Buying up Irish stereotypes

East Meadow resident resents ‘offensive’ merchandise

Posted

Kevin Westley, an Irish American radio host who lives in East Meadow, said he is offended by stereotypes commonly associated with the Irish and St. Patrick’s Day, and decided to do something about it.

Westley claims that retailers as big as Walmart encourage stereotypes by selling shirts and other merchandise that depict excess drinking, among other negative portrayals of the Irish.  

Inspired by a joke made by a friend last year, Westley, who hosts a Saturday morning radio show about Irish culture, purchased every shirt on display from the Walmart locations in East Meadow and Uniondale that he considered offensive — $400 worth. He did this prior to St. Patrick’s Day to prevent anybody else from buying them, and then returned the merchandise the day after the Irish holiday.

It marked the second consecutive year Westley protested the merchandise. “What I did was a symbolic gesture,” said Westley. “$400 doesn’t mean anything to Walmart in the grand scheme of things.”

However, Westley said if everybody protested at every store throughout the country, then corporations like Walmart would have to change things.

His motivation for the plan goes back to his Irish heritage. “I’ve been performing in the Irish American community for over 30 years and I constantly see these stereotypes in my personal and professional life, and I’m tired of them,” Westley said.

In response to Westley’s concerns, a spokesperson from Walmart’s corporate office who asked to remain unidentified, said, “We know St. Patrick’s Day is an important day for many of our customers of Irish descent. We understand that there are customers who may be concerned with some of the merchandise we offer, and we take those concerns seriously. We are having ongoing conversations internally to discuss our St. Patrick’s Day assortment.”

Media reports of Westley’s initiative have spread internationally to Ireland and England. As a result, a committee member of one Irish festival told Westley they would no longer allow vendors to sell merchandise promoting this stereotype.

Page 1 / 2