Poking Fun At The Famine Monument

An Riabhach

I was on a trip to Dublin City today and the first place I wanted to go was the Famine Monument on Custom House Quay in order to see it for the first time.When I got there I saw a foreign couple looking at it,and the woman was walking among the statues.Her husband stood back and got his camera out,the woman then stood beside one of the statues,and started posing as one of the people depicted by the statues and put the same kind of expression on her face,and both of them started sniggering.I found this disgusting and really bad taste but I said nothing-instead I gave them both a look which I made sure they noticed.

If they were teenagers,it would be understandable to a tiny degree,but I'm guessing they were middle-aged.

I'm probably gonna get me arse kicked by certain people here,but that's just how I feel about people who disrespect and joke about one of the worst tragedies in Irish history-and it doesn't matter what nationality they are.

TherapyBoy

They might not have realised the significance of it or what it represented. Don't worry about it too much.

Lux23

I took a picture of my brother eating a packet of crisps at it. Myself and my Dad found it hilarious but my mother was disgusted, everyone has things they just don't find funny. Which is ok.

Lovely Bloke

Getting offended over something that happened over a hundred and fifty years ago is a little bit precious tbh.

riffmongous

There are ignorant people everywhere unfortunately.. but I can't imagine doing the equivalent at a holocaust memorial in Jerusalem would go down too well, you would probably go to jail

dpofloinn

Ignorence is no excuse for taking the piss you'd have your chops busted fairly lively if you pulled a similar stunt at the holocaust memorial in Berlin

ProudDUB

In fairness, if you take the trouble to go to the Holocaust memorial in the first place, it is probably a safe bet that you know what it is that you are looking at and, why it should be respected at all times. The designers of the memorial make sure of that. As they should.

It is possible that these people at the Famine Memorial, did not know what the heck it was that they were looking at. It is on a small traffic island, in the middle of a very busy intersection, beside the Custom House. It is also very near Connolly Station, Busaras and several hotels. It is not exactly the Clifffs of Moher, or Newgrange, the only thing of any significance out in the middle of nowhere, but with an interpretive centre & signage in several languages telling you the historical significance of what you are looking at. Perhaps they were just two tourists out for a wander. They came across a few rather odd looking sculptures and they didn't know what they were. Chill out OP.

mikom

dpofloinn wrote: »

Ignorence is no excuse for taking the piss you'd have your chops busted fairly lively if you pulled a similar stunt at the holocaust memorial in Berlin

Mmmmmmmmm chops.

PeterKelly!

dpofloinn wrote: »

Ignorence is no excuse for taking the piss you'd have your chops busted fairly lively if you pulled a similar stunt at the holocaust memorial in Berlin

Misspelling ignorance while accusing someone of the same. Also echoing the previous post with the same predictable rhetoric, pathetic.

:rolleyes:

Ste.phen

ProudDUB wrote: »

It is on a small traffic island, in the middle of a very busy intersection, beside the Custom House. It is also very near Connolly Station, Busaras and several hotels.

You're thinking of the one with the flames; the famine memorial is on the riverbank a little bit further down the quays

Ravelleman

Such is the nature of tourism.

BeerNut

dpofloinn wrote: »

you'd have your chops busted fairly lively if you pulled a similar stunt at the holocaust memorial in Berlin

You wouldn't. I've seen people sitting watching their kids jump from block to block, and grown-ups who should know better standing up and posing on them. I've also walked behind someone who chattered loudly on her phone all the way through the gas chamber building at Auschwitz I. So, what Ravelleman said.

Edit: found some pics.

Frank Lee Midere

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

Getting offended over something that happened over a hundred and fifty years ago is a little bit precious tbh.

When can we joke about the holocaust?

mikom

Frank Lee Midere wrote: »

When can we joke about the holocaust?

After you've had your shower.

tricky D

PeterKelly! wrote: »

Misspelling ignorance while accusing someone of the same. Also echoing the previous post with the same predictable rhetoric, pathetic.

:rolleyes:

Mod note: Be civil and don't post in this thread again unless you have something actually valuable to post.

Lovely Bloke

Frank Lee Midere wrote: »

When can we joke about the holocaust?

I don't care, if we continue to hold precious things that happened over a hundred years ago then we just empower the people who wish to cause offence.

Are you actually offended by famine jokes, or outraged for outrage sake, on behalf of people who may be offended?

I don't care about the famine, nobody alive today had anything to do with it. It happened, it's a part of our history all well and good, but getting "offended" about jokes about it is silly.

There are still jews alive today who were affected by the holocaust. There's a difference there.

Also, Jewish people are still discriminated against today. Meanwhile, there's no famine in Ireland.

An Riabhach

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Still not right to make fun of a disaster of such a scale no matter how long ago it happened-that's just me own opinion.

chopper6

mikom wrote: »

After you've had your shower.

You're a gas man...to give you your dues.

mikom

chopper6 wrote: »

You're a gas man...to give you your dues.

Panzer Tanks.

PucaMama

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

Getting offended over something that happened over a hundred and fifty years ago is a little bit precious tbh.

Must put a reminder in the calendar to joke about the events of the Holocaust when it's the anniversary so :rolleyes:

mikom

PucaMama wrote: »

Must put a reminder in the calendar to joke about the events of the Holocaust when it's the anniversary so :rolleyes:

Why would you go out of you way to do it on that day?

PucaMama

mikom wrote: »

Why would you go out of you way to do it on that day?

Cause we shouldn't be offended by jokes about past events :rolleyes:

mikom

PucaMama wrote: »

Cause we shouldn't be offended by jokes about past events :rolleyes:

But you are claiming that you will go out of your way to joke about the events of the Holocaust when it's the anniversary.
Are you looking for a fight?

WoollyRedHat

PucaMama wrote: »

Must put a reminder in the calendar to joke about the events of the Holocaust when it's the anniversary so :rolleyes:

Give over. You don't need to put it in your calendar, you can come up with one right now if you'd like.

Tramps Like Us

Thats a picture of Cromwell... learn your history if you are going to try and be funny.

OP I understand why you were annoyed but they mightnt have known what it was for, you should have told them to cop themselves on rather than give them a look

Econoline Van

Should've just informed them that 1.5 million Irish died during the famine and these statues were erected to commemorate that. If they were good people, they'd apologise and say they didn't realise. If they continued giggling you can walk on in the knowledge that they are just idiots.

EyeSight

They probably didn't know what it was. I've been on holidays to many countries and have seen hundreds of statues that i had no clue what they were for. For example i didn't know there was a famine memorial here, and i'd only know if i read the sign(i assume there's one on it). Tourists may not speak english or know what the word Famine means. Relax a little.

Also it's completely idiotic to say "someone laughed at the famine so now i'm going to joke about the holocaust". Why you're taking your anger out on that tragedy, i don't know. It's just fighting hate but spreading more hate! Grow up and move on.

January

I don't think this is really a discussion for the Dublin City forum.