Are Irish jokes ok?

Discussion in 'Race Relations' started by WJV, Nov 1, 2016.

  1. WJV

    WJV Banned

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    When I was a kid in Australia I remember hearing a lot of Irish jokes. The thrust of the Irish joke is that Irish people are stupid. The Irish jokes pokes fun at how incredibly stupid the Irish are. An example would be - Have you heard the latest Irish invention? - Solar powered torch, - ejector seat for helicopter, - flyscreen for submarine, - ashtray for motorbike, etc. An Irish joke is very much like the Aboriginal jokes that I remember hearing. With an Aboriginal joke the idea is to poke fun at the poverty of the Aboriginal. I remember Aboriginal invention jokes. They are basically the same but with Aboriginal jokes the thrust is poverty but with Irish jokes the thrust is stupidity.

    It seems that in American culture the meme is that the Irish are strong and fighters. 'Boston Strong' and 'Fighting Irish'. The American Irish meme is positive. Here in Australia the meme is that the Irish are stupid. I guess Australian culture is more influenced by Britain than American thinking on the Irish. The Australian Irish meme is negative.

    I live in an area dominated by Irish heritage and it is uncommon for these people to identify as being 'Irish-Australian' like these so-called 'Irish-Americans' and 'Italian-Americans' do. Most 'Irish-Australian' people just consider themselves to be Australian. And Ed Burns films do not appeal to us at all. So most Aussies with Irish blood are not going to get upset about an Irish joke or even take it personally. We are Australian not Irish.

    So I was looking for a good Irish joke on the internet and I came across one that Prime Minister Tony Abbott told a few years ago.
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    Speaking to the Liberal Party faithful on June 25, Mr Abbott said that the Gillard Government “was a bit like the Irishman who lost 10 pounds betting on the Grand National and then lost 20 pounds on the action replay”.
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    -Irish Echo/Australias Irish Newspaper

    This Tony Abbott Irish joke is a great example of Aussie Irish humour. The idea is that the Irish are very stupid.

    Apparently the Irish embassy got all upset about Mr Abbotts Irish joke and they complained. Cant the Irish take a joke? Or was the Irish embassy right to be upset? Australias Irish Newspaper - Irish Echo - was very upset as well.

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    Imagine if Tony Abbott had told a Jewish joke at the Liberal conference, or Senator Bill Heffernan had referred to someone of Arabic background as a “bomber” or if a frontbencher had made a clumsy reference to the Holocaust to describe a new tax.

    There would be a political price to pay, or at least the perception of a political price to pay. No such inhibitions with Irish jokes.

    Mr Abbott – who was born in England and is a dedicated monarchist – has shown not only a lack of sensitivity here. As someone who aspires to be prime minister, he has displayed a careless lack of judgement.

    Perhaps he has Irish acquaintances who are content to take such slurs on the chin but every community has its Uncle Toms.

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    - Irish Echo/Australias Irish Newspaper


    Australia has an Irish newspaper. Who thought this up anyway? An Irishman? Australias Irish newspaper? What? Why would Australia need an Irish newspaper?


    I have Irish blood but I do not consider myself to be an Uncle Tom for not getting upset about Irish jokes. Australians do not take ourselves too seriously and it is unAustralian to get hysterical about a joke. Australians like people that can make fun of themselves and that can take a joke.


    Still. If Irish jokes are ok then Aboriginal jokes must be ok too. Irish Echo does have a point. The Irish that complain about Irish jokes are like the Muslims that complain about Muslim humour or blacks that complain about black humour. Should Irish jokes be protected by free speech? Was the Irish embassy attacking Tony Abbotts free speech by complaining about his Irish joke?


    I think that we have gotten to the point now in Australian society where Aboriginal jokes are seen as being in poor taste and racist but it seems that it is still acceptable to make fun of the Irish. What do you think? Is an Irish joke just as unacceptable as an Aboriginal joke? Is a person an Uncle Tom if they have Irish blood but do not get offended by Irish jokes?

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  2. Crcata

    Crcata Banned

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    You can do and say anything as long as you are not white.

    Whites have less freedoms than anyone else thesedays
     
  3. monkrules

    monkrules Well-Known Member

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    It depends.

    If you have some intelligent friends you may be able to enjoy some humor. But today, in America, there are loads of ignorant whiners who are determined to be offended by something - anything that can somehow be twisted into some kind of racial insult.

    I’ve always had friends and co-workers of many races, and there used to be lots of jokes about race. But, the people involved knew each other well, and the jokes went back and forth, and they weren’t meant to be cruel. I knew plenty of guys who would joke about their own race, too. And, since the people were friends no one got bent out of shape.

    Today, everyone is too uptight about race. With the BLM, SJWs, the white guilt crowd, and the ridiculous PC clowns, it’s a wonder anyone can say ANYTHING anymore. The snowflakes are running around HOPING to be offended, about ANYthing, just so they can cry and riot about it. Then they cry for Safe Spaces, and whine about microaggressions -- all this, while putting down people of other races, of course. There’s precious little room for humor in this environment.

    Multiculturalism, diversity - whatever you call it, is a mess, in America. What we need is some good, old fashioned, segregation around here. Give people some space, some distance from each other - if that’s what they want. Let people relax; let them live around people they’re comfortable with and enjoy being with. Maybe, then, people will finally lighten up.
     
  4. ThirdTerm

    ThirdTerm Well-Known Member

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    Irish jokes are rarely offensive. The Irish heritage has been diluted in Australia and you cannot find a pure blood Irish man. But you need to be really careful about making fun of them in Northern Ireland. I read a story about a pub fight in the region, where an English man was picked on because of his race.
     
  5. HailVictory

    HailVictory Banned at Members Request

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    lulwut, Australians making fun of Irishmen and you blame the blacks?
     
  6. Vegas giants

    Vegas giants Banned

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    3) If it takes an IQ of 60 to tie shoelaces, why do so many Australians wear thongs?
     
  7. Crcata

    Crcata Banned

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    Lolol look at how ridiculous you are. Literally not a single mention of black people in my post. Feeling guilty much?

    I was simply talking about how everything a white person says, in America right now has someone nearby ready to go out of thier way to get offended by it and then start claiming white privilege.

    On the topic of blacks that you so brashly brought up however, If I were to create a television channel and call it "White entertainment" I would be labeled racist. If I tell a black person to keep it down at night I'm labeled racist. If I do well at something I'm discredited as being surrounded by the myth of white privilege. The list goes on.

    Meanwhile BLM, the new kkk, chants "kill white people" and are viewed by many as just misunderstood.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Badumching
     
  8. HailVictory

    HailVictory Banned at Members Request

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    My point was that, if I'm not mistaken, Irishmen are the whitest of the white race, and Australians not far off, and yet you say that we are only giving them crap because they are white. Somewhat contradictory?
     
  9. fifthofnovember

    fifthofnovember Well-Known Member

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    Close. You are only ALLOWED to give them crap because they are white. Say the same things about anyone who is non white, and you will quickly be labeled a racist.
     
  10. Vegas giants

    Vegas giants Banned

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    Almost. You can say anything if you are part of that group.....not otherwise.
     
  11. fifthofnovember

    fifthofnovember Well-Known Member

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    I'm pretty sure you're allowed to say anything about whites even if you're not one.
     
  12. Gatewood

    Gatewood Well-Known Member

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    Well yes and no. You have to make sure that they are Right of Center Whites; and then anything goes.
     
  13. Crcata

    Crcata Banned

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    Not at all what u said
     

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