Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Irish Can't Take A Joke

"An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman were..."
How many jokes over the years have started out dat way? Well, it seems de Oirish don't loike dem! Dey don't seem to have a sense of humour, to be sure!
Irish workers in Christchurch feel they've been unfairly labelled as drunks, and some are being asked to say things like "fiddle-dee-dee potatoes" to amuse locals.
Hundreds of Irish workers have poured into the Canterbury region since the earthquakes, and many more are expected over the next
2-5 years. But some are complaining dat dere's a bit of a stereotype over their nationality. Dat's roight! De Oirish are perceived as being drinkers! *shock*horror*probe* And de fine upstanding citizens from da land of foinest Oirish Whiskey are feeling hard done by!
OMG, I just can't keep writing in dat...that way! Apart from being a pain in the butt to sustain, I'm probably upsetting some poor wee sensitive New Age Irish immigrants!
And to them, I say: get over yourselves! Of course someone far from home will be treated as a novelty and be asked to recite stereotypical catch-phrases. (Remember that scene from Love Actually?) But so what? When I was in London, I was often asked to 'say something kiwi' (I usually delivered something from Australia, as their catch-phrases are far more crass and colourful than ours!): "Fair suck o' the sav, digger blue bonzer rippa!"
It's all part of being proud of yourself and being a representative of
your country. It's nothing to get precious about. The Irish have themselves cultivated the very image that we find charming and amusing. Yet when we ask for some more of it, it's all *sob* just *sob* too much...
Puh-leez! And as for the Irish not being drinkers! Say what???!!!
Sure and begorra, John Jameson would be turning in his grave!

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