Fed up with jokes about 'stupid Irish' people?

[Happyspendingthedayinthegarden]

My maternal grandparents both came from Ireland and I am proud of my heritage.

For context I work for a Govt Dept that is very keen on promoting inclusive non-discriminatory policies - we even have to take a regular training programme to ensure that we are aware of direct and indirect discrimination.

Yesterday on a group 'Wellbeing' chat someone put a joke about 'Paddy' which was the usual Irish 'Paddy is stupid' kind of joke. IMO the joke would have been amusing if it had been 'Fred' or 'John' eg: not racially focussed. This joke got several 'likes' & generated other 'Paddy' & 'Murphy' type jokes. I felt insulted but didn't call it out because, well, I felt that would make me a WOKE Party Pooper.

AIBU & over-sensitive?

This!

I once took my son to an NHS appointment with an orthopaedic consultant. Both children, then aged about 6 and 3 were with me. Both children have inherited their father's blondeness and have a teutonic build.

He greeted us with "ah I have a visitation from the Aryan master race I see".

I am half Jewish.

All parts of society contain arseholes.

Jeez!

I think you're being over sensitive, my grandparents on one side were Irish and grandparents on the other side were Welsh, I'd never get personally offended by jokes about Welsh or Irish people because I'm English?

But also I'm pretty sure much much worse things are said about English people by people in Ireland and Wales. Pure hatred rather than jokes.

Thanks for the history lesson (I knew all of this, btw) and, yes, I realise (as most people do) that NI is not Ireland. This said, I do agree that in the English education system compulsory teaching about England/UK and Ireland history and relationships is very poor.

But it's more nuanced than this, and this is (I think) what the PP was getting at, and who I was defending. England is economically, socially and politically dominated by London/SE/Westminster, and this is not getting better under the current government in the UK.

Moreover, London/SE/Westminster have, fairly successfully, erased any nuanced public debate re. Ireland/NI since the late 90s - hence the post-Brexit customs debacle etc., and no doubt the issues that will arise now that Trump has placed different tariffs on UK and EU.

Hopefully I have demonstrated that I've a fairly good understanding of both our shared history and the future issues both nations face. We (UK and Ireland) share more future challenges than differences and so anti-English/British/whoever sentiment is unhelpful.

I called out an ‘Irish Joke’ at work once - it was written in the company newsletter, my point was it wouldn’t have been included if it was any other nationality!
I was put in a meeting with the newsletter editor and stood my ground. Her opinion was that she’ll just stop doing the (popular!) newsletter and I just said well if there’s really no other alternative you can think of (ie enough of the lazy / inappropriate humour) then fine!

The only odd thing is these jokes would have been funny without the Paddy factor , apparently? This is not usually the case in my experience. Because that is the whole point of the joke , as Jung put it : not to degrade someone but to remind them they have already been degraded.

@ExpressCheckout you've said it far better than I. Irish and British have more in common than we think, and the old rivalry/hate is receding fast, since Ireland is now a confident successful nation. However I do agree with your point about Westminster and the SE being dominant to the neglect of other parts of the Kingdom. Brexit has somewhat cemented the isolationist and exceptionalist approach of Britain towards the EU aswell. It seems that a united Europe - at least on the economic front is vital now, and you don't need me to tell you why!

God I haven’t heard a Paddy jokes in years, thankfully - I’d be embarrassed for anyone telling one in 2025. They’re probably a Roy Chubby Brown fan too

My dad's stock response to that type of joke was "Do you know the Irish bloke in that joke was so stupid? So that you'd understand him.'

There is tons of work, people are leaving because of the housing crisis. The population is also rapidly increasing though. The housing crisis is nationwide.

Having lived in both places and frequently back and forth I’d say the standard of living in Ireland the UK is roughly the same. Better on some markers. Worse on others. The massive difference is that it all feels a bit more positive in Ireland. The UK feels very different now to when I lived there

I only ever experienced these “stupid Irish” things from the older generation. One man told me he visited Ireland to visit all the Beautiful buildings that Britian built there and was going on about some beautiful estate house he visited here and about the landed gentry that lived there and I was just open mouthed by his complete ignorance and arrogance.

…he couldn’t form an ellipsis correctly?

GPs & other Health Professionals obliged to ask you about your alcohol consumption & if you smoke at every contact - it's nothing personal.

I am very surprised someone decided to make this kind of ‘joke’, in this day and age.
I’m British, but absolutely no one…..NO ONE in my social or working life makes these kinds of comments. Ever. I work with people from all over Europe, South America, etc.
I have European friends.

As a child…..in the early 80’s, yes, there was a lot of anti Irish stuff going about, including the ubiquitous ‘silly Irish person’ jokes.
You are not at all being unreasonable. Thought that kind of thinking went out with the dinosaurs……..

I felt insulted but didn't call it out because, well, I felt that would make me a WOKE Party Pooper.

Whats wrong with being woke? Bette than looking as you do now like just another raciest.

My great-grandmothers rarely drank alcohol. My lovely Great Nanny only enjoyed a very small glass at the end of an evening when pressed as did my nanny. Never got pissed or even tiddly unlike my MIL 😉

Thank you. XX

he couldn’t form an ellipsis correctly?

?? not sure of your point?

Thank you to every PP for your opinions. I now feel that I have a valid reason for calling out the racist post - especially as it was on a so-called 'Well being' chat.