AIBU to be slightly miffed that "throwing a paddy" refers to Irish people ?

[scuzy]

If having a paddy meant being drunk, i'd understand. but to associate it with having a tantrum when of recent years at footballs games, riots etc its the english that are the ones more deserving of this title.

not sure what it would be called then.

any suggestions? having a ....????

I worked for an Irish organisation (so about 95% of the folk there were Irish) and they used the expression quite liberally. They also swore an awful lot. I almost choked on my tea at my first department meeting.

There was also the St Patrick's Day Guinness trolley that started rolling around the offices about 10am. God, I miss that place!

I don't think the context matters. The words are what matters, thats what has the impact.

When I was pregnant, they rubbed my belly and asked how 'Little Paddy' was doing.

How did you feel? I don't think I would have appreciated that. I want to know if it would be acceptable to any other race or creed? Hows the little yid doing and so on. Because we are Irish we are not allowed to demand how we are refered to?

Frontpaw any other stereotypes you want to cram in there?

Er no, they were my colleagues, I got on really well with them and that was how they were. Just reporing the facts, so how is that a stereotype? That was how they spoke, and it was a mix of people from both north and south. I never referred to anyone as Paddy, etc, because that's now how I speak. I never refer to myself a Jock.

I worked with Irish people. I am Irish. I worked with English people who refered to me as Paddy until I asked them not to. Which took a few go's.
Well done you for not referring to yourself as Jock. Lovely bit of self restraint there.

But I have never called anyone a Paddy, as I said, the expression 'having/throwing a paddy' was used my some Irish colleagues, and my baby was referred to as 'little Paddy' by the same people in an affectionate way. Nor do I say anyone as 'Having a Paddy' (although no-one seems sure where that expression comes from).

boohoo, yes i do think 'having a paddy' means having a tantrum in todays world but not in the past.

if that is the case snowbell can you explain why the word paddy means tantrum? where has that come from. feel free to google and share with us what you find.

boohoo,I do believe that over time words lose their meaning,their original meaning. Most younger people to-day have no idea that 'having a paddy' could be offensive.

I disagree. The word Paddy is still in use as a reference to irish people. That is sloppy thinking,

ignorant people can still cause offence whether they intend to or not. you know after reading this thread that some people find the word offensive. can you honestly justify using it now that you know? if you are saying it isn't offensive because people dont know what it originally meant, then surely now that you know you will decide not to use it?

You get meaning from context. Context is everything. Personally I wouldn't clutch my pearls at something saying their child was having a paddy. I would be a bit at some student referring to St Patrick's day as 'Paddy's Day' and horrified at it used in a perjorative way of referring to the Irish.

But we call it Paddy's day over here!

I can't fecking win.

im irish and I hate it when people take the mickey....ooops

and yes st paddys day it is

yep st paddy's day here too.

paddy's day here too!

Is this one of those situations where it's ok when used by the named group but not ok when used by someone outside the group? My Dad calls all his kids/grandkids Paddy, even the girls, apart from the youngest son who he calls Mickerick. He loves being called Paddy (not his name) by the people who know him at the local Irish club but he'd go spare if anyone else did.

I live in Ireland and having a paddy meaning throwing a tantrum.

It's not offensive to anyone in my family nor any of my friends and so far, none of my customers have been offended. I think I'd be inclined to tell anyone who was offended to get a life.

I worked in pubs in England that were very popular with Irish customers. 'Paddy' they didn't mind so much, but one gobby local came in one night calling the lads 'micks' and that (very rightly) did not go down well at all.

Paddy's Day.
"Aha, Paddy is cuter than that!"
"The guards threw him in the back of the paddywagon".

All phrases used by Irish people in Ireland and reported here by an Irish person.

BTW the 'st paddy's day' thing is literally because paddy is a shortening of patrick. so to call it st paddy's day is fine because, yes, his name is patrick. but to use paddy in reference to someone who is irish, just because they are irish is not the same as that at all, because, er, we aren't all called patrick.