Is this racist

[postitgirl]

So DS says some boys at school are picking on him - he's Year 8. Today they had to move places in the classroom and he's ended up beside these 2 'mean' boys. They said to him 'just shut up and go back to Ireland to eat your potatoes'. I think that's racist - or what do you think.

YABU - not racist
YANBU - racist

This was a thread about school bullying.
Seems it's been hijacked

The title is "Is this racist". We've been attempting to answer that.

And strange that OP left the thread within an hour of posting.

Why? People have jobs and families. It doesn't make a person a troll, a sockpuppet, a liar, or whatever else you're implying, if they're not on Mumsnet 24/7.

@ddl1

And strange that OP left the thread within an hour of posting.

Why? People have jobs and families. It doesn't make a person a troll, a sockpuppet, a liar, or whatever else you're implying, if they're not on Mumsnet 24/7.

100% with you x

@ddl1

And strange that OP left the thread within an hour of posting.

Why? People have jobs and families. It doesn't make a person a troll, a sockpuppet, a liar, or whatever else you're implying, if they're not on Mumsnet 24/7.

I don’t know about you but when I start a thread I don’t abandon it almost immediately. It’s rude and puts your motives in doubt.

Regardless of the OP’s motives, it’s turned into an interesting discussion. I lived in London during the IRA bombing campaign in the 1990s and I well remember the negative attitude towards Irish people during that period.

@LizzieW1969

Regardless of the OP’s motives, it’s turned into an interesting discussion. I lived in London during the IRA bombing campaign in the 1990s and I well remember the negative attitude towards Irish people during that period.

Absolutely!!

@TheoMeo - This was a thread about school bullying. Seems it's been hijacked

Nope. It was a thread about a racist incident that many posters have been trying to minimise because, apparently, or doesn't count as racism if the victim is Irish.

I don’t know about you but when I start a thread I don’t abandon it almost immediately. It’s rude and puts your motives in doubt.

I very rarely start threads at all, in fact. Abandoning a thread for a day or two may be a bit rude, but life does sometimes get in the way.; and it doesn't cast doubt on the person's motives.

In any case, we don't really know anyone's motives when we are posting here anonymously.

This was a thread about school bullying.
Seems it's been hijacked

It was a thread about RACIST bullying at school.

@ddl1

I don’t know about you but when I start a thread I don’t abandon it almost immediately. It’s rude and puts your motives in doubt.

I very rarely start threads at all, in fact. Abandoning a thread for a day or two may be a bit rude, but life does sometimes get in the way.; and it doesn't cast doubt on the person's motives.

In any case, we don't really know anyone's motives when we are posting here anonymously.

I've been here long enough to know most people don't abandon threads so quickly and it does cast doubts on motives.

Honestly, on this yhread, no one really cares because it tutned out to be really interesting read

Hi thanks for the interesting discussion. DS says the boys who were saying these things to him have 'calmed down' and he doesn't want me to say anything. DD aged 17 has informed me that there is regularly "banter" in her college and Ireland and potatoes so... I'm not minimising it and I would still like to report it to the school but ds doesnt want me to and at the moment I'm going to let him decide as he's the one who has to sit beside them and from experience, "telling" doesnt always make things better. Interesting discussion though thanks everyone

DD aged 17 has informed me that there is regularly "banter" in her college and Ireland and potatoes so...

Ah yes. The old racism disguised as "banter".

Would the school be any good at dealing with this sort of thing discretely? Maybe some talks on diversity and inclusion?

I wish I was Irish.

Sorry, not the most helpful contribution to the thread.

DD aged 17 has informed me that there is regularly "banter" in her college and Ireland and potatoes so...
There is lots of banter in general.
It happens with foreigners those who watch celebrity juice.
Keith lemon is partly responsible, infairness when said like Keith lemon it's usually in jest assuming the Irish find it funny.

Keith lemon is partly responsible, infairness when said like Keith lemon it's usually in jest assuming the Irish find it funny.

No idea who Keith Lemon is but most Irish people I know (including me) tolerate, rather than enjoy, the banter. It's rarely funny and, unless you have a specific relationship with someone where banter is the norm, completely inappropriate. If you complain, you get hassle for not having a sense of humour so, unless it crosses a line, it's easier just to ignore it.

Keith Lemon is, I assume, a comedian. It's nothing new to have comedians making racist jokes. It just happens to still be acceptable in the UK to make racist jokes about the Irish.

No idea who Keith Lemon is but most Irish people I know (including me) tolerate, rather than enjoy, the banter. It's rarely funny and, unless you have a specific relationship with someone where banter is the norm, completely inappropriate.
I don't find it funny myself, it has been said to me abroad in the UK when people hear I am Irish in the same exaggerated way Keith Lemon uses it on his celebrity juice.

Abroad and in the UK. Abroad meaning Spain.