Plastic Paddy is an often pejorative term to describe non-Irish people who harbour a nostalgic claim of Irishness due to having some degree of Irish heritage. It is based on the term "Paddy", which is an ethnic slur against Irish people. The term is also applied to Irish-themed pubs in countries outside of Ireland — especially if those pubs feature the most stereotypical characteristics of Irish culture, and do not accurately resemble actual pubs in Ireland.

PropertyValue
dbpprop:abstract
  • Plastic Paddy is an often pejorative term to describe non-Irish people who harbour a nostalgic claim of Irishness due to having some degree of Irish heritage. It is based on the term "Paddy", which is an ethnic slur against Irish people. The term is also applied to Irish-themed pubs in countries outside of Ireland — especially if those pubs feature the most stereotypical characteristics of Irish culture, and do not accurately resemble actual pubs in Ireland. It is argued that the term concerns perceived cultural appropriation of Irish customs and identity by members of the Irish diaspora or even those with no ancestral connection to Ireland. A 'Plastic Paddy' allegedly knows little of actual Irish culture, but asserts their identity, claiming it to be Irish. Another example is the celebration of Saint Patrick's Day, or 'Paddy's Day', which is sometimes viewed as being a vehicle for promoting stereotypes of Irish culture. As author Alex Massie wrote in National Review: When I was a student in Dublin we scoffed at the American celebration of St. Patrick, finding something preposterous in the green beer, the search for any connection, no matter how tenuous, to Ireland, the misty sentiment of it all that seemed so at odds with the Ireland we knew and actually lived in. Who were these people dressed as Leprechauns and why were they dressed that way? This Hibernian Brigadoon was a sham, a mockery, a Shamrockery of real Ireland and a remarkable exhibition of plastic paddyness. But at least it was confined to the Irish abroad and those foreigners desperate to find some trace of green in their blood. People who were not born in Ireland, and who did not grow up in Ireland, but nonetheless possess Irish citizenship and an Irish passport are often dismissed as 'Plastic Paddies'. Scottish-Australian songwriter Eric Bogle wrote and recorded a song titled 'Plastic Paddy', which has also been recorded by Irish musician Christy Moore. According to one Spiked writer, some of those guilty of Plastic Paddyisms (or, in the words of the writer, "Dermot-itis") are former US President Bill Clinton, Daniel Day Lewis, and Shane MacGowan. MMA British welterweight fighter Dan Hardy has called American MMA welterweight fighter Marcus Davis a plastic paddy due to Marcus' exaggerated enthusiasm for being Irish, despite never living in Ireland and being only half Irish.
dbpprop:hasPhotoCollection
dbpprop:reference
rdf:type
rdfs:comment
  • Plastic Paddy is an often pejorative term to describe non-Irish people who harbour a nostalgic claim of Irishness due to having some degree of Irish heritage. It is based on the term "Paddy", which is an ethnic slur against Irish people. The term is also applied to Irish-themed pubs in countries outside of Ireland — especially if those pubs feature the most stereotypical characteristics of Irish culture, and do not accurately resemble actual pubs in Ireland.
rdfs:label
  • Plastic Paddy
owl:sameAs
skos:subject
foaf:page
is dbpprop:disambiguates of
is dbpprop:redirect of
is owl:sameAs of