AngloHispanic said:
Fantastic, very useful info. Thanks!
Since I assume you live in Dublin or are familiar with the scene, I'd like to ask - how is the place in terms of "americanization"? Is it very politically correct or are people allowed to be normal/have common sense/live like actual Irish people?
I lived in London for many years, some years ago, and ended up leaving largely because I felt the place was like a madhouse in terms of people having to lie constantly and consistently about almost everything in order to avoid getting ambushed (by their own).
I'm wondering if Dublin is similar in that respect, or are people (much) less neurotic?
Appreciate this is a very subjective question, but curious nonetheless. I don't hear much about Ireland, either here or in real life, other than "beautiful countryside/lots of redheads/st.patricks" and similar tropes.
I'm not actually living in Dublin any more, but I did for high school and uni and have worked there. And I still have lots of family and friends there so go back regularly. Its got some downsides but its a very fun city.
Dublin is extremely Americanized in a lot of cultural ways, but not in the overly-PC social ethos you're describing. For the Americanized side of things - middle class people who were raised on a diet of Friends have a distinct American twang to their accents these days. And obviously are native English speakers. Clothing and music tastes are a lot more American than you'd find in the UK. And American TV/movies dominate, but thats true in most places I guess. Most middle class people who live in the suburbs also have cars and drive from a young age. College kids nearly all spend a summer or two living in America on 'J1' holidays, and a lot of people in general holiday in the US regularly. A lot of Americans who tour around Europe say Dublin is like a halfway American, halfway European city in all of these regards.
Far more importantly than all of that however is the new overly PC American nature is not common at all. You can still make racist or sexist jokes with friends and not be shamed. Men don't describe themselves as feminists. Its still acceptable to make fun of your mates if they act effeminate by calling them "gay" etc. I've seen Americans (and not even super liberal New Englanders) who've moved to Ireland be shocked by what gets said in social situations here. People in Ireland just have a lot more common sense I think. They for the most part aren't actually particularly homophobic/racist/etc, but they have enough cop on to still appreciate a harmless joke. People aren't on edge, looking to be offended by everything.
Though as Steve McQueen says if you work for a large MNC you'd need to be a little more careful on work nights. The Americans in middle/upper management tend to be very aware of being sued for any little detail, and try to stamp the PC organizational culture imported from the US on everything beneath them. A bit of social intelligence and you'll be fine even here though - just don't get hammered and talk shite to workmates unless you know them very well and they've crossed the line from workmate to actual mate.
I've also lived in London, which I found far more Americanized in the political correctness obsession, than Dublin. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by how relaxed Dublin is - its more along the lines of what I imagine the US would have been in the 1980s say.
