I’m touched by the similarities in Joseph’s family history and mine… and I also can’t help but notice that a lot of stereotypes about the Irish are strikingly similar to those about Hispanics. Last week, I got fired up when Urban Outfitters came under fire for a line of apparel designed for St. Patrick’s Day revelers. One Urban Outfitters baseball cap depicts a figure vomiting with the words “IRISH YOGA” above and “DOWNWARD FACING UPCHUCK” below. A bright green t-shirt blares “KISS ME, I’M DRUNK OR IRISH OR WHATEVER.” ABCNews reported that “a search of the word ‘Irish’ on the clothing brand’s website turns up 13 products—shirts, beer glasses, shot glasses, a flask and sunglasses shaped as shamrocks and beer glasses.”
