Colleague said something was a bit Irish

[0scon]

Something that hadn't been planned properly, she said it was a bit Irish and laughed.
Is that not quite racist? Or am I being too woke?

Would you be be offended if someone not Irish suggested you can’t ‘fuck with the Irish’ though?

It's only really offensive if you intend it to. And it's a first I'm hearing about it tbf as I said upthread everyone around me says it

I'm Irish. I've never heard that expression before. It's highly offensive.

@Icepinkeskimo whats the origin? I've searched it there and can't find anything.

@OchonAgusOchonOh It's very easy to claim it's all fun & banter in a certain power dynamic...but I've noticed that such people are extremely sensitive to anything they perceive as even the teeny-tiniest bit of criticism.

Yes it's all 'banter'...until they are subject to the same behaviour. No so fun then because they know full well it's disrespect but only think it's their own emotions that should be considered and danced around.

Is the n word also only offensive if you mean it to be? Or is it ok for a white person to use it if they don't mean to offend?

Exactly.

You would be straight into a disciplinary where I work (legal sector)

Unacceptable.

Thats highly offensive. No way that can be said in any way

It’s violently offensive. Unfortunately it’s small beer compared to the anti-Irish prejudice I encountered in 20 years of studying and working in England.

It’s a small minority of people, absolutely, but it’s not gone away, and the worst thing was never being able to predict when it would emerge. On the platform at a festival event? Interview? At a friend’s family wedding? For a certain kind of English person Irish people aren’t quite ‘white’. God knows how they will deal if and when they encounter Irish peoole who aren’t white.

I’m a bit Irish and finish off one of my favourite family tales with ‘and you can’t get more Irish than that ‘.

🤷‍♀️

You are far too woke

It’s a joke. Also no smoke without fire etc
There are jokes about every culture, race and nation on the planet based on these stereotypes and historical behaviour

I'm Irish. Yes it's offensive but I wouldn't get worked up about it. On the small number of occasions I've come across this type of thing the person has been of limited intelligence themselves. So I've chosen to enjoy the irony and move on.

@Crepid but it’s time to stop using these out of touch phrases. Being ‘ awake’ to the meaning and offence can’t be a bad thing.

Another fine example of making sweeping generalizations and stereotyping. Well done.

Do you understand the huge irony of what you just said?

What about "Paddy's Market" to describe an untidy or chaotic scene?
It originates from an open air market in Glasgow where just about anything could be bought or sold.

I have an Irish husband. He says he finds it mildly irksome, as it's 'stereotyping' but he's not arsed about making a fuss! Same with 'having a paddy,' and 'Irish twins.' He agrees it's a tiny bit rude, but he's not particularly offended, and isn't bothered about making a fuss about it. Too many people get offended on behalf of others these days, and it's soooooo tedious. 🙄

Well technically she's right, in that projects often tend to be badly planned and executed in Ireland. From the top down there can be somewhat of a lackadaisical approach to sorting out problems/dealing with controversy, hence one of our national slogans is: "an Irish solution to an Irish problem".

BUT if she's not Irish (born and bred - having an Irish grandparent won't suffice here), then the natives will become very prickly indeed if they hear her say it. The colonial scars run deep and it's rude to disparage people from other countries regardless. No one likes it do they? She's probably not very self aware and didn't mean harm, but yes I would find that annoying/offensive if I heard it IRL.

No smoke without fire? Wtf?

Irish here too, living in Ireland and I agree it’s a common enough and inoffensive phrase in my circles. Maybe it’s a county based thing? 🤷🏼‍♀️ We use it to mean a bit cheeky or if someone is pushing their luck maybe. Hard to describe the exact meaning.

Could you explain how it's a joke?

Are you really suggesting that Irish people are stereotypically and historically stupid?

Oh, wrt the "It's all Greek to me" saying:

It's from Shakespeare (don't ask me which play. Someone will know). Shakespeare himself wasn't a gentleman but the son of a wealthy tradesman, so although he went to grammar school and studied Latin he never studied Ancient Greek, which was considered an essential component of a gentleman's education at the time.

Hence, something that you don't understand might as well be in Greek.

You are being way too sensitive and woke. This is why comedy nowadays has been emasculated.