Assumptions that are actually true

[rhirhi]

I'm 2nd generation French, we are Green (I think I get it), I have 14 siblings and my two DDs are Irish twins (but there are zero twins, Irish or otherwise, in Mom's family- the side that is French- nor in my siblings)

[Mazdoy]

I thought it was just within 12 months of each other regardless of calendar year? like, basically you got pregnant right after you gave birth? Hmmm...

ETA: Apparently, it's a slightly derrogatory term! Never knew that...

Yes, this is the way I have always understood it. I've always considered it kinda derogatory/insulting.

I don't think it's derogatory now although perhaps it was in the past.  Only the other day at my mammy & baby group (here in Ireland) we were all joking about missing our pills and ending up with Irish twins!

[hobish]

I thought it was just within 12 months of each other regardless of calendar year? like, basically you got pregnant right after you gave birth? Hmmm...

ETA: Apparently, it's a slightly derrogatory term! Never knew that...

Yes, this is the way I have always understood it. I've always considered it kinda derogatory/insulting.

I don't think it's derogatory now although perhaps it was in the past.  Only the other day at my mammy & baby group (here in Ireland) we were all joking about missing our pills and ending up with Irish twins!

When my BFF got pregnant her FIL cheered, "We were hoping for Irish twins!" I know it wasn't meant as an insult there. Maybe it's one of thise things where from the inside it isn't derogatory, but those outside the group moght use it as such. <--- just conjecturing, i really don't know

[Piratelvr1121]

I thought it was just within 12 months of each other regardless of calendar year? like, basically you got pregnant right after you gave birth? Hmmm...

ETA: Apparently, it's a slightly derrogatory term! Never knew that...

Yes, this is the way I have always understood it. I've always considered it kinda derogatory/insulting.

I don't think it's derogatory now although perhaps it was in the past.  Only the other day at my mammy & baby group (here in Ireland) we were all joking about missing our pills and ending up with Irish twins!

Oh you're in Ireland?  Lucky!   I haven't been there yet, but it's my priority when it comes to traveling out of the country.

[Mazdoy]

I thought it was just within 12 months of each other regardless of calendar year? like, basically you got pregnant right after you gave birth? Hmmm...

ETA: Apparently, it's a slightly derrogatory term! Never knew that...

Yes, this is the way I have always understood it. I've always considered it kinda derogatory/insulting.

I don't think it's derogatory now although perhaps it was in the past.  Only the other day at my mammy & baby group (here in Ireland) we were all joking about missing our pills and ending up with Irish twins!

Oh you're in Ireland?  Lucky!   I haven't been there yet, but it's my priority when it comes to traveling out of the country.

Be glad you're not here today.  It hasn't stopped raining :-(

[Nibsey]

I thought it was just within 12 months of each other regardless of calendar year? like, basically you got pregnant right after you gave birth? Hmmm...

ETA: Apparently, it's a slightly derrogatory term! Never knew that...

Yes, this is the way I have always understood it. I've always considered it kinda derogatory/insulting.

I don't think it's derogatory now although perhaps it was in the past.  Only the other day at my mammy & baby group (here in Ireland) we were all joking about missing our pills and ending up with Irish twins!

Oh you're in Ireland?  Lucky!   I haven't been there yet, but it's my priority when it comes to traveling out of the country.

Be glad you're not here today.  It hasn't stopped raining :-(

'you know it's summer in Ireland when the rain gets warmer' lol

[Nora]

I thought it was just within 12 months of each other regardless of calendar year? like, basically you got pregnant right after you gave birth? Hmmm...

ETA: Apparently, it's a slightly derrogatory term! Never knew that...

Yes, this is the way I have always understood it. I've always considered it kinda derogatory/insulting.

I don't think it's derogatory now although perhaps it was in the past.  Only the other day at my mammy & baby group (here in Ireland) we were all joking about missing our pills and ending up with Irish twins!

Oh you're in Ireland?  Lucky!   I haven't been there yet, but it's my priority when it comes to traveling out of the country.

Be glad you're not here today.  It hasn't stopped raining :-(

'you know it's summer in Ireland when the rain gets warmer' lol

That's true of the side of Norway I'm in as well...

[Piratelvr1121]

I like rain!   My favorite seasons here in the US are Spring and Fall because that's when it tends to be cooler and rains more often.

[Fi]

*giggles*

Born and reared in Ireland (I left as an adult) and yes, the family is Green. I'm the only one among my siblings who *isn't* an Irish twin, which wasn't a phrase I'd heard until I read eHell!

We joke that my parents found out what was causing it...

[Kendo_Bunny]

My great-great-aunt was an Irish Green who gave birth to 27 children over her lifetime. Whenever I've mentioned her, people always ask first off if she was Green. I usually say yes, and then follow up with the fact that this was in the 1870's or 1880's, because my grandmother was born in 1895 and my father was born in 1941. Irish or not, plenty of people were having huge families, and when two people of very hardy genetic material marry, you end up with a ton of children. She and her husband could have just as easily been German Reds or Scottish Yellows or even Orangemen.

She did live into her 80's, though, and maintained her sanity awfully well. She just decided that Jesus Christ was one of her 17 sons, and got very distressed when she saw crucifixes.

[Ponytail_Palm]

I never realized that "Irish twins" was derogatory but I can see how it could be. My sister and I are a year and a half apart, so my mom used to say that we are almost Irish twins.

Here's a squicky situation that's a little more on topic: when people assume correctly that someone is having sex. When it's just an allusion or a chuckle - nothing to which one can really say "butt out!" - what the heck is there to say?!

[KittyBass]

But are still assumptions based on stereotypes or reputations of a religion/ethnicity/nationality.

Not so much anymore, but it used to be that when I'd disclose that my dad is one of 7 kids, people would jokingly ask if we were Irish and of Green religion.   Well, yeah, my grandparents are of that religion, and they are 1st generation Irish-American, but it's still an assumption based on a stereotype.

I used to get that too. I have an Irish last name and used to be very active on the Irish cultural circuit with music and dancing. Sometimes it came out that I was not of Green religion and some people were like 'OH MY GEEZERS, you're not GREEN?' My DH is Irish, from Ireland and is Green religion, but not a practicing one. Sometimes in this culture, religion=political views and people would say 'She's not GREEN, you married an ORANGE, and she's American? Oh boy!', but I'm not a practicing orange either. I think the political=religious climate has changed over the years but there's still a few with old-fashioned views and different religions keep on their respective sides of the tracks. DH and I got married at the courthouse because to have a church wedding I would have had to have converted to green in order to do so and I don't really see the point of converting to a religion for the sake of it, rather than because I believe in it.

[Nora]

She and her husband could have just as easily been German Reds or Scottish Yellows or even Orangemen.

Most confusing sentence atheist Nora has read in a while!

[Layla Miller]

She and her husband could have just as easily been German Reds or Scottish Yellows or even Orangemen.

Most confusing sentence atheist Nora has read in a while!

Is it wrong that I'm hearing it in the Lucky Charms leprechaun's voice?

[Xallanthia]

We joke that my parents found out what was causing it...

lol...

I imagine you could say the same about my grandma, who had four kids in as many years beginning immediately upon marriage, but her 5th 5 years later... (Italians over here).

But in general, as someone said early in the thread, stereotypes exist for a reason: the basic facts (for example, that families of certain religions tend to have a lot of children) are true, on average.  If someone brings them up, the insult (or not) of the thing is all about how that is done.

For example, I could call someone "a stereotypical (Religious group), contributing to overpopulation of our planet and setting Women's Rights back 50 years," and that would be rude (also note: not my actual opinion).  But if I'm telling a story about my French professor, and ask you to imagine "a stereotypically gay French man" while going on to describe how good a teacher he was, his passion for his subject (french film), and the way he would always drop into English to say "Iz zat cooool or wat," it should be obvious that I'm just painting a picture for you--indicating that he was flamboyant, good looking, a good dresser, etc--not implying anything negative about either homosexuals or french people.