Just found out I'm NOT Irish

[rowen]

So I'm an American, and was adopted at an early age. All I had of my old family was a name my parents mentioned to me once. McGaha, I've assumed my whole life I was Irish, and lived it like I was. Today, after some research, I found out I'm a Scottish Highlander, not Irish. Anyone ever been through a huge shock like this?

 

[intpz]

Ummm... What's the big deal?

 

[crippli]

What is the difference? Do you need to change a lot now?

 

[snafupants]

So I'm an American, and was adopted at an early age. All I had of my old family was a name my parents mentioned to me once. McGaha, I've assumed my whole life I was Irish, and lived it like I was. Today, after some research, I found out I'm a Scottish Highlander, not Irish. Anyone ever been through a huge shock like this?

What does that mean precisely? Barrels of alcohol? Unwholesome beard? Lucky Charms?

Spoiler

Shamrock tattoo?

 

[EditorOne]

I think Rowen is just trying to wrap the mind around a part of personal identity that was thought to be known but turns out to be something else. Not quite the impact that discovering you're adopted might have, but still.

 

[intpz]

I've assumed that that means just that he thought he was Irish... I doubt that a NT, being in his right mind, would act according to socially set standards for the members of certain nations.

@EditorOne I actually have thought not long ago what would happen if I'd found out that I'm adopted. I couldn't think of anything too... Significant? I imagined the situation quite similar to this:

*long talk just to not be straight, whatever you do, just don't be firm, waste one's time for 2 hours*
After 2 sentences me saying: "cut the shit, what do you want?"
"Well the thing is... You're adopted"
"Who told you that?" - if it's my mom: "why didn't you tell me that earlier?"
*bullshit talk*
*cut the shit*
*answer*
Okay.

In short, I don't see what the big deal is about either of these things...

 

[EditorOne]

Me neither, but for some folks, even in the same personalty type like INTP, it can matter a great deal or at least preoccupy someone. I'd also, in either case, probably be compulsively curious about my real ancestral origins and, if adopted, my blood family.

One of the memes or paradigms of U.S. culture, to one extent or another, was that it didn't really matter who you family was in the country of origin, here you would be defined by your own accomplishments. Since we appear to be moving rapidly toward an economic aristocracy on one end and unwashed masses on the other, we may see that paradigm finally die in the next decade.

My only thought about ancestry is that it's a shame mine were, apparently quite honest. A dishonest and resourceful scoundrel might have built up a vast and virtually unspendable family fortune, which I'd be glad to inherit and pretend to despise. :-)

 

[Words]

Ummm... What's the big deal?

Epigenetics.

My only thought about ancestry is that it's a shame mine were, apparently quite honest. A dishonest and resourceful scoundrel might have built up a vast and virtually unspendable family fortune, which I'd be glad to inherit and pretend to despise. :-)

You don't need to be dishonest, just manipulative. Not sure if the both of these traits are mutually inclusive.

 

[intpz]

I just hope it won't get to that, but I can see it happening, somewhat. My family is too honest as well, and around here, nobody that I know of is rich and honest. On the other hand, honesty over here is bringing envelopes to wherever you go... So I'm not sure if that can be considered honest, but it still doesn't help but damage our financial situation.

 

[Absurdity]

Anyone ever been through a huge shock like this?

I recently found out that I'm Jewish. I guess it wasn't a huge shock, but still a shock. I didn't eat pork anyway.

 

[hurricanejane]

So I'm an American, and was adopted at an early age. All I had of my old family was a name my parents mentioned to me once. McGaha, I've assumed my whole life I was Irish, and lived it like I was. Today, after some research, I found out I'm a Scottish Highlander, not Irish. Anyone ever been through a huge shock like this?

Im sorry to here that you're disappointed, but if you think about it you aren't really any different now, than you were before you found this out. If you want to keep living like the Irish than just keep living like the Irish!

 

[Kuu]

I wish I could find out I wasn't really human, but adopted at an early age...

 

[Melkor]

Would you like me to kill you now or later?


Severe condolences.

If it's any help, you've probably never been to either and have been raised apart from the culture, so I wouldn't consider you to be anything but a yank.

 

[7even]

Hahah I'm sorry but this is pretty hilarious... If I figured out at this very moment that I was from a different country this whole time, I'd just laugh my ass off.
I'd actually sort of love to be in your situation, for the giggles.

Nationality doesn't define who you are, well at-least if you're an INTP. Am I right? .. I just don't associate... my identity or essence (whatever you want to call it) to my ancestral geographical location on the planet Earth. It's all land, given names, by bastards who like to conquer places, and put a flag and declare it 'their' land. Politics... Way up there wreaking of bullshit.

"So, where are you from?"
"Well, for 22 (arbitrary) years, I thought I was Irish.."
"Oh..?"
"Yeah... I'm Scottish."
"...Riiiight."


Classic... Just classic!

(I hope I have not caused any offense.)

 

[Lot]

At least you didn't find out that your Irish ancestors became the worst kind of hill billies. The Irish on my dad's side turned into mullet wearing, no shoe having, squirrel eating white trash. I rather be a half breed norse celt than a hill billy. Just sit back and drink some tequila mixed with lemon juice, it'll all be ok.

 

[catatonic]

So I'm an American, and was adopted at an early age. All I had of my old family was a name my parents mentioned to me once. McGaha, I've assumed my whole life I was Irish, and lived it like I was. Today, after some research, I found out I'm a Scottish Highlander, not Irish. Anyone ever been through a huge shock like this?

Get to the point, what are you talking about?

http://intpforum.com/showthread.php?t=13431

:smiley_emoticons_mr

 

[Cognisant]

I recently found out that I'm Jewish. I guess it wasn't a huge shock, but still a shock. I didn't eat pork anyway.

Well if I woke up one morning to find bandages on my willy I'd be pretty shocked too and watching strips of bacon cook certainly wouldn't help.

 

[Oedipus]

I'm a Scottish Highlander

Lucky escape.

 

[rowen]

@Everyone.
No it isn't a omg my life is over shock. But it is a shock to think something your whole life, and find yourself wrong. Imagine a blind guy in the kkk finding out he's actually black.

 

[Cognisant]

That would be awesome

KKK1: White power!
KKK2: Yeah!
KKK3: Yeah!
KKK1: Shut up Freddy you're black.
KKK3:
KKK2: That's discrimination!
KKK1: *facepalm*

 

[catatonic]

@Everyone.
No it isn't a omg my life is over shock. But it is a shock to think something your whole life, and find yourself wrong. Imagine a blind guy in the kkk finding out he's actually black.

You still have me, my precious.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

@Everyone.
No it isn't a omg my life is over shock. But it is a shock to think something your whole life, and find yourself wrong. Imagine a blind guy in the kkk finding out he's actually black.

[bIMGx=500]http://i.imgur.com/UvtmW.jpg[/bIMGx]
You got that from Dave Chappelle?

So I'm an American, and was adopted at an early age. All I had of my old family was a name my parents mentioned to me once. McGaha, I've assumed my whole life I was Irish, and lived it like I was. Today, after some research, I found out I'm a Scottish Highlander, not Irish. Anyone ever been through a huge shock like this?

What's the difference?
(joking)

How did you come to realize you were an adopted Scotsman? Like what made you start researching.

 

[Absurdity]

Well if I woke up one morning to find bandages on my willy I'd be pretty shocked too and watching strips of bacon cook certainly wouldn't help.

No my genitals were mutilated at birth. Apparently it was fashionable. Now it's just convenient.

 

[rowen]

You still have me, my precious.

I think I'm going to like you

[bIMGx=500]http://i.imgur.com/UvtmW.jpg[/bIMGx]
You got that from Dave Chappelle?
How did you come to realize you were an adopted Scotsman? Like what made you start researching.

I got into an argument with an Irish guy over proving I was Irish
And actually I THOUGHT I'd made that up

 

[Melkor]

Ya know EyeseeCold brings up a pretty valid point!

To the average American who flippantly throw about their 'nationality' based on stereotypes and presumptions and little else, what really is the difference between Irish and Scottish? Often they know little about either, have visited neither and claim connections to both for amusement or pride without really knowing much about the place and people.

Really to such people there wouldn't be much difference on an emotional/cultural level if they were distantly related to anyone from any of the countries in the British isles.

I'm curious as to how something with such little impact on your life can be 'shocking'. I meaaann. Presumably you've never really interacted with Ireland or it's people and you aren't likely to do so with Scotland any time soon.
If all you can say is you share a small strand of probably mostly bred out DNA with a long dead Scotsman then does it really matter at all?
Isn't the average American like Irish/English/Italian/Australian and Spanish?

And on a deeper level, quite a lot of the Scottish are Irish and vice versa, same melting pit! So if we're talking heritage-wise genetic traits since you obviously won't have any cultural traits, then really there is no difference. You're still a Celt.

Shit. Sorry I'm mostly rambling to myself here.

 

[rowen]

Ya know EyeseeCold brings up a pretty valid point!

To the average American who flippantly throw about their 'nationality' based on stereotypes and presumptions and little else, what really is the difference between Irish and Scottish? Often they know little about either, have visited neither and claim connections to both for amusement or pride without really knowing much about the place and people.

Really to such people there wouldn't be much difference on an emotional/cultural level if they were distantly related to anyone from any of the countries in the British isles.

I'm curious as to how something with such little impact on your life can be 'shocking'. I meaaann. Presumably you've never really interacted with Ireland or it's people and you aren't likely to do so with Scotland any time soon.
If all you can say is you share a small strand of probably mostly bred out DNA with a long dead Scotsman then does it really matter at all?
Isn't the average American like Irish/English/Italian/Australian and Spanish?

And on a deeper level, quite a lot of the Scottish are Irish and vice versa, same melting pit! So if we're talking heritage-wise genetic traits since you obviously won't have any cultural traits, then really there is no difference. You're still a Celt.

Shit. Sorry I'm mostly rambling to myself here.

He misunderstood me. I didn't act "Irish", I'd simply felt it was a homeland, and studied it and read about it, etc. But I acted independently. There's a difference between the Scots and the Irish, but not much.

I've devoted time to studying Ireland, attempting to learn the language, it's intruiging, and while I've felt a kinship to ol' Scotland before, I never thought of it as a homeland. And yes, I know about the common celtic history, which I am happy about. (Gods forbid I was a romanized Brit). There is no difference in me, except now I get to tell people I'm Scottish not Irish, but it's still a shock to discover you were wrong your whole life.

 

[catatonic]

I think I'm going to like you

Watt?
You haven't like me yet??

 

[rowen]

Watt?
You haven't like me yet??

Give a moment
.
..
...
..
.
I liek you

 

[doncarlzone]

Im sorry to here that you're disappointed, but if you think about it you aren't really any different now, than you were before you found this out. If you want to keep living like the Irish than just keep living like the Irish!

Yes you should definitely continue being Irish plus it is a great and funny story!

For some reason it reminds me of Shawshank Redemption, where Freeman's character answers the question of why he is called "Red" by saying: "Maybe because I am Irish". In the original story, Freeman's character was an Irish man with red hair.

Just stick with it

 

[Solitaire U.]

Yeah, I can definitely relate. I always thought I was Imperial Purple. Well, that's what my parents told me anyway. Turns out I'm actually more of a Royal Blue shade. Finding out I was a horse of a different Color definitely fucked with my world.

 

[catatonic]

Give a moment
.
..
...
..
.
I liek you

 

[rowen]

Yeah, I can definitely relate. I always thought I was Imperial Purple. Well, that's what my parents told me anyway. Turns out I'm actually more of a Royal Blue shade. Finding out I was a horse of a different Color definitely fucked with my world.

Y'should probably read the posts before commenting ^^. There's a reason we're all introverted.

 

[Proletar]

The idea of the homeland, the nation, the state, authority whatsoever, is an illusion. And this is a great time for you to recognize this. You are completely free to do whatever you want, and there is information just waiting to be grasped everywhere. 1+1=2. Go learn!

Besides, we scotts think that americans that think they have some kind of connection to our country just because they have relatives from here are kind of ridiculous.

 

[Solitaire U.]

Y'should probably read the posts before commenting ^^. There's a reason we're all introverted.

Hey, Texas Greenhorn, I reserve the right to read only the OP, skip down past 40 replies of useless drivel, and post my own useless drivel at the bottom.

And where did you ever come up with the idea that "there's a reason we're all introverted.", eh? Qualify that statement, because I'm more apt to believe that there's no logical reason why any particular personality is the way it is.

 

[Vidi]

OP< Yes