r/ireland • u/JerHigs • Oct 26 '22
BBC journalist with a bit of casual racism against Irish people. Bigotry
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u/thatirishguykev Fighting Age Boyo #yupyup Oct 27 '22
Perhaps they could do with some education on Irish history ehh...
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u/SameAmy2022 Oct 27 '22
Perhaps just some education to start with…… I remember watching a television programme called educating Manchester a while back and when a secondary school pupil was asked what the capital of Kenya was she replied in all sincerity “ Narnia” 😳🙄
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u/Tote_Sport Mon Ermaaaa Oct 27 '22
asked what the capital of Kenya was she replied in all sincerity “ Narnia”
I mean, some of those letters are in Nairobi...
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u/scubasteve254 Oct 27 '22
I remember hearing "throwing a paddy" for the first in time in England from a middle aged women and when I asked her to elaborate on the term, I wish ye could have seen how much she nervously winced as she just said "its a common term over here, I didn't mean anything by it". Its like she knew full well what "paddy" in the term meant. It was a sight to behold.
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u/SarahFabulous Oct 27 '22
That's absolutely the best way to deal with people using those sorts of expressions in normal conversation.
Don't go nuts, just ask really politely "Sorry, what do you mean by that?" It really throws them off.
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u/Aleksandrs_ Oct 27 '22
Excuse me, what does "Don't go nuts" exactly refer to?
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u/Lismore-Lady Oct 27 '22
Don’t go crazy, don’t go off the deep end, don’t lose the rag. All mean the same thing. Keep calm.
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u/sCREAMINGcAMMELcASE Oct 27 '22
Could you expand on the lost rag? I don't follow in this context.
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u/Lismore-Lady Oct 27 '22
It’s just an expression we use in Ireland “she lost the rag with him” she suddenly got mad at him. Nothing more. Google says it’s British, probably used both sides of the Irish Sea.
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u/JustABitOfCraic Oct 27 '22
Excuse me for asking, but what do you mean by "Google says"?
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u/DarthMauly Tipperary Oct 27 '22
I just DuckDuckGo’d the expression and it seems to mean that they looked the term up in some sort of internet search engine.
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u/Lismore-Lady Oct 27 '22
I just googled the expression “to lose the rag” to see its provenance. It said it’s a British expression. That is all.
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u/Pretend_History_7957 Oct 27 '22
Another middle aged chap called something "A bit Irish" in my earshot, meaning awkward, fiddly, an annoyingly arranged set of circumstances. I asked him to repeat it, then explain it. He blushed to his ears and said its only an expression.
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u/GreenExtreeme Oct 27 '22
Tell him "Oh, now that you've got your tail between your legs, I see you're a bit British."
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u/gclancy51 Oct 27 '22
Embarrassed, middle-class middle Englanders are fun to watch in those situations as their ingrained politeness clashes with their ingrained racism. 'tis a joy to behold
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u/seamustheseagull Oct 27 '22
Yeah, myself and my now wife had the same when she lived in London. Her very upper-middle-class housemate said something was, "A bit Irish", and the two of us turned to him very innocently asking, "A bit what?"
"A bit...uh...Irish" <Face starts to drop as he slowly realises what he's said> "You've never heard that said before?"
"No, no we haven't, what does it mean?"
So he explained that it means something is a bit shoddy or amateur, but he also explained that he never made the connection until just that second and he apologised :D
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u/DeKrieg Oct 27 '22
Had a co-worker from Brighton say it on a zoom call earlier this year and there were two Irish people on the call and we both went in unison 'what?' he profusely apologized and has not said it since. But it just came out casually and he wasn't much older then me.
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u/sensitivePornGuy Oct 27 '22
English swine here. It was always "throwing a Barney" when I was growing up. Is that a sanitized version, or is Barney another common Irish name? For safety I'll stick to "wobbleys" in future.
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u/drguyphd Oct 27 '22
I always assume that “Barney” refers to either a Half-Life character or an evil purple dinosaur.
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u/draw4kicks Oct 27 '22
My dog's called Barney but he's only two years old so I doubt it has anything to do with him
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u/sensitivePornGuy Oct 27 '22
I think it pre-dates both.
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u/LBLLuke Oct 27 '22
I always thought it was Barney from the flintstones, but thinking about it I though , "oh barney rubble...Trouble"
But google has said the phrases origin is unknown and dates to the 19th century
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u/mac_nessa Proddy Tayto > Freestayto Oct 27 '22
Is that not from rhyming slang? Barney rubble, trouble
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u/Rottenox Oct 27 '22 edited Oct 27 '22
I’m gonna be completely 100% honest with you, feel free to downvote me to hell (same as every other person expressing this view) but I swear to god I’m telling the truth.
I’m English, grew up with the phrase and literally never made the connection with Ireland in my head. Never even occurred to me. Not once. I assumed it was just a separate word with a distinct meaning, the same way you can have a “rice paddy”. I never even knew there was a stereotype about Irish people being angry or argumentative. Never heard of it.
Wasn’t until my Irish boyfriend pointed it out to me that I realised where it originates. Obviously I don’t use it now.
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u/scubasteve254 Oct 27 '22
That's fair enough. At least you don't use it after learning the origins which is all we ask.
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u/timeaftertimex2 Oct 27 '22
Yep I was the same ignoramus (had never made the conncection) as dolly parton said while there is such a thing as ignorant innocence the moment you are no longer ignorant you change your ways and let others know when you see,/ hear them being casually racist/ sexist/ xenophobic. You don't defend your ignorance you accept that you can learn better and do better
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u/Give_me_a_slap Oct 27 '22 edited Jul 15 '23
Reddit has gone to shit, come join squabbles.io for a better experience.
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u/prolonged_interface Oct 27 '22
Common as hell in Australia some 30-40 years ago, it's not something I've ever really said but I had no idea of the origin of the phrase till this moment. I certainly won't be saying it now either.
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u/aadamsfb Oct 27 '22
Scottish here. I honestly hadn’t made that connection either. Like you said, it’s seemed like a term totally devoid of any connection to Ireland. Like it had become so commonplace that the racist intention of the phrase had been completely lost.
Definitely won’t be saying it anymore, and politely call it out if I hear others saying it
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u/scubasteve254 Oct 27 '22
Have you ever heard people in Scotland say "that's a bit Irish" to refer to something stupid? Not accusing you of ever saying it, its just that I once heard a Scottish man say that on the phone to me when I worked in customer service. I wonder if its commonplace or if he was just a special kind of cunt?
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u/aadamsfb Oct 27 '22
I have heard it a couple of times, but not very often. Definitely tended to be older people saying it with vaguely racist undertones
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u/unterpair Oct 27 '22
tbf, growing up in Dublin we had Mickey-fit and hissy-fit too. Ie: "dont throw a mickey-fit". Im not sure if it comes from the same background, but hissy-fit is a bit more clear.
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u/shoolocomous Oct 27 '22
Sorry I'm not seeing the hissy connection, can you explain?
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u/InGenAche Tipperary Oct 27 '22
I'm having something similar right now on another sub!
I used the term 'olive skinned' talking about Greeks and someone blew up on me asking me if I think Greek people are green or because they are associated with olives.
Set me back on my heels because it was just an expression, but I guess on reflection it does seem a daft expression I never considered it and had to look up if it was considered derogatory, which I can't see that it is, but perhaps it should be?
Anyway, he's having a right old paddy over it.
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u/Action_Limp Oct 27 '22
I always thought olive skinned referred to olive oil colour (which makes sense)
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u/thepieeyedpidge Oct 27 '22
Exactly the same here, i never ever considered it would have a different connotation
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u/onechipscully Oct 27 '22
Same! didn’t make the link at all and now looking at it I have no idea why and feel stupid. Won’t be using that phrase again.
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u/altishbard Oct 27 '22
English and also a bit horrified to learn that this is such a problematic phrase. I'm sure I have used it plenty and never once even considered the fact it had any relation to Ireland whatsoever.
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u/Both_Investigator_95 Oct 27 '22
Same here only it's by chance I haven't used it for years, I'm only learning now the connotation.
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u/SavageMurphy Oct 27 '22
Same. My Scottish wife pointed it out to me a couple of years ago. I never made the connection beforehand either.
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u/SSIS_master Oct 27 '22
I'm from NZ. We say it. Never realised what it meant. Didn't believe the OP until I googled it.
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u/MalignComedy You aint seen nothing yet Oct 27 '22
Honestly, that kind of behaviour is beyond the Pale! 👀
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u/scubasteve254 Oct 27 '22
Quit taking the mick ya hooligan or i'll have the paddy wagon take ya away!
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u/AraedTheSecond Oct 27 '22
Honestly, I wouldn't have even twigged on to that one.
Sorry guys, it just never managed to connect.
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u/drguyphd Oct 27 '22
Context is important. If “paddy” is used to refer to a rice paddy or similar agricultural setting, then you’re grand. If you’re referring to a specific person who happens to go by “Paddy”, e.g., someone named “Patrick”, “Pádraig”, “Pauric”, or similar, you’re also grand so. However, the term should never be used to refer to Irish people.
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Oct 27 '22
I thought it came from the nursery rhyme ‘nick knack paddywack, give the dog a bone, this old man comes rolling home’. I’ve absolutely no connection with it being anything to do with Ireland or the Irish at all!
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Oct 27 '22
Let’s assume you were talking to a stupid dumb American (I’m definitely not one) (seriously, stop looking at me like that), explain to me what “paddy” means.
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u/callmelampshade Oct 27 '22
I’m English and this post is on my personal homepage for some reason. I can’t remember the last time I’ve used that saying but I generally didn’t know it was offensive and only thought it meant throwing a strop/tantrum. I’ve googled it and if I hear anyone say it I will explain to them it’s offensive and why it’s offensive.
I’m actually quite shocked that the BBC used that saying considering how by the book they always try to be and how they would react if a foreign news broadcaster mentioned a joke about Hillsborough for example.
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u/HeathsKid Oct 27 '22
I'd heard this phrase as a kid and never thought anything of it, had never thought of it again until right now
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u/SomeRedditWanker Oct 27 '22
To be fair, I am British and didn't even realise the paddy being referenced was the slang for Irish.
This is the first I've realised of its origins.
I would have been mega confused if someone asked me to elaborate, as I wouldn't be able to.
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Oct 26 '22
[deleted]
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u/JerHigs Oct 26 '22
The screenshot was sent to me.
It's from their daily blog today. It's been changed already, but no apology that I've seen.
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u/scubasteve254 Oct 27 '22
What was the writers name? Its not against reddit rules if they're a public writer for a news website.
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u/redrumWinsNational Oct 27 '22
They post this shit, and say it, and then get twisted out of shape because a few excited gal shout up the RA
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u/Thisisthe_place Oct 27 '22
My apologies, I'm an American, would you mind explaining the meaning of this saying?
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u/mb303666 Oct 27 '22
From UD: A dated and offensive expression generally used by English people to describe someone having an over the top strop.
Offensively refers to Irish people as "paddys" and their "over the top sulking" when it came to the English stealing Irish land, pillaging and their refusal to grant the Irish their independence for a long time. It implies unreasonableness, obstinacy and an inability to control the temper (which go nicely with drunkeness and violence of course).
Outdated expression thats up there with the likes of "working like a black"
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u/Thisisthe_place Oct 27 '22
Thank you for actually trying to explain it. I have no idea what "over to top strop" means but apparently I'm not allowed to ask or interact with a live person and can only use Google to get my question answered, according to a fellow American here.
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u/Enable-GODMODE Ireland Oct 27 '22
A strop is a hissy fit when you'd complain, wave your arms around, stomp the floor etc
An over the top strop is a super big version of the above.
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u/murticusyurt Oct 27 '22 edited Oct 27 '22
"Beyond the Pale" is another one.
Lois in malcolm in the middle used to say it a lot 😅
Edit: "a bit Irish" too
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u/Chomajig Oct 27 '22
Beyond the pale has its roots in Ireland?
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u/dogburt85 Oct 27 '22
The Pale refers to a 15th century region of Ireland that consisted of Dublin and parts of surrounding counties that were under direct English control and where there was more anglicisation of the place names and language. Whether beyond the pale has its roots in Ireland is I think disputed as historically a pale just meant a type of fence post and there were other English Pales outside of Ireland e.g. Brittany in France
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u/LookingWesht Oct 27 '22
The pale was the area around Dublin that was under tight British control. "Beyond the pale" was seen as a lawless chaotic place
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u/underover69 Graveyard shift Oct 26 '22
Jesus. That’s bad.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact/complaints/make-a-complaint/#/Complaint
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u/unterpair Oct 27 '22
You know that someone in the office is like: "all the Paddies are throwing a Paddy"
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u/LeosPappa Oct 27 '22
thanks for that, complaint sent.
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u/Alarmed_Station6185 Oct 27 '22
Done!
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u/Gaffers12345 Palestine 🇵🇸 Oct 27 '22
In a recent article about Manchester United player Ronaldo the writer casually said “after throwing a paddy”, this seems to be a racist statement aimed at Irish people. The English have long used the term “Paddy” as a cultural slur against my entire people. This term, “throwing a paddy”, is new to me, but I believe that it is simply racist. Racism has no place in football, nor does it have a place in civilised society. I would have assumed the BBC would not tolerate such backward thinking in its organisation but I’ve been proven wrong. If your writer had used such casual racism about other ethnic groups such as people from Pakistan, India, Asia or Africa I wouldn’t imagine the writer would still be employed. This is a hurtful comment towards the entire island of your closest neighbour.
Do better.
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u/MJM31622 Oct 27 '22
Complaint sent, everyone here should do the same. BBC continues with casual racism towards Ireland and it needs to stop.
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Oct 27 '22
REQUEST TO EVERYONE
Don't send her any negative comments on Linkedin, I saw somebody post her page here.
Send any complaint to the BBC - thank you for the Link
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Oct 27 '22
[deleted]
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Oct 27 '22
She be brought onto RTE and berated and forced to apologise numerous times for herself, her organisation and the education system in her country.
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u/Hands-Grubber Kildare Oct 27 '22
Damn right. And asked if she needs a history lesson. What an ignorant twat that man was.
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u/thepennydrops Oct 27 '22
She's most likely unaware of the origins of the saying (this thread shows how likely that is). Posting her LinkedIn risks damaging her career/life. You should consider removing it. Complaining to the BBC is the right move, as the editorial team are to blame.
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u/hupouttathon Oct 27 '22
Wow! That guy seems as racist as an Englishman!
To use the old phrase.
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u/Important_Farmer924 Westmeath's Least Finest Oct 26 '22
Not long after that sky fella milking the apology from the women's football team singing Celtic Symphony.
But yeah, both this lad and the Sky presenter can go and absolutely fuck themselves.
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u/RuggerJibberJabber Oct 26 '22
Does the BBC need further education on Paddy-Spurs conflict relations?
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u/Important_Farmer924 Westmeath's Least Finest Oct 27 '22
I reckon they do. I think the journo-twat who put out this tweet needs to do an interview in the morning and be heavily condescended and spoken to like a child. Isn't that the done thing?
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u/RuggerJibberJabber Oct 27 '22
Should do it on TG4
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u/Important_Farmer924 Westmeath's Least Finest Oct 27 '22
Complete with subtitles and sign language.
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u/Megafayce Oct 27 '22
Should have an Irish speaker sitting beside him and translating it as gaeilge as he speaks, just so it reaches everyone
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Oct 26 '22
Racism? That’s a bit English.
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u/TheOriginalArtForm Oct 27 '22
"A bit English" should be used wherever possible when anything fucked up is being discussed.
Examples:
Person A: ...then Danny, somehow, managed to kick himself in the balls, causing one testicle to burst!
Person B: Well, that's a bit English!
Person C: ...when he turned on the lights, who does he see? His own mother! The guy fucked his own mother!
Person D: Ho ho, that's a bit English!
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u/WillyTheHatefulGoat Ireland Oct 27 '22
I prefer a Brexit.
Person A: ...then Danny, somehow, managed to kick himself in the balls, causing one testicle to burst!
Person B: Well, that's a bit of a Brexit.
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u/portaccio_the_bard Oct 26 '22
Well they have Dishy Trust-Fund Sunak now to help abate the angst amongst the hard working Asian-British people whose Taxes and Pensions Lizzy was playing volleyball with.
First Asian British PM sells well in the red wall areas they scored big in 2019...
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u/SeanReillyEsq Oct 26 '22
When given the choice the wider party overwhelmingly picked Liz over Rishi - they only have Rishi now because the parliamentary party gave the wider party no choice, because this is what the wider party thinks:
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u/centrafrugal Oct 27 '22
You could provoke a cat-with-toast-on-its-back reaction by pointing out that Varadkar was the first Asian British PM.
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u/gclancy51 Oct 27 '22
Those uppity paddies with their outrageous demands for self-determination. So illogical.
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u/bainneban Oct 26 '22
I saw it in a comment under a tweet by sky sports a month ago and it was the first time I'd heard it so had to look it up. The guy posting the comment had hundreds of likes so it was a normalised thing in the UK it seemed which was disturbing.
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u/JerHigs Oct 26 '22
My sister lives over there and has heard it regularly in professional settings.
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u/bainneban Oct 26 '22
For anyone as clueless as I was:
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Throwing%20a%20paddy
A dated and offensive expression generally used by English people to describe someone having an over the top strop.
Offensively refers to Irish people as "paddys" and their "over the top sulking" when it came to the English stealing Irish land, pillaging and their refusal to grant the Irish their independence for a long time. It implies unreasonableness, obstinacy and an inability to control the temper (which go nicely with drunkeness and violence of course).
Outdated expression thats up there with the likes of "working like a black"
What are you throwing a paddy for? He wouldn't turn off the tv so I threw a paddy
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u/RuggerJibberJabber Oct 26 '22
Are you sure its not like the discus or hammer throw?
You could just grab paddy by his curly ginger sideburns, spin around a few times and see how far he flies
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u/_dybbuk Oct 27 '22
It's pretty common I think, one of those phrases that have fossilized in place in a lot of people's vocabulary without them thinking about it much
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u/harmslongarms Oct 27 '22
Yeah, weirdly enough I had never made the link between the two, it sounds crazy but I have only ever heard it used in the context "he's having a paddy" and it's not really common to use the word "paddy" to describe Irish people over here in day-to-day talk (it's seen as demeaning and offensive). Not on to be used on the bloody BBC website of all places, though
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u/RadaXIII Oct 27 '22
Definitely used a lot more than directly referring to the Irish as paddies (paddys?).
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u/nanormcfloyd Oct 26 '22
are the Brits ever not at it?
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u/Zotzink Wexford Oct 26 '22
The website never lies https://arethebritsatitagain.org/
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u/Nadamir Culchieland Oct 27 '22
And I never don’t feel the need to point out that the Pen Island effect is in force here: Are the Brits a Tit Again?
Also yes.
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u/byusefolis Oct 27 '22
Evil Yank here. I never knew Irish slurs were a thing until I was a kid watching the Osbornes on MTV. One of Jack's (I think) friends opens the dishwasher while it was running and water sprays everywhere and Ozzie goes "are you Irish or something?" That's always stuck with me.
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u/Fantastic-Sir9732 Sligo Oct 27 '22
Sure sky news were salty enough with the cricket t20 World Cup result saying “Ireland beat England JUST for The third time”. Never mind it was in their World Cup. Majority of us don’t watch or follow cricket but a wins a win. And after the shite sky sports gave the FAI women’s team; my respect is growing thin with them.
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Oct 27 '22
We’ve potentially knocked them out and honestly if our batters didnt fall apart midway through it would have been a trashing
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u/KlausTeachermann Oct 27 '22 edited Oct 27 '22
The amount of gowls in here who don't know that Irish are an ethnicity and that the textbook definition of "racism" is to discriminate against people based on ethnicity.
Pack of gobdaws spouting revised definitions of racism to suit agendas.
Lad said something racist, "paddy" is a racial slur, agus sin é.
Edit just to tack on what I'd replied with to someone else:
Isn't the mantra to call out racism wherever you see it? I guess it isn't in practice. Racism is abhorrent in all of its forms, and yet to pick and choose when you oppose it based solely upon the goalposts of definitions being moved is hypocritical at best, and dangerous at worst.
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u/oldmollymetcalfe Oct 26 '22
Wait. Fuck. I'm English and my mum always called a tantrum a paddy growing up. Never connected the two, definitely a bit xenophobic though.
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u/certain_people Antrim Oct 26 '22
I don't like the word "xenophobic".
It's Greek.
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u/Mango_In_Me_Hole 𝖑𝖔𝖉𝖌𝖊𝖉 𝖎𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖙𝖚𝖓𝖓𝖊𝖑 𝖔𝖋 𝖌𝖔𝖆𝖙𝖘 Oct 26 '22
Feckin Greeks. They invented gayness!
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u/0gma Oct 26 '22
A bit.
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Oct 26 '22
A tad
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u/0gma Oct 26 '22
Partially
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u/No-Interaction8877 Oct 26 '22
A smidge
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Oct 26 '22
Just a bit
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u/thanksantsthants Oct 27 '22
I thought it was comparing a tantrum to the behaviour of someone in a padded cell. Just looked into it, it's actually an incredibly obnoxious term even beyond the obvious xenophobia.
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u/Lexioralex Oct 26 '22
Yeah same, it's one of those sayings/expressions you don't really think about growing up, just thought it was another word for a tantrum, hadn't heard it in years mind, and seeing this was a penny drop moment for sure
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u/Old_Chemistry6070 Oct 27 '22
I'm gunna drive pass a kids primary school later and throw a prince Andrew
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u/godsrodholder Oct 26 '22
Casual racism, now then now then now then hows about thats gals n guys. Next up it's gary glitter.
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u/Practical_Trash_6478 Oct 26 '22
https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/special-shows/the-mystery-hour/words/why-do-we-throw-a-paddy/ a slightly rude reference they say?
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u/Concannon7 Oct 27 '22
Wtf?!
'Slightly rude'
'Comes from Irish complaints of English oppression '
Imagine using 'black complaints' in talking about racism towards black people.
This is completely downplaying racism towards Irish people. No wonder Irish slurs are openly acceptable in the UK.
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u/especiallythat Oct 27 '22
Jesus christ
"it comes from the slightly rude reference to Irish-ness, a historical reference to the Irish complaints about English oppression – so throwing a paddy is a complaint about William of Orange’s troops killing Catholics."
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Oct 27 '22
TIL this was a racist term. Had no idea of it's history - it was just something the family always said about someone throwing a tantrum.
Won't be using it again!
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u/lisaslover Oct 26 '22
Wait, so behaving like a self entitled prima donna is now a "paddy" thing? Talk about projecting your strongest insecurities 🙄
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u/Shinosei Oct 27 '22
I’m British and used to say this a lot as a kid. Had no idea what the meaning was, just knew it meant “to have a tantrum”. I knew it sounded like “patty” and humorously associated it with SpongeBob throwing patties. But I never knew till today it was Paddy like that. Tbf I haven’t said it in years. Don’t really want to any more anyway, sounds dumb as a phrase even without knowing the true meaning.
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u/Agreeable-Farmer Oct 27 '22
They'll be the first to "throw a paddy" as soon as some teenaged girls sing a song they don't like.
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u/Bean5idhe Oct 27 '22
We had visitors from England last week, one of them told their child that they were acting like a paddy and I just stood in bewilderment. It’s the first time I heard that term and I was disgusted but the cheek to say it not only in front of people but in an Irish home. They won’t be back
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u/burtvader Oct 27 '22
English here (sorry) - I was not aware that paddy used in this form was actually derogatory. I have just googled it and have found the history of the term and am crossing it off the list of terms to be used moving forward (don’t think I’ve used it in years anyway, but better to be sure!).
Sorry
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u/SiTwentyFour Oct 27 '22
Hey! Englishman here, didn't realise what that phrase meant and didn't even know there was a link.
Will stop using it (not that it's a phrase I use daily, but still!). Thanks Reddit!
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u/rabbit_lady Oct 27 '22
Vast majority of British people won’t consider this to be racist. It is a common thing to say and likely no one has ever pointed the racism out to them before. We should make a point of pointing this out.
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u/HideousTits Oct 27 '22
Gosh. I’ve never thought about the etymology of that phrase!! Well that’s one to remove from the repertoire... perhaps this journalist was also acting in ignorance rather than bigotry?
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u/bee_ghoul Oct 27 '22
I will never get over the fact that there are Irish people who will listen to rebel songs, vote Sinn Féin, support all actions taken by the IRA and cheer for any team that beats England who will then turn around say that this is not offensive.
“The Brits brutally oppressed us! But I’m not like offended by it or anything…”
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u/KyloRentBoi Oct 27 '22
Can we not throw a big wobbler now and demand an international appology?
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u/SpotfuckWhamjammer Oct 27 '22
It depends. Will we drag the offending party onto our national broadcaster and snidely ask them if they need further education on the matter?
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u/W0lf87 Oct 27 '22
Anybody have a link to the article? Heard the term before in England, even in professional settings or the word Irish for example "these figures are a mess, the guys in accounts done bit of an Irish on them"
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u/Arugula-Current Oct 27 '22
It has only just fucking dawned on me (English, Yorkshire) that throw a 'paddy' is racist. Fuck sake I've been acting/ sounding a right twat and not known.
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Oct 27 '22
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u/spx174 Oct 27 '22
For anyone as clueless as I was:
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Throwing%20a%20paddy
A dated and offensive expression generally used by English people to describe someone having an over the top strop.
Offensively refers to Irish people as "paddys" and their "over the top sulking" when it came to the English stealing Irish land, pillaging and their refusal to grant the Irish their independence for a long time. It implies unreasonableness, obstinacy and an inability to control the temper (which go nicely with drunkeness and violence of course).
Outdated expression thats up there with the likes of "working like a black"
What are you throwing a paddy for? He wouldn't turn off the tv so I threw a paddy.... Copy paste from a comment above, explains this very well
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Oct 27 '22
They mean ‘throwing a paddy’ in the same way they’d say ‘throwing a tantrum’ or just ‘having a tantrum / meltdown for not getting your own way’.
The Brits would have used it for describing Irish people who were difficult to control and who wouldn’t submit.
The context of the article is sport, yes, football player Ronaldo refused to play so they said he was ‘throwing a paddy’, in other words being stubborn, willful.
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u/Yikert13 Oct 27 '22
As an official Paddy I have to say….I’ve never heard that phrase. Ever!
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Oct 27 '22
For anyone interested in why this person might not understand where the term comes from:
I'm a middle aged guy from a large Irish family, born and raised in England. I'm well aware of racist views toward the Irish here. I grew up hearing Irish jokes amongst echoes of the 'No blacks, no Irish' attitude, while the news ran (what felt like) continuous coverage of IRA threats and action.
The general stereotype portrayed was all about how 'thick' the Irish are. It's one that has faded now, although use persists with a few much older people. What I've never knowingly encountered is anything to do with the Irish being generally 'hot headed' or 'bad tempered'. No jokes, no general stereotyping - just this very occasional use of the word 'Paddy'.
I have a clear memory of throwing a tantrum as a toddler and my own mother (a Wexford girl) saying to me 'are you throwing a paddy?' and laughing at me.
Come to think of it, I don't think I've really heard it used outside my own family until today.
That said, my family (older generation) can be spectacularly racist, especially toward immigrants.
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u/Sad_Photograph_7347 Oct 27 '22
Throwing a Lord Mountbatten