What Americans Need to Know About St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by millions of Americans every year.

It's a recognition of the shared heritage of two great countries.

But the meaning of St. Patrick is something most Americans get exactly wrong.

This misunderstanding reveals why these two nations—once so similar—are now worlds apart.

Here's what Americans need to know.

***

[Sound of a bullet chambered, waves breaking in indifference.]

Venice Beach, twilight.

I'm minding my own business when—

[Flash]

A gun is pointed at my face.

Random violence. Pointless. American.

But this isn't just about crime. It's deeper.

In America, violence isn't a national crisis—it's a block-by-block lottery. You're safe until you're suddenly not.

I grew up in Ireland, and we simply don't live this way.

Why?

Because violence isn't just about guns—it's about trust.

The Real Heist

[Cut to marble floors, quiet handshakes, silent theft.]

While Americans are busy fighting each other—left vs. right, immigrants, tariffs—the real robbery happens quietly:

• Trust gutted—institutions hollowed until safety nets snap.
• Inequality weaponized—the rich feast; everyone else fights each other over crumbs.
• Desperation manufactured—crime, addiction, despair—all intentional side-effects of profit-driven division.

Ireland is no saint. But this desperation doesn't dominate, because trust—even when imperfect—remains intact. Arguments rarely become instant death sentences. Less inequality means fewer people forced into despair. Institutions still hold, even when they falter.

The difference? People in Ireland still expect their institutions to function. Americans expect them to fail.

Trust itself is being deliberately dismantled, turning neighbors into threats instead of allies.

And when trust collapses, what and who fills the void?

Manufactured Chaos

[Cut to your uncle, veins bulging, shouting about "libtards!"]

Left vs. Right: the puppet show you can't stop watching.

• Two-party spectacle: a staged distraction from real theft.
• Media outrage: addictive scrolling keeping you blind to what's really happening.
• Global chaos: Siding with dictators, up is down, bad is good.

Your neighbor isn't robbing you.

They are. Slashing the federal government, agencies, medicaid, SNAP under the guise of efficiency and long-term good to turn billionaires into trillionaires while consolidating power. All the while…

Pulling your strings.

Carjacking your anger.

They aren't just feeding your fear—they're refining it into a weapon.

St. Patrick's Fire: A Moral Inferno

[Cut to 433 AD. Hilltop. A forbidden flame.]

The Irish High King had one rule: No fire before mine.

Then Patrick lit his fire—a flame of open defiance.

The Druids warned: "If that fire isn't put out, it'll never be extinguished."

They were right. It burned through an empire for 800 years.

So, what's America's fire?

• It's not partisan warfare.
• It's not scapegoating migrants.
• It's a moral stand against those profiting from fear—against those robbing your fundamental right to live without fear.

Who Are the Real Snakes?

Patrick banished snakes from Ireland—but there were no snakes. They were poisoners of trust, hope, and community.

America's snakes?

• Social media owners who profit from, and shape, fear.
• Politicians who weaponize division.
• Corporate interests dismantling your safety to line their pockets.

President Donald Trump isn't fighting snakes—he is the snake. But he's not alone. They're everywhere, wearing different skins, exploiting the fear they manufacture.

The Only Question That Matters This St. Patrick's Day

Forget distractions. Forget the puppet show.

Ask yourself this:

Do I feel safe?

Not just from violence—

• Safe from losing healthcare overnight?
• Safe from sudden joblessness?
• Safe enough to trust your community, your future?

America doesn't have to be this way.

They built it like this.

Which means you can unbuild it. And trust can be rebuilt.

But you must see the snakes. If you don't, you'll never fight the right battle—you'll fight each other while they watch and profit.

***

St. Patrick was a slave. He defied a corrupt king. He lit a fire.

That fire was truth—a moral truth against injustice. And it can't be put out.

It burned through 800 years of oppression, famine, and war.

He didn't just bring religion—he brought something far more powerful.

St. Patrick's Day isn't about shamrocks or beer.

It's about your resistance.

This year, don't just celebrate.

Act.

Light. Your. Fire.