Quote:
Originally Posted by rcarlton
The PC LAPD
L.A. police change their paddy wagon to party wagon Irish groups complained about ethnic slur
March 16, 1997|By LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS
Still grappling with life in an increasingly politically correct society, Los Angeles police said they will rename the "Paddy Wagon" program that offers free rides home for St. Patrick's Day tipplers.
This year, tipsy celebrants can pile into the LAPD-sponsored "Party Wagon," renamed because of objections to the word "paddy."
"We received calls from groups in the Irish community who said: 'That's really not a nice word,' " said LAPD Cmdr.
Paddy Wagon
The word paddy wagon is of American origin. The precise origin of the term is uncertain and disputed, though its use dates back to at least the beginning of the 1900s. There are at least two theories as how the phrase originated.
The most prevalent theory is based on the term "Paddy" (a common Irish shortening of Patrick), which was used ( often as derogatory slang) to refer to Irish people. Irishmen made up a large percentage of the officers of early police forces in many American cities. Thus, this theory suggests that the concentration of Irish in the police forces led to the term "paddy wagon" being used to describe the vehicles driven by police.
An alternative theory is similarly based on the term "Paddy" but states that the term arose due to the high crime level among Irish immigrants. Wikipedia |
The correct name for the wagon was Padded Wagon then morphed to Paddy Wagon. If you have ever been in a Paddy Wagon (hope not), even a modern one on modern roads you will understand why they padded them in the early 1900's. I remember an Irish music program host named Tom McConvil spotting about the terrible use of Paddy on his program. It had nothing to do with Irish Cops. I come from a long line of Irish Cops and never heard the term referred to Irish.