Swearing, aibu?

[Ozwizard]

Ds is throwing a paddy! He wants to be able to use swearing whilst playing his Xbox. A boy in his Xbox party is having a row with ds and apparently this is how arguments are being played out by swearing at each other!! I am making ds look uncool by not letting him swear back so he looks like he is losing the argument! I do not like swearing and have never brought him up with it. I do not want him doing it, especially as when on Xbox he shouts anyway in the heat of the game! He's 13 and says that I should let him do it because of his age.

so the origins of Paddy van is moot
because it's still too soon since Irish in England would regularly hear the likes of "go away Paddy" "no Paddies" "Just a Paddy" etc from English people..

I don't know it it'll ever be okay said with an English accent, but for now, it's not.

Though to be fair we have no idea if the OPs accent is English.

but I've only ever heard "throwing a paddy" from English people. It's not a phrase the irish use themselves (may be exceptions, but generally, no). Irish people use "Paddy" in other contexts, but not as a throw away term as used on here for behaving badly.

I'm not sure my last post made sense :-D What I mean is, you might hear "Paddy" in various contexts in Ireland, but you're unlikely to hear "throwing a Paddy" in Ireland. For good reason. So it's a safe assumption that the OP shouldn't be useing it if the Irish don't use it themselves

Oh the irony!!

OP was complaining about her DS swearing and has been pulled up for using a potentially offensive term herself!!

I'll be honest and admit that I wouldn't have known the possible connotations myself either though.

Tospyt, do you mean that you didn't know Paddy = Irish

or that you didn't think that "throwing a Paddy" for bad behaviour might be offensive?

I didn't know that neither topsy to be entirely honest

Which didn't you know?

Paddy for Irish?

or you knew that, but didn't think "throwing a paddy" would offend?

generally curious?

genuinely

I knew paddy was Irish but I never even considered throwing a paddy would be an Irish phrase.

To me it's just a phrase. Never heard anyone say it was a derogatory term

But if you know that Paddy means Irish person. Then really it should have crossed your mind that "throwing a Paddy" to describe bad behaviour might touch a nerve. IMO.

I would understand a bit more if someone genuinely didn't know that Paddy by itself = Irish.

Would never have crossed my line.
Seriously

To me Paddy is in Irish name

I haven't got a clue?!

I know it's used to describe unacceptable behaviour but where it comes from, no idea

To me Paddy is in Irish name

given that.. how could you then think "throwing a Paddy" to describe bad behaviour is not a slur on the Irish?

Look I've already said I would never have matched the two.

Why would I?

I am so terribly sorry that I am that ignorant. I shall take myself out back and flog myself should I?

because I would never in a million years say that my kids were "throwng a Mohammad" if they were tantruming.

I don't have to think that Mohammad by itself is offensive to at least get not to use it in that context.

Of course I know that Paddy can mean Irish. It can also be a man's name and is also the name of a brand of Irish whiskey.

I would not have known the potential connotations of the phrase "throwing a paddy" though. It isn't a phrase I have ever tended to use, but I wouldn't have batted an eyelid if I heard it from anyone else.

I tend to say "throwing a strop/hissy fit".

Never knew the pale thing either btw

I hadn't realised where "beyond the pale" came from either, and nor, I suspect, would many who have ever used it.

I had simply never investigated it. Interesting, and you learn something new every day.