Whatever groups is it still all right to make jokes about on MeFi?

September 5, 2001 10:37 AM

"That's OK Summer, I meant it in a "bugger the bloody Welsh" way anyway. :)"

Would a smiley negate the offence if I said "bugger the bloody Koreans/Irish/Jews"?. Which other racial/ethno-linguistic/whatever groups is it still all right to make jokes about on MeFi?
posted by ceiriog to etiquette/policy at 10:37 AM (29 comments total)

Well, you can still totally whale on the Vikings.

Fuckn' antler wearing pansies.
posted by dong_resin at 10:45 AM on September 5, 2001

Anyone from the subcontinent of India.
posted by rcade at 10:48 AM on September 5, 2001

He was joking. Should Matt kick him off for making a joke? Who in their right mind would find that offensive?
posted by Doug at 10:49 AM on September 5, 2001

Anyone from Chicago or generally the midwest of America is fine by me.
posted by cell divide at 10:53 AM on September 5, 2001

He was joking.

Oh, thanks Doug.

Should Matt kick him off for making a joke?

Did I suggest that?

Who in their right mind would find that offensive?

Uh, me, evidently. The Cymric Sudama.
posted by ceiriog at 11:02 AM on September 5, 2001

Anyone from the subcontinent of India.

Hey!

Anyone from . . . the midwest of America is fine by me.

Hey!

No fair! I'm both those people, the first genetically and the second residentially.

Who in their right mind would find that offensive?

Someone Welsh?
posted by iceberg273 at 11:03 AM on September 5, 2001

Anyone from the subcontinent of India.

Hey!

Anyone from . . . the midwest of America is fine by me.

Hey!

No fair! I'm both those people, the first genetically and the second residentially.

Who in their right mind would find that offensive?

Someone Welsh?
posted by iceberg273 at 11:04 AM on September 5, 2001

No offense intended, Iceberg273. It just seems like the immigrant Indian subcontinental is a bottomless source of ethnic hilarity in the U.S., especially if he runs or works at a convenience store.
posted by rcade at 11:19 AM on September 5, 2001

No offense intended, Iceberg273. It just seems like the immigrant Indian subcontinental is a bottomless source of ethnic hilarity in the U.S., especially if he runs or works at a convenience store.

None taken. <ashamed>I've engaged in some of this hilarity myself. It was just funny two see to of my descriptors picked out.

(Reminds self not to double post, as this is the second time in two days.)


posted by iceberg273 at 11:22 AM on September 5, 2001

I'm half Welsh, so I'm half offended.

It's all in the context, ain't it?

Oh, and I am hereby resolving only to make fun of the lower mammals.

God damned lemurs.
posted by Kafkaesque at 11:24 AM on September 5, 2001

Fair enough, ceiriog. Why were you offended by that, exactly?
posted by Doug at 11:26 AM on September 5, 2001

I'm sure abuse of Southerners (i.e. natives of the southeastern U.S.) will always be acceptable.
posted by harmful at 11:34 AM on September 5, 2001

I think we should refrain from making fun of any ethnic groups and just stick to blasting plastic.com readers.
posted by daveadams at 11:44 AM on September 5, 2001

Pssst, Doug, ceiriog is Welsh.
posted by daveadams at 11:45 AM on September 5, 2001

Doug (sorry for the delay, had a Welsh learners' meeting in the pub): imagine that the thread had been about how NAFTA affects trade throughout North America and someone made generalisations about "Americans". Then someone asks "What about the Mexicans?" and got "Bugger the bloody Mexicans" as a reply (with a smiley to indicate that he's just joking, and of course we should care about the Mexicans, but they do wear those funny hats and speak a funny language, so it's ok.)

Then imagine I'm Mexican.

Wales is England's oldest colony, just getting its first taste of self-determination since the 13th century.

The joke wore thin a long time ago. But hey, why should I care what someone from Bradford thinks? Lancastrians are all the bloody same.
posted by ceiriog at 2:35 PM on September 5, 2001

It's true. The Welsh do take a lot of abuse from the English. And just because it's a joke that's been around a long time doesn't make it OK.

Way to stick up for yourself ceiriog

Maybe you can explain about the leg-to-body ratio of the Corgi, a subject that has troubled me for many years.
posted by Kafkaesque at 2:49 PM on September 5, 2001

Corgis are a mystery best left unexplored.
posted by ceiriog at 2:55 PM on September 5, 2001

The ginger.
posted by holgate at 3:27 PM on September 5, 2001

Hey!
posted by sudama at 3:37 PM on September 5, 2001

I dunno, ceiriog. First off, you guys are all English to me. Even irish people and scottish people. Sometimes I consider Australian people English. All the same thing. The one good thing you guys have going for you is that you aren't mexican.
I suppose I don't see a big deal in it, whether it be welsh, or mexican, or whatever, because it seemed clear to me that it was a joke, and almost seemed to be an affectionate little wink your way. But what the hell do I know. I'm just a greasy wop.
posted by Doug at 4:53 PM on September 5, 2001

That's ok Doug. You guys are all Canadians to me. Including the Mexicans. They're Canadians too.
posted by ceiriog at 5:16 PM on September 5, 2001

Uh, me, evidently. The Cymric Sudama.

Umm... except you have a sense of humor, so no one's ever going to mistake you for sudama...
posted by m.polo at 8:00 PM on September 5, 2001

Anyone from the subcontinent of India.

I'll fucking kick all of your asses. Right here, right now. Except Sudama, who is like the American Sudama.
posted by anildash at 8:00 PM on September 5, 2001

You can always make fun of Texans.
posted by fidelity at 12:41 AM on September 6, 2001

Re "it's a joke" comments:

I'm English, and after living in Scotland for some time (what a bunch of racist w*nkers)(*) I can understand how people get pissed off at slurs like this. Until I was the butt of anti-English comments I never realised that you can very quickly get very tired of comments that other people don't understand as remotely offensive. No doubt it depends on the person, but in my experience you don't have a clue how annoying it is until it's directed at you.

So if he's pissed off by the attitude he's pissed off by it. Respect that and back off - telling him it's a joke is not going to change anything.

(*) Sorry, but frankly I'm only giving as good as I got - it's the only country I've been in where even well educated, well-travelled, left-wing people regularly sit round a meal table slagging off people from another country without the slightest hint of irony, humour or self consciousness...
posted by andrew cooke at 4:08 AM on September 6, 2001

"(*) Sorry, but frankly I'm only giving as good as I got - it's the only country I've been in where even well educated, well-travelled, left-wing people regularly sit round a meal table slagging off people from another country without the slightest hint of irony, humour or self consciousness" you need to get out more Mr. Cooke. The welch take alot of shite from the english (i no longer say great Britain, as that name is a JOKE.) Ive seen the welch slights in MeFi and i think it is typical of english. I love rippin on Texas and give the finger to cars with texas plates. i stopped this when one tried to chase me down(my friends and i explained he was in michigan now-he got the point) Im tired of the pansy-around the issue , sniddy shit. You show me a person who says they are not prejudiced and i'll show you a fool.
posted by clavdivs at 6:43 AM on September 6, 2001

Why, that's calvinism!
posted by dong_resin at 6:48 AM on September 6, 2001

had a teacher j'accuse moi about calvin(i told him Coolidge was underrated) man i sounding like, like A FOOL.
posted by clavdivs at 7:23 AM on September 6, 2001

Germans are still fair game.
posted by muckster at 9:57 AM on September 6, 2001