Sir, – It’s easy to dismiss the overuse, by most Irish media, of the term “gangland” as just stupid and lazy.
However, its continued use has a more sinister element. It encourages us to feel that these criminals are not a product of our society, that they are from somewhere else and carrying out their crimes in another place.
Our GAA heroes aren’t from Gaaland, our gardaí haven’t come from Copland, our gombeen men don’t hail from Gombeenland, and our criminal gangsters don’t come from Gangland. Like most of us on this island, they are of, and from, Ireland.
Maybe it’s time we stopped pretending that this is just a problem that happens somewhere over there, in Gangland. You know Gangland, just south of Meejaland. – Yours, etc,