THE IRISH TROUBLES. BtVS Allusion/Intertext.

Although by no means originating in the 20^th century, the Irish Troubles  (or “The Troubles”) most commonly refers to the sectarian violence between Protestant and Catholic factions in Northern Ireland  from the height of the Civil Rights movement in the late 1960s until the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

Ethan Rayne tries to equate The Troubles with religious intolerance in “A New Man” as he accuses Giles  of prejudice against demons in the following conversation:

Ethan: . . . . We used to be friends, Ripper. When did it all fall apart?

Giles: The same time you started to worship chaos.

Ethan: Oh,  religious intolerance. Sad, there. I mean, just look at the Irish Troubles. Oh, hang on, I’ll tell ya. Something happening in the darkworlds. It’s always been rumors out there but . . . only one thing’s coming through clear. That something’s harming demons and it’s not the Slayer. Know anything about it?

However, the  root of the Irish conflict is much more complex than religious intolerance, lying more in historical social and economic inequality.

-- Janice Chan