In a Year of Parade Cancellations, Amazon Continues to Drop the F-Bomb on St. Patrick’s Day

The Ancient Order of Hibernians, America’s Largest Irish Organization, once again note, that Amazon continues to peddle prejudice for profit in selling merchandise that demeans and denigrates the Irish and Irish American. In a year when the Irish American community is again being asked to to forego their traditional St. Patrick’s Day celebrations out of respect for the health and welfare of the broader population amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, we find the sale by Amazon of items with the phrase “F(expletive) St. Patrick’s Day” inexcusably tone-deaf and insensitive.

This is just another example of a long and continuing pattern of diversity duplicity by Amazon regarding the Irish. Besides shirts with “F(expletive) St. Patrick’s Day,” Amazon also sells hundreds of items with the phrase “F(expletive) me I’m Irish.”

Another search on Amazon returns a list of 180 items with the phrase “Irish Girl Wasted” and “Yes, I’m an Irish Girl, I Speak Fluent Drunk.” Is it not the definition of an oxymoron for Amazon to sell these demeaning items while simultaneously claiming to advocate for respect and empowerment for women in the tech industry? Amazon continues to sell hundreds of other products denigrating those of Irish Heritage with messages such as “Irish Today Hungover Tomorrow, “Irish, Drunk, or Whatever, ” and “Drink Till You’re Irish. “

As our society attempts to address the challenge of divisiveness in the 21st century, the continued sale by Amazon of merchandise perpetuating the negative ethnic-based tropes and stereotypes of the 19^th is callously irresponsible.

Amazon has already established ample precedent in removing items that other communities have found offensive. Currently, over 8,000 people have signed a petition asking Amazon to remove its “F(expletive) St. Patrick’s Day” and other defaming merchandise targeting those of Irish heritage. We ask why Amazon is deaf to the Irish American community’s call for the basic courtesy of equal respect and colorblind when the target of the hateful stereotypes they are selling is green?

Currently 9062 people have signed our petition to Amazon, please join them by signing and sharing!

Respect, Tolerance and Diversity At Amazon Should Not Be "No Irish Need Apply"

Mr. Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon

I am a proud individual of Irish descent contacting you to condemn Amazon’s continued sale of merchandise, defaming the Irish and disparaging the annual celebration of their heritage St. Patrick’s Day. Specifically, I question the selective nature of Amazon’s commitment to diversity.

Currently, Amazon is selling an item labeled as an “Fck St Patrick's Day Shirt.” Amazon describes the item as an “Anti St Patrick’s Day shirt for guys and gals "Fck St. Patrick's Day" and a “Perfect anti-St Patrick’s Day shirt for those sick of all the wannabe Irish making excuses for getting drunk.”

During this divisive time in our nation’s history, that Amazon should seek to profit by promoting intolerance towards any ethnic group and their celebrations is irresponsibly tone-deaf.

It was reported that at a November 2016 Amazon employees forum that you, Mr. Bezos, stated, “Amazon has always been, and always will be, committed to equal rights, tolerance, and diversity. “ The Hibernians find very little of that commitment when Amazon continues to peddle defamation for profit in items emblazoned with “Fck St Patrick's,” “Drunk O’Meter” (where “Irish” is labeled as the maximum level of inebriation), or “Drink till Your Irish.” As of my writing, Amazon currently sells 130 items with the phrase “Fck Me, I’m Irish.” A similar search replacing “Irish” with several other races and ethnicities returned ZERO results.

I ask you, Mr. Bezos, to end the hypocrisy of “selective diversity”; if a commitment to diversity is to have any meaning, then respect must apply to all, not just to a few. I ask a basic question: would the items it sells targeting Irish Americans be permitted if another ethnic group replaced "Irish”? If the answer is “No,” then these items should be prohibited out of equal respect, not give a pass because they target the Irish.

I do not ask that the Irish be treated better than anyone else, but we should not accept them being treated worse. I ask that you direct your subordinates to implement a culture of tolerance and diversity at Amazon that is inclusive of the Irish and shows their heritage equal esteem.

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