Are you offended by Paddy/Mick or potato famine comments?

donfers

I've noticed a lot of this stuff going around lately...I welcome the general backlash to politically correct austerity but there still remains a line between banter and offense...you may say it depends on the individual but for the sake of general guidelines some areas are no-go like jokes about the holocaust or the n-word.

A lot of people died in the famine so not sure if it's ok to sit idly back if someone calls us a spud-eater. Similarily I am noticing a lot of Paddy or Mick comments been thrown about, in general not too bothered by this but if they are preceded by "thick Irish" then I am not going to just laugh it off.

AH is forever debating how we treat foreigners/immigrants/women/the disabled/knackers etc and how awful we are but what about how we are treated in return. I guess you'd have to have lived abroad, travelled a fair bit or have friends from other countries but from people from England and Australia especially and to a lesser extent the US there seems to be a trend towards speaking pejoratively about the Irish....should we be ok with it? (after all we rip the piss out of others) or should we tell those who refer to us as paddys/micks or go on about the famine where to go?

There's always the danger of being a bit of a spoilsport or preachy do-gooder if one calls someone on these comments, then again there is a danger of sitting meekly there as xenophobes insult your nation?

Where does AH stand on the paddy-bashers?

Donkey Oaty

donfers wrote: »

A lot of people died in the famine so not sure if it's ok to sit idly back if someone calls us a spud-eater.

Too soon?

Cavehill Red

Only bit I'd object to is referring to the deaths of the 1840s as a famine. You don't have a famine when the land is producing sufficient food which is then exported elsewhere at gunpoint. The term for that is genocide.
The rest just sounds like slagging or a bit of craic, to be honest. Give as good as you get.

galwayrush

I couldn't give a ****, anyways, i like potatos.

El Weirdo

donfers wrote: »

... some areas are no-go like jokes about the holocaust...

:eek: sssssssssssssssssssssssssssince when?!

Jeboa Safari

Not usually, depends on the person who says it

meditraitor

fuck off,

Doc

Yes.

Kiwi_knock

donfers wrote: »

Where does AH stand on the paddy-bashers?

I am more of a mickey basher myself but each to their own.

d.anthony

I live in Glasgow, it's a whole different box of frogs over here. Especially being a Celtic fan... Having to deal with the Famine Song and various other Irish-related insults from Scotland's Shame across the city...

Don't really mind it though... F**k 'em...

_feedback_

donfers wrote: »

Giz yer potato puns

I've mashed down your post to suit AH

SEPT 23 1989

We have a lot more things to worry about now

Jeboa Safari

Jeboa Safari wrote: »

Not usually, depends on the person who says it

+1

How many potatoes does it take to kill an Irishperson?

None.

Chaotic_Forces

No, if some pri*k from some sh*t hole makes fun of me for being Irish; they get it handed back. Except for the UK; they invented one thing Ireland needs; someone to take the blame for 800 years.

RMD

donfers wrote: »

some areas are no-go like jokes about the holocaust

Holocaust jokes aren't funny Anne Frankly I wont stand for it.

Cakes.

it only annoys me if their English or American

AirBiscuit

The only people who say it are retards. Mainly Americans. I wish I had something to strangle them with if they mention leprechauns.
Apart from that, nobody mentions potatoes

d.anthony

Botulism wrote: »

The only people who say it are retards. Mainly Americans. I wish I had something to strangle them with if they mention leprechauns.
Apart from that, nobody mentions potatoes

Try being Scottish, the Yanks think 'Haggis' is a wild Highland animal.

Seaneh

The Potato Famine...
The most mis-named event in the history of the world.

The british teach it as being our fault, sure if we grew more than just spuds we'd have been grand, but no, stupid micky and paddy decided to plant a field full of spuds the lazy bastards.

When in reality, we grew more grain than the entire island of britain in the 10 years before and after the famine, even during the famine, while hundreds of thousands, even millions of irish starved, died or left the country to avoid death, this island was producing more livestock and tillage than britian which the crown then exported, killing anyone who objected and letting the rest of them die of starvation.

I'm not a "chip on my shoulder" up the rah type but It shouldn't be called a famine, it was a holocaust and should be remembered as such. One million people dying in a country of 8 million people as a direct result of the actions of the british government and people sweep it under the rug as a natural disaster.


As for being called paddy or mick, couldnt give a ****. But when people talk about a "famine" I think it's a bit ****ing rich.

Chaotic_Forces

d.anthony wrote: »

Try being Scottish, the Yanks think 'Haggis' is a wild Highland animal.

Try being asked "so is Scotland and Ireland the same?". Or my personal favourite: So you guys have the internet in Ireland? Isn't it just all grass, where does the buildings go?

Not where do, where do...

mikemac

Botulism wrote: »

The only people who say it are retards. Mainly Americans.

I've found the first people to start this are Scottish people.
Just my experience

Cavehill Red

d.anthony wrote: »

Try being Scottish, the Yanks think 'Haggis' is a wild Highland animal.

You should stop telling people it is, then.

http://haggishunt.scotsman.com/

bryaner

Mmmm spuds.

meditraitor

bryaner wrote: »

Mmmm spuds.

Can we make this a spud recipe thread?


I am a bit of a traditional spud eater, boil the fuck out of them and add butter.

Next!

bryaner

meditraitor wrote: »

Can we make this a spud recipe thread?


I am a bit of a traditional spud eater, boil the fuck out of them and add butter.

Next!

Pork, spud and apple casserole tasty.

AirBiscuit

Burn with blowtorch and chuck in the bin.
Can't stand spuds.

bryaner

Botulism wrote: »

Burn with blowtorch and chuck in the bin.
Can't stand spuds.

Step back from the stove. :eek:

AirBiscuit

bryaner wrote: »

Step back from the stove. :eek:

NO! It's MY stove, MINE!:mad:

bryaner

Botulism wrote: »

NO! It's MY stove, MINE!:mad:

2 steps back and a hard left!

AirBiscuit

*Smashes face against wall*

bryaner

Botulism wrote: »

*Smashes face against wall*

Take a right so, opps

Killer Pigeon

I'm not really offended by the patato famine comment; it doesn't really apply to me. My ancestors were rich landlords during the famine and used to shoot Paddies for sport on the front lawn when they could find any game around to shoot.

TheUsual

Yes, and so we should. Read your history about the massive food production and exporting in Ireland at the time and you can educate the Americans that says it without knowing the implied insult.

But I have found on my travels that any english people that say it, they do it on purpose to try and get your temper going, out of badness. Just walk away from them as they are just as likely to rant on against any other country. The old empire mentality and the notion that every other place in the world is run by a lower form of life and needs sorting out.

AirBiscuit

TheUsual wrote: »

But I have found on my travels that any english people that say it, they do it on purpose to try and get your temper going, out of badness. Just walk away from them as they are just as likely to rant on against any other country.

Tell them to feck off and have their Cruuuuuuumpets. Also, fishcakes

Ban Ki Moon

Roun'ere mate they called spuddies, fackin like that wan. fack

jay-me

Meh, couldn't care less about being jeered about potatoes and the famine.. I wasn't there and tbh I don't give a flying!

twinQuins

Seaneh wrote: »

The Potato Famine...
The most mis-named event in the history of the world.

TheUsual wrote: »

Yes, and so we should. Read your history about the massive food production and exporting in Ireland at the time and you can educate the Americans that says it without knowing the implied insult.

Here we go again...

Cavehill Red

Morkarleth wrote: »

Here we go again...

I know. We should just build a bridge and get over it, right?
Just like the Jews and Rwandans and Cambodians and all the other victims of genocide do.
Oh, wait...

twinQuins

Cavehill Red wrote: »

I know. We should just build a bridge and get over it, right?
Just like the Jews

Comparing it to the Holocaust? Thank you for validating my remark.

wonton

irish jokes dont piss me off but the fact that cromwell was voted number 10 in the bbcs list of greatest british heros kinda does....

Cavehill Red

Morkarleth wrote: »

Comparing it to the Holocaust? Thank you for validating my remark.

It was a holocaust. The Irish must be unique in the entirety of human history by being the only people ever to deny their own genocide.

roy rodgers

I have been living in london for the last 2 years and i'm called "paddy" on a daily bases, but thats ok, I'd rather be called that then an english kunt.:)

Scarinae

Genocide is deliberate and systematic murder with the target of elimination of that particular ethnic/racial group. The potato famine was a terrible event in our history, and it was certainly neglectful of the British not to have done more to help, but it was not genocide.

Cavehill Red

Fishie wrote: »

Genocide is deliberate and systematic murder with the target of elimination of that particular ethnic/racial group. The potato famine was a terrible event in our history, and it was certainly neglectful of the British not to have done more to help, but it was not genocide.

I beg to differ: http://skinflicks.blogspot.com/2009/01/lets-all-stop-denying-holocaust.html

twinQuins

Guys it wasn't my intention to drag this into another "debate" about the Famine. I was just highlighting how every thread even tangentially related to it brings out the usual sorts whinging about how the whole thing was a vast conspiracy.

Just can't let one thread go by without slipping in some remark.

TheUsual

Cavehill Red wrote: »

It was a holocaust. The Irish must be unique in the entirety of human history by being the only people ever to deny their own genocide.

The Irish have been educated by British TV and newspapers for a long time now. I am not a fan of Tony Blair, but at least he was the first British primeminister to apologise for the Irish genocide. The worst loss of life in Europe in the 20th century was World War I.
The worst loss of life in Europe in the 19th century was in Ireland in the 1840's and the terrible decrease in population. It was only when boats full of starving people came into ports in Canada, Australia and the USA that world opinion was aware of and shocked by the wretched conditions in Ireland.
All of this when exports of food from Ireland never decreased during the genocide.

Cavehill Red

Morkarleth wrote: »

Guys it wasn't my intention to drag this into another "debate" about the Famine. I was just highlighting how every thread even tangentially related to it brings out the usual sorts whinging about how the whole thing was a vast conspiracy.

Just can't let one thread go by without slipping in some remark.

You must have missed the thread title. It asks if people are offended by comments about the 'potato famine'.
Now, I doubt you'd describe Jews as whingers for banging on about the Shoah, or suggest that Rwandans who called the Interahamwe a genocide were imagining a vast conspiracy, so why should the Irish genocide be any different?

Fionn MacCool

I appreciate any jokes that are funny and not intended with any malice. I do object a bit when English people I know make jokes about potatoes and the Famine because many of them are completely ignorant to the role their own country played in it.

The main thing that pisses me off though is how people will make these jokes who would never dare say the equivilent about a black or asian person, and how it is not viewed on the same level as that. As a Celtic fan I was made fully aware of this by witnessing the reaction to the Rangers fans 'Famine Song' ("the famine is over, why dont you go home"). We had high ranking club and SFA officials trying to claim that it was not an offensive song and was only a bit of banter. Even Rangers official statement to their fans boiled down to "dont sing it in case you get caught" rather than "dont sing it because it is racist"

twinQuins

Cavehill Red wrote: »

so why should the Irish genocide be any different?

Because it wasn't? I mean by even comparing it to actual genocides you do a better job of parodying your own position than I, or anyone else, ever could.

TheUsual

The problem with the internet is you can't see people face to face.

You could be trying to educate a child of 12 years. Or just a troublemaker looking for attention. Or an anti-Irish type who is well educated.

You just never know.

Fionn MacCool

Morkarleth wrote: »

Because it wasn't? I mean by even comparing it to actual genocides you do a better job of parodying your own position than I, or anyone else, ever could.

It wasn't a genocide in the conventional sense, but that just makes it easier to sweep under the carpet. Britian did the same in India.