Mary O'Rourkes campaign team "worked like Blacks"

**beautifulrock** · 09/01/2006, 12:02 PM

not the most sensible thing to say for sure but Mary is well recognised for her work with both refugees and immigrants to this country.

**Peadar** · 09/01/2006, 12:36 PM

I think the insult here is to the Chinese, Polish communities etc. who work really hard.
There was a time when people would have said that the Irish worked hard but those days are long gone now as we asscend to a society of middle class snobs.

If I was black, I'd take Mary's comment as a compliment.

**wws** · 09/01/2006, 12:41 PM

if she had a said they 'worked like whites' - now that would have had supremacist undertones!

i heard the clip on the radio and the gasps from the FF blacks on the floor were hilarious!

**Dodge** · 09/01/2006, 12:51 PM

Yeah. She's old, thats about the size of it. Interesting to see the largest Refugee Agnecy coming out and defending her record in that area.

**Dricky** · 09/01/2006, 1:00 PM

Stupid thing to say and she should of know better, what's the difference between Big Ron's comments and her's?? If he had left out the word black he'd still be on telly. he would just have said lazy *******.

It was very stupid, it is a reference to slavery to some a complement as seen by others, but in the same light it is fair to point out her work for good reason but also how stupid a comment it was.

**Dodge** · 09/01/2006, 1:02 PM

Of course it was stupid but the difference between hers and Atkinsons is huge. she wasn't talking about black people. She just used the term as a frame of reference. Atkinson called someone a n.igger

**razor** · 09/01/2006, 1:11 PM

The next step is to place a baby in front of her and get her to recite eeny meeny miney mo...

**dcfcsteve** · 09/01/2006, 1:31 PM

Cringeworthy. Trust the thick Irish to go in for racial stereotyping....

It amazes me when I go home to see that large sections of the country are still stuck back in the 1960's - particularly in terms of naive and ill-advised comments, even if they're not ill-intended. It's difficult to hear someone naively use terms like 'darkie', when you know they just don't know any better....

**Dricky** · 09/01/2006, 1:31 PM

Originally posted by Dodge

Of course it was stupid but the difference between hers and Atkinsons is huge. she wasn't talking about black people. She just used the term as a frame of reference. Atkinson called someone a n.igger

How sombody takes it is up to them, how can anyone say the are speaking for the 'black' people? It is a reference to slavery to some. One of my work colleuges is African American (which they are proud of using) and he admits they are techy about these things but that is how he has taken it, he never knew who Mary is but now he does and finds the comment offensive. He is the person that highlighted to me the slavery connection, so because it wasn't the same word as Rons that makes it okay?? he's wrong to feel offened? can't agree with you there. It is the unfourtunate part of living in a PC word. She is a public figure and should know better age is not an excuse. She is a public figure.

**Lim till i die** · 09/01/2006, 1:37 PM

Originally posted by Dricky

It is the unfourtunate part of living in a PC word. She is a public figure and should know better age is not an excuse. She is a public figure.

To hell with the Politically correct nonsense. Anyone who gets offended by the comments of a midlands gombeen in her dotage really, really needs to get out more. Believe it or not I as an Irishman I don't burst into tears upon hearing a sports commentator spout some banality about the "luck of the Irish" or "the rub of the green" or any such nonsense.

Seriously, offended people, relax

**pete** · 09/01/2006, 1:38 PM

Originally posted by wws

i heard the clip on the radio and the gasps from the FF blacks on the floor were hilarious!

It was the sound of 200 people collectively inhaling

Comment was well out of order. Can't defend it. It would be like english person saying they "drank like paddies". I don't see how can be defended as an old saying as no black people in Ireland in the past so the old phrase was surely in refernce to slavery.

Its sad she said what she did was one of the few FF-ers i'd have time for as doesn't seem to tow the party line all the time.

**Dricky** · 09/01/2006, 2:07 PM

Originally posted by Lim till i die

To hell with the Politically correct nonsense. Anyone who gets offended by the comments of a midlands gombeen in her dotage really, really needs to get out more. Believe it or not I as an Irishman I don't burst into tears upon hearing a sports commentator spout some banality about the "luck of the Irish" or "the rub of the green" or any such nonsense.

Seriously, offended people, relax

It was a stupid comment to make by a person in public office. regardless of PC world or not. She should of know better as she is not stupid. The gasps came from her supporters.

**dcfcsteve** · 09/01/2006, 2:08 PM

Originally posted by Lim till i die

To hell with the Politically correct nonsense. Anyone who gets offended by the comments of a midlands gombeen in her dotage really, really needs to get out more. Believe it or not I as an Irishman I don't burst into tears upon hearing a sports commentator spout some banality about the "luck of the Irish" or "the rub of the green" or any such nonsense.

Seriously, offended people, relax

Lim - you're way out of step with the views of everyone else on here.

It's not about being 'politically correct' - which itself is a phrase invented purely to dismiss language that seeks to treat people in a progressive and egalitarian footing.

It's not about whether YOU personally are offended by something. And you don't have the right to tell people what they should and shouldn't find offensive. If it helps - I find it offensive that an Irish politician should be racial stereotyping in anyway. Particularly in a context where it was completely and utterly unnecessary to do so. What exactly the pre-emancipation work demands made upon black people in America should have to do with canvassing efforts by political hacks in the midlands of Ireland I struggle to understand. The fact that there was an immediate reaction from the conference floor when she made her comment shows that people were offended, and that it was abn instant reaction - not one reflected over afterwards through some politically correct goggles....

Just because you choose not to be offended by something does NOT remove or deny anyone else the right to be offended. Perhaps if you got out more yourself you might realise that...?

P.S. 'The rub of the green' has got feck all to do with the Irish, and refers to the playing surface.....

**noby** · 09/01/2006, 2:19 PM

I know it was only a "nomination convention in Mullingar", but did anyone write/proof-read the speech, or was it off the cuff?