People are up in arms over the latest Old Navy holiday shirts, which celebrate the arrival of America’s favorite drinking time, St. Patrick’s Day.
Irish folk are complaining that the shirts unfairly portray all Irish people as “drunks.” Slogans on the shirts include, “Party Like You’re Irish!” (featuring a tipsy Snoopy holding a mug that says “root beer”) and “Irish I Was Drunk.”
As a result, Old Navy has pulled two of the shirt designs from shelves.
Um…have you people ever HEARD of St. Patrick’s Day? Has there ever been a St. Patty’s day t-shirt that DIDN’T advertise recreational drinking? I’m part Irish, and though I’ve never been a huge partier on March 17, you’re crazy if you think that people don’t associate that day with passing out in a puddle of green beer.
Do you find these shirts offensive, Lovelies, or do you think people are overreacting?
magnolia / 1042 posts
if i was full blown irish it might bother me. maybe. idk. i’m not irish. hahahh.
hydrangea / 53 posts
These are the kind of shirts everyone on my campus has made at the local t-shirt store for St. Patrick’s Day … one or two is not a huge deal, but I feel like an entire line of drunken St. Patrick’s Day shirts would have me offended too
orchid / 147 posts
I’m half Irish, and it doesn’t bother me at all. I know fully Irish people who go crazy on St Paddy’s day, and like that others do to
guest
Nah, people are overreacting as usual.
guest
Laaame! My boyfriend’s 100% Irish and that’s all he says. That Irish people drink.
orchid / 217 posts
seriously, no matter what it is, someone will be offended by it. whatever.
orchid / 124 posts
There’s a big difference between people of Irish heritage (American Irish) and people who are currently from Ireland. People I know from actual Ireland don’t think very much of our St. Patrick’s Day celebrations–they enforce stereotypes that they’d rather shake off/forget. At the very least, it’s annoying to see people who are like, “I’m Irish!” prancing around portraying them as drunken idiots. And those from America actually think it’s an “Irish” holiday, which it really isn’t anymore.
It’s not the shirts that are the problem, it’s the general stereotypes
that go with the Irish and make them out to be drunken slobs/horrible
people. It’s sort of sad that we accept these stereotypes and wear them on shirts, but as I am not the offended party, I’ll leave the Irish to
say what they want about it and in the meantime, I just won’t buy the shirts.
guest
I’m nearly 100% Irish and my family all like to drink and have fun! I think someone’s just looking for some pity, I haven’t met any Irish people who would be offended by that!
daisy / 597 posts
…. All Irish people… AREN’T drunks???? O_O_O_O_O
orchid / 236 posts
St. Patrick wasn’t even Irish, just an Irish Patron Saint. He’s credited with getting rid of the snakes in Ireland and also credited for bringing the concept of the Trinity in the form of a 3 leaf clover to the Irish people. People in Ireland honor him on the 17th (the day he supposedly died) by feasting…. not drinking.
cherry blossom / 32 posts
I thought they were cute lol
guest
I am Irish. I’ve always lived in Dublin… I think the “Dublin Up” is funny, but the rest are cheap and stupid. Not impressed. :/
sunflower / 370 posts
People generally celebrate holidays by getting drunk. The thing to ask is, if they made similar shirts referring to Mexicans getting drunk for Cinco de Mayo, would it bother anyone?
I can think of people who wouldn’t be offended, and I can think of people who would. I think the business has the right to put out what they want. If people don’t like it, they don’t have to buy it.
ranunculus / 3285 posts
I like Dublin up
orchid / 173 posts
“god invented whiskey to keep the irish from takeing over the world.”
i’m 75% irish-american and i love me some green alcohol on st. patty’s day.
bitches just gonna hate
=\
guest
Stupid humor and dumb? Yes. Offensive? No.
Like you said, St. Pattie’s day is known for the drinking. In fact, when I was younger I thought it was a holiday made up simply so people could drink all day. I don’t know anyone who thinks Irish people are all alcoholics or something. I really think the shirts are playing on the fact that many people use it as an excuse to be drunk all day.
I did like the Dublin shirt though.
guest
i think there cute
guest
they’re just shirts? i mean the whole point of st. patty’s day is to get drunk…but i don’t know how i feel about promoting drinking alcohol at a store that also sells children’s clothing..?
guest
People get offended way too easily.
peony / 1 posts
People have nothing better to do than complain about BS, too thin skinned. I’m part English, German, and Hungarian. So do Limy, Fascist or Gypsy bother me .NO!! Where is Archie Bunker and George Jefferson when we need them.!! Worry about more important things in life.
peony / 3 posts
I think they went to far with these ones. My dad is 100% Irish, and I have actually been to Ireland. Contrary to popular belief, drinking isn’t as huge of a thing over there as it is here. Their drinking age is 18, and you learn how to drink responsibly when you are young, so it becomes habit. That’s not to say my dad doesn’t get quite drunk on St. Patrick’s Day, but the Irish are so much more than drinking. They are incredibly kind warm hearted people, who would give you the shirt off their back. It kinda bothers me coming from a very Irish family that all people associate the Irish with is drinking. Stereotypes folks, let’s lose them.
peony / 3 posts
@axsxg@xanga - its actually the feast day in honor of a Saint who brought Christianity to Ireland.. just saying.
peony / 3 posts
@arenfro@xanga - 100% agree!