Is saying ‘having a paddy’ racist?

[PanickyBrum1]

I’m a new parent who posted for the first time on mumsnet recently after having a very tired and at times unreasonable panic about things. Some of the things I wrote were not fair and I rightly got picked up on them and some things that the community attacked me about I would stand by. But one thing I’m genuinely not sure whether I should feel bad for was being condemned for using the phrase ‘having a paddy’.

To give context I was describing my own behaviour and although I’m half Irish by blood, the whole Irish thing hadn’t even occurred to me.

*People will literally strive to find things to get offended about.

You didn’t read the definition did you?

@duckfuckduck it’s highly xenophobic though, and the fact that the Irish (and to a lesser extent the Scots) are seen as acceptable targets for mockery and sneering is a pretty unedifying example of society.

Oh sodding that’s interesting, that urban dictionary, given the phrase the Black Irish isn’t it?

Yes. Yes it is, thank you for literally repeating what I said.

I was behind the bar once at Cheltenham races and a colleague mentioned that there was a paddy wagon out the back. Cue row of faces but more startled than confused from the irish punters. It was only then that I realised what that phrase meant so have avoided all paddy references since.

@duckfuckduck unfortunately I’m old enough to remember those godawful signs people had in their windows. I lived in Lancashire until I was 7 and they were sadly pretty common, I remember asking my mum what they meant.

30 years later sadly it doesn’t look like much has changed eh? All you have to do is go on the Brexit threads where the border is being discussed and it’s clear nothing has changed.

I prefer "pitch a fit" but I guess that may be offensive too 🤔

I had no idea the connotations behind it .
i say it all the time, honestly just thought it was another way of saying having a tantrum.
I won't be saying it again because I would never want to offend anyone

I shall repeat it since you appear to be hard of thinking. You said you said

I think if you go back to my comment earlier I’d already said I wouldn’t use it again as it’s no bother to say ‘having a tantrum’ instead...

But what you actually said was

I’d probably avoid saying it as it’s not a bother to say ‘having a tantrum’ instead but where do you draw the line....

Those two things are not the same.

HTH.

Tatty it probably would be to someone who has seizures. I avoid it because my brother is epileptic, and because I’ve been on the receiving end of some fairly horrendous disablist abuse I’m quite keen on knowing the origins of words before I use them.

For example I had no idea “cretin” was disablist in origin, so I don’t use it.

But they just are...well I suppose ‘probably’ is in the first one...’hard of thinking’?! Calm down

I wont use it again, as I honestly had no idea. I didn't realise the name "Paddy" was used in a derogatory way, the offensive name for the Irish that I have heard is Mick. Obviously I would not want to offend anyone! I just asked my son (teenage) and he had no idea either of the origin of the phase.

I’m perfectly calm. It’s good to educate someone and show them when they have been using offensive terminology.

I’m perfectly calm. It’s good to educate someone and show them when they have been using offensive terminology.

Exactly!

Although it’s interesting that not only are you offensive towards people of another ethnicity, you are also misogynistic.

Well it offends me to use the phrase ‘hard of thinking’ it’s derogatory to people with learning difficulties....

Oh no. It’s derogatory to people who have a perfectly functioning brain but are deliberately failing to apply reasoned thought. Why are you continuing to goad here?

You’ve had your answer.

Would you go into a room full of people with learning difficulties and say it?

Oh I’m SO sorry. You should have said you had learning difficulties. That totally excuses your rude, belittling, misogynistic, borderline racist (but only because Irish isn’t a race) comments.

Oops! I absolutely didn't make the connection between "throwing a paddy" and Irish! I know that paddy itself was a derogatory word for Irish but I hadn't connected until now "throwing a paddy" with "paddy" - in my head they were completely separate things if that makes sense. Fortunately it's not a phrase I tend to use and I'll definitely make sure I won't use it from now on.

I'm offended by the phrase its good to educate someone

What if I do have learning difficulties?

Think about what you just said

Hard of thinking doesn’t describe someone with learning difficulties, it describes someone being deliberately obtuse.

But nice attempt at deflection, maybe you need to calm down?

Sodding. Exactly that. You said it so much better than me.

It’s interesting isn’t it that OP latches on to learning difficulties as a way to deflect from their own ignorance isn’t it?

I actually find that quite offensive.

Anyone would think he was being deliberately goady.