"Paddy" in modern language !

Minfadlek

Would you say anything if someone on another forum kept referring to Mchl O'Leary as "the Paddy" ? (English language forum - mostly Brits)
My heart is saying "say something", but what (if anything) would you say ?
Thanks

kreuzberger

dumbass that i am I cant find it .could you point me towards the part of the forum where this is being said , perhaps link , and I could have a look at the context ? It might be the case the term is being used in an ironic sense
however if its being used in a derogatory manner then my advice would simply be to point out that such terminology is inappropriate and offensive and to ask the person using it to grow up and desist . In a polite manner of course .

AckwelFoley

post a link


Snyper will take care of it from there.

PDN

Minfadlek wrote: »

Would you say anything if someone on another forum kept referring to Mchl O'Leary as "the Paddy" ? (English language forum - mostly Brits)
My heart is saying "say something", but what (if anything) would you say ?
Thanks

Sounds to me like it is being used in a derogatory fashion - pretty much like your use of the word 'Brits'?

Minfadlek

Using "Brits" as an abreviation of "British" (ppl from Great Britain, kinda like Irish being ppl from Ireland).....

AckwelFoley

Ive seen the thread..

It seems to be the one guy using the term the whole time

Minfadlek

... yea, I've just added my tuppence worth !

Red Hand

Minfadlek wrote: »

Using "Brits" as an abreviation of "British" (ppl from Great Britain, kinda like Irish being ppl from Ireland).....

And "Japs" as an appreviation of Japanese?

PDN

Jeremiah 16:1 wrote: »

And "Japs" as an appreviation of Japanese?

Or "Argies" for Argentinians. Plenty of derogatory terms would appear to have fairly innocuous roots. For example, '******' is probably the most offensive word in the English language - yet it is simply a corruption of the French word for 'black'. 'Paddy' is in itself a recognition of our nation's patron saint and, like 'Brit' 'queer' and '******' it can be used as a self-description in a way that is completely inoffensive.

I certainly don't see Wikipedia as an infallible authority, but I think they are correct in stating that the term 'Brit', when used by national Irish, has highly pejorative connotations http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_words_for_British

Don't get me wrong, I agree that the term 'paddy' is offensive when used by the English - but for someone to complain about it while referring to the English as 'Brits' is a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black.

Fratton Fred

Where is the English Language forum?

purple'n'gold

In the British armed services, Every Irishman is Paddy, every Scotsman is Jock and every Welshman is Taffy. Also lads from the north east of England are called Geordie. Nothing offensive meant by the above terms and none ever taken, it’s just traditional. And I know, first hand.

karen3212

purplengold wrote: »

In the British armed services, Every Irishman is Paddy, every Scotsman is Jock and every Welshman is Taffy. Also lads from the north east of England are called Geordie. Nothing offensive meant by the above terms and none ever taken, it’s just traditional. And I know, first hand.

Yeah but I think it's differnet if it's used between people who are friends though.

Also I wouldn't equate the offensiveness of a black man calling a white person a cracker, with the offensiveness of a white man using the 'n' word.
Op it all depends on the context and relationships between the people saying it - for me, anyway.

Minfadlek

On the forums I use, particularly the one in question, the word "Brits" is used frequently, (I believe) as an abbreviation of British,... This is how I meant it !
But I will certainly give it more thought in the future

Thanks for the replies

Dyr

It depends on the context, though you dont to let them saxons getting too blasé about using paddy

PDN

purplengold wrote: »

In the British armed services, Every Irishman is Paddy, every Scotsman is Jock and every Welshman is Taffy. Also lads from the north east of England are called Geordie. Nothing offensive meant by the above terms and none ever taken, it’s just traditional. And I know, first hand.

With all due respect, imagine the consequences if we all decided to take the practices of the British armed services as a guide for what is right or wrong. The population of Derry would certainly decrease quite sharply.

I used to call a friend of mine "Paddy", he has no Irish in him whatsoever 100% English, just his name was Patrick.

After a few years people who didn't know him used to ask him if he was Irish

PDN

PDN wrote: »

With all due respect, imagine the consequences if we all decided to take the practices of the British armed services as a guide for what is right or wrong.

I would imagine it depends on the regiment, after all the Dragoon guards would be full of "jocks".

Probably just English regiments.

McArmalite

PDN wrote: »

With all due respect, imagine the consequences if we all decided to take the practices of the British armed services as a guide for what is right or wrong. The population of Derry would certainly decrease quite sharply.

With all due respect, the population of the british royal family and parachute regiment also would certainly decrease quite sharply in retaliation.

PDN

PDN wrote: »

With all due respect, imagine the consequences if we all decided to take the practices of the British armed services as a guide for what is right or wrong. The population of Derry would certainly decrease quite sharply.

McArmalite wrote: »

With all due respect, the population of the british royal family and parachute regiment also would certainly decrease quite sharply in retaliation.

Over the name Paddy?

Some people just go soooo over the top!! :rolleyes:

Minfadlek

Minfadlek wrote: »

Using "Brits" as an abreviation of "British" (ppl from Great Britain, kinda like Irish being ppl from Ireland).....

Nothing wrong with the word "Brits" it's just that there are some who can't use the word without preceding or following it with a derogatory comment!

dsmythy

PDN wrote: »

Sounds to me like it is being used in a derogatory fashion - pretty much like your use of the word 'Brits'?

They have their own awards ceremony nicknamed the Brits. I don't see anything wrong with the term.

dsmythy

Jeremiah 16:1 wrote: »

And "Japs" as an appreviation of Japanese?

There's a car dealership near the airport which has signs up advertising "Jap cars". It is to save banner space but i always wonder how they get away with it.

dsmythy

dsmythy wrote: »

There's a car dealership near the airport which has signs up advertising "Jap cars". It is to save banner space but i always wonder how they get away with it.

He's referring to the cars, not the people.
It'd be bad for business if he was being derogatory to the people who made 'em

Red Hand

If it was in Ireland, it would be "Paddy Wagons".:)

Jeremiah 16:1

Jeremiah 16:1 wrote: »

If it was in Ireland, it would be "Paddy Wagons".:)

from Wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddywagon

Paddywagon and Black Maria are slang terms for either a police car, or a police vehicle used to transport large groups of people who have been arrested.

The word paddywagon is of American origin. The precise origin of the term is uncertain and disputed, though its use dates back to at least the beginning of the 1900s.[1] There are at least three theories as how the phrase originated.[2]

The most prevalent theory is based on the term "Paddy" (a common Irish shortening of Patrick), which was used (sometimes as derogatory slang) to refer to Irish people.[3] Irishmen made up a large percentage of the officers of early police forces in many American cities. Thus, this theory suggests that the concentration of Irish in the police forces led to the term "paddywagon" being used to describe the vehicles driven by police.


An alternative theory is similarly based on the term "Paddy" but states that the term arose due to the number of immigrant Irish being arrested for having consumed too much alcohol and taken away in the vehicles.[4]


The final theory holds that the name originates from the padding used on the inside of police horse-drawn carriages to prevent injury; [5] this last is regarded by lexicographers as an example of folk etymology[citation needed].