Alex Thompson, Grade 12
UWC Mostar
Northern Ireland’s bloody civil war that was declared ended in 1998 remains an issue that is far from dormant. One of the details from the peace agreement, which is a somewhat functioning solution, is a power-sharing executive. This is essentially a government that is led and largely run by the two main parties- the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Féin, who each represent and share values of one combative ‘side’ of the conflict. This solution allows Northern Ireland to effectively self-govern and create solutions to its own problems. However, this has not prevented the Assembly from collapsing, most recently at the beginning of 2017 (McCormack, 2020), which led to the lack of a Northern Irish Executive for three years and caused major problems within the funding of education, healthcare, and community outreach. This stalemate greatly raised overall tensions, which were thought to have been thawing, despite disagreements and inabilities to reach certain conclusions at the time.
The power of language is something that many still struggle to understand. Yet, others understand all too well. As a result of issues such as the ‘Irish Language Act,’ Northern Ireland is no stranger to the importance of language, rights, and power-trips through the use of slurs and sensitive terms. After all, language is political. The notion that, based on certain colloquialisms, names of both people and places and personal choice of name toward a certain city in order to determine one’s political and religious background remains both relevant and prevalent in the current political climate. These complexities have been abused and used to the advantage of certain politicians to further their own agenda and disregard many critical issues such as healthcare, education, and peacebuilding, and rising rates of homelessness, high rates of mental health issues, and investment in public services. In the wake of the collapse and reestablishment of the Executive, and of course, the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most discussed issues amongst representatives has included a debate surrounding the use of the terms ‘North of Ireland’ versus ‘Northern Ireland’. The ‘tripping-up’ rather than slipping up on overly politicizing language to rile up and induce certain actions is a trap that seems to never conclude. The ‘curry my yogurt’ (used by a politician to mock the Irish phrase for thank you during an address in the Assembly) episode in 2014 initiated condemnation of disrespectful actions and mocking of language. However, this phrase- used by the same politician- was repeated this year, in an attempt to belittle the language once more (Moriarty, 2020). What can be agreed upon is not accidental use of terminology, but the intent of the language. Here, it is blindly obvious that attitudes toward sectarian language or sectarian attitudes have not changed, particularly on the part of those in power.
The addressing of harmful linguistic intent is a multifaceted and an enduring issue. Many questions persist: to what extent can you police one’s language? Where is the line drawn in offensive language? In fact, there is no legal definition for sectarianism within Northern Ireland, thus no legal definition for sectarian language (Jarman, 2012). This itself poses nuanced questions such as: what importance does one place on certain terms? To what extent does a group emphasize on the use, or disuse, of certain terms? How can we move forward and create more awareness and meaningful action?
The effects of hateful language are not unknown. As a known cause of significant mental and physical issues, this dehumanizing act (Elster, 2017) is sadly becoming more widespread. Amongst encouraging supremacy, such as white supremacy, obvious less empathy and care for others, the individual impact of hate speech is immeasurably devastating. Hate speech can generate hate groups and large-scale movements that are actively causing hurt that will take generations to heal. In this context, the use of mocking language toward a dying language due to colonialism and direct consequences of failure by the colonists to provide aid during the Famine is woven into the roots of this mockery, and these roots are not without ties to nerve endings within the current generations who have had to endure such for centuries. It is hard to heal when the wound keeps becoming reopened.
In the future, we must remain aware of the language we use and how it affects other people. Empathetic skills are highly lacking, and interpersonal skills are not much included in the Northern Irish curriculum, and if so, they are included in a superficial way. The encouragement and implementation of integrated education and schooling, community centers, and housing will, without a doubt, aid in moving forward. However, this problem cannot be solved in one generation. It will take decades of unlearning, peacebuilding, open-mindedness, and willing engagement in order to create long-term change. As a society that questions its own identity and fosters the conformity of certain beliefs within these rigid identities, we must learn how to change the language with which we express, approach, and learn about ourselves and the communities to whom we contribute.
The power of language is something that many still struggle to understand. Yet, others understand all too well. As a result of issues such as the ‘Irish Language Act,’ Northern Ireland is no stranger to the importance of language, rights, and power-trips through the use of slurs and sensitive terms. After all, language is political. The notion that, based on certain colloquialisms, names of both people and places and personal choice of name toward a certain city in order to determine one’s political and religious background remains both relevant and prevalent in the current political climate. These complexities have been abused and used to the advantage of certain politicians to further their own agenda and disregard many critical issues such as healthcare, education, and peacebuilding, and rising rates of homelessness, high rates of mental health issues, and investment in public services. In the wake of the collapse and reestablishment of the Executive, and of course, the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most discussed issues amongst representatives has included a debate surrounding the use of the terms ‘North of Ireland’ versus ‘Northern Ireland’. The ‘tripping-up’ rather than slipping up on overly politicizing language to rile up and induce certain actions is a trap that seems to never conclude. The ‘curry my yogurt’ (used by a politician to mock the Irish phrase for thank you during an address in the Assembly) episode in 2014 initiated condemnation of disrespectful actions and mocking of language. However, this phrase- used by the same politician- was repeated this year, in an attempt to belittle the language once more (Moriarty, 2020). What can be agreed upon is not accidental use of terminology, but the intent of the language. Here, it is blindly obvious that attitudes toward sectarian language or sectarian attitudes have not changed, particularly on the part of those in power.
The addressing of harmful linguistic intent is a multifaceted and an enduring issue. Many questions persist: to what extent can you police one’s language? Where is the line drawn in offensive language? In fact, there is no legal definition for sectarianism within Northern Ireland, thus no legal definition for sectarian language (Jarman, 2012). This itself poses nuanced questions such as: what importance does one place on certain terms? To what extent does a group emphasize on the use, or disuse, of certain terms? How can we move forward and create more awareness and meaningful action?
The effects of hateful language are not unknown. As a known cause of significant mental and physical issues, this dehumanizing act (Elster, 2017) is sadly becoming more widespread. Amongst encouraging supremacy, such as white supremacy, obvious less empathy and care for others, the individual impact of hate speech is immeasurably devastating. Hate speech can generate hate groups and large-scale movements that are actively causing hurt that will take generations to heal. In this context, the use of mocking language toward a dying language due to colonialism and direct consequences of failure by the colonists to provide aid during the Famine is woven into the roots of this mockery, and these roots are not without ties to nerve endings within the current generations who have had to endure such for centuries. It is hard to heal when the wound keeps becoming reopened.
In the future, we must remain aware of the language we use and how it affects other people. Empathetic skills are highly lacking, and interpersonal skills are not much included in the Northern Irish curriculum, and if so, they are included in a superficial way. The encouragement and implementation of integrated education and schooling, community centers, and housing will, without a doubt, aid in moving forward. However, this problem cannot be solved in one generation. It will take decades of unlearning, peacebuilding, open-mindedness, and willing engagement in order to create long-term change. As a society that questions its own identity and fosters the conformity of certain beliefs within these rigid identities, we must learn how to change the language with which we express, approach, and learn about ourselves and the communities to whom we contribute.
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