Irish posters - "having a paddy"

[BarbaraHoward]

Irish posters - can I canvas your opinions on the use of "having a paddy" to mean "having a tantrum"? I've been having a bit of back and forth (well, plenty of forth not much back in truth) with MNHQ over the past day or two and I want to check that I'm not going against the majority view here.

IMO, the phrase is awful, and plainly anti Irish. I know most people using it aren't doing so to slag Irish people off, but the phrase is still awful IMO.

I've been here a long time, and reported the phrase more than I can remember. Usually, it's just deleted right away. Raising it on a thread always derails it as people just go on the offensive.

I reported it yesterday and got the immediate email that it was being checked out, but the post stayed up for hours despite a follow up email, another post and a thread in Site Stuff. It was then edited rather than deleted, which I thought was the norm for offensive language. I reported another use this morning and it's still up.

What are your views? Is this a fight worth having with MNHQ or am I out of step with the majority of Irish posters on here?

Thanks :)

@NoMoreFalafelForYou

My parents are Irish and this was a commonly-used term. Also Irish twins. Never occurred to anyone to get offended.

Yep, DH, his parents, and other (Irish) family didn't/don't give a stuff about 'Irish twins' either.

Everyone likes to be offended these days.

True dat! I'm sure it never used to be like this! Definitely a 21st century thing! Moreso this past 10-15 years.

point proven; sorry isn't that just a man's name, why would using his name cause offence? what do you think I mean by it? what have you taken offence at?

Having a paddy - I don't like it and can see why others find it offensive
Irish twins - offensive
Beyond the pale - doesn't bother me at all
Plastic paddy - offensive and I really bloody hate it. Same as certain posters on this thread making out that my children are less Irish than me because they were born abroad. I find that really bloody offensive.

It's deeply offensive - particularly to us older people of Irish ancestry. It's a casual sneering towards Irish people.
See also 'paddy wagon'.

They always used to delete it straight off- that's the whole point of this thread @BarbaraHoward is querying whether there has been a moderation policy change.
Just because it doesn't offend you doesn't mean it doesn't offend the rest of us. Posting in Craicnet...majority of us using this board are Irish.

I don’t think the two are comparable.

I'm from Essex. I've never taken offence to any of the Essex girl jokes or the stereotyping . I realise the majority of people that say this stuff don't really think all girls from Essex are like that. Same with scouser/geordie/scottish jokes etc.

I do think people are too easily offended these days and being offended on behalf of other people really irritates me.

I realise I'm in the minority here though so I'll get my coat.

I hate hearing plastic paddy and would always challenge it when I hear it.
Again most people using it are not thinking about how horrible it is.

Another person here who never knew this was anything to do with Irish people.

(Im 58 and my mum and dad were both Irish).

in my mind it was something to do with padding and stamping your feet in a temper. Don’t hear it all that often TBF.

Irish here. Only ever heard it once I moved to England. Cringed every time I heard it and find it quite offensive.

Imagine being called Karen now though! 😬

I sang This Old Man to both my children w/o a second though to the words.
I guess (hope?) it is not sung anywhere now?

I don't get the being offended on behalf of other people thing here.
OP is asking irish people if they're offended by an Irish slur.
We're offended on our own behalf!

I’m old enough to remember when it was much more commonly used and it was offensive then and still is. The fact that lots of people outside of Ireland here saying they have never heard it is hopefully evidence that it not used as much as it was.
(I’m not Irish)

I think it should be deleted and an explanation why given

I’m not Irish, my grandmother was so all her kids (my dad and siblings) consider themselves Irish catholic, and they say it, and don’t seem to care. Even when my son was a baby and having a meltdown my dad would say “paddy is having a paddy”
To be honest I didn’t realise the link until this post!

This is interesting because I always thought it was a shortening of paddywhack too and would use it interchangeably.

So... the only people I know who use the "P" word - and you all know what I mean - are young second generation British Asians. They use it to refer to those born in Pakistan, usually in terms such as "I am not marrying a P..." or "those P's are backwards". And a few less polite things. Does that mean that since they aren't offended by it I am now free to use it? Because some black people use the N word, it's ok for me to use it and nobody should be offended?

It doesn't matter how many "Irish" are not offended - the phrase it rooted in racism and people should want to not cause offence when that offence is pointed out.

What I find disturbing is not the fact that some people don't personally find it offensive, but that that some people are intent on continuing to use language which they know others find offensive. What does that say about people?

I am learning so much on this thread, and the tab I opened next to it for looking everything up!
I have believed for 50 years that beyond the pale meant having done something so bad you could not be buried in the sanctified ground within the churchyard.

I'm not Irish, so I'll hush now and listen some more.

If those terms are well known to be offensive then no, but there are five people don't realise the origin, like uppity, in those instances , yes we should if what we want is for people to learn and desist

you stated

“The people claiming to be Irish and who are offended, I can bet my life they don't live here.”

my reply was in response to that.

as to why MNHQ do or don’t do anything, how would I know.

When I lived in England, there were so many microagressions that made me uncomfortable and I imagine a lot of Irish living in England (who weren't raised there) may have similar stories. When you consider the history between England amd Ireland, and how Ireland was subjugated by the British for many years, it hits home a lot more. Having English people ask you if you were in the IRA, did you own guns, do you have electricity in Ireland, and then being called 'you lot' as being the reason why there aren't bins in train stations any more. Some friends would do it tongue in cheek, but I felt included in the joke. Some people wanted to make sure I knew they thought I was different from them and seemed to enjoy it. It's hard not to let phrases like Having a Paddy get under your skin when you do come against this.

Very few Irish born and raised people would use this phrase.

I didn't realise it was offensive. My lovely Irish neighbour (in her 80's) called her dog Paddy. She would also refer to my son's tantrums as "having a Paddy.
Perhaps it's generational thing. My Dad worked as an electrician for his lifetime. He was a Scot who moved to England in the 1960's and was always referred to as Jock by his English workmates. His Welsh workmate was Taffy.

Hmm. I live in Ireland, have for 17 years, my husband is Irish, son Irish etc. I've never known anyone here to take offence at that expression. I've just mentioned this post to my husband and he burst out laughing 🤷

There is a touring company called this based in Dublin.

Highly recommended!

Some black people use the n word. Doesn't mean posts using it would be permitted.