Why do the English Still tell Irish Jokes.

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MandaC

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Was speaking to someone in work and they were telling me about this.

Councillor in the UK told a union rep an irish joke - person took offence and took an action. Then the daily telegraph journalist put details on his blog and invites people to write in with their best irish joke.

[broken link removed]

Do people find Irish Jokes offensive? Would you be offended if someone told Irish jokes.

I actually find the stream of jokes that came in as a response to the blog quite telling. And in fairness, people in the UK cant really afford to slag anyone, can they.
 
there was a case where an Irish person working in London get called Semtex and sued successfully
 
The worst thing about jokes that rely on sterotypes is that they are simply lazy and not funny. Change a few minor details and they can apply to Irish, Black, Polish - whatever.

The funny thing is that people who make a habit of telling jokes like this are just making their own insecurities plain to the world.
 
Personally speaking, as someone who lived in England for 10 years, I got a fair few Irish jokes thrown my way, mostly by people who I knew quite well. However I rarely detected any malice in those jokes. This was at the height of the troubles and I remember one guy I worked with in his 50s warning people to be careful with me cause I might bomb them, my response was usually something like telling him to make sure he checked under his cars for a bomb before he went home, or telling him that he was alright, he wasn't worth a bomb. I only ever remember one person making a derogatory remark with some malice and that guy who worked with me was the one who jumped straight up, took the head off the fellow who made the remark and then dropped a large and heavy box on his foot before booting him out the door.

In a nutshell, it was banter and anyone who ever told me an Irish joke usually expected (and got) an English one back.
 
IF its a funny one, I'll laugh to be honest.

Not easily offended by them. I can take most of them for what they are, a joke. Not the sort of person to go out of my way to be offended.
 
I agree with Mpsox on this one. It's all about the intent of the person telling it.
 
I worked for a British company in the late 70's and 80's, right through the troubles. Irish jokes were constant, but, there was never malice. We had a self-confidence to laugh them off. It was the beginning of a change in Irish emmigrant who was more educated, self-confident and ambitious than his parents in the 40's and 50's. Irish people now pervade all sectors of the British ruling class, from the boardrooms to the media! They need us!

I do agree that there are people who mean harm. But, racists, bigots and the pig ignorant target all other races and are a minority in every country, including our own.
 
It is all about the intent allright.

And I suppose that really depends on the individual.

And also agree, they are not funny, they are usually stupid.
 
After fighting two world wars, freedom of speech etc. The Telegraph is a rag, written by buffoons for ageing Britannia Rules the Waves fantasy artists. The editor, Will (Little Willie) Young cut his teeth with the Daily Mail! That should say a lot for the veracity of his stories. His elder brother is Gordon Brown's chief PR man. And that should say a lot for his skills at telling the truth. My God, two asses in the one family :)
 
Try going to the laughter lounge or international comedy club in Dublin of a night and see if one of the Irish comedians doesn't bring up 800 years of oppression!
 
I cringe when I hear about people suing over Irish jokes etc, people do go out of their way to get offended over less than original jokes. I like a laugh and I think its important to able to take a slagging especially when it is so general and not personal.
 
An ventriloquist was telling English man jokes in a club in London one night. It was all farily light hearted stuff until one guy in the audience, who was the worst for wear, shouted up at the ventriloquist " Hey we're not that stupid you know - pick on somebody else "! Keen not to upset anyone the ventriloquist pointed out that they were only jokes and it was all just a bit of fun. The audience member replied " I'm not talking to you I'm talking to that little guy on your knee. " :D
 
I can't say I'm offended at any of those jokes. Most of them are only mocking a stereotype anyway.

I like this one though -

Paddy Englishman, Paddy Indian, Paddy Irishman, and Paddy Frenchman are having meal in a multicultural restaurant.
Paddy Irishman orders some coddle. Paddy Engliahman laughs at the “savage mick”.
Paddy Frenchman orders some French food. Paddy Englishman laughs at the “frog *******.”
Paddy Indian has an Inidan, Paddy Englishman calls it “Paki muck.”
Paddy English drinks old ale, and eats his charred roast beef ( real fuggin’ food innit) and then tells Irish jokes, Frog jokes, Paki jokes, before attempting to glass the Paki, ending his night by puking into the table and sleeping in his own vomit.
 
I agree that I wouldn't be personally offended by non malicious type jokes like this - I heard them for the first time in Australia actually. Australians are just great for this kind of joke - they make em about everyone from Pakis to Italians to Irish - they can't take it about themselves but that's a different topic.

Sort of off topic here because I'm not referring really to English- Irish jokes but any jokes about a group of people. While I may not get offended I don't laugh either because I take discrimination seriously as something to be stamped out in society. Ok Irish people have nothing much to worry about but jokes about other people who are actually indeed discriminated against are not good IMO.
Even though these jokes seems really trivial, they do reinforce stereotypes and 'us and them'. What do children pick up from these jokes? Well they go straight to school the next day and tell them in the playground ..perfect fodder for bullying and new generation of kids learning lessons about how people who are different in some way should be singled out. Then it becomes totally mainstream and engrained in society. It might seem very extreme way of looking at it I happen to think it's true and don't want to be a part of it myself.
 
annR said:
I agree that I wouldn't be personally offended by non malicious type jokes like this - I heard them for the first time in Australia actually. Australians are just great for this kind of joke - they make em about everyone from Pakis to Italians to Irish - they can't take it about themselves but that's a different topic.
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Maybe not the exact thread for me to get overly sensitive on, but could you not have found a better way of terming that one?

On to the jokes, the jokes are old and as others have indicated, the butt of the joke has evolved over the years to various ethinic groups. In some circles it still remains the Irish, but I see the same jokes recycled these days except it is the "blonde" who is the protagonist of the tale.
 
Mpsox said:
Personally speaking, as someone who lived in England for 10 years, I got a fair few Irish jokes thrown my way, mostly by people who I knew quite well. However I rarely detected any malice in those jokes. This was at the height of the troubles and I remember one guy I worked with in his 50s warning people to be careful with me cause I might bomb them, my response was usually something like telling him to make sure he checked under his cars for a bomb before he went home, or telling him that he was alright, he wasn't worth a bomb. I only ever remember one person making a derogatory remark with some malice and that guy who worked with me was the one who jumped straight up, took the head off the fellow who made the remark and then dropped a large and heavy box on his foot before booting him out the door.

In a nutshell, it was banter and anyone who ever told me an Irish joke usually expected (and got) an English one back.
Click to expand...

One comeback that will stop all jokes about bombings is to respond along the following lines and be deadpan serious as you do it - works every time. Saw it used to great effect by a friend who while illegally parking a Dublin registered car in the UK was approached by a police officer who made a joke that it wouldnt be good to illegally park an Irish registered car due to bomb scares etc. [I am not expressing any politican views, so do take anything from the below - just a great way of stopping a joker in his tracks].

...dont get the joke.....dont see the connection between bombs and Ireland?.....sure we're a neutral country who's never fought in any wars...

Joker usually responds with a reference to the troubles.

....what have the troubles got to do with Ireland?....isnt Northern Ireland part of the UK?......one bunch of British citizens bombing another bunch of British citizens...whats that got to do with me, I'm from Dublin [insert other locations as appropriate]...we're not into this bombing our fellow citizens stuff... shame you Brits cant get along with one another.....
 
Latrade said:
Maybe not the exact thread for me to get overly sensitive on, but could you not have found a better way of terming that one?

On to the jokes, the jokes are old and as others have indicated, the butt of the joke has evolved over the years to various ethinic groups. In some circles it still remains the Irish, but I see the same jokes recycled these days except it is the "blonde" who is the protagonist of the tale.
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Pakis is a term thats construed by some as offencive, but in fairness I don't see any difference between that and calling a Scottish person a Scot.
 
csirl said:
One comeback that will stop all jokes about bombings is to respond along the following lines and be deadpan serious as you do it - works every time. Saw it used to great effect by a friend who while illegally parking a Dublin registered car in the UK was approached by a police officer who made a joke that it wouldnt be good to illegally park an Irish registered car due to bomb scares etc. [I am not expressing any politican views, so do take anything from the below - just a great way of stopping a joker in his tracks].

...dont get the joke.....dont see the connection between bombs and Ireland?.....sure we're a neutral country who's never fought in any wars...

Joker usually responds with a reference to the troubles.

....what have the troubles got to do with Ireland?....isnt Northern Ireland part of the UK?......one bunch of British citizens bombing another bunch of British citizens...whats that got to do with me, I'm from Dublin [insert other locations as appropriate]...we're not into this bombing our fellow citizens stuff... shame you Brits cant get along with one another.....
Click to expand...

I had that conversation with an English man recently. I said I was glad that their civil war was over but if it ever restarted we'd help them sort it out again.

It worked a treat. :D
 
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