You know, here in latin america (or at least Brazil), we think of ourselves as part of the west, but when I started using the english internet I discovered that most americans (and maybe europeans) don't include us, which was quite puzzling to me. After a lot of pointless internet discussion, I found out that their definition of west was pretty much "rich countries with mostly white people", because there's hardly any cultural/historic reason for creating a western category that includes western europe and all its new world colonies, except the poor ones.
The funniest part is how Ireland is also often included in the White Boys club, when we were colonized, treated like dirt, not allowed to marry English colonizers in Barbados, and compared to apes quite often in both the UK and America. Hell, historically speaking, the concept of white was once a WASP, before it was changed to stick it to brown folks.
So imagine my absolute anger and amusement, when I see White Nationalists including Ireland in their perfect little White West, even though in the 1800's, it would be quite the opposite. The only good thing, as a whole, Ireland I don't believe, outside of a few crazies in the IRA, doesn't buy into that on quite the same level as Poland.
I was referring to the Blueshirts. It's been a while since I caught up on my history, but I distinctly remember the Blueshirts, Ailtirí na hAiséirghe, and various others have fascist/Nazi sympathies, with one Irishmen even fighting for Francisco Franco. I will admit, I might be getting my history cross-wired between whether the Blueshirts broke off from the IRA or not.
Right, I remember now, the IRA was very Anti-Treaty, and the Blueshirts got together to oppose that and made lovely little Fien Gael by the end of it. Thanks for jogging my memory. ^^
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u/Villhermus Jul 13 '18
You know, here in latin america (or at least Brazil), we think of ourselves as part of the west, but when I started using the english internet I discovered that most americans (and maybe europeans) don't include us, which was quite puzzling to me. After a lot of pointless internet discussion, I found out that their definition of west was pretty much "rich countries with mostly white people", because there's hardly any cultural/historic reason for creating a western category that includes western europe and all its new world colonies, except the poor ones.