In the 21st century, West Roxbury white guy learns blacks don't like being called the N-word
By adamg - 5/27/09 - 6:36 pm
Wicked Local Roslindale reports a Rockland Street man admitted to police he called his black neighbor "the N word" because "he looked at me funny:"
Officers told the suspect that he has the right to free speech, but that the court system may frown on the use of racial epithets.
Ed. suggestion to Wicked Local editors: In a police report for what might actually be Boston's most Irish neighborhood, you might not want to call those windowless police vans "paddy wagons."
Comments
Paddy wagons
By neilv - 5/27/09 - 11:26 pm
I don't recall hearing those called anything other than simply "wagons" by officers in the Boston area.
Paper, not Officers
By GradStudent - 5/28/09 - 12:53 pm
I think Adam is referring to the newspaper's reference, not police officers'.
And, um, clearly I am too innocent to understand why paddy wagon is offensive to Irish people. I always thought they were called that because they used to have the big padlocks on the back door (at least in the movies!).
Yep, the paper
By adamg - 5/28/09 - 1:01 pm
The reason they're called Paddy Wagons is because, allegedly, they used to be use primarily to haul away drunken Irishmen, who were often named Paddy. An earlier discussion here.
My understanding is that
By anon (not verified) - 5/29/09 - 1:05 am
My understanding is that they are/were called "paddy wagons" because once upon a time, most or all policemen -- the guys driving the wagon -- were Irish.
The association with drunk Irishmen seems to me to be a recent (and very possibly spurious) association.