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.
...yes that's what she said in an address to a nomination convention in Mullingar at the weekend.
I must admit all I could do was guffaw at the gobdaw-ism of her social faux pas.
...always good for a laugh is Mary.
from breaking news
" I wish to God that someone would be able to block out the voices in my head for five minutes, the voices that scream, over and over again: "Why do they come to me to die?"
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.
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.
Last edited by Peadar; 09/01/2006 at 11:40 AM.
Have Boot Disk, will travel
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!
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.
54,321 sold - wws will never die - ***
---
New blog if anyone's interested - http://loihistory.wordpress.com/
LOI section on balls.ie - http://balls.ie/league-of-ireland/
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.
It's only just begun...............
If the last 21 years were class, here's looking forward to the next 21 years. It is our time
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
54,321 sold - wws will never die - ***
---
New blog if anyone's interested - http://loihistory.wordpress.com/
LOI section on balls.ie - http://balls.ie/league-of-ireland/
The next step is to place a baby in front of her and get her to recite eeny meeny miney mo...
"Must you tell me all your secrets when it's hard enough to love you knowing nothing."
http://worddok.blogspot.com
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....
Originally Posted by Dodge
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.
It's only just begun...............
If the last 21 years were class, here's looking forward to the next 21 years. It is our time
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.Originally Posted by Dricky
Seriously, offended people, relax
It was the sound of 200 people collectively inhalingOriginally Posted by wws
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.
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.Originally Posted by Lim till i die
It's only just begun...............
If the last 21 years were class, here's looking forward to the next 21 years. It is our time
Lim - you're way out of step with the views of everyone else on here.Originally Posted by Lim till i die
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.....
Last edited by dcfcsteve; 09/01/2006 at 1:11 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?
Ceci n'est pas une signature
Aw, your poor African American slave friend got offended. Did the scars from his chains bleed as he wept?Originally Posted by Dricky
Once he gets his freedom, I'm sure he'll go back to Africa to rejoin his tribe.
He must have little else to worry about if he takes offence to a throwaway comment, which wasn't intended as an insult.
Sure he can always sue Mary and take comfort in his compensation. Isn't that the American way!
Last edited by Peadar; 09/01/2006 at 1:23 PM.
Have Boot Disk, will travel
Peadar I notice that post was edited -surely not to take out anything offensive eh?Originally Posted by Peadar
" I wish to God that someone would be able to block out the voices in my head for five minutes, the voices that scream, over and over again: "Why do they come to me to die?"
Can anyone explain to me what the old saying "worked like blacks..." actually refers to? I suspect it comes from the same school as "dirty arab..." etc...
Anyone can make a mistake but O'Rouke should have enough experience to know that trying to defend herself will cost her in the long run as its an argument she cannot win.
This is what I'm not sure on. All this "shouldn't have said it" is bull imo, people shouldn't be thinking this way anymore. And certainly not our politicians. Thinking it and not saying it because it'll be controversial still makes you a racist.Originally Posted by pete
If you attack me with stupidity, I'll be forced to defend myself with sarcasm.
I think it's a reference to slavery but I'm not sure.Originally Posted by pete
We're not arrogant, we're just better.
Bookmarks