To think friends are being over-senstive?

[pomadas87]

A friend (who lives abroad) messaged me and a couple of our good mutual friends - he shared happy news of his new baby and some pics. Everyone v excited and wished him congratulations!

He then said "so who's next to have a baby - she needs a playmate!" ... me and DH are newly married and are getting the question quite a lot...! Other friend said "I'm looking at you guys" (meaning me and DH)...

I then said "not for a while I'm afraid why don't you have another one straightaway and you'll have Irish Twins - instant playmate!"

Meant it in a joking way and then they all called me a racist, xenophobe etc.... I didn't realise it was offensive and now I'm feeling shitty! Did they overreact to my (stupid) joke or am I just an idiot?!

I think less so, since there is at least a causal relationship between Ireland and Brexit, and the poor auld English claim is just ridiculous.

"Pathetic" and "ridiculous"

Glad you agree!

By your logic then, should I slag everything off about your country and accuse you and and insinuate support for things I don't like eg. The ira and when you complain. I can call you "pathetic" and "ridiculous?"

Your hate filled rhetoric is very unpleasant indeed.

I would never do anything of the sort by the way. Just in case you were wondering. There are lots of people livine in ireland not just "a people"

Living

hould I slag everything off about your country and accuse you and and insinuate support for things I don't like eg. The ira and when you complain

Sweetheart, the IRA is Northern Ireland. You know, in YOUR country?

Dear me, at least get the borders right! It's rather offensive when you mix up the two countries.

There are lots of people livine in ireland not just "a people

"A people" is made up of individual people, but it means something rather different. Did you not find that dictionary?

OMG take a breather. Please don't carry on with rhetoric about the IRA when you clearly have no idea what you're talking about.

They obvs are not active in southern now for fairly obvious reasons. I understand wanting to disown them though.

the IRA is Northern Ireland umm what?

Plenty of its support and members came from Ireland both historically and presently (very small numbers in the present thankfully) but it's hardly a solely NI thing.

In Southern? Southern what? No need to disown what we don't own.

Seriously, you're embarrassing yourself, you're trying to comment on things, people, countries and histories that you don't know anything at all about. Could you stop?

I never accused you of anything though and that is the point.

You say things which are very accusatory and left unchecked people will think it is ok

It is not ok, I have told you it is offensive and you continue to want to say these things.

These things are based on stereotypes and are mostly baseless.

You deride any mention of me taking offense as pathetic

It is not me with the problem.

I know a reasonable amount about it and agree with infinity.

This is such bullshit, and is simply the same as the old cry of "God, its PC mad, it was fine to say P and Chky when I was young, I can't keep up!"

winter thank you for this, it's an absolutely perfect example of what I'm talking about and demonstrates exactly why people are scared. If you make a genuine mistake because you don't know one of the ever expanding list of offensive things then as you have just shown, people are happy to paint you as an unreconstructed racist who would be happy to use the word p**i. You've just shown exactly why people are so afraid of falling foul of the myriad of codes because a little slip can see you condemned in the way you just have.

If you're talking about the ridiculous labelling like trying to make people say "pregnant persons" in case a trans man is having a baby, you might have a point. But using this "liberals are making us all silent because we're not supposed to use racially/culturally stereotyped insults" is just pathetic.

I was thinking more along the lines of the things the students on the Trevor Phillips show were talking about. Mexican restaurants giving out sombreros, men in fancy dress as women, fancy dress as Pocahontas, white people having dreads or wearing bindis or head dresses inspired by native Americans. And yes there is the whole trans lobby stuff too.

Nobody is being silenced. You can say what you want. You just can't complain when the people you are talking about don't like what you are saying.

Well yes they are. As you've just shown by comparing people who can't keep up with the deliver confusing minutiae of the unwritten rules to hardcore racists who see nothing wrong with saying p**i you've just shown exactly why people are scared into silence for fear of that sort of hysterical branding. It really can be damaging for people's careers and reputations for innocent mistakes. It's scary and quite sinister.

If you want to keep being very offensive while complaining that English people are victims of racism from the Irish, you go right ahead.

People are going to keep on about it though.

Sweetheart, the IRA is Northern Ireland. You know, in YOUR country?

Feral, you can't really be Irish. I honestly can't believe anyone Irish would actually say that.

It's ok billy she was trying to patronise me but it didn't really work out well for her.

We should really be kind to her, it's not her fault. The poor little poppet must be confused.

Feral, you can't really be Irish. I honestly can't believe anyone Irish would actually say that

Really? Its quite common as we are so pissed off at all the English people who confuse Ireland and Northern Ireland, who know nothing about any of it yet have no problem with an opinion.

It's quite a common thing say the IRA are NI only? No it isn't, knock it off Feral, that's just silly.

They are 2 countries... not much to confuse

Is it only english people that confuse them?

OMG you're just being nasty now. No need for it at all.

we are so pissed off at all the English people who confuse Ireland and Northern Ireland, who know nothing about any of it yet have no problem with an opinion

Who is this 'we' you are speaking on behalf of? I find it a minor irritation at worst and so do most of the people I know. Even so I wouldn't assume I could speak for anyone other than myself.

Do try to keep up. Nobody said only NI, but your woman said "i could slag things about your country like the IRA" meaning she thinks that the IRA is an irish body, when actually its NI, which is the UK.

You're not telling me you've never noticed how many Brits can't tell the bloody difference, OMG doesn't even know the name of the fecking country, she seems to think "southern" means something.

Anyway, I've had enough. Keep on with your "the English are so oppressed " nonsense, I'm sure you'll find some sympathy from someone!

Is it only english people that confuse them?

Definitely not, many many non-Irish people do it. It's mostly those from the UK that refer to 'southern' Ireland rather than Ireland or the Republic of Ireland though.