is this offensive? does anyone even understand what he says…..??

haha linky.

According to the ASA it is.

according to the GF it is, too…. but then maybe she's biased.

There are better ways to wind up the germans.

So if they'd got John Cleese to rant a bit, would it have been offensive to all Brits?

That just proves the Germans have no sense of humour.

It proves that they are still sensitive to certain stereotypes of themselves, not that they don't have a sense of humour.

Sounds like a typical German to me.

Capt – Brilliant. Love it. Especially the middle one. 🙂

Did they really use those?

PP, there's a load of them here;
http://www.shepherd-neame.co.uk/humour/index.html

13 complaints? I wonder how many were Germans and how many were your workaday politically correct types 'defending the minorities/downtrodden etc wherever we find an excuse to do so'

TBH it doesn't reflect well on the UK really does it? – WW2 was over 60+ years ago and wasn't actually a terribly funny thing. Time we moved on

handy hock

Would it have been more or less offensive if they had used a different historical figure like Stalin, Napaleon, Lenin, Franco or Mussolini?

They don't like it up 'em!

Capt, very good, thanks for the link. 🙂

That just proves the Germans have no sense of humour.

What is ths ASA run by Germans?
Did only Germans complain?
Perhaps it proves that Brits are xenophobes who just cannot get over a war than ended more than 60 years ago?

Some germans have a sense of humour, even about the war. I know someone who was on a Lufthansa flight into heathrow, they were delayed landing because of a fault with the runway lights. The captain of the flight came over the tannoy applogising for the delay and criticising air traffic control for being over cautious as "german pilots hadn't had any trouble finding london in the dark in the 1940s"

Perhaps it proves that Brits are xenophobes who just cannot get over a war than ended more than 60 years ago?

I thought it ended in 1997 when we finished paying for it?

Perhaps it proves that Brits are xenophobes who just cannot get over a war than ended more than 60 years ago?

You think we're bad? So did I, until I went to a company 'kick-off' (that's a piss-up) in Holland.

The new head honcho of europe was german. He gave a speech at an evening do. Us brits were muttering "don't mention the war". The dutch were shouting "give us back our bicycles" and giving nazi salutes! Funniest thing I've ever seen.

i was watching that Paul Merton in Europe program the other day and there were some Germans shouting boisterously in a bar, it reminded me of the fact that we have been programmed to find germans shouting frightening by war films and the like

Perhaps it proves that Brits are xenophobes who just cannot get over a war than ended more than 60 years ago?

You say "60 years ago" like it is ancient history. There are still plenty of folk alive today that had first hand experience of that war (on both sides), so I hardly think it is xenophobic for it still to be part of the public consciousness on some level.

Sounds to me like it's taking the piss out of Adolf Hitler. How can that be offensive to all Germans??

I discussed it with a German colleague:
"- What do you think? http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jan/20/reed-online-ad-asa Offensive?
– we have "Hitler" commercials and stuff as well…
– thats what I thought. Takes the piss out of him, rather than all Germans!
– he was not even german …"

well yes Graham we should never forget but surely we can move on and not compare modern Germans to Nazis or Hitler?

Its a tiring joke and bordering on very offensive.

At a German friends wedding, his sister picked up the microphone and commanded that we go outside, quickly and orderly. All the British at the wedding burst out laughing. 😆

Needs more racist meerkats.

picked up the microphone and commanded that we go outside, quickly and orderly.

"For you – ze vedding is over"

uplink- it was to release the romantic symbolic lit-balloons into the night sky.

Its the way she said it/approx as I can remember – "ATTENTION YOU WILL ORDERLY STAND UP AND FOLLOW ME OUTSIDE FOR THE RELEASE OF THE ROMANTIC BALLOONS. DO IT NOW, MOVE! MOVE! QUICKLY!. FASTER."

(shouted instructions as well)- I thought I was on the show allo allo 😆

well yes Graham we should never forget but surely we can move on and not compare modern Germans to Nazis or Hitler?

The ad was a parody of Hitler, not of modern day Germans.

What's wrong with a bit of gentle banter anyway? It doesn't make us xenophobes. It's political correctness gawn mad I tells ya.

I don't find it particularly offensive. I find it boring. We had those jokes a million times now, and it is really un-imaginative, if I'dtask an ad agency with the job, I'd expect something better. Also doubt that the complaints came from Germans, I feel that Brits have a wrong idea about Germans sensitivity to 'mentioning the war'. We (I am German btw) don't forget but we have moved on as well as we could.
And hora, did she shout this in English ?? Well, at least she made an effort for the Brits to understand what was going on, didn't she ? It might jsut have sounded so strict then as she was speaking in a foreign language.

You should try disussing America/Afganistan/Iraq with an Iranian. Like I have done with my boss (Yes he's Iranian) That's entertaining!

The poor bugger moved here around the time of 9/11 looking for work. He's qualified as an air traffic contoller. I kid you not.

Top bloke actually. 🙂

jeez
just pathetic really – same as going on about the bloody 1966 World Cup…
as I've said before:
Germany – great washing machines, great beer, great cars, great p0rn and all the stuff works – they take their engineering seriously…

My son went on a visit to Berlin a couple of years ago and came back stunned that all the buses and trains did what they were supposed to do..

look at us here – bit of snow and the entire country is derailed – roads falling to bits – in hock up to the eyeballs – bankers taking the p1ss and flicking the v's at us – useless politicians – no matter which way you vote and d1ckh3ads get in…..makes you wonder if those spitfires did sucha good job…………….

and breathe – that feels better 😀

makes you wonder if those spitfires did sucha good job

You've got some leather shorts haven't you?

My son went on a visit to Berlin a couple of years ago and came back stunned that all the buses and trains did what they were supposed to do..

You tried to use the S-Bahn in the last couple of years? The story behind it's recent problems would make British Rail look competent…

The ad was a parody of Hitler, not of modern day Germans.

What's wrong with a bit of gentle banter anyway? It doesn't make us xenophobes. It's political correctness gawn mad I tells ya.

Quite abit. You can't lambast, embarrass and blame people who had nothing to do with the past can you? Their families also suffered. They also died, were bombed, occupied and suffered.

When do you think the Hitler jokes should die out? 100yrs time? It does actually show a narrow-mind if you think its not an old joke now. When do you start cracking p@ki jokes? Down at the English working mans pub? 🙄

What do you think the UK or Europe would be like if the Nazis did win the war?

Would it be constant fighting still or everyone living in perfect organised harmony?

Discuss

What do you think the UK or Europe would be like if the Nazis did win the war?

YOU! COOLER, ZEHN JAHRE!

I work with Germans on a pretty regular basis, I like them, they are good people on the whole. Their peoples past is not too shiny as we know but then again I think the British have a few skeletons in the cupboard too.

I lost quite a few family members due to the Nazi's but that stuff is past and while not to be forgotten it's hardly the topic for jokes is it?

Gentle ribbing, where's your sense of humour all that stuff is just an excuse to be racist when deprived of their usual targets like Asians and Blacks they love to find softer targets like us wops and the Germans etc.

Gentle ribbing, where's your sense of humour all that stuff is just an excuse to be racist when deprived of their usual targets like Asians and Blacks they love to find softer targets like us wops and the Germans etc.

So black comedy (pun definitely not intended) isn't an acceptable form of comedy then?

Pretty much all comedy involves the urine extraction of some 'victim'. Get over yourself.