Do you think ethnic groups have worse or better tempers?

[Drunken Irishman]

I have a really bad temper and as much as I try to control my anger, it's very difficult for me to do. I'm also Irish and of course everyone uses that to explain my temper. But is it really because I have Irish blood in me? I don't buy it, I mean it isn't like you won't find a calm Irishman and I doubt they're all duking it out in the streets of Dublin. But whenever I blow, someone always comes back with "Well aren't you Irish...that explains it," and I'm not so sure it does.

What do you think?

[fudge stripe cookays]

1. I once saw...

a little Irish kid at my junior high begin pummeling a little Mexican kid brutally over the head with a metal lunchbox.

Something set that kid off. Something I hope I never see again. His eyes scared the hell out of me-- I'll bet he's in jail by now.

Could just be anecdotal, but....

[ThomCat]

2. I think some cultures enable or encourage anger

more than others.

[Ellen Forradalom]

3. I'm with ThomCat

The expression of anger is culturally codified.

[OmahaBlueDog]

4. The politically correct answer is to say "of course not"...

...but Mrs.OmahaBlueDog is Irish/German


OMG!

When she gets mad, run...or at least put on ear protection.

[Drunken Irishman]

5. LOL

My mom is mean too.

I bet her and Mrs.OmahaBlueDog would get into nasty fights.

[marvinsmith]

6. ethnic stereotypes

No.  I don't buy that.  I think there can be cultural
differences, all the way down from country to different
neighborhoods in a city and possibly social status
differences, but I don't think genetics can be used to define
any group as having any particular characteristics.

[Redstone]

9. Not married to a Hot-Blooded Tropical Woman, are you?

I am, and to see her (or one of her relatives) go off is truly impressive.

Like watching the lava explode from a volcano, it is. That is to say, awe-inspiring, but best watched from a safe distance.

Redstone

[MrsBrady]

7. isn't every body an ethnic something or other?

I'm part Scots-Irish, English, Dutch.....and a bit of Comanche and Cherokee too...

I guess if the reasoning were true....I should be drunk and mad all the time...waring with myself.
I'd never get any rest!

on edit:
Maybe you should counter with an equally ridiculous statement regarding their own ethnic background...maybe they could take a hint.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

8. This thread is racist.

sheesh.

[Drunken Irishman]

10. What?

[Tuesday Afternoon]

12. Dude...

I got bombed for calling myself trailer trash around here ...Fuck it. This is racist and you know it.

[Drunken Irishman]

13. So this is self-racism?

[Tuesday Afternoon]

18. yes, It is a cop-out. You are rationalizing and excusing yourself

from taking repsonsiblity of your actions.

[Drunken Irishman]

19. What actions?

What are you talking about?

I'm asking a valid question. Have you ever researched temperament and how it ties into genetics? This is not a racial question and I'm sorry you see it as such.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

23. I quote...

"...But whenever I blow,..."

and I am out of here. Truly, I could not give a fuck about this.

[Drunken Irishman]

24. Maybe I'm just a self-hating Irishman.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

25. Maybe you are a boy who needs to grow up. --

Truly, I do not know you.

[Drunken Irishman]

27. Why, because I asked a simple question?

Maybe you're trying to pick a fight, I do not know, but I don't find this question offensive at all, nor racist. The temperament of individuals is definitely traced genetically, but does that genetic print go back to culture, or what? Is it cultural, ethnic or racial?

Not every issue is black and white like you may believe. But whatever, if you want to think I'm being racist, go right ahead. I'm not going to stop you from believing that.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

29. Look at this way ...

Do you think ethnic groups have worse or better tempers?

Do you think black people have worse or better tempers?

Do you think women have worse or better tempers?

Do you think mexicans have worse or better tempers?

Do you think muslims have worse or better tempers?

Do you think chinese have worse or better tempers?

It is racist and that is my opinion. Sly and subtle.

[Drunken Irishman]

35. Really?

Even though temperament is connected through genetics?

Are you saying every culture and demographic is the exact same in every aspect of life? There are varying differences within every culture. Like how many Asians and black people are born with blonde hair? Does asking that question make someone a racist as well, when you're comparing the differences of someone's genetics? Why is it that red hair is less and less dominant the further you get from England and Ireland? Why do some cultures live longer than others? Why are they more advanced than others? Why are there peaceful cultures and violent cultures? Why are there peaceful and violent groups within the same community?

You may find those questions racist, but I think I think it's interesting to compare every aspect of world culture. From color, to religion to history.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

39. never mind

sorry. You are right. I am silly. buh-bye now.

[Drunken Irishman]

40. Well I never said you were silly.

And I'm sorry if you felt my question was racist, because I did not intend for it to sound anything remotely racist. But there are cultural aspects within even predominately WHITE countries that are different once you cross the border into another. I mean, look at America and Canada. We share a border, much of Canada's immigrants aren't that different from America, except for the larger number of French-Canadians and possibly Protestant Irish over Catholic Irish, but they're similar. Yet the cultures within each country differ greatly. I think we both can agree America is a far more violent nation and a far more fundamentalist nation. But why? Why can an invisible line splitting the two nations dramatically alter the make-up of each nation?

[Tuesday Afternoon]

41. what has transpired since the line was drawn.

I took this to the anthropology forum where I think this discussion belongs, Now get off my lawn. You are fucking with my buzz. and take barb162 (who did insinuate that I am silly) with you.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

sheesh. barkeep ....can you beer me now?

[barb162]

31. I think this poster is not being self-racist. That's just silly.

Asking something about his or her own ethnic background isn't being racist.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

34. yeah. right. I am silly.

haha.

[barb162]

32. No, you have a perfectly legitimate question

and you're wondering about it.

[Archae]

11. Worst temper explosion I've ever seen was a Greek fellow.

He went off like Santorini.

[krispos42]

14. So let me get this straight...

Your entire life, whenever you get angry, people go "Oh, it's that Irish temper", and nod condensendingly to each other.

I think that's your answer right there.

[Drunken Irishman]

15. Not always, but a lot of the time.

[krispos42]

17. There's your answer then.

I think if every time I got noisy somebody said to another "Oh, it's his Italian blood", I'd have anger management issues too.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

21. Exactly...

self-fulfilling prophecy.

[hedgehog]

16. I think different ethnic groups have codified behaviors as to what

level of anger is acceptable and also what the triggers are.

I have a counter question; do people from different ethnic groups typically exhibit specific attitudes when drunk; ie melancholy, benevolent, angry at the world, etc?

[Common Sense Party]

20. No, I'm Irish and I've never been in a fight, and I'm usually

pretty laid back. Not really much of a yeller.

My mom (and she's where the Irish comes from) is the most mellow, calm person I know.

I think it comes more from one's family and how one was raised, not from one's ethnicity. If tempers and yelling were de riguer at home, they tend to be later in life, as well.

[Drunken Irishman]

22. It's possible. My family is crazy.

They're always fighting and yelling so that probably has more to do with it than anything else.

[Common Sense Party]

26. Probably more so than your ethnic background.

I just think there's waaaaay too much variation among members of any one ethnic group to say, all Irish are like this, or all Italians are like that, or all Norwegians are such and such.

There are stereotypes, and there may be some generalized truth to some of them, but you're always going to find exceptions to the stereotype--lots of 'em, if you look hard enough.

I'd guess you learned a lot of it from your family. Not that that's bad, it's just the way things were.

But, you can always "unlearn" what your family taught you.

In my family, I was taught to be shy, reserved, and socially awkward.

It took years and a lot of pain, but now I do public speaking for a living, basically. I still have shy tendencies, but I've learned to overcome or at least temporarily subvert them.

If you don't like any of your "programming," you can always choose to reprogram yourself. You just have to want to badly enough. (I'm not saying you need to, mind you. I'm just saying if it ever gets to the point where it bothers you, you can undo it.)

[Drunken Irishman]

28. My anger can be a problem, but it's not entirely an issue.

I've kept it under control more recently than I did when I was younger, but it doesn't change the fact I'm often told I have the Irish temper. I would like to know where that stereotype began, because it is annoying.

[barb162]

30. worse or better tempers than what?

[Drunken Irishman]

36. Than say, the British or Scottish or a comparable culture.

Maybe the French? I mean, aren't we told the French are actually pretty laid back, live and let live type people?

[leeroysphitz]

33. Isn't everyone a member of one ethnic group or another (at least)?

Why don't we all have bad tempers?

[Drunken Irishman]

37. If you go that far back.

But we all don't look the same, right? I mean, we have our differences, whether it's hair color or skin color. So even though we all have our roots, most likely, in one ethnic group, over the centuries that has changed quite a bit. Is it genetics, is it part of our background?

[chknltl]

38. This may be related to diet.

I am just throwing this out, I really have nothing to back any of this conjecture up with.
I live in Western Washington, home of STARBUCKS. Thanks to us, there is a plague of Latte Kiosks worldwide. What does this have to do with anything? CAFFEINE!!! I know that normally I am a courteous person, the kind of guy who will hold a door open for anyone. I like the fact that I drive like this too. If someone wants into my lane, I'll back off, sometimes even flashing my lights at them to give them the go-ahead. If I have had just one 16 oz. latte per morning for even a few days: EVERY-F@@ING-BODY IS IN MY DAMNED WAY DAMN-IT!!!! Judging by all the hurry I see out on our roads, judging by all the road rage one reads about lately in my area, an argument could easily be made that Starbucks has created more than caffeine hangovers to be concerned about.

So if the fave beverage of Seattle could have such an impact on us, it takes little imagination to suggest that particular diets could have a particular effect on a populace. Might I suggest the particular type of alcohol common among Irishmen may have something to do with the reason that Irishmen have bad tempers? Perhaps it is the alcohol combined with a specific type of food. For what it is worth I was unaware of this 'meme'(?) that Irishmen had bad tempers. My father had a terrible temper problem but none of his children ever had anything like that. He was not from Irish descent but he did love his beer and whiskey. I suspect an anthropology grad student could find a masters thesis in the notion of local diets influencing attitudes among local populations. (I'll bet the C.I.A./U.S.Government has done this study already.)

[RFKHumphreyObama]

42. Locking

Unfortunately this thread has the potential for ethnic stereotyping and generalizations that we, as a progressive community, should try to avoid.

Thanks
SD1981
Lounge Moderator