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

@doublemonkey - my friend from northern Donegal used to really enjoy fucking with their heads with that one. What part of ireland? The very north? Oh, Northern Ireland? No, the south

@SchrodingersImmigrant

Ok. Since two threads descended into this, I have to ask😂 Is this that geographically the island named Ireland is part of the isles, but the Republic of Ireland, aka Ireland, is politically seperate?

Kind of like how central european countries keep being called Eastern Europe, unless they speak the cool west languages?

The British Isles is a geographical term for the islands of Ireland, Britain, Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey.

@SchrodingersImmigrant - Is this that geographically the island named Ireland is part of the isles, but the Republic of Ireland, aka Ireland, is politically seperate?

It boils down to the fact the British will tie themselves in knots to avoid referring to Ireland as Ireland as it might suggest NI is part of Ireland.

Aaaaaah! Got it!

@SchrodingersImmigrant
Is this that geographically the island named Ireland is part of the isles, but the Republic of Ireland, aka Ireland, is politically seperate?

That's pretty much it, coupled with a lot of sensitivity connected with the fact that the whole island was treated (and mistreated) to some extent as a colonial possession by Britain. The partition is also seen as a classic British "solution" to their own troublemaking, which has actually created a legacy of problems (ironically in this case on Britain's own doorstep).

The "British isles" is used by the British ordnance survey and the Irish ordnance uses "British isles and Ireland"

@SchrodingersImmigrant the Irish government never use the term British isles. Was not used in the GFA. Other terms are islands of the North Atlantic or Atlantic archipelago. It’s considered offensive by many and clearly confusing. It’s not used much officially by the British government either but is in the school curriculum- which I’ve had words with our school about as the mum of an Irish son being educated in Britain.

[quote MurielSpriggs]@OchonAgusOchonOh

If the education system is so bad in the UK that they don't have those very basic facts about tjeir own country's geography, then they are really on dire straits.

🤐[/quote]
Just re-read that. Well done on your restraint.

I'm blaming it on big fingers and a small phone rather than lack of education.

So "their" not "tjeir" and "in dire straits" not "on dire straits".

Goodness what a very strange thing for kids of that age to have said……

I’m sure the OP will eventually come back to update us on the outcome.

@OchonAgusOchonOh

True! But I was being 🤐 not about you, but because I didn't want to be rude about the British, their poor education, their lack of understanding of the world (even their own country) and the course on which they've consequently set themselves!

U.K. history is very long and detailed. I didn't study English history much at school. I dropped history for geography in secondary, didn't cover much Irish history either except the potato famine - why should I - there a lot of countries in the world. I'm Scottish.

@TheoMeo

U.K. history is very long and detailed. I didn't study English history much at school. I dropped history for geography in secondary, didn't cover much Irish history either except the potato famine - why should I - there a lot of countries in the world. I'm Scottish.

Because Irish history is deeply and at many points tragically interwoven with British history, it is not just ‘another country in the world’

@TheoMeo - U.K. history is very long and detailed. I didn't study English history much at school. I dropped history for geography in secondary, didn't cover much Irish history either except the potato famine - why should I - there a lot of countries in the world. I'm Scottish.

Firstly, it was not a potato famine. Secondly, I am referring to knowledge of very basic geography relating to your own country, a knowledge that seems sadly lacking in many British people.

@MurielSpriggs - that was my initial assumption until I re-read and spotted my typos. I'm sure there is some law that states the more sanctimonious you're being about someone else's abilities, the more likely you are to mess up yourself.

That's actually interesting. Thanks. We didn't do British history into much detail (seems that's not a case only for history lessons in other countries though😳) so thanks!

I thought this was a joke when it was first posted.

@Gavellar

I thought this was a joke when it was first posted.

Why? Anti-Irish racism is live and well in the UK.

So OP never came back? Hmm...

@Gavellar

I thought this was a joke when it was first posted.

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

Under the law of the UK this is clearly racist. The law on race discrimination covers nationality.

I see that MNHQ have deleted my post which included Punch cartoons demonstrating how both Irish and Black people were subject to exactly the same racist tropes, many of which are alive and well today.

I put a TW but seems some people would prefer to live in their bubble of ignorance.

@Mochudubh

I see that MNHQ have deleted my post which included Punch cartoons demonstrating how both Irish and Black people were subject to exactly the same racist tropes, many of which are alive and well today.

I put a TW but seems some people would prefer to live in their bubble of ignorance.

Fair enough to delete if you were advocating those views but you weren't. You were showing the historical context for racism in the UK. Censoring the past only leads to repetition of the mistakes made.

I remember being called a bomber and told to f** off back to Ireland. My parents remember the signs in windows with no blacks, no dogs, no Irish. I read a recent report in the Irish Times about the massive increase in anti-Irish racism since brexit.

Looks like history is repeating itself.

Thank Ochon (your user name seems apt given the rather depressing direction of this thread).

I'm Scottish myself but my DH is of Irish extraction. As recently as the 2000s one of his relatives won an employment tribunal after being regularly subject to "banter" like being nicknamed Semtex!

Plus sa change and all that.

Lots of anti-British racism and sweeping statements here.

@Coronawireless

Lots of anti-British racism and sweeping statements here.

Really? Stating that anti-irish racism is rife in the UK is anti-British racism? Pointing out that many british people refuse to use the correct name for ireland for various reasons is anti-British racism?

I've obviously missed it. Could you maybe point to one or two instances?