On St Patrick's Day every White American wanker is Irish. On St David's Day, you'd be lucky to find an American who even knows what or where Wales is, even among Americans who might have some Welsh heritage. One theory I read was that during the various waves of immigration (and yes there were far less Welsh) there were two check boxes for the Welsh on the various immigration forms, 'English' or 'Scots-Irish,' most Welsh chose 'English' by default, after all between 1707 and the late 1960s Wales was legally England). Thus Welsh heritage was watered down and harder to trace back unless you lived somewhere like Pennsylvania. Now with accessibility to gene-tracking tech that is slowly changing and I'm meeting more people claiming Welsh. White America is so desperate for culture and identity and not without reason.
Today is St David's, yesterday Black History month ended. Interestingly, there is a disproportionate number of Welsh names among Black Americans. Think of the name Lewis or the poet Gwendolyn Brooks. It is understood that Welsh Quakers, who fled persecution in Britain, played a key role in the abolition movement. However, we have to accept that just as Wales played a role in and benefited from English Colonialism (after being the country where England learned how to colonize) the Welsh were also slave-owners.
All this to say I'm not a fan of patriotism and certainly deplore chest-thumping, flag waving, unquestioning nationalism. Whether you are Palestinian, Ukrainian, Basque, Irish or Welsh there will always be a fine line between liberation and unhealthy nationalism.
At this dangerous juncture in history it is certainly important to resist homogeneity and a creeping global mono-culuture. Regional idyoscraties and local peculiarities should be celebrated. Power should be decentralized, devolved and hopefully one day dissolved. Regional autonomy will be crucial to resist the likes of the US and Russia carving up the rest of the world. But you can shove your flags. Instead of patriotism and nationalism, if you really care about identity, learn about the land, native plants and species, the people and the culture, learn a language indigenous to your homeland. In Welsh there is the term "Hiraeth." It loosely means homesick or a longing tinged with grief, not just for people who have left Wales but for a Wales that once was. It is a pretty powerful word that celebrates the best of what it means to be Welsh, a yearning for the people, culture and land where most of your ancestors are buried. It transcends patriotism and nationalism. Here's a fucking Daffodil in our American garden. I won't fight a war over it and I'm not celebrating any Christian saints.
Decolonize your mind. Iechyd Da.
