Stereotype of Irish people
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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In cinema Irish men are often shown as ruddy-haired alcoholics and abusers who "love to fight". They are also often portrayed in American cinema as police officers.
Although "Irish" is seen as a nationally or ethnicity by most people today it was once viewed as a grouping on par with distinctions now made between races. An analysis of nineteenth-century attitudes by Mary J. Hickman and Bronwen Walter showed that the 'Irish Catholic' was one viewed as an "other" or a different race in the construction of the British nationalist myth.
In 19th century cartoons, Irish immigrants were shown as ape-like and as racially different. During this period of high levels of immigration, Americans were beginning to consider the theory of evolution. Scientists, such as James Redfield, argued that "facial angle" was a sign of intelligence and character. When they studied the "physiognomy" or facial structure, or Irishmen, they detected animalistic qualities. The fact that such caricatures of Irish people existed, and were once considered to be "scientifically accurate" shows how much racial definitions can change. Few people today think of Irish people as "not white"or "racially primitive."
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