Jeff Bezos
By Irish Echo Staff
The Ancient Order of Hibernians are this week asking people of all ethnicities and heritages to contact Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos at jeff@amazon.com and call on him to remove the long list of products on Amazon.com which defame and disparage Irish Americans and their holiday of St. Patrick’s Day.
“Amazon has often publicly stated that it is committed to diversity. CEO Jeff Bezos has been quoted as saying ‘diversity and inclusion are not just good for business, but simply right.'
“However, we are disappointed that Amazon does not live up to those noble sentiments when they promote merchandise promulgating the bigoted stereotype of ‘Irish’ being a synonym for ‘drunk,’ said AOH National Anti-Defamation Chairman, Neil F. Cosgrove, in a statement.
Said Cosgrove: “As Americans of all backgrounds are recognizing the countless contributions which Irish American men and women have made to our nation during Irish American Heritage Month, Amazon is profiting by promoting multiple products denigrating Irish ancestry. As of this writing Amazon is selling items with sentiments such as…”
At this point the statement lists various sentiments that are all too familiar at this time of year.
“It is hard for us to reconcile a firm that makes great PR capital of ‘empowering women’ through sponsoring ‘Girls that Code’ with one that promotes during Irish American Heritage Month and Women’s History Month a product with ‘Kiss Me I'm Irish Girl Wasted,’” said Cosgrove.
“We ask if Amazon would sell a ‘Drunk O Meter’ shirt where the reading beyond smashed was any other ethnicity?
“We would hope not and would equally condemn it if they did. It is hard for us to fathom any responsible company selling products promoting binge drinking on any day.
“There is nothing subtle about these items, no benign alternative interpretation.
“There is no explanation required for any reasonable person to understand the offensiveness of ‘F*** Me, I’m Irish.’
“Humor based on ethnic stereotypes has been conspicuously rejected in our society when the subject has been other than Irish.
“The Irish are no better than anyone else, they should certainly be treated no worse. We ask good and fair-minded people of all ethnicities to inform Amazon and Mr. Bezos that profiting from the ethnic stereotypes of the 19th century is unacceptable in the 21st,” the statement from Cosgrove concluded.
