Ethnic Groups And Discrimination Ethics

Ethnic Groups and Discrimination

Perhaps no single event in Irish history shaped the culture like the experience of coming to America. Irish immigrants came to the United States because of difficult economic and religious issues. They made their homes in colonies around Pennsylvania and later began to move to Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Prejudice and Racism

The Irish people came to America full of hope with dreams of finding a new and better life. Instead, they found themselves not accepted into American culture. They suffered severe persecution because of their Catholic beliefs. Their economic situation resulted in many people trying to exist together in tiny cramped spaces with sewage to walk through. There were not facilities to keep themselves clean. Food shortages and rodents, abundantly living among them was common. These living conditions ended in a high number of diseases and death.

Irish children felt robbed of their childhood because of starvation forcing them to work at a young age. The children became prostitutes and stole from Americans to obtain money to eat. This lifestyle did not bring sympathy or help from the American public. Instead, it proved to segregate the Irish from mainstream America because the U.S. citizens became afraid of catching diseases from the Irish people. The Irish henceforth labeled as a “social plague” (USNA, Ð'¶ 3). Alcohol abuse and violence was common among the Irish and these actions led to xenophobia by the American population. These negative traits still following them as a stereotype that plagues the Irish culture today.

Redlining

During this period of history in America, there was extreme racism shown towards the African American and Irish people. The general sentiment of America was that African American people’s skin was dark on the outside and Irish people’s skin was dark on the inside (U.S. Naval Academy [USNA], Ð'¶ 2). Both groups had to live in unrelenting poverty. The African American people forced to be slaves and the Irish people held in a social status below the slaves. Sadly, instead of bonding together for the good of both cultures, the competition for housing and jobs let to resentment against each other. These people have much in common, because history has dealt both cultures cruel blows of hopelessness, reduced job opportunities, redlining, and despair. Both have suffered unjust treatment many times at the other’s sacrifice. Both have participated in and suffered from discrimination and both have persevered.

Glass Ceilings and a Duel Labor Market

The need for volunteer firefighters was the driving force behind Irish men’s establishment as firefighters. Even though volunteer Irish men were met with “No Irish Need Apply Signs” (Friend, 2000-2005, Ð'¶ 2), the necessary for men to become paid firefighter lead their eventual acceptance in this profession. Irish men known as physically strong, hardworking and fearless having proved themselves by taking jobs earlier in the century in dangerous construction projects no other men would attempt. Even so, over the course of time these men endured a duel labor market and glass ceilings, always starting at the bottom of the work chain and never moving up. Growth was a slow process for the Irish culture. The United Stated begrudgingly began to accept the people in the job market. Eventually the Irish men began receiving more jobs, but the payback was that many died for the meager income.

The Irish women fared no better in the job market.