Stranger having a go at me because my name isn't catholic or protestant

[kngen]

No idea, that's just what I hear from weegies (admittedly usually drunk ones) whenever I'm up there.  Regardless of whatever the reality is, there's still a lot of strong feeling.

Not knowing enough about it, and having zero personal experience, I try to stay out of it.  Alas my mate has to deal with it all the time both at work and in his social life.

Entirely empirical, but as a former Celtic season ticket holder, I'd say there was maybe 50% of the regular crowd knew all the rebs (and the add ons) and sang them, despite warnings from the club. I'd venture that the vast majority of that number engaged with that kind of rhetoric for no reason other than 'to get it up the huns' - and of the small percentage that genuinely 'believed', I'd 9 out of 10 of them did nothing to further the cause other than buy Saoirse outside the stadium now and then (and a put a couple of quid in a collection bucket occasionally, too). It's mostly theatrics, much in the same way that I'm fairly sure the other lot don't actually want to be up to their knees in fenian blood (think of the cleaning costs!) and aren't actually in the UVF.

[Shit Good Nose]

Fortunately (or not - time will tell), the closest I'll likely come to any of that is this odd Irish fella at work.

I haven't seen him much since, but I think he's just doing the rounds with his boss meeting all the people he's going to be working with.

[Buelligan]

Met a new chap at work today who isn't in my department or team but is working in the same office.  He's a Stephen from somewhere in Ireland, and we did the whole "hey, same name" thing.  Anyway, he asked me if I was a catholic StePHen or a protestant SteVen.  I said neither and said I was just named after the actor, explaining the whole affair.  Fella proudly proclaimed his was the "proper" catholic way to which I said I didn't know anything about that and neither myself nor my parents are/were religious so it wasn't a consideration, literally just named after Steve McQueen.  Fella then quizzically suggested that it must be protestant because it was the protestant spelling, and I said no - I hadn't been christened and neither had my parents and the only time either one of them went to church was when they got married.  He started getting visibly annoyed then and went on about the history of the spellings and how wars had been fought over it in the history of the celts and said I needed to accept that I was a protestant and "from now on we're at war, ho-ho-ho-ho-ho".  I just said okay and smiled and he moved onto the next person.

Yeah, sounds pretty weird but so does

Later checked with my manager and others that that was a genuinely odd encounter and one that wasn't aggravated by me.  They all agreed.

I mean, what kind of person does that to a noob?

On the subject of sectarian names amongst many, I have a very dear friend called Pádraic, not Patrick.

[Cuellar]

If someone's STARTING with sectarian bantz it's totally legitimate to bring it up with manager, especially if it makes you feel uncomfortable.

[Buelligan]

Personally, I think it's tell-tale, passive-aggressive and cunty.  Everyone's entitled to a false step on their first day, plenty of time for fucking them over after.

Being serious, I think it's a horrible thing to do.

[Cuellar]

Nah fuck that. If someone told a racist/sexit joke as banter you'd mention it, regardless of when the offender started. Got to stamp these things out before they take root.

[bgmnts]

Yeah someone being made to feel uncomfortable at work should just suck it up, fucking babies.

[Shit Good Nose]

Personally, I think it's tell-tale, passive-aggressive and cunty.  Everyone's entitled to a false step on their first day, plenty of time for fucking them over after.

Being serious, I think it's a horrible thing to do.

Oh do fuck off with your hypocritical noise.

[Buelligan]

Nah fuck that. If someone told a racist/sexit joke as banter you'd mention it, regardless of when the offender started. Got to stamp these things out before they take root.

No, I really wouldn't.  I might mention it to a friend but I would never call in a manager and "everyone" on first meet.  I'm not even lying.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

The real question is, what kind of person thinks Alien 3 is better than Aliens?

[Shit Good Nose]

No, I really wouldn't.  I might mention it to a friend but I would never call in a manager and "everyone" on first meet.  I'm not even lying.

Fuck's sake, I didn't "call in" a manager, or everyone.  I said to MY manager and everyone who sits with us in our team (all four of us), it's not as if I called a meeting in the big conference room.

[Shit Good Nose]

The real question is, what kind of person thinks Alien 3 is better than Aliens?

Don't tell me, I know the answer to this.........protestant!

...NO, CATHOLIC!!!!!!!

[Buelligan]

Fuck's sake, I didn't "call in" a manager, or everyone.  I said to MY manager and everyone who sits with us in our team (all four of us), it's not as if I called a meeting in the big conference room.

Calling in a manager is involving a manager.  It's the same.  I don't know what you want, you tell this story and then you want everyone to high-five you?  Fine, I high-five you for stitching up a newbie.

[Cuellar]

"God I hate blacks"
"Bit off that"
"Give him a break, he only started last week. How could he know you're not meant to hate blacks here"

[Buelligan]

That's not what he did though is it?   He certainly wasn't punching down.

[Cuellar]

Depends how you feel about weird sectarian obsession with religion and heritage really

[Shit Good Nose]

My manager sits next to me - there was no calling in - and the other two in my team sit opposite us.  We all get on well, we are work mates.  I did not make it a formal thing.  I did what every normal person would do in that situation - "what the fuck?  Was that me?", because that was not a normal conversation to have whether you're new or not.  If I said I kicked him in the balls and carried on when he was down, I could understand someone taking issue with it.

No, I'm not after high fives - I ended the post with this

Anyone ever got angry with you because of your name?

because I wondered if anyone had had any similar experiences.

[checkoutgirl]

Anyway, he asked me if I was a catholic StePHen or a protestant SteVen. 

Fuck me I had no idea about that. You learn something new everyday.

[bgmnts]

Victim blaming lul

[GMTV]

I reckon you've deliberately misunderstood him due to his Irish accent and he said nothing of the sort. It just doesn't ring true.

[Shit Good Nose]

That's not what he did though is it?   He certainly wasn't punching down.

No, I wasn't punching down.  I was reacting to a genuinely odd and combative situation when the perpetrator walked away.  How is that punching down?

I honestly don't think you live in the real world.

[Buelligan]

I wasn't talking about you.

My manager sits next to me - there was no calling in - and the other two in my team sit opposite us.  We all get on well, we are work mates.  I did not make it a formal thing.  I did what every normal person would do in that situation - "what the fuck?  Was that me?", because that was not a normal conversation to have whether you're new or not.  If I said I kicked him in the balls and carried on when he was down, I could understand someone taking issue with it.

No, I'm not after high fives - I ended the post with this
because I wondered if anyone had had any similar experiences.

If you're not bothered about high-fives then accept it when some genuinely feels that what you did was shitty, rather than getting your arse out.

[Shit Good Nose]

I reckon you've deliberately misunderstood him due to his Irish accent and he said nothing of the sort. It just doesn't ring true.

What, you think he might've been asking about last night's Eastenders?  Possible.

[madhair60]

anyone with any religious views at all should be exsanguinated

[chveik]

why can't we have nice threads?

[Shit Good Nose]

If you're not bothered about high-fives then accept it when some genuinely feels that what you did was shitty, rather than getting your arse out.

No, I fucking don't accept that - some bloke I've never met before has a go at me about my name and, without any provocation, gets visibly angry about it because I can't give him an answer he wants, and then I check with workmates that I wasn't in the wrong.  You tell me how that is shitty.


You know what, I'm fucking sick of your black or white "Buelligan's way or fuck off" attitude with zero room for grey.  I think you're a bully and a hypocrite.  I've seen some shameful stuff from you over the last year or so and it bewilders me how or why no one else picks you up on it.

From now on I'm completely ignoring you.  I'm sure the feeling is mutual.


Neil - lock the thread if you wish before it turns into one of those threads.

[dissolute ocelot]

Anna Burns' novel Milkman (set in Northern Ireland in the 1970s) has a very long list of unacceptably Protestant names like Nigel, Peregrine, Alf, Wilberine, and Auberon, which one hopes no children were named in either community. If you can spell it, it's probably not Catholic (none of the Catholic characters in the novel actually have names).

I've heard some nonsense about Stuart/Stewart etc regarding which is the correct Scottish spelling, which is English, and which is Protestant or Catholic. Apparently Mary, Queen of Scots changed it from Stewart to Stuart, probably because she was contrary. Here's someone who claims Stewart is Protestant, but given how often the House of Stuart/Stewart flipped, it's unlikely there's a connection.

[madhair60]

i think Buelligan will change her mind now and apologise.

[Shit Good Nose]

i think Buelligan will change her mind now and apologise.

She can do what she fucking wants - I'm ignoring her.

[Buelligan]

Jolly good.

i think Buelligan will change her mind now and apologise.

Heheh.