British Comedy Guide

Frankie Boyle - an apology on behalf of the Scots Page 5

Which is?

Quote: sootyj @ June 14 2010, 10:00 AM BST

Which is?

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Quote: Kevin Murphy @ June 14 2010, 9:41 AM BST


That's the most Irish thing I've heard all day.

That is racist.

Quote: Kevin Murphy @ June 14 2010, 9:41 AM BST

Oh, Islam is a race now, is it?

As good as, I'd say yes. It is very much ascociated with all races which are Muslim, you can't really detach the two here because most Muslims' faith plays so dominant a part in their lives. Most are Muslims before anything else. I suggest you try telling a joke about Moahammed on air, Mr Murphy, without offending many, many Muslims. It's never been acheived yet!

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ June 14 2010, 10:52 AM BST

I suggest you try telling a joke about Moahammed on air, Mr Murphy, without offending many, many Muslims. It's never been acheived yet!

It's likely to bomb.

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ June 14 2010, 10:52 AM BST

As good as, I'd say yes. It is very much ascociated with all races which are Muslim, you can't really detach the two here because most Muslims' faith plays so dominant a part in their lives. Most are Muslims before anything else.

I don't know you well enough to tell whether you're taking the piss or not. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

Quote: Kevin Murphy @ June 14 2010, 9:41 AM BST

Nope. The Chris Rock routine I cited was definitely not complimentary, but it had a lot of merit regardless.

That's purely subjective tho, surely. What if he was to make fun of their sexual appetites, the size of their members or the food they eat? Would you laugh then, or would you cry 'Racist' as many did when Bernard Manning (and indeed Charlie Williams) did this stuff? I don't know Rock well, but didn't Eddie Murphy include this sort of thing in his act, and wasn't he the coolest man around? You see my point about confusion and hypocricy, surely?

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ June 14 2010, 10:52 AM BST

That is racist.

The Irish are not a race. It's xenophobic if anything.
But in this case it was just irony, so it's neither.

Quote: zooo @ June 14 2010, 11:52 AM BST

The Irish are not a race. It's xenophobic if anything.
But in this case it was just irony, so it's neither.

The Irish ARE a race! How has this remained unchallenged all day? Their country is Ireland (EIRE).

Any implication that an Irish person behaving stupidly is a result of them being Irish is racist.

This kind of racism is so engrained and acceptable that even a right-on ponce like Ben Elton was able to bypass his huge middle class PC filter and make a full-on racist joke in Blackadder. Something like this:

Blackadder: There's something wrong with your fiancé General Melchett.

Melchett: Oh my God! She's not Welsh is she?

Well I've never thought of myself as part of the 'English race'.
Sounds ridiculous to me.

I always assumed that Welsh or ginger were used as the subject of jokes simply because no-one could be so obtuse as to believe that any serious malice was intended.

Quote: Timbo @ June 14 2010, 6:56 PM BST

I always assumed that Welsh or ginger were used as the subject of jokes simply because no-one could be so obtuse as to believe that any serious malice was intended.

Quite.

Quote: Godot Taxis @ June 14 2010, 6:52 PM BST

The Irish ARE a race!

Are they? Are they though? No.

Quote: zooo @ June 14 2010, 6:54 PM BST

Well I've never thought of myself as part of the 'English race'.
Sounds ridiculous to me.

This curious lack of national identity is uniquely English - is there any other nation on earth so dismissive of their own culture? The comment confirms you as conforming to a racial stereotype.

What are you ON about?

I never said I didn't think of myself as English. Just that we're not a race!

My race is white, or human.

My nationality is English, or British.

Quote: Timbo @ June 14 2010, 6:59 PM BST

This curious lack of national identity is uniquely English - is there any other nation on earth so dismissive of their own culture?

Yes, but often the races of people who cultivate their own identity the most are the persecuted races. The English have never really been persecuted therefore we've never really had the need to develop a strong identity. Possibly.

Quote: zooo @ June 14 2010, 7:00 PM BST

What are you ON about?

I never said I didn't think of myself as English. Just that we're not a race!

My race is white, or human.

My nationality is English, or British.

I think we're getting hung up on definitions.

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