Racist Irish Cartoon In Aus Newspaper

JONJO THE MISER

http://www.thejournal.ie/comic-west-australian-irish-nurses-1615540-Aug2014/

Yet again Australia strikes with yet more racism directed at another nationality.
Something seriously wrong with that country, imagine if such a cartoon was printed in the USA or the UK in this day and age, quite simply it would not because we no longer live in the dark and racist 1800's.
Looking forward to the usual replies that Aus is not one of the most racist countries in the western world.

KungPao

More painfully unfunny than offensive.

KingOfFairview

They shouldn't generalise like that, that's what they do in Russia

elefant

Is there a joke in that cartoon? I don't get it...

amdublin

It's not really funny.
And it's not really insulting.
It's just blah

TheChizler

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

Yet again Australia strikes with yet more racism directed at another nationality.

Can racism be directed at a nationality?

Cee-Jay-Cee

Just shut up. It's people like you taking offence at every little attempt at humour that has created the PC monster that blights every aspect of our lives. It's a stupid joke, who cares.

Dolbert

I wonder how many Irish people named Colleen they've met in real life.

KungPao

elefant wrote: »

Is there a joke in that cartoon? I don't get it...

Loads of Irish nurses in Australia, and get this: They are all called "Colleen"!!!

PSML.

Tears rolling down my face. etc.

conorhal

KungPao wrote: »

More painfully unfunny than offensive.

This.

Offensive is the fact that the Aussies import staff they don't have to pay to train from struggling countries like Ireland who in turn strip the third world of doctors and nurses to replace them, all because our broken health systems prefer easy fixes instead of structural change.

wazky

I don't really see the joke?, is it the whole leprechaun thing?

I think some people make it their goal to be offended with something.

iDave

Not offensive but then again I don't care what people from a glorified prison colony think.

jjpep

Weirdly, I think this would be offensive if it was from a us or UK paper. But Australia... It's like when a five year is having a tantrum and trying to call you a rude name. It's annoying but also kinda funny in a cute way.

KungPao

Dolbert wrote: »

I wonder how many Irish people named Colleen they've met in real life.

The only one that even springs to mind is Wayne Rooney's missus. I have never known a "Colleen".

KingOfFairview

Dolbert wrote: »

I wonder how many Irish people named Colleen they've met in real life.

There's a colleen on home and away

KungPao

KingOfFairview wrote: »

There's a colleen on home and away

And some sweets called that. Any more?

KingOfFairview

KungPao wrote: »

And some sweets called that. Any more?

Colleen Nolan

drumswan

About on par with general Australian 'humour' e.g. not funny, boring and a bit obnoxious. Like your average Australian.

chrysagon

Wouldnt mind a bunch of mongrels decended from convicts who talk like they have barbed wired stuck in their mouths, as they salute a flag with the union jack on it!!

Macavity.

I am just so offended right now. Why did this have to happen? Literally, all of 2014 ruined for me.

KungPao

chrysagon wrote: »

Wouldnt mind a bunch of mongrels decended from convicts who talk like they have barbed wired stuck in their mouths, as they salute a flag with the union jack on it!!

Rack off you flamin' drongo!

The Diabolical Monocle

Very m'eh.

Though it is still technically an opportunity for outrage.

Save it in the outrage box, it can be used later.

Taco Chips

I don't know any Irish girl called Colleen?

brooke 2

chrysagon wrote: »

Wouldnt mind a bunch of mongrels decended from convicts who talk like they have barbed wired stuck in their mouths, as they salute a flag with the union jack on it!!

This post is far more offensive than the silly cartoon!!

El Weirdo

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

http://www.thejournal.ie/comic-west-australian-irish-nurses-1615540-Aug2014/

Yet again Australia strikes with yet more racism directed at another nationality.
Something seriously wrong with that country, imagine if such a cartoon was printed in the USA or the UK in this day and age, quite simply it would not because we no longer live in the dark and racist 1800's.
Looking forward to the usual replies that Aus is not one of the most racist countries in the western world.

Have to laugh at someone expressing outrage at a country's perceived "racism", by tarring the whole nation as racists. Delicious irony.

Give it up, Jonjo. We get it, you had a shit time over there a few years back.

ballsymchugh

KungPao wrote: »

Rack off you flamin' drongo!

i've gotta tell the prime minister!

'OI! Mista Prime Minista!'

conorhal

Taco Chips wrote: »

I don't know any Irish girl called Colleen?

The only place I ever encounter girls called Colleen or Erin tend to be places like America and Australia where those of Irish descent call their kids names vaguely refrencing 'the old country', thus calling them a bastardizations of Gaelic words for things like 'girl' Cailin or Ireland 'Erin'. It's the the Irish American equivalent of African Americans giving their kids a strong 'African name' like Shaniqua....

MJ23

That's not racist. It's a bad, stupid joke.
if you're offended by that, there's something wrong with you.

MJ23

Stone the flamin' crows.
Streuff.

darkpagandeath

People look for any reason to get outraged, So it's ok for us to promote Patricks day with leprechauns red hair stupid hats. River dance is offensive now ? Not like we tried to promote Irish dance at all....

KungPao

ballsymchugh wrote: »

i've gotta tell the prime minister!

'OI! Mista Prime Minista!'

ANDY!!!

Kermit.de.frog

A lot of the Irish stereotypes are true - that's the sad thing.


Instead of shooting the messenger maybe we should sort out our own issues.

Kenny Logins

It's about as racist as the corks hanging from my hat and the tinnys in the back of my ute.

brooke 2

conorhal wrote: »

The only place I ever encounter girls called Colleen or Erin tend to be places like America and Australia where those of Irish descent call their kids names vaguely refrencing 'the old country', thus calling them a bastardizations of Gaelic words for things like 'girl' Cailin or Ireland 'Erin'. It's the the Irish American equivalent of African Americans giving their kids a strong 'African name' like Shaniqua....

Alannah is another popular one. I actually met an Australian girl of that name.
It turned out that her Australian mother had called her daughter after an Irish
friend of hers who happened to be..............a nurse!!

WilyCoyote

Give me a Colleen before a Sheila any day.
The only culture that Aussies have is around their enlarged orificia.

Skullface McGubbin

I find the comic to be rather tame (and unfunny) but that's probably because politically incorrect humor doesn't offend me (and my own sense of humor can be quite un-PC at times too )

darkpagandeath

Good to see People perceiving alleged Australian Racism, Are above it themselves.... :pac:

Billy86

I reckon Colleen is like Erin, a name used by loads of Irish Americans down the years but that you never really see used by people from Ireland. But the Aussies can be really over the top for that at times too, I'll never forget a guy called Patrick Oscar McMurphy who insisted on signing everything as "Paddy O'McMurphy" (I worked in sales over there).

I absolutely loved it over there and came in for pretty much no hassle for being Irish. In my experience spent mostly in Sydney I tended to find that the people complaining about Aussies not liking the Irish were the same ones who spent all their time surrounded by just Irish people, living around Bondi and never really straying from Bondi beach/Junction while working for/with almost exclusive very Irish people and spending pretty much all their nights out in the three main Irish pubs (Tea Gardens, Cock and Bull, Scruffy Murphys) getting sh*t faced beyond the point most of the locals found tolerable (because surprisingly they aren't actually very big drinkers and have tight regulations on this), and then straight down one of the safe bets for a "full Irish" the next morning. A huge portion of the Irish population over there is very closed off, which is always going to lead to issues with the locals... I remember some Irish people I met shortly after I arrived there giving me stick all day over talking with a bunch of Aussies for most of a night out, for no other reason than them being Aussies. It was a bit surreal, so I cut ties there fairly quick sharp.

As for the cartoon, meh. They are pretty bad about Aboriginals, Lebanese and to a lesser extent Asians at times (more so the older generations), and the cartoon here is just dumb (and to be fair, their attempts at wit can sometimes fall incredibly short like seen here) but while they like to give some 'banter' it's typically not with bad intentions - I guess you could call it casual racism/xenophobia which we have often been guilty of since migrants started coming here too, but it typically comes over worse than intended.

If anything, a lot of companies prefer to hire Irish/British people since we have a reputation over there of working harder, and socially it works as a bonus as well. The amount of times I got any real grief over being Irish twice, I think.

Billy86

brooke 2 wrote: »

Alannah is another popular one. I actually met an Australian girl of that name.
It turned out that her Australian mother had called her daughter after an Irish
friend of hers who happened to be..............a nurse!!

And Liam, there's a bunch of Liam over there. Tell them their name is also Billy and watch their brains explode inside their heads.

shruikan2553

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

A lot of the Irish stereotypes are true - that's the sad thing.


Instead of shooting the messenger maybe we should sort out our own issues.

Because all Irish women are nurses called Colleen and working in Australia. We will ban the name and woman nurses. There, issue solved.

JONJO THE MISER

If you look at the last words on the captions, it says colleens the lot of em, can you not see the bitterness here, swap the word colleen with something else.

RichardoKhan

What would have been funny is if instead of nurses it had been the last couple of Ministers for Health.........

Wibbs

If someone could work up offence over that they shouldn't be let out on their own without adult supervision.

Duggy747

I'm offended that people are offended at such a shìte joke.

darkpagandeath

Love the caption "sparks anger online"...

Mike1961

Skippy: tuh tuh tuh tuh tuh tuh tuh tuh tuh tuh

Mike: Yeh yer right skippy .. them Oirish are a sensitive bunch o' dingos

lightspeed

From what i was listening to on newstalk, the Aussie government are looking to recruit nurses from Ireland and the media seem to be taping to or attempting to serve the anti immigrant feelings of "They're taking our jobs" mantra.

Similar to here and UK the way people comment about polish people taking our jobs here. Pretty poor standard of comedy and journalism and shines a poor light on Australia.

I've never understood the pull people have to that place.

Barely There

TheChizler wrote: »

Can racism be directed at a nationality?

Nope, it's xenophobic.

Valetta

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

If you look at the last words on the captions, it says colleens the lot of em, can you not see the bitterness here, swap the word colleen with something else.

Why would you swap the word with another one?

darkpagandeath

Valetta wrote: »

Why would you swap the word with another one?

Because if it's not Racist now you can make it, Twist the words make up stuff that's not there.

El Weirdo

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

... can you not see the bitterness here...

Oh, I can see the bitterness alright. Just maybe not where you're seeing it.