randompwd described "beyond the pale" as a racist slur and an example of anti-Irish racism. Sounds like they're calling Irish people a race to me.
Or they're confused and think "racist" is synonymous with "bigot." It's not, it's bigotry against people of a certain race (or not of a certain race). I've seen a couple of instances of people using "racist" when race wasn't a factor; they meant "bigot" or "prejudiced" and I assumed they didn't have a broad vocabulary that included those more accurate words.
> Or they're confused and think "racist" is synonymous with "bigot." It's not, it's bigotry against people of a certain race (or not of a certain race).
Those people are just using a current legal definition found in many countries that includes nationality as well as race to define racism.
> and I assumed they didn't have a broad vocabulary that included those more accurate words
Maybe crack open a dictionary?
> 2. A group of people united or classified together on the basis of common history, nationality, or geographic distribution:
> 2.
> a. : a family, tribe, people, or nation belonging to the same stock
> b. : a class or kind of people unified by shared interests, habits, or characteristics
> The term race has also been applied to linguistic groups (linguistics) (the “Arab race” or the “Latin race”), to religious groups (religion) (the “Jewish race”), and even to political, national, or ethnic groups (ethnic group) with few or no physical traits that distinguish them from their neighbours (the “Irish race,” the “French race,” the “Spanish race,” the “Slavic race,” the “Chinese race”, etc.).
The earlier examples of using "racist" along these lines was long before 2010.
> 2. A group of people united or classified together on the basis of common history, nationality, or geographic distribution
"Common history" is very broad. Do "proper cunts" share a common history? (apparently HN Replies is speedier than one's edits).
Regardless of how broadly "race" is defined by a given law or its use documented in a dictionary, I still think "racist" in reference to a person or act is over-utilized and "bigot" in its various forms not used enough.
Well if the Brits are making racist comments about the Irish it rather suggests they are a different race or prone to putting themselves down. Ah, hold on a moment …
Or they're confused and think "racist" is synonymous with "bigot." It's not, it's bigotry against people of a certain race (or not of a certain race). I've seen a couple of instances of people using "racist" when race wasn't a factor; they meant "bigot" or "prejudiced" and I assumed they didn't have a broad vocabulary that included those more accurate words.