The Irish were called "white ni**ers" and the blacks were called "smoked Irish".
The Irish were completely ostracized from the best paying jobs and the most prestigious positions but the Irish too pulled themselves out of their rut.
So much for not comparing tragedies
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Re the Irish: They got here before the Italians, and came here with the benefit of a basic understanding of the language. That's how they were able to secure the civil service jobs for themselves at the turn of the 20th century. By the '20s, no other immigrant group in New York had as much political pull as the Irish.
So as far as all that "Irish need not apply" stuff, yeah, it happened, but by the mid 20th century it was over (and remember, Moe, I'm talking about America, I'm not talking about the whole Irish-English conflict in Europe).
Were they shit on? Yes, much like the Italians and Jews were shit on in America when they got here. But it didn't last 500 years (like the American Indians), and they weren't brought here in chains (like Blacks).
And like we both said, these groups went about their business and pulled themselves up out of poverty in America. And that's what counts
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