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?

Superfly - it is very easy to see why your Dad was upset about that, on several levels. It's a shame he didn't report the guy, I'm sure it would have hurt them just as much financially and would have made sure the staff were all aware of their attitudes. I'm suprised that anyone would (still) use it in that way, because that is offensive :( It's also unprofessional to speak to someone at work like that, whether he used Paddy or not. It's quite different to what the OP is describing though isn't it - which although is annoying perhaps, isn't in the same league (it should still be stopped, simply because it's annoying her to be called something other than her name).

Dewin - interesting :) I never knew that was how 'Taffy' came about.

Aims80 - I guess that's the angle I'm coming from.

Paddy,Jock,Taff........
They are all rude and probably racist.
I guess we all put up with such terms but they're not right,especially if they are said in a derogratory way.
DP hates being called Jock by strangers,but is (sort of)ok with aquaintances.

What's wrong with boyo? I call my son boyo!

And when chippingin put "yank" on the list...well, I don't mind being called that, obviously. :)

Bottom line, if you are an Alexandra and don't want to be called Alex, a James that doesn't want to be known as Jim, then you have a right to say, Please don't call me that, I don't like it.

Likewise if Paddy offends you or you simply don't want to be called that then absolutely NBU to tell the caller to stop.

If if carries on, then complaints need to be raised.

What matters is how it's received by the person who's being addressed. You've asked him to stop and he's continued and is now supported by your manager. That is unacceptable and they both need to be corrected.

As a point of information, though, the word 'paddy' referring to 'tantrum' has nothing to do with the Irish at all. It refers to padded wagons used to transport prisoners and lunatics who were liable to throw themselves against the padded walls - 'throwing a paddy.'

AmberEyes, how did it go yesterday? Have you had a meeting with your employer? DH suggests that they get in touch with a company called MHL, who are a firm that deals with employment law and the minefield that is dealing with employee difficulty. They helped him out this time last year when he was having to make half the company redundant :( It took some of the stress out of it for him. He also says, only suggest that if you actually like your employers, because if you don't it's easier to screw 'em if they don't have appropriate legal advice and/or training ;)

As an Irishman who's been on the receiving end of such xenophobic abuse himself, it's self-evidently not racist. "Irish" is a nationality, not a race.

The English language already has a perfectly good word to deal with such pathetic abusive terms based on nationality: xenophobia.

There's no excuse for the laziness in, for example, the Equality Act 2010, as mentioned above.

look at www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/ResolvingWorkplaceDisputes/DiscriminationAtWork/DG_10026667

The type of work I do advises out staff if they perceive they have been racially abused by either the public or a colleague. This could cover race, religious beliefs, colour, creed or nationality.

It is not for anyone to other than the person who has been on the receiving end of any derogatory comment to decide whether there was a racial undertone or not. If the perceive there has been, that should be enough.

In cases at my work - members of the public have been charged with causing racially aggravated alarm and distress and it goes through to court. If it is a staff on staff matter - it would go always go down the disciplinary route.

unacceptable.

I had somebody in The City ask me once "how come people always cuss on the Irish". I replied "they don't always. Is it a working class thing?". He never gave me shit again. wanka.

But that was one of a few bad experiences in over a decade.

Totally agree with Chipmonkey, we can use it in jest (although I wouldn't) but it's not alright for some asshole to try and claim it as an insult.

I hate the term 'to have a Paddy'. I remember our history teacher showing us very old copies of some British magazine (early punch type thing) and it depicted the 'paddies' as mad, angry, drunken bad-tempered fighters, and Yet OTHERWISE intelligent mumsnetters have argued with me about the origins of that expression.

LOVE the name Patrick/Paddy. It is different as a name of course.

Hi everybody.
I had a meeting with my employer this afternoon which I requested.He was great and really listened.I'm just going to have to wait for the outcome of it,I am half dreading work tomorrow.