To be offended at people using "stupid" and "Irish" interchangeably?

[Yogahoneybunny]

Just that really - I am Irish and have been living in Scotland for a few years, and it has happened repeatedly. I am never quite sure what to say as it is always a flippant casual remark (e.g. In work someone often says a certain system is a bit Irish) but I find it weird given I am obviously Irish. I have sometimes said back that maybe they should think about what they are saying, given that I am Irish myself, but I seem to be viewed as hyper-sensitive.
Any ideas of a good come-back as I am useless at these things?!

[ADHDNoodles]

Come here to America, once a year we all pretend to be Irish.

Can you report to HR? It seems a bit (racist?) to be derogatory towards a group of people like that.

[Wolfiefan]

Tell then in Ireland it is referred to as a bit Scottish!!

[Finola1step]

What? I've never heard of this. What bollocks!

Can you just do the head tilt, overly concerned look and ask our collective fave question "Did you mean to be so rude?" They can feck off with their claim that you are being over sensitive. Pull them up one more time. If it continues, formal letter to HR.

[Andrewofgg]

That's pretty rare in England these days, is this Scots sectarianism rearing its ugly head?

[RonaldMcDonald]

Aren't we Irish a bit stupid?
I certainly am

[specialsubject]

wow - haven't heard this in about 30 years, went out with the 'n' word I thought.

complain. It is 2014.

[AlpacaYourThings]

No, I most certainly am not Ronald.

YANBU, OP.

[Yogahoneybunny]

Thanks for your replies and ideas. I don't really want to make a big deal of it, but it has happened so much in each of my three jobs here, and with my in-laws! I gather it mainly comes from old comedy routines, and people have just grown up with it, but it still seems odd in this day and age.

It never happened me when I lived in England, but that was London, so maybe people are a bit more pc?

[Artemisiawenttopisa]

YANBU. I am also Irish living in Scotland and have heard this many times. I find it particularly upsetting when my children hear it being said (once by their head teacher).

[Letthemtalk]

Another Irish person living in Scotland and hear this all the time, usually followed by a giggle when I reply, "Really???"

[FergusSingsTheBlues]

I remember v clearly people doing this when I was at school in scotland, in the eighties.

Are they old? Cos I can't remember the last fine I heard that one (half Irish so notice those "nuggets"

[museumum]

Wow! I am in and from Edinburgh and I have NEVER heard anybody use "Irish" like that. I hear "blonde" used to mean stupid all the time. As I'm a natural blonde I'm not particularly amused by that so I know how you feel but it's so odd that I haven't come across this, it must just be a thing that people in my area / my age / my industry just don't say.

[Yogahoneybunny]

Glad it's not just me! I think I am getting more annoyed by it as I would hate my children either hearing it, or maybe even saying something like that one day! It just seems to roll off the tongue of lots of people.

[ADHDNoodles]

Hmm.. now that I think about it, we do have our own horrible slang about something that's made poorly.

Warning. Offensive.

[Yogahoneybunny]

No, all ages. I actually don't think they realise what they are saying most of the time. And it has happened me in Edinburgh, but to a lesser extent. Mainly in Glasgow, which of course has a lot of historical issues with Irish people.

[nocoolnamesleft]

Bloody hell, I thought that one had died out years ago. What sort of idiot would think that was even remotely acceptable?

[Letthemtalk]

To be fair the woman I hear using it most isn't Scottish, she's a homophobic racist from Liverpool.

[LePetitPrince]

I haven't heard anyone younger than 80 say this in many years..

However I have heard "to throw a paddy" (to mean angry or unreasonable) said on occasion which I am guessing is a reference to Irish people being drunk and fighting.

Clearly neither are good..

[Andrewofgg]

Do Irish people still make similar jokes about people from County Kerry?

Germans still do it about East Frisians, although they are a bit shamefaced about it. It seems to be hard-wired into our species.

[Bunbaker]

It must be a Scottish thing. I remember lots of jokes being made about the Irish in the 1970s in England, but that has long since been a thing of the past.

[BreeVDKamp]

Wow I have never ever heard of that!!

[BreeVDKamp]

(Thankfully!)

[Letthemtalk]

Am astounded that people have never heard of stupid things being referred to as Irish. Maybe when you are Irish you notice it more?

[sarahquilt]

Simple. Just say to them: would that be acceptable if you said 'that's a bit black or that's a bit Asian'? No? Oh, some kinds of xenophobia/racism are OK and some aren't? OK, you execrable twunt.

[PumpkinPie2013]

YANBU How rude!!

It would be no different to someone using American, Asian, French etc. The same way!

FWIW I know an irish couple who both have phD's so hardly stupid!