Am I right in being slightly annoyed?

[RottenTomatoes959]

For reference I am Irish living in Ireland.

I took DS to soft play over the weekend and got chatting to an English woman who was there with her DD.
Her DD starting having tantrum as 3 year olds tend to do and she starting laughing and joking with me over her throwing " a paddy".

Maybe she didn't understand the negative connotations of it but using this phrase to an Irish person in Ireland is a bit bloody stupid.

She ended up taking her DD and leaving so I didn't say anything but I wish I did.
Do I have right to be slightly annoyed by this?

I am Irish. I love in England

I don't find it offensive. It may have been way back when.

But most people using it now have no clue about it's origin or mean it in anyway as a derogatory comment on the Irish.

Language evolves. In my opinion, this one has lost offensiveness. Doesn't bother me at all.

Paddy-wagon is offensive as it's a reference to the stereotype of drunken Irishmen getting into fights in a big city in America (NY? Detroit?) and being thrown into the police van and taken off to the drunk-tank to sober up out of harm's way.

To me, if this is true ^^ then how can it be offensive about all irish? sounds to me as if it is about those that were going and getting into fights in America etc. so throwing a Paddy means doing what they did in that time in History, not being irish now or normally or that all irish do this. and if it is termed in the dictionary that people have not seen it as offensive in the past? Not sure, the N*a word annoys me too because it is an offensive term that no one can use obviously as it is seen as racist but then black people go around saying it to each other and using it in rap videos to the point where kids repeat the words not knowing and then have to have a lecture about how they can't say it but there black friends can. All very strange to me.

Paddy just means a tantrum.

Why does paddy mean a tantrum? Where does the word paddy come from in relation to a tantrum?

OP if you see that mother again it might be kind to explain to her that it's not a word used by Irish people.

Do you not think the Irish have offensive terms used about the English? Or other nationalities?

explain to her that it's not a word used by Irish people.

Or decent people from any other nation.

Do you not think the Irish have offensive terms used about the English? Or other nationalities?

Racist Irish people do, yeah. Guess what, some of us aren’t pricks.

Language evolves. In my opinion, this one has lost offensiveness. Doesn't bother me at all.

But you don't have the right to make that decision for everyone Irish.

“Do you not think the Irish have offensive terms used about the English? Or other nationalities?”

I’m sure they do.

Your point?

Get a grip, OP. Far worse things to worry about. Most people don't know the origin and don't see it as racist. If the intent isn't there then why complain?

Do you not think the Irish have offensive terms used about the English? Or other nationalities?

Give an example?

If there are these terms used in Ireland then I would say exactly the same to those people using them. It’s unacceptable to “other” a whole nation like this. My dh is English, as was my mother. My dcs are more English than Irish tbh! So this isn’t an anti-English / pro-Irish thing for me.

@Juells yes I probably will, she's only recently moved her I think so I'll probably see her around,best off warning her before she says it in front of the wrong person.

Most people don't know the origin

Most people probably don't know the origin of the N word either, doesn't stop it being offensive. If you've been told a word is offensive, why would you still think it OK to use it?

Get a grip of what @NicePieceofPlaid?
I don't think I've been overreacting in the slightest. I was slightly annoyed?

The urban dictionary is sometimes interesting.

My Irish relations refer to Patrick’s day as paddy’s day, so I do too but people don’t know what I’m talking about in England! I thought it was a shortened Patrick.

I’ve heard it referred to as a tantrum, but never use it myself. Thinking about it OP it’s not a word we should keep using for tantrums, you are right. It’s a negative stereotype. Although the English mother at the soft play would not have put the word paddy together in her head with Irish - so not a conscious racist term on her part. It doesn’t mean you can’t call her out, I just wouldn’t assume she’s negative about Irish in any way.

Sorry looked up paddy here’s the link in urban dictionary. For anyone interested.
www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=paddy

It's only offensive if you are looking for ways to find it offensive. The poor mum probably left early at your strange response wondering what she had done wrong. I've never heard anything so bloody stupid either about ' doing an english' wtf?? The world is going bonkers.
It's a phrase. Not meant to be offensive. Used before you've had time to trawl through decades of history to find where it actually derived from. Il probably still use it but maybe not if the person has an Irish accent? Is that OK?

the urban dictionary, AFAIK, is a wiki that can be filled in by any passing stranger.

My Irish relations refer to Patrick’s day as paddy’s day, so I do too but people don’t know what I’m talking about in England! I thought it was a shortened Patrick.

Yes it is. Paddy as a shortening of Patrick is perfectly fine, and very common. Paddy Mcguiness, paddy Kirk on emmerdale, paddy kielty. The name Paddy is not offensive.

How are people not understanding this? Are you not reading the thread?

*“Acting like a Scot basically then?“

NO! I would never say this^^ because it’s racist and I’m not racist”*

Except you just did. . You had to think of that to say that. We get judged as well a lot!

I wouldn’t have thought of it being about an Irish stereotype, the hilarity here is I generally thought it was Scottish slang and specifically referring to Scottish people getting aggressive . I live in a predominantly Catholic area, next door to a Celtic pub where there are Irish bands that walk through in the Summer and Bands march... Honestly had no clue as it’s said by everyone. It’s a common term just like “cat out of the bag” here.

It’s not a term I’ve ever really paid attention to with regards to its roots, just like I bet you (and everyone else) will use words in common usage that you’ve inherited and don’t know the history of but will have negative connotations for something.

That’s how language evolves, words change meaning and I think it’s actually unfair to judge someone for something they obviously weren’t aware they were doing. It might be that everyone they know uses it.

It's only offensive if you are looking for ways to find it offensive

No it’s offensive in origin, you don’t have to look too hard to see that tbh. Carry on being lazily offensive if you wish though.

Also I’m in bed Ill and cannot be arsed to argue about this. I only offered my experience of the word and my surprise.

Il probably still use it but maybe not if the person has an Irish accent? Is that OK?

No. HTH.

And “doing an English” would be a really stupid phrase wouldn’t it? That’s why I wouldn’t use it.

You’ve decided you want to use it because you’re used to it and are apparently disregarding people who do find it offensive. That’s also pretty foolish imo.

Il probably still use it but maybe not if the person has an Irish accent? Is that OK?

No, but you don’t actually care.

en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/paddy