Strange choice of words

[frozen-jelly.livejournal.com]

While reading Sirius' latest entry, I noticed this sentence:
"Nothing's worse for a flu than getting up one's Irish (and, er, Molly's got more than most, old man)."

I have absolutely no idea what this is meant to mean. I can only guess it is some vaguely racist use of the word Irish to mean angry or frustrated, which is very odd. Can anyone shed light on this usage, I have never heard it before? It really makes very little grammatical sense.

Comments

[nmalfoy.livejournal.com]

If only certain people take offense, then does that make it unilaterally offensive?

You say it's offensive. Yet I don't find it so. So is it in the person's reaction?

(not trying to start a fight. this is actually a pretty interesting subject)

[frozen-jelly.livejournal.com]

I think that being aware of the history of Britain and Ireland, the annexation and occupation of the latter and, more recently the independence of Ireland and immigration of Irish to the UK, makes me think more about seemingly casual slang terms - which some people think are innocuous but are actually a reminder of prejudice and persecution of people of Irish ethnicity, in the past. Any term which has been used derogatorily can be reclaimed and used in a more happy context - I am thinking a little of the way 'nigger' has been reclaimed by some of the RnB community, though here again not everyone feels comfortable with it, obviously its a contentious issue. - but that is not the case in this case and hasn't really been the case in the UK in regards to the Irish. Instead in some ways, since the easing of Troubles in Northern Ireland there is less political focus on unrest, and additionally immigration from Eastern Europe has meant that the Daily Mail and the white working class have somewhere else to vent their racist and right wing anger and agenda towards.

As someone with joint British-Irish nationality I may be more aware of these nuances than others. But I would never knowingly use a racist term or slang word which has been used offensively in the past, or currently. For example I might say 'The Patil twins are Pakistanis' but I would never ever ever say 'The Patils are Pakis' it is just so offensive.

[zorb]

Thanks for sharing your perspective on the phrase. I was actually surprised to see your initial post about it, because while I wouldn't say it's an everyday term here in the US, it's one that I think most Americans would recognize, and I hadn't realized it doesn't translate. It's typically used by people of Irish descent and does play on the stereotype of Irish temper, though in context it has nothing to do with comparison against the British more than against any other nationality.

I'm going to make a wild guess that Sirius's player is also American and might not have put the terminology in Sirius's native context.

[alt-player.livejournal.com]

I can definitely state that Padma and Parvati would be HIGHLY offended at being called Pakistani. They're Kshatriyan Indian, thank-you-very-much. :Grin

-Padma's player