To object to being called Paddy?

[AmberEyes]

A co-worker has taken to calling me Paddy because I am Irish.I find this derogatory and really thought times had changed.I have asked him to stop but he just laughs.
AIBU?

For me it is to do with history and the fact that the Irish have been oppressed in the past, and were viewed as almost 'sub-human' by some British people even in the earlier part of the last century. Some really terrible things were done in Ireland by the British.

I'm descended from someone who changed his name from Patrick to Albert to get work in Britain.

If, as a British person, I call someone 'Paddy', there is a weight of history in that term which I can't ignore. It isn't the same if I say 'Kiwi'. Unless of course a NZ person told me not to say it, and I carried on.

Just to clear up the confusion when I approached our manager stating it was a racsist term he laughed and said you are both white.
I think I will request a meeting with the employer and take it from there.

Paddy is a shortened form of Padraig/Paraic/Patrick.Due to Irelands troubled history I now understand that to call someone a Paddy (when it is not their name) is a derogatory way to refer to them.I certainly do not use such terms in reference to anyone.I use their name or version that they wish to be called.
I have to say thank you to the helpful replies,I thought I was being run from this board being more of a browser.I do post regularly on an Irish site though.

Thank you for your replies & I appreciate the tone of them all :)

I have never called anyone Paddy/Jock/Taffy or even the seemingly acceptable Aussie/Kiwi/Pom as it's just not something I do.

I grew up in the 70's when the use of 'You'll get one of those at the Pakis' was the same as 'You'll get one of those at the supermarket' - no offence meant, no offence taken - but when I came back here to live 7 years ago I was quickly put in my place over the change of that one! I don't know, maybe some people were offended by it even then, but the 'Paki' shop near us never indicated they felt that way and we were all friendly - parents, kids alike. So of course I would never call it that anymore - because even though I mean no offence by it, I accept people find it offensive.

I do get called 'xx' a lot over here - it's deemed not to be offensive and I'm glad - I'm proud of both of my countries and happy that the name reflects my heritage :) I guess you have to be from a minority where the name has negative connotation to understand in your heart, what I can only really understand in my head.

Amber - your employer needs to understand a few facts a) it has nothing to do with skin colour and b) he could be in a shit load of trouble if he doesn't get up to scratch with stuff like this! and c) no matter whether you understand or not, it's your duty to resolve work place issues.

Slight alteration to my post I would say someone is a Kiwi/Saffa/Aussie/Pom when describing them, but I wouldn't say someone is a Paki/Paddy/Jock/Taffy.

YANBU - is definitely racist. What an idiot your boss is 'not an issue because we are both white'.

Unbelievable. I would get some advice on how to deal with this.

ChippingIn - I think you might find that the proprietors of your local "Paki" shop may have been less happy with the name than you thought. In general, people do try not to upset their customers by calling them thoughtless, insensitive racists. Whatever they may think of said customers in private.

I'm not surprised you're upset. If they dont' take you seriosuly why not start referring to each and every staff member who calls you Paddy by some derogtatory comment or other instead of their name. Make sure it isn't racial or you'll stir up a hornets nest.

Suggestions are Fatty, Stick Insect, to describe weight or if you prefer regional, there's a heap of them.

Then tell them you'll stop doing it when they stop being so damn rude to you

AArrghhhhhhhhhh.... Irish is not a race, sweetie...
Or are you reversing the whole uber-PC race-issue here?

[this must be pointed out above I'm sure...]

Its not racist, no. Its still bloody offensive though and should not be tolerated.

"What is so bad about a name that simply denotes where you hail from?"

Chipping Paki and Chinky is a name that simply denotes where you came from, isn't it? Do you say those often? I doubt it.

Paddy can be seen as very derogatory but that is how it was used very often in the past. Less good natured "ah nice one paddy" and more "fucking thick paddy, taking our jobs". Thats why its not good. And in the workplace, calling someone Paddy or Jock or Paki instead of their name is a huge insult.

the equality act 2010 says

Race includes?
(a)colour;
(b)nationality;
(c)ethnic or national origins.

No, definitely racist.
Taffy is offensive. Boyo is even worse. (Just thought I'd toss boyo into the mix as nobody has mentioned it yet! )

And the company saying it's not racist because you're white is dodgy because it's denying the fact that the Irish are a race, which is even worse: 'oh, you can't be upset because you're not a real separate category' is diminishing things even further.

Hm, I'll stop because what I have in my head isn't coming over on the page!

I don't know if Rollmops comment was directed at me but I never said Irish was a race.

I said to the OP to make comments back to them but she should make sure HER comments aren't racial as that would stir up trouble. For example if there is a black, asian, etc member of staff, calling her Paddy then she must not make racial comments to them.

Please read my post properly next time.

jasper the accent thing! I get that a lot - 'Oh you're Welsh are you' in a ridiculous accent - and it p*sses me off good and proper. When the same people meet a French person, do they put on a dodgy French accent?
Also annoys me because the default Welsh accent is south Walian and I'm from the furthest north - so it's not even relevant.

Calling someone a Geordie or a Scouser isn't racist because regional origin isn't considered to be a component of race in the UK. I believe regional identity should be covered under the equality act though, because there is prejudice and discrimination against certain regional groups.

ChippingIn just for information - this is not at all loaded in any way, just an explanation.

Taffy = from Dafydd, common Welsh name (David), regularly and traditionally mispronounced by the English as Daffyd (most famous on Little Britain, the only gay in the village! ) or Taffy(d).
That's bad enough (I find people who say 'oh I can't pronounce that name it's too foreign' to be a tad, er, annoying to say the least - and recently had compensation from Timberland who cancelled my order because 'the address looked weird and foreign' - it's Welsh. )
But it's most famously in a poem (on Welsh/English border raids apparently, but plays on the hatred on both sides):
Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief.

I won't be having that.

Scouse - that's a strange one. It's what we in my small part of north Wales call our equivalent of Irish stew! Did so before the Liverpudlians were called Scouse (but there is a major Welsh presence in Liverpool and always has been historically). So they're named after their food. But I don't think it's offensive?

MillyR x-posted - good point.

Sorry not acceptably.

I just found this though on wickapedia:

Inselaffen

German for Island Monkeys. British bricklayers in Germany in the 1980s and 1990s were often jovially referred to as "Inselaffen" or "monkeys from the island".

Never knew that one..

Firstly, it's not racist.. us Irish are not a different race.. it would be xenophobic.

It's all about context isn't it, I sometimes refer to myself as a paddy, as do my mates.. it defends how it was said in this instance.

Apologies if this has already been said (only read 1st page) if you are a 'minority group' you can make a claim for discrimination i.e. the management should take you seriously. They are obviously misinformed around discrimination in the workplace I think you should remind them of this. I work with people from all different cultures including Irish and American,African and Nigerian and I would never call them nicknames because 1 persons harmless fun is another persons misery and if 1 person calls a workmate paddy, yank scotty/jock etc.. and other co-workers hear them doing it then before you know it everyone is calling the same nickname WITHOUT the persons consent...speak to regional manager if no joy from boss but be sure to keep a diary of dates etc.. and say to co-worker 'please don't call me Paddy, I don't like it and I find it offensive so he's had fair warning that you don't find it acceptable.

Aims, there is not actually any such thing as a 'race.' Racism is legally defined, both in the UK and by international law, to include nationality.

Some people spend their whole lives just waiting be shocked and outraged.

My father came to England from Ireland in 1961. When looking for digs he often got the 'No dogs, No blacks, No Irish' and was very often on the receiving end of blatant racism. Anyway, he stayed and has been here since. 50 years this year.

His last employment was for quite a large construction organisation - where he worked on a consultancy basis. He walked off his last job - never to return to that company (at the age of 63) because a younger 'supervisor' called him a "Fucking thick Paddy". It was the word 'paddy' he said pissed him off more than anything - as it was definitely said with a racist undertone.

I was seething - told him to report it - but he said it would hurt them more in the pocket to walk off the job half finished and them having to get another consultant in.

It is a thick and ignorant thing to do, especially as you asked him to stop. I am also surprised that your company are taking such a lax attitude in this day and age.

However, if it's just one person doing it and it's not affecting your job description or promotion prospects, I'd be inclined to shrug it off (it says more about them etc) or start calling him 'Tommy' back. There are people suffering real discrimination in the workplace due to racism and I think it's important not to dilute their cases by making an issue out of fairly insignificant things.

I'm Irish btw.