What's in a name? Offensive or not.

PJHolybloke wrote:He likes being called sweet-cheeks too Mr Fishpaste, but only if you're in PVC leiderhosen and have a paddle.

PJHolybloke wrote:He likes being called sweet-cheeks too Mr Fishpaste, but only if you're in PVC leiderhosen and have a paddle.

Mr Fishpaste wrote:

PJHolybloke wrote:He likes being called sweet-cheeks too Mr Fishpaste, but only if you're in PVC leiderhosen and have a paddle.

I'd be interested to know how it is you know all this PJ!

PJHolybloke wrote:

Mr Fishpaste wrote:

PJHolybloke wrote:He likes being called sweet-cheeks too Mr Fishpaste, but only if you're in PVC leiderhosen and have a paddle.

I'd be interested to know how it is you know all this PJ!

I bet you would, pervert!


PM for Biltong.

Mr Fishpaste wrote:

PJHolybloke wrote:

Mr Fishpaste wrote:

PJHolybloke wrote:He likes being called sweet-cheeks too Mr Fishpaste, but only if you're in PVC leiderhosen and have a paddle.

I'd be interested to know how it is you know all this PJ!

I bet you would, pervert!


PM for Biltong.

Ha! That's a case of the PVC leiderhosen calling the pot black

PJHolybloke wrote:

caoimhincentre wrote:

KiaRose wrote:

Portnoy wrote:
Paddy. An Admin PMed me for using that term (https://www.606v2.com/t28373-rugby-people-who-deserve-a-statue). In fact I just c&p the name from an Irish poster.

The point at issue in the "rugby-people-who-deserve-a-statue" thread referred to Blair Mayne. An Irish poster mentioned that a statue of Blair "Paddy" Mayne had been erected in his home town. Portnoy responded referring to "Paddy Mayne" omitting his given Christian name.

First point - I am not an admin.
Second point - I PMed both the Irish poster and Portnoy, explaining that I was sure that neither intended to be in any way offensive, but that in view of the usual use of the moniker Paddy, it was not right that such a brave man should be insulted in this way. I used the PM system, rather than responding to the posts on the thread as I was sure no offence was intended.


For those who are unaware of his career, Blair Mayne played rugby for Ireland and went on tour with the Lions in the late 1930s. He was from Northern Ireland and when it became apparent that he would not see active service in his NI reserve army regiment he transferred to a regiment on the mainland. In the course of WWII he was a founding member of what became the SAS and was put up for a VC. This was not awarded. There are some who feel that he was denied the VC because he was a bit of a maverick and did not respond well to those who fought their war from behind the safety of a desk. After the war he returned to NI where he resumed his career as a solicitor and sadly was killed driving home late one night when he crashed his car. He was named Blair after an uncle of his who had fought with distinction in the Battle of the Somme in WWI. A programme I saw some time ago on TV recounted his career. All bar one of the talking heads were (mainland) British. The singular exception was a barrister from Ireland who knew Mayne professionally. All the British referred to Paddy Mayne; the Irish barrister referred to Blair Mayne.


Blair Mayne was given the moniker "Paddy" when he transferred to the mainland regiment.

Do you think that this was intended to be friendly, inclusive and / or welcoming? Calling a man, whose Christian name is other than Patrick, Paddy is intended to diminish, insult, belittle or emphasise his Irishness and brings with it all the perceived weaknesses associated with historical anti-Irish prejudice. Blair Mayne was an extraordinarily brave man. Those of you who were around in the 1970s when the Troubles in NI were really taking off may well remember the Irish jokes which were common currency then. These were all designed to show how stupid, reckless and unreliable Irish people were. They were racist and offensive and were intended to be such.

Those who fought with Blair Mayne in WWII may well have intended to insult him at first by calling him Paddy, but given his exploits, they surely came to respect him - his leadership, his judgement, his intelligence and his bravery. However, had he been black and nicknamed using the N-word, NO ONE today would dream of continuing to use it and would always refer to him by his given name. This is the point I was making. "Paddy" in this case was intended as an insult. We do wrong by an extremely brave man by continuing the insult.

+1

i was trying to make a similar point but you have done it fair better than I.
Fair play

His given Christian names were Robert Blair MrsP, as you will know, it's entirely normal for Irishmen to be called any number of names by their friends and intimates other than their given Christian name, that's just the way it is - I would imagine he bore a strong likeness to his uncle Blair and those who knew that would refer to him as Blair as a term of familiarity, it wouldn't be long before he wasn't known by anything else.

One of my mom's cousins is called Pat or Paddy, his Christian name is Peter and there is no Patrick/Padraig anywhere in his name, her brother was called Richard by everyone who knew him, but his name was Clement - again no Richard anywhere in his name.

Here's something I do know about nicknames in the military; if you've got one - you're in, if you haven't - you've got no friends. The fact that Lt. Col. R.B. Mayne was known by everybody he served with as "Paddy" was without doubt an example of unusual affection for an officer, who usually got and do get saddled with rather less acceptable names.

I've never seen or read any evidence to suggest that the term was applied to him as an insult, and would suggest that the first person to have tried that particular angle would have been the last - nobody fecked with Paddy. In fact, one of the reasons he was singled out for inclusion into Stirling's initial LRDG experiment was due to the fact that he was, at the time, under arrest for sparking out his CO in a discussion over "unecessary Company business".

Furthermore, I think all of the biographies written about him and his exploits, including the official biography sanctioned by his family, were written by Irishmen and include the "Paddy" moniker in the titles of the books. I can't see where the evidence is for it being derived from an insult.

Some ignorants do use the term in a derogatory fashion to be sure, but to suggest that only the British called him Paddy is unfair, not to mention inaccurate, and to state that anyone called Paddy who's name isn't Patrick is done so in an attempt to belittle or dimish simply isn't true.

Lt. Col. R.B. "Paddy" Mayne was a fine man, a brave, courageous and unflinching force of nature in the face of the enemy, but suffered a little from being a bit of a shoite "soldier", the hierachy in the British Military establishment do not hand out VC's to officers who hit other officers because they don't like their attitude, that's just the sort of BS that Paddy wouldn't have stood for and wouldn't have given a toss for a VC off the likes of them anyway.

I can understand you finding Portnoy offensive, he's a Tigger - stands to reason really - but in this instance I think you're a little off the mark.

Absolutely no offence intended.

Portnoy wrote:I still say that GG was wrongly banned.

And that banned folk should be publicised.

And that (I guess) I'll be permanently banned I hope folk will remember me.

Mickado wrote:Gibbo clearly enjoys it. But it wouldn't surprise me to see him in highheels anyway. He says things most Irish fellas wouldn't. He introduced his sister to me as being "like me with t1ts man..."

eirebilly wrote:Know it well do you Ruby, recognise what happens from prior experience?

eirebilly wrote:Ha haa, cheeky fecker

eirebilly wrote:We need a :bitchslap: emoticon

biltongbek wrote:

eirebilly wrote:We need a :bitchslap: emoticon

Will this suffice billy?