Ultimate thread closing

[English assassin]

I reckon a joke that begins " A Scouser, a Frenchman and a Blonde walked into a bar..." would be the ultimate frontroom kiss of death right now.

Seriously, I can easily see why the mods are more than usually twitchy, but surely shutting the thread about the scouse chicken was slightly unnecessary? After all scousers are "famous for their sense of humour". Maybe we need a clear statement about what sort of jokes are unacceptable, if its no jokes at all that involve any identifiable group of people, well, OK, I guess, but we needs to know.

Our Welsh members seem reasonably relaxed about a low level of references to sheep and leeks, for instance, and it doesn't bother me if there are a few references to bad teeth or whatever. Mostly we can tell when comments are made in good spirit or not and its a shame to lose some friendly ribbing. If it got too much, as the French bashing not infrequently does, I can see we need a quiet word, but otherwise people are pretty sensible here IMHO.

[Mouzafphaerre]

.
My forum admin and three year firend elsewhere, who had never reacted to a sheep joke till now, being a Scotsman himself, deleted and entire thread because of a post of mine including a sheep joke as a footnote. No problem, actually I apologized and all is well now, but you will never know when people will get pissed of with such things. Ethnicity is too delicate a matter to play with.

Furthermore, that thread was bad.
.

[InsaneApache]

It's probably a British thing. We, in the UK are a funny lot. We live on a small island cheek by jowl most of the time, and it's one of the national sports to pull each others leg. Example; I chat with a bloke from, say London. After a while the banter starts. He's a 'poufty southerner' and I'm a 'northern git'. No one is offended, however an outsider looking in may well think these two guys must really hate each other. Not at all. Nothing could be further from the truth. As EA said our Welsh brethren take the sheep and leek jokes in their stride, as I have to as well, living as I do in Yorks. (the scousers call us 'woolley backs' baaa)

However I actually thought about this last night and in retrospect perhaps the thread should have been posted originally in the backroom. Just to be on the safe side.


Furthermore, that thread was bad.

Well the guys from Liverpool didn't take it as bad, in fact knowing the scouse mindset they'd have been rolling on the floor. The scouse jokes I posted were told to me by my mate from Walton, in the shadow of Goodison park.

http://www.liverpoolpictorial.co.uk/spitonyourgaff3/index.htm

I'm sure all that was as clear as mud to our non-UK members.~:)

[Adrian II]

It's probably a British thing. We live on a small island cheek by jowl most of the time, and it's one of the national sports to pull each others leg.Same thing in The Neds. I have yet to see the first serious falling-out between two or more Dutch members of the .org. We make the most horrible jokes sometimes, mostly in Dutch so the rest of the forum doesn't understand, and we have huge political differences, but somehow we manage to deal with those without ruffing too many feathers. I guess it comes with the territory (too small for a fight, before you can land a punch you hurt your elbow on a wall or on somebody else's ribcase).

Ain't that right, Fragony?

Let's polder a bit, just to show 'em eh?

[English assassin]

Its going to be a bit of a strain to have to remember not to ask InsaneApache where his whippet is, and he'll have to get used to not calling me a soft shandy drinking poof, but I guess we can adapt if we have to.

I suppose its a bit unfair since if anyone other than a northern monkey called me a soft shandy drinking poof I would be annoyed, fair enough. But then its easy enough for UK patron not to join in with any yankee/southerner banter so I think people respect the boundaries.

[Adrian II]

Its going to be a bit of a strain to have to remember not to ask InsaneApache where his whippet is, and he'll have to get used to not calling me a soft shandy drinking poof, but I guess we can adapt if we have to.Nonsense, this is clearly an infringement on your cultural identity. Isn't there some paragraph in some UN declaration about the preservation of such hallowed oral traditions as the Welsh sheep-joke and other immaterial cultural monuments?
:book:

EDIT
Ah, found it. It is the UN Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity (http://www.unesco.org/bpi/intangible_heritage/backgrounde.htm)of May 18, 2001.


The oral and intangible heritage has been defined by international experts convened by UNESCO as “peoples’ learned processes along with the knowledge, skills and creativity that inform and are developed by them, the products they create, and the resources, spaces and other aspects of social and natural context necessary to their sustainability; these processes provide living communities with a sense of continuity with previous generations and are important to cultural identity, as well as to the safeguarding of cultural diversity and creativity of humanity.”So there we are. There is no justification to suppress such gems of popular orally transmitted knowledge as the reason why the Mersey runs through Liverpool (If it walked, it would be mugged. Arrite, arrite, clam down!)

[Beirut]

The thread was closed because it was an ongoing insult of an identifiable group, not because it involved a chicken. Granted, the thread might seem less than serious to many, including yourself, but it set a bad precedent by repeatedly referring to a certain group of people as thieves.

If you disagree, you have every right to take up the matter with BKS or discuss it here in the Watchtower.

If BKS or Tosa tells me to open it, I will, of course, open it.

[Ianofsmeg16]

So this is where our wonderfully famous British wit has got us....

My brother is welsh and i always rip it out of him, but he doesnt mind, same with my scouse friends (there are ALOT here) it's now officially part of our culture, along with Chavs and vidaloo~:cheers:

[InsaneApache]

I understand the motive behind the closure, which is why I posted that in hindsight it would have been better to post it in the backroom.

As for the 'group' thing. Where to start? Scousers are known in the UK for a reputation of scallywaggery, just as the Scots and Yorkies are known to be careful with money.(tight fisted) As the Welsh(and Yorkies) are known for their familiarity with domesticated livestock (sheep worrying). ~;) Londoners are known for their big mouths and weak beer (Capital city syndrome I believe). Midlanders have the reputation for being 'Yo-yos'...the list goes on. As I said it's probably a UK 'thing' that gets lost on other English speaking peoples.

Personally I would be delighted if the thread was opened again as it was getting interesting insights from our scouse members. I'd forgotten about scouse coming from a cheap broth made by sailors...but perhaps moved to the backroom.

[English assassin]

If you disagree, you have every right to take up the matter with BKS or discuss it here in the Watchtower.

If BKS or Tosa tells me to open it, I will, of course, open it.

Aww, shucks, you know you da bomb, Beruit.~:pat: You say its shut, its shut, as far as I'm concerned.

[Adrian II]

If you disagree, you have every right to take up the matter with BKS or discuss it here in the Watchtower.Dear Beirut, I don't think anybody takes either the Scouse-jokes or the closing of that thread very seriously. Under the forum rules you are right, but humour is a category that is notoriously hard to trap in rules. I would agree with InsaneApache that this 'group thing' is an innocent British tradition, though certainly not exclusively British. As I wrote above, the Dutch have a similar tradition and they would wholeheartedly agree that familiarity breeds... well, lots of jokes.

[InsaneApache]

Just to further the point. The British Army uses the Regimental system, which effectivley exploits this good natured rivalry between cities and counties in the UK. This fans the rivalry that exists already to tremendous effect.

I was in the Kings regiment in a previous life. Now this regiment drew in recruits from Manchester and Liverpool.....oh the fun we had knocking seven bells out of each other, verbally that is. But what a bunch of blokes. The best.

In future I shall exercise a more rounded judgement, and if in doubt......backroom ~:cool:

[Beirut]

I understand and agree with all of you. But regional humour does not always fit well in these forums as it is a wider audience who must try and interpret it.

This is a private forum with rules and the I have to interpret those rules as they fit into the Frontroom. The default position being that in BKS's Kingdom of Peace & Love, we play nice.

As I said, if BKS says "open" - it's open.

[Adrian II]

I understand and agree with all of you. But regional humour does not always fit well in these forums as it is a wider audience who must try and interpret it.Yeah, better safe than sorry. I think we all understand that.
:bow:

[Louis VI the Fat]

As I said it's probably a UK 'thing' that gets lost on other English speaking peoples.Poking fun at certain groups isn't limited to the UK. People do it everywhere, usually to the delight of both groups, making fun of each other in a reciprocal manner. But it's impossible for Beirut / other mods to guess what will be understood as lighthearted amusement and what is malicious slander.

I'll take the word of the UK posters that Scousers are known for their sense of humour. But stereotyping can be pushed too far - go try and sell the Sun in Liverpool and see how those scousers respond...

As I'm neither British nor Liverpudlian I'll refrain from a judgement about the thread.

As to stereotyping jokes in general, well most are innocent enough. If you're a Kiwi, deal with hoofed mammal jokes. If you're American learn to deal with people making a video of Yanks bombing placing back to the stone-age that they can't even point out on a map. If you're French, well, the Anglosaxons have got a few jokes in store for you too. Just laugh it off.

The French and British have been poking fun at each other for six hundred years now. Mostly pretty innocent enough. There's no offense taken or intended. I must grant the UK that their humour is indeed unsurpassed. Great wit and satire, and far superior to those perennial 'jokes' about may 1940 by some of their Anglosaxon-brethren. I mean, come on, unless you're John Cleese, try making fun of either Germans or French without mentioning the war for a change, alright?

There's a fine line indeed between what is just plain tiresome and what is a delightful exchange of discourtesies.

[TosaInu]

Good points.

When is it fun and when does it stop being fun?

In a way, internet discussion boards are pretty poor communication tools, while the social requirements are much higher in discussions, as you talk to the whole world.

[edyzmedieval]

How come it's a poor communication tool?! It's a very good one, I can talk with somebody about modding and girls. ~:cheers:

I like the BKS Kingdom of Peace and Love. Long live the kingdom! ~:cheers:

[Adrian II]

In a way, internet discussion boards are pretty poor communication tools, while the social requirements are much higher in discussions, as you talk to the whole world.That is why roughly half the exchanges on the WWW are about the WWW itself, about its uses, its limits and its technicalities, about the misunderstandings and reduncancies that result from the lack of analogous communication, and about the values and rules that should guide behaviour and exchange on the WWW. In many ways the WWW is self-reflective.

The other half of WWW exchanges is all about games... ~D

There is probably a good reason for that. Maybe games are the closest thing to analogous communication on the WWW, because they involve cooperation, shared experiences and (sometimes intense) emotional involvement.

[Beirut]

I like the BKS Kingdom of Peace and Love. Long live the kingdom! ~:cheers:

Damn straight! :hippie:

[GoreBag]

Couldn't it just be moved to the backroom? I'd like some threads in there that are mindless entertainment rather than mindless bickering.

[English assassin]

Couldn't it just be moved to the backroom? I'd like some threads in there that are mindless entertainment rather than mindless bickering.

Well, part of the reason for my question was that I don't want to see the Kingdom of Peace and Love without much content. (On that topic, I wonder if we could try posting a few less contentious backroom topics in the frontroom? The human evolution thread, for instance, has been perfectly civil and non-political. Its a risk I know. Or is the Kingdom best kept only for humourous or lightweight stuff? And babes, obviously, which are a deadly serious matter, fair play to the Kingdom.)

Anyway I'm not sure if it would help since a genuinely offensive joke ought not to be in the backroom either.

It is very tricky. For instance, although I genuinely felt that scousers would not be upset by the scouse jokes (still less blondes by the blonde jokes), I would never dream of posting a "joke" that relied on the old English stereotype that the Irish are not that clever. And I would report such a joke if someone else posted it. I'm not sure why scousers being scallies seems OK and Irish being not very bright is obviously not OK but there you go.

Oh well, let common sense be our guide I guess. Anyway, here is a non-offensive joke to be going on with:

A Duck walks into a pub at lunchtime, and asks for a pint. "You're a Duck" says the barman. "That's right," says the Duck, "now, what about that pint?" "But you can talk", says the barman. "Nothing wrong with your ears," says the Duck, "I'm working on that building site accross the road this week, and I'll be coming in every lunchtime for a pint or two, so, can I have my pint now please?" And the barman pours him a pint, still marvelling at the talking Duck.

The week passes, and every lunchtime the Duck comes in and has a few pints, and maybe a nice pie and chips, before going back to his job on the building site.

On friday, the barman is very excited. "I had a world with the circus that's in town," he tells the Duck, "and they are very interested in you" "Really", says the Duck. "Oh yes," says the barman, "in fact the circus wants to give you a job."

"The circus wants to give me a job?" asks the Duck.

"Oh yes", says the barman.

"This circus, its in a big tent, and all of that?" asks the Duck.

"yes yes," says the barman, "its in the big top, of course"

The Duck looks puzzled and says "then what the [ ] do they want with a plasterer?"

[Mikeus Caesar]

Most of my family are scousers, including me (lived there for half my life) and i don't take offence in the jokes about scousers. Me and most of my family usually spend our time telling each other bad jokes about scousers, so surely we must be offended. Wrong. Only someone who has trouble keeping their emotions in place due to a mental disorder (*cough* Clayton...) would take insult from the scouser jokes that were posted in the chicken thread.

[Beirut]

Well, part of the reason for my question was that I don't want to see the Kingdom of Peace and Love without much content.


Neither do I. But it's up to the members to keep it interesting. Granted, a locked thread here and there may interrupt the content, but it also has to be mentioned that some of the content posted is the intellectual equivalent of cold Kraft Dinner.

The forum is open to such topics as literature, music, movies, games, sports, astronomy, science, personal history and experiences, women!, beer, whiskey, flashlights ~D ,more beer, food, cars, motorcycles, TV shows, art, travel, pets, the weather, and a million other subjects not involving politics or religion.

Yet day after day threads are posted with titles like "What's your favorite thread closing post" or "Which Org. member would you like to beat up?" or "What's your favorite soup spoon... RIGHT NOW!!! YES, RIGHT NOW!!!!!"

I mean, c'mon...

It isn't the staff who make or keep this place interesting - it's the members.

[Ja'chyra]

You spelt whisky wrong:duel:

I agree with most people here, the humour that is fine in everyday life is easily misconstrued for the simple reason that you can't hear or see the person making the joke. A smilie isn't the same as making a joke with a smile.

[Reverend Joe]

You spelt whisky wrong:duel:

:thinking: Um... no, you did... I think...

Edit: checked the OED and it can be spelled either way. In general, it is spelled Whisky in Scotland, England and Wales, and Whiskey in Ireland and the US. It can also be spelled whiskie or whiskiee.

[English assassin]

Yeah, he's a Scot. He meant, there's scotch whisky , then there is other dubious brown fluids which in no way compare to the ambrosial nectar of his native land, despite calling themselves whiskey.

He's basically right, too. ~D

[Beirut]

Funny. I always spell it whisky.

T'was just a typo. :stupido:

[Reverend Joe]

Yeah, he's a Scot. He meant, there's scotch whisky , then there is other dubious brown fluids which in no way compare to the ambrosial nectar of his native land, despite calling themselves whiskey.

He's basically right, too. ~D

:stare: Ahem... Irish whiskey? Bushmills, etc?

(I think it's better than scotch...)