irish jokes

[Lons]

Just as a general discussion point there's been a few comments made through the report button. Basically some feel that Irish jokes are racist. Technically of course they are in the sense that they are 100% demeaning to a particular nationality.
But is political correctness gone overboard? I've most likely heard more of these jokes than most and I've been telling them all my life. Perhaps if these posts were mixed in amongst the general joke thread it might not be an issue?
Any views?

Coming from a large Irish family and being the only one who was not born in Ireland (London and proud of it) I am very protective of the Emerald Isle and the people from it, but like most Irish who are full of fun and mischief themselves, these sort of jokes mean nothing. They laugh them off, like they try and laugh off most things in their lives. To me the Irish are the most fun loving nation in the world bar none. There are things said about the Irish that are racist and demeaning and I have lost a couple of so called friends over the years because of these sort of things, but jokes like those above would not be seen by most Irish as racist. In fact they would probably laugh along with the joke teller, and then give them as good as they got.

Cheers

Mike

Some of the replies justify why I hesitated before posting and said I hoped it wouldn't fall foul of the rules.

The jokes were sent to me by a fiercely patriotic Irish mate who split his sides laughing at them in the same way that I laugh at "thick geordie" jokes.

Life is too short IMO to be so politically correct that all the harmless fun is removed from the world. I'm old enough to remember when much worse comment offended very few people indeed.

The last thing I would wish to do is offend however and to anyone who objects - I appologise.

 

[Lons]

Just as a general discussion point there's been a few comments made through the report button. Basically some feel that Irish jokes are racist. Technically of course they are in the sense that they are 100% demeaning to a particular nationality.
But is political correctness gone overboard? I've most likely heard more of these jokes than most and I've been telling them all my life. Perhaps if these posts were mixed in amongst the general joke thread it might not be an issue?
Any views?

Coming from a large Irish family and being the only one who was not born in Ireland (London and proud of it) I am very protective of the Emerald Isle and the people from it, but like most Irish who are full of fun and mischief themselves, these sort of jokes mean nothing. They laugh them off, like they try and laugh off most things in their lives. To me the Irish are the most fun loving nation in the world bar none. There are things said about the Irish that are racist and demeaning and I have lost a couple of so called friends over the years because of these sort of things, but jokes like those above would not be seen by most Irish as racist. In fact they would probably laugh along with the joke teller, and then give them as good as they got.

Cheers

Mike

Some of the replies justify why I hesitated before posting and said I hoped it wouldn't fall foul of the rules.

The jokes were sent to me by a fiercely patriotic Irish mate who split his sides laughing at them in the same way that I laugh at "thick geordie" jokes.

Life is too short IMO to be so politically correct that all the harmless fun is removed from the world. I'm old enough to remember when much worse comment offended very few people indeed.

The last thing I would wish to do is offend however and to anyone who objects - I appologise.

 

[studders]

There's that flamin echo again.

 

[Mike.C]

Just as a general discussion point there's been a few comments made through the report button. Basically some feel that Irish jokes are racist. Technically of course they are in the sense that they are 100% demeaning to a particular nationality.
But is political correctness gone overboard? I've most likely heard more of these jokes than most and I've been telling them all my life. Perhaps if these posts were mixed in amongst the general joke thread it might not be an issue?
Any views?

Coming from a large Irish family and being the only one who was not born in Ireland (London and proud of it) I am very protective of the Emerald Isle and the people from it, but like most Irish who are full of fun and mischief themselves, these sort of jokes mean nothing. They laugh them off, like they try and laugh off most things in their lives. To me the Irish are the most fun loving nation in the world bar none. There are things said about the Irish that are racist and demeaning and I have lost a couple of so called friends over the years because of these sort of things, but jokes like those above would not be seen by most Irish as racist. In fact they would probably laugh along with the joke teller, and then give them as good as they got.

Cheers

Mike

Some of the replies justify why I hesitated before posting and said I hoped it wouldn't fall foul of the rules.

The jokes were sent to me by a fiercely patriotic Irish mate who split his sides laughing at them in the same way that I laugh at "thick geordie" jokes.

Life is too short IMO to be so politically correct that all the harmless fun is removed from the world. I'm old enough to remember when much worse comment offended very few people indeed.

The last thing I would wish to do is offend however and to anyone who objects - I apologize.

I wouldn't worry about it mate. I can see both sides but I think life is to short to bother about this politically correct rubbish. If am Irishman complains about the jokes then that is different and the thread removed but until then there is no problem as far as I can see.

I do not know what has happened to the forum but BSM's post has popped up 3 times and yours twice :roll:

Cheers

Mike

 

[Lons]

I do not know what has happened to the forum but BSM's post has popped up 3 times and yours twice

Pretty sure I clicked the button twice as it didn't appear to be doing anything

Thanks for the comments. As a newbie I don't yet know the views of other members and seem to have stirred a few opinions.
Still, any reaction means you ain't dead yet..........IMO

 

[Digit]

Thank God! I was getting worried. :lol:

Roy.

 

[Tony Spear]

Bugger!

Elsewhere on the forum tonight I've posted jokes about wicket-keepers (sorry Mike!), the Forest of Dean and the fortress home of my beloved rugby team! :shock:

I'll give myself a smacked botty and only allow myself bread and water until Wednesday.

 

[BradNaylor]

Michael: "Hey Patrick, why have you got 'L' and 'R' written in your boots?"


Patrick: " So I know to put the 'L' on my left foot and the 'R' on my right foot."


Michael: "Brilliant! So that's why my wife has 'C&A' in her knickers!

 

[lurker]

Its rather interesting how the themes of jokes go round the world

Thick ( but devious)
English about the Irish
French about Belgians
Mericans about Mexicans

Same with sheep sha££ers
Engilsh -about the welsh
Australians about NZ

Tightfistedness
Everybody about the Jews
English about Scots
Scots about Aberdonians

And I'm sure there are many more

 

[MikeG.]

Fine, if it is without connotations.....

.....but what about, say, white people telling jokes about black people, particularly in America where the master/ slave relationship is still culturally recent?

My views on this were formed when I was brought up in Australia in the 1960's. There, jokes about aborigines were the equivalent of Irish jokes..........thick, in-breeding, ugly were the principle themes. In Australia until the mid 1960's, the government was kidnapping aboriginal children and giving them to white middle-class people thousands of miles from home to be brought up the white way.

Joking about these people who at the turn of the century had been subject to bounties, who had been literally driven over the cliffs after being cleared from Tasmania................joking about genocide victims disgusted me then and disgusts me still today. Joking about them was everywhere, and seemed to me to be one of the ways in which the populace became numbed to what had happened, and was still happening.

So, my views formed under fairly extreme circumstances. I can't see how you draw a line between joking about aboriginals and joking about the Irish, or joking about Jews. Therefore, I am offended by all of them.

I appreciate that the Irish aren't subject to genocide at the moment, but the fact that Germans told Jewish jokes prior to trying to wipe them out just adds to the picture. I don't know how you seperate these things...........so, I don't. I treat them all the same. How is it good taste to denigrate a whole population, when clearly it is bad taste to denigrate other populations, or to denigrate, say, "spastics" (do you remember those jokes?)?

Mike

 

[Digit]

particularly in America where the master/ slave relationship is still culturally recent?

Surely that would indicate a healing?
Your comment about german/Jewish jokes is not really relevant Mike as no one is suggesting that the French are intending to wipe out the Belgians nor are we about to wipe out the Irish?
And surely there is a difference about whether a joke is meant to be spiteful or humorous.
An example by a Muslim comedian....

'I agree with people, there is far too much immigration into this country. Where I live in London you can't move for Australians. It's having an effect on property prices!'

Told on national TV

Roy.

 

[RogerS]

Three words - context, balance, perspective.

For example, take the context of many Irish jokes. In many cases I have heard the same joke but Irish is juxtaposed with salesman, accountant, lawyer...take your pick. The jokes are generic in nature and do not single out the irish per se.

You can't say the same thing about jokes about the disabled as these jokes focus on the nature of their disabilty. Certainly unacceptable.

Noel mentioned 'Not a lot of good has come out of this place - potato famine, Titanic and the Good Friday Agreement, Irish theme pubs - nothing much else but if we help people laugh it ain't no bad thing'. There is balance for you although I think he missed one very good thing to come out of ireland and that is the irish.

 

[MikeG.]

An example by a Muslim comedian....

'I agree with people, there is far too much immigration into this country. Where I live in London you can't move for Australians. It's having an effect on property prices!' Told on national TV Roy.

But the joke there, Roy, is self-deprecating. That's why it is funny. The guy is joking about himself, not about Australians. That isn't the case with Irish jokes, or with Australian jokes about aboriginals.

Mike

 

[Argee]

An example by a Muslim comedian....

'I agree with people, there is far too much immigration into this country. Where I live in London you can't move for Australians. It's having an effect on property prices!' Told on national TV Roy.

But the joke there, Roy, is self-deprecating. That's why it is funny. The guy is joking about himself, not about Australians. That isn't the case with Irish jokes, or with Australian jokes about aboriginals.

If the comedian in this example is Muslim and he says that where he lives you can't move for Australians, how is that self-deprecating? How can he be joking about himself?

Ray

 

[Digit]

You beat me to the punch there Ray. But I still think it was funny!

Roy.

 

[Digit]

In my opinion nothing is barred in humour other than deliberate offense. Disibilty jokes....

A hunch back corpse is found face down on the plaza outside Notre Damme Cathedral.

'Who is he?' Some one asks.
'No idea,' is the reply. 'But he's a dead ringer for Quasimodo!'

Offensive? I think not.

Roy.

 

[MikeG.]

how is that self-deprecating? How can he be joking about himself?Ray

:shock: What? You're kidding, aren't you!

OK, I'll spell it out.........one immigrant is complaining about the number of other immigrants spoiling things for him. He is inviting the audience to laugh at the irony of his own attitude.

 

[Digit]

Or he's taking the Pee out of of anti Muslim attitudes? Rather effectively IMO.
I think it depends on which way you look at it.

Roy.

 

[RogerS]

how is that self-deprecating? How can he be joking about himself?Ray

:shock: What? You're kidding, aren't you!

OK, I'll spell it out.........one immigrant is complaining about the number of other immigrants spoiling things for him. He is inviting the audience to laugh at the irony of his own attitude.

Really? All Muslims are immigrants now, are they? Ahem...

 

[Argee]

:shock: What? You're kidding, aren't you!

OK, I'll spell it out.........one immigrant is complaining about the number of other immigrants spoiling things for him. He is inviting the audience to laugh at the irony of his own attitude.

Thank you so much for being so patronising - must be allied to a narrow, one-degree viewpoint.

Thanks for your contribution, Roger, which was exactly what I was referring to.

This probably needs locking now?

Ray