Talk:Irish twin

2019

Should it be said in the etymology section that this is possibly due to Ireland being heavily Catholic, and the stereotype that Catholics do not typically use contraception, and thus that the Catholic families of Ireland would have had children in quick succession? I can't find any credible sources that don't seem only speculative. If anyone has anything to back this up, let me know.

A while ago we had someone who kept removing that text (without any discussion), which made the removal seem like vandalism. Asking for sources is certainly reasonable though. If that isn't the origin, do you have any suggestions about what the origin might be? Maybe it's something to take to the Information Desk or Tea Room discussion areas. Equinox ◑ 22:34, 22 March 2019 (UTC)

Offensive

@Equinox I want to say that I categorically reject the notion that 'offensive' is a legitimate categorization for words. But anyway, does "Irish twins" really fit within Wiktionary's definition for offensive? "Language that is intended or likely to cause offense" Appendix:Glossary#O --Geographyinitiative (talk) 20:28, 15 May 2022 (UTC)

@Geographyinitiative: I think this term has traditionally been used in a humorous way, but it may very well be offensive to the Irish, because it embodies an unfair stereotype. Do you think Irish people used the term "Irish twins" in this sense? Probably not! Then why not? Offensiveness is a difficult thing to pin down (and you can't just ask the target group either, because they could theoretically lie for sympathy or benefits!). A comparable example might be niggerball: people who bought these sweets were probably not being overtly racist, but you can see why the word could cause a lot of offence, and we wouldn't use it today. Equinox ◑ 05:16, 26 May 2022 (UTC)