Would you be offended...

coolbeans

I've a lot of cause to be the in the UK at the moment where I interact with lots of Englanders on a daily basis. People are generally friendly and there's lots of push and shove banter when I deal with colleagues. I get called paddy, spud and people often shout "potatoes" in my wake. None of this bothers me in the slightest.
However, when I told an Irish friend this his eyes lït up with astonishment and fury. He tells me that I'm the subject of racist abuse and that I should report it. I think that's an absurd notion. Thoughts?

wp_rathead

Most important thing: context

mardybumbum

Spud, Potato, Paddy????

I would be as offended as fcuk.

Legs.Eleven

Haven't read the OP but as a fully paid up member of the PC Brigade I'm going to say, "YES :mad:".

Renegade Mechanic

Jaysus, tell your friend never to work in England! :eek:
My own opinion is that its not anything to be locking and loading over, give as good as you get and everythings fine:D

Chucken

Englanders.












?

fleet_admiral

call them pommies and limeys back

paddy mick and potato are racist

dirkmeister

As soon as I saw the word "spud" I started craving Taytos cheese and onion.

Riamfada

Life is too short to be offended and I don't understand people who get offended by these things. Ive been called cnut plenty of times. Words are just words.

Tilly

It wouldn't offend me tbh.

dee_mc

My first thought was 'it wouldn't bother me'
My second thought was, if I said something like that to a foreign worker in Ireland (which I wouldn't anyway) there'd be hell to pay

Dyr

I'm pretty sure that irish is classed as an ethnicity in english employment law, so yeah..they're bascially hurling racial abuse at you. Ya wont see them jokingly roaring Paki or Coon at anyone in the office

Freddie Dodge

Why would you continue to interact in any way with someone who abuses you and your country in such a fashion? Some sad need to be liked???

jackboy

You can only get offended if you believe the insult.

Muise...

Do they say "no offence, mate" afterwards? Because that seems to make it OK. English friends of mine in Ireland have to put up with all sorts of anti-English sh1te, followed by "no offence, like".

coolbeans

Riamfada wrote: »

Life is too short to be offended and I don't understand people who get offended by these things. Ive been called cnut plenty of times. Words are just words.

To be fair, kun* is something I wouldn't put up with. That's proper offensive. I'm surprised that some are offended by paddy. Spud, same again. Potatoes, it's just silliness. Couldn't believe my friend's reaction. He was offended on my behalf.

Duckworth_Luas

coolbeans wrote: »

people often shout "potatoes" in my wake.

Why?

bumper234

coolbeans wrote: »

I've a lot of cause to be the in the UK at the moment where I interact with lots of Englanders on a daily basis. People are generally friendly and there's lots of push and shove banter when I deal with colleagues. I get called paddy, spud and people often shout "potatoes" in my wake. None of this bothers me in the slightest.
However, when I told an Irish friend this his eyes lït up with astonishment and fury. He tells me that I'm the subject of racist abuse and that I should report it. I think that's an absurd notion. Thoughts?

Tell your friend that Irish isn't a race so you're not being racially abused. Saying that it could be seen as inappropriate by some and offensive by others. If it doesn't bother you and you gibe the slagging back then leave it be, if it does offend you and you feel it's too much the report it. Only you can decide if it's offensive as you are on the receiving end of the banter/slagging/abuse.

Renegade Mechanic

Muise... wrote: »

Do they say "no offence, mate" afterwards? Because that seems to make it OK. English friends of mine in Ireland have to put up with all sorts of anti-English sh1te, followed by "no offence, like".

Cork!:D

kneemos

I think the Englanders are natural piss takers,if it's in good humour what harm.

ryan101

Renegade Mechanic wrote: »

give as good as you get and everythings fine:D

Exceedingly bad advice for a workplace.
The day they do move onto making remarks you personally find offensive, and sooner or that type of person always does, then you won't have a leg to stand on.

coolbeans

Duckworth_Luas wrote: »

Why?

Because I'm Irish I suppose. I see no malice.

Muise...

Renegade Mechanic wrote: »

Cork!:D

Galway!

bumper234

Muise... wrote: »

Galway!

Anywhere not Dublin

Stheno

I was once working in the North with a colleague from the UK.

I'd to turn around and tell him that wearing a union jack as a belt buckle was a bad idea.

Some people can just be unaware of their actions

Supergurrier

It would get old fast.

The Backwards Man

I've spent a fair bit of my time around different parts of England over the years and I've never once been called any of those things.

coolbeans

For thé record, I'm not in the least bit offended. My friend on the other hand...

Duckworth_Luas

coolbeans wrote: »

Because I'm Irish I suppose. I see no malice.

But what has Ireland got to do with potatoes?

ryan101

Duckworth_Luas wrote: »

But what has Ireland got to do with potatoes?

Famine and suchlike. The best way to insult someone is to hide it in 'humourous' remarks.
"Ginger haired tosser" is a subtle English favourite against anyone having an Irish/Scottish trait.

Tail Docker

I work over there a fair bit and get called Paddy by the odd knuckle dragger - in a work setting. They thereby die to me and we're done. They cease to exist as far as I'm concerned. But I smile as they say it. It's a lack of respect and rude, simple as. Outside work, fire ahead, like I care brit boy. Context is all.

Muise...

bumper234 wrote: »

Anywhere not Dublin

Coote Hill, like

coolbeans

Freddie Dodge wrote: »

Why would you continue to interact in any way with someone who abuses you and your country in such a fashion? Some sad need to be liked???

Don't be projecting your inferiority complex onto me thanks. As I said, I'm not offended. The issue is my offended irish friend who does not work with me incidentally.

ctrl-alt-delete

Here Paddy, can you tell me which way it is to Cork?

How'd ya know my name was Paddy?

I guessed.

Well ya can guess your way to Cork too.


I work in England, get called Paddy the odd time. Does not bother me at all, I am not easily offended.

bumper234

I await our resident Republican bretheren to tell us how it's just another way for the "brits" to keep the Irish down and rabble rabble rabble 800 years rabble this slagging you off is politically motivated to stop sinn fein from winning the European elections.

No Pants

coolbeans wrote: »

I get called paddy, spud and people often shout "potatoes" in my wake.

Never had that happen when I lived and worked over there. I did get the occasional stranger in London and Liverpool try to wind me up over the IRA, bombing, etc. but an offer to crack their head open quietened them down.

In general, I found that the English really have no idea why Irish people don't seem to like them.

Aidric

#bantz

orangesoda

I'm an ulsterman so don't have the stereotypical paddy brogue so i don't get this sort of abuse, I always feel I get gazed at more through airport security though

p.s. spud means tottenham hotspur fan

RayM

More than anything, I'd find it very tedious and unfunny. I'd probably just exaggeratedly yawn every time they start that kind of crap.

jam_mac_jam

If you don't feel offended then don't be. I think its silly the stuff English people come out with, could they not at least be funny. Oh potatoes.. oh really hilarious there... I would be more offended at the stupidity.

FreshCoffee

For some strange reason I'm far more offended by the Taoiseach and a senior minister referring in a derogatory fashion to Irish people as 'Paddy'.

AllGunsBlazing

It does sound like you are the workplace whipping boy tbh.

nullzero

All a bit of fun I would have guessed. Unless it is Jim Davidson saying it to you. There's plenty of ammo to get them back with anyway. An even bigger problem with binge drinking than the famously drunk irish, and their teenage pregnancy rates etc. They also like doing little irish accents and saying things like; "to be sure to be sure", to you as well. We're surrounded by their media so we know everything there is to know about them but they don't have a clue about us when you think about it.

ryan101

coolbeans wrote: »

To be fair, kun* is something I wouldn't put up with. That's proper offensive. I'm surprised that some are offended by paddy. Spud, same again. Potatoes, it's just silliness. Couldn't believe my friend's reaction. He was offended on my behalf.

Would you think shouting banana's at a black lad all day was ok ?
To the type of person that does this, it would be even 'funnier' if the black lad didn't get the insult.

Freddie Dodge

coolbeans wrote: »

Don't be projecting your inferiority complex onto me thanks. As I said, I'm not offended. The issue is my offended irish friend who does not work with me incidentally.

No inferiority complex here. As I said, - if you're afraid that they wont like you for standing up for yourself, - thats your problem.

As another poster said, they'd be dead to me.

bumper234

FreshCoffee wrote: »

For some strange reason I'm far more offended by the Taoiseach and a senior minister referring in a derogatory fashion to Irish people as 'Paddy'.

@€;r in rap songs and stuff.

coolbeans

AllGunsBlazing wrote: »

It does sound like you are the workplace whipping boy tbh.

Haha, thanks for your concern but I'm really not. I'm a big boy now well able to look after myself when appropriate.
I was just wondering on an idle Thursday evening if anyone shares my friend's opinion.

The Aussie

coolbeans wrote: »

I interact with lots of Englanders

LOLOLOL

corner of hells

coolbeans wrote: »

I've a lot of cause to be the in the UK at the moment where I interact with lots of Englanders on a daily basis. People are generally friendly and there's lots of push and shove banter when I deal with colleagues. I get called paddy, spud and people often shout "potatoes" in my wake. None of this bothers me in the slightest.
However, when I told an Irish friend this his eyes lït up with astonishment and fury. He tells me that I'm the subject of racist abuse and that I should report it. I think that's an absurd notion. Thoughts?

Thoughts ? Hmmm , with your name being coolbeans and mention of potatoes and spuds , do you work in a fruit and veg shop ?

ryan101

coolbeans wrote: »

Haha, thanks for your concern but I'm really not. I'm a big boy now well able to look after myself when appropriate.
I was just wondering on an idle Thursday evening if anyone shares my friend's opinion.

Would you think shouting bananas at a black worker was funny ?

Running Balance

Throw a bit of abuse back and see their reaction. You'll soon find out if they are being sneaky fcukers behind it all..