few of my favorite kung fu techniques.

So let's be kind to one another and enjoy this beautiful spring day!

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

The whole pinching thing is something I never encountered when I lived in Ireland, either.
I'm mostly Welsh. I'm not wearing green, it's not appropriate.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

I don't know the origin of the pinching, but it sure sounds like kids being mean to one another.

Is there a Welsh national color/s? One thinks of leeks, but perhaps that's insulting. Unless one loves leeks, as I do.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

There's no particular colour, though some people like to wear a daffodil on St David's Day. Or a leek, indeed!

[otana.livejournal.com]

I'm legitimately half Irish and this holiday makes me cringe. It's obnoxious and ridiculous. People can have their fun, but I won't be joining in.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

What holiday/s do you enjoy?

[otana.livejournal.com]

I think a lot of it comes down to what I grew up celebrating. Christmas and Easter were times for the entire family to get together and eat a huge meal and catch up. It was mostly about the decorations and the food, the company and the fact that everyone behaved for the holiday.

Halloween is fun, but since I missed out on the kid side of it, it's nothing huge for me. Thanksgiving still goes over my head, I have to be honest. I enjoy Independence Day, in an ironic kind of way; it's fun to be over-the-top obnoxious at home, watching Team America, eating hotdogs and drinking crappy beer then going out to watch the fireworks.

I guess for me the problem is that most celebrations are fairly subdued back in England, so it still makes me cringe a bit at how enthusiastic things are here. Not that it's bad per se, just very very different to what I'm used to.

[rosehelene.livejournal.com]

Uhm....Mom? Relax. Most people in the real world don't do much today, except maybe drink. I can almost guarantee that few know what St. Patrick did. Nobody's wearing green on campus. And nobody pinches anymore.

Soo.....relax. Chill. It's all okay. :)

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

You must be hanging out with grown-ups. I still get asked why I'm not wearing green. I have solved the problem by staying home for the day.

It is, however, true that no one has tried to pinch me for a long time. Without invitation, that is.

[rosehelene.livejournal.com]

Huhn. My own experience could definitely be skewed. Maybe it's a generational thing?

I think of the over-emphasis on the day as a K-12 thing. No one's tried to pinch me since those days, and I haven't seen anything especially green today on campus. And only one person has mentioned it today, and his social stuff is off anyway because he's autistic.