Not All Irish People Have Red Hair & Freckles & Other Sterotypes

[tarheelmjfan]

I'm with those who hate people stereotyping all Americans, by the few they've met. Many Americans don't like each other. America is a melting pot of people from all over the world, which produces people with very different personalities.

FWIW, I have blond hair, green eyes & fair skin & it has always been assumed that came from my Irish heritage. My dad had red hair, freckles & very fair skin. Neither of us have ever had anyone say anything negative about our coloring or about us based on our coloring.

 

[CPanther95]

Chernobyl isn't in Russia though.

The survivors had to go somewhere, they couldn't stay there.

 

[fly girl]

Dh is Irish. Black hair, blue eyes, medium skin tone. And a narrow face.

But his ancestry on both sides is definitely Irish. I'm too private to share his name (first and last) but no doubt if you heard it, or any of his siblings, there is no denying it.

He is Catholic, and enjoys a drink too! I guess some things fit that stereotype.

 

[here757]

I'm Irish decent.. U guessed it red hair. Hazel eyes. Fair skin. Freckles...
Wasn't til few years ago I found out about black Irish... For those reading that don't know.. It's nothing about skin.. But hair color. When I was told could have knocked me over with feather!

 

[here757]

My DH's family is Irish, so I can tell you we do get the red hair and freckles comments pretty often, even though no one has~
What's even WORSE though, is the comments we hear that Gingers have no soul. THAT ticks me off...

Lol my favorite!! My husband has a friend truly believed til she met me..

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Dh is Irish. Black hair, blue eyes, medium skin tone. And a narrow face.

But his ancestry on both sides is definitely Irish. I'm too private to share his name (first and last) but no doubt if you heard it, or any of his siblings, there is no denying it.

He is Catholic, and enjoys a drink too! I guess some things fit that stereotype.

Funny. My father definitely fits the Irish stereotype for coloring, but we're not Catholic. Obviously, as the OP suggests, stereotyping is ridiculous & isn't indicative of anything.

 

[Jennasis]

My sister is a ginger and SHE cracks the most ginger-based jokes I've ever heard. She likes to refer to the rest of us as "daywalkers".

 

[porschegrl]

She likes to refer to the rest of us as "daywalkers".

Love this! I'll have to look for opportunities to work it into conversations.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

ok, so this has been bugging me, WHY do American people think that all Irish have red hair and freckles??? Seriously now, Im Irish, and hardly anyone in my family looks like this, and very few people I see on a day to day basis, on the bus, in the mall, at work have red hair and freckles.

So are their stereotypes that bug you, that you know are not true that are in common use?

Yes there are stereotypes that bother me, especially when it comes to some foreigners that believe that all Americans fall into a particular stereotype they believe.

A few people believing that does not mean all American people think that. Please know MANY American people are of European descent and are well aware of how they and their own ancestors look.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I have fair skin (without freckles), dark hair, and blue eyes, and on more than one occasion I've had people tell me I must be Irish based on my looks alone.

On a side note, I've always wondered why we eat corned beef on St. Patrick's Day, I've been to Ireland and pretty much never saw corned beef on the menus. Did this tradition originate in America?

My understanding was that when the Irish came over, they substituted corned beef for back bacon because they couldn't find or maybe they could buy the back bacon.

Again, my understanding is that back bacon and cabbage was or is a traditional dish for the Irish.

At least that's what I remember hearing from my Irish grandfather. I could be remembering totally wrong.

 

[eileenjez]

I have fair skin (without freckles), dark hair, and blue eyes, and on more than one occasion I've had people tell me I must be Irish based on my looks alone.

On a side note, I've always wondered why we eat corned beef on St. Patrick's Day, I've been to Ireland and pretty much never saw corned beef on the menus. Did this tradition originate in America?

yes it did

 

[RedAngie]

The gingers have no soul thing is just a joke. Its from South Park.

Redheads lacking souls is an ancient belief, long before South Park.

 

[bcla]

There is so much fake red hair out there too. I mean, who in America is famous for red hair? I suppose Alyson Hannigan, Christina Hendricks, and Gillian Anderson - all who faked that color.

Still, who has natural red hair? I suppose the most famous in the world is Prince Harry, and I'm not sure that he's a stellar example.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

ok, so this has been bugging me, WHY do American people think that all Irish have red hair and freckles???

Where do you get that Americans think all Irish people have red hair and freckles?

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Still, who has natural red hair? I suppose the most famous in the world is Prince Harry, and I'm not sure that he's a stellar example.

Karen Gillan. Benedict Cumberbatch (he dyes it black). Nicole Kidman. Lindsay Lohan. Ed Sheeran. Lots of others.

Here's 20

 

[sunshinehighway]

Redheads lacking souls is an ancient belief, long before South Park.

Interesting.
I doubt people really are holding some ancient believe that they have no soul and saying it in a totally serious way to those posters. Most likely they are saying it because it became a common joke about red heads after that South Park episode.

A stereotype I hate is basically anything that lumps all Americans together.

 

[Aliceacc]

I spent some time waitressing in an Irish pub. As someone with blonde hair and blue eyes, I was frequently asked what county I was from. My response was "Nassau."

My best friend at the time had dark hair and dark eyes-- and a brogue you could cut with a knife. (She was from county Meath.)

Think twice before you write or type or think a sentence that has the word "ALL" in it if it refers to a group of people. The odds are good that you're about to make a fool of yourself.

 

[ronandannette]

Irish, my mom and grandma had red hair. Most of the really Irish I know (first/second generation American) have dark hair, pale skin, freckles and full faces.

Maybe I'm Irish, because you just described me exactly!

 

[YoYoAurora]

My DH's family is Irish, so I can tell you we do get the red hair and freckles comments pretty often, even though no one has~
What's even WORSE though, is the comments we hear that Gingers have no soul. THAT ticks me off...

I laugh when I'm told I have no soul. I just tell them I'm here to take theirs.

I have red hair and freckles. We are a very small minority and are often stereotyped and denigrated. I think we should be a protected class!

Ooh! Great idea! I don't have as many freckles as others in my family, but I have my unfair share. I think we should have a discount on sunscreen since I and my family seem to go through gallons of it every month or so it seems.

I am Irish, don't have red hair. I never thought about heritage, color of people. People are people.

I'm of Irish/Scottish descent and have red hair, as do many people in my family. I agree with you: people are people. I'm thankful I have a group of friends with differing backgrounds, heritages, and experiences.

My sister is a ginger and SHE cracks the most ginger-based jokes I've ever heard. She likes to refer to the rest of us as "daywalkers".

I'm stealing this term!

 

[RedAngie]

Interesting.
I doubt people really are holding some ancient believe that they have no soul and saying it in a totally serious way to those posters. Most likely they are saying it because it became a common joke about red heads after that South Park episode.

A stereotype I hate is basically anything that lumps all Americans together.

No doubt the South Park episode brought it to a lot of people's attention. And yes, it's pretty much a joke. Nobody takes it seriously. But some ancient Romans, Greeks, and others in the Middle Ages, did actually believe it and redheads were marginalized or even prosecuted for being witches, or at best, were considered to have low morals.

I've heard just about every Ginger joke and comment. The only one that bothered me was the one below. I like Sexually Oblivious Woman's response.



As for redheads having a violent temper