U2’s Bono made an impassioned plea to the Irish in America to remember the discrimination and hate their forefathers faced in America.
Bono reminded a packed Concern charity dinner in New York that the Irish were once the despised immigrants, the “other” so feared by nativists.
The U2 leader was clearly taking a shot at the new Nativism encouraged and created by Donald Trump, both during and after his election.
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Bono stated: “In this moment, there is a lot of soul-searching going on, here in the US and the wider world, but we must be very careful of demonizing 'the other.'
“Irish people to their credit are suspect of demonizing the other… because we were 'the other.' We were the stranger, we were the invading hordes, we were the cockroaches, and we haven’t forgotten.
“And you know who the other is?
Bono with Irish editor of Glamour Magazine Samantha Barry at Concern Worldwide Seeds of Hope Dinner event in New York. Image: Kieran McConville.
“The other is the person we haven’t met yet. That’s all. New York City is the capital of ‘the other’ and this is the land of otherness, and that’s why I love it.”
Paying tribute to Concern he stated: “Concern changes millions of people’s lives – indeed, they even changed my life, very early on. It was a trip to Ethiopia in the mid-80s with Concern that began my life as an activist; they turned my life right-side-up.”
Do you agree with Bono? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section, below.
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