Wow the casual racism of some people is shocking isn’t it?

[clary]

I was at an event today working with an older woman who seemed very pleasant (I don’t know her well). We had a list of names of people involved and she looked at an Irish name (Eoghan) and said to me “well how do you say that?” I said hmm, not sure, so I googled it and came up with the answer (Oh-an or Ow-en). All good. But then she says “Goodness me, I just wish they would spell their names correctly!”

This is a racist comment isn't it? I was aghast. I mean, I am by no means a perfect person, but I cannot imagine saying that. In fact even tho it was slightly awkward (it was a casual conversation with someone I don’t know) I did call her out on in and say “Well it is a different language! Would you say that about someone with a Russian name?” but I am not sure she took it on board.

Not sure what I am asking really. But have others come across this? Should we continue to challenge it and what should I say?

If this post had the option of voting I would click on the 'you are being unreasonable 'button 20 times. Maybe 25 to be sure.

At least she seemed pleasant despite being older.

Don't be ridiculous.
You are being ageist BTW.

she's definitely ignorant and rude OP, and you were right to correct her

Its simply a different language that English speakers find difficult to pronounce:

https://youtube.com/shorts/wazULhNAWhE?si=Z87zXfgsO_xyEs2Q

Is it possible that she doesn’t even know it’s a different language, lots of people have a first name that spelt in unusual way now

I suppose you’d have to know her well to know if she’s just being anti-Irish

Did she know it was Irish? It’s not impossible she just thought it was an unusual spelling.

This is literally the most not shocking thing I’ve heard all year. I’m Irish and I always laugh at how my name probably tied people in knots when we were young and how I got the raw deal when we had to practice writing our names (I wanted to be Jill or Mary!!!)

Ps is it racist? I actually don’t know! I don’t think most Irish people would care either- we’d laugh!!!

To quote a great philosopher (Nessa) "That's not racism, Stace, that's xenophobia."

To be pedantic, being Irish isn't a race...

Not racist, no.

Dare I suggest you’ve had a fairly sheltered life if you were “aghast” by this? I’ve heard and seen some pretty shocking things (which I’ve called out when I can ie the thug wasn’t brandishing a broken bottle etc). This would barely move the needle for me - there’s still a chance she thought it was a yooonike spelling of Owen for example.

Well, it’s far from unusual, OP, and anti-Irishness is rife on Mn. Have a look at the Baby Names forum for a veritable explosion of Little Englanders aghast that the population of Milton Keynes or Chipping Sodbury might be expected to get their heads around Sadhbh or Caoilfhionn.

Aghast? Really?

No it’s not racist.

Given the horrific amount of truly fascist racism that is turning up on the news and in my social media, this would barely register for me. She's just a bit dim, would be my feeling, or that she was knowingly joking.

It's ok to have opinions, even negative ones, about all sorts of things. Just because it involves a different language, doesn't make it off limits to have an opinion on. Maybe she didn't like the spelling, maybe because she doesn't like the trend of random spellings for kids names or maybe because she doesn't like the way names are spelt in other languages. That's ok. It's not the same as hating all Irish people. The other day I commented to my daughter that learning Korean on Duolingo was pointless because we could never afford to go there. I don't hate Koreans, she's still in love with K-Pop singers and is still learning the language. Nobody was harmed in me expressing my opinion.

If she knew the name was an Irish name, then her comment was anti-Irish and Xenophobic.

If she thought it was a name which had been made up by a parent who was desperate for their child to have a unique name with a unique spelling then she was mistaken but I sympathise with the statement.

The mention of her age was unnecessary and the op is written in such as way to imply surprise that an older woman seemed pleasant so her racism is matched by your ageism.

Are you Irish? That’s why it ‘doesn’t register’.

No that's just ignorance and downright stupidity.

It depends on what she meant by “Goodness me, I just wish they would spell their names correctly!”

If she meant Irish people then she is plainly anti Irish and leaning into the stereotype that Irish people are dumb.

How is this racist?

Did she mention the colour of anyone's skin in a discriminatory manner?

Presuming the lady is white British and she was commenting on the traditional spelling of a white Irish name…then how is it racist? Are white British people a different race to white Irish people?

Fairly ignorant but you are overeacting I think.