With or without the word, it was the same mentality elsewhere, too. Many Irish diasporas align with Italians. They clashed with each other because they arrived at the same time at the same place. They put each other down to try to climb up.

Then as they clowly rose neck and neck, dispersing into better neighborhoods, they freed space for the next bottom rung to move in. So naturally, the bitter rivals became best friends and, together, shit on the next diaspora.

The cycle repeats.