[Closed] German bashing......

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.

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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.

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?

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:
[i]"- 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 ...[/i]"

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

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.

🙄

Yes Zokes I have no sense of humour and need to get over myself.

There is a line between what's funny and what's racist you sound like a person who has never had to suffer any racism. I can also think of quite a few comedians who are funny without offense.

Black humour is not the same thing as racist humour.

Despite what hitler might have led you to believe the germans are not a race.

There is a line between what's funny and what's racist you sound like a person who has never had to suffer any racism.

Really, try living as an Englishman in very Welsh North West Wales. But then that's not racist, because I'm English, and there's no such thing as racism towards the English 🙄

Black humour is not the same thing as racist humour.

Joking about the war is a form of black humour, one you appear to have mistaken for racism

Despite what hitler might have led you to believe the germans are not a race.

Your name will go on the list! What is it?

some of the comments are really ****ing puerile.... CFH, you always come out with a predictable, well worn line and come across IMO as a cock.

i'm honestly surprised the Shephard Neame adverts aren't banned. the only problem i have with that is that it isn't too bad a beer..... 😕

the germans have a ****ing huge weight hanging around their necks and, although very aware of the war and the atrocities commited, are also ****ing bored of it.

and don't try trotting out "my dad fought for this country in order to keep our freedom to make jokes..." it's a well known fact that a lot of people fought (including both my granddads) to keep this country from invasion. but similarly lots of germans died fighting for a cause that they didn't believe in because they had very little choice (and no, i don't think they're the victims). lots of places here still bear the scares of that shitty period of european history (the town where i'm currently living has the dubious honour of being the first town to elect by majority a Nazi mayor).

now, i don't think that a single german complained to the ASA. as said above, it was more than likely a handful of over sensitive PC types.

i think it does say an awful lot about us that we keep having to refer to 1939-1945 in order to feel good and smug about ourselves. and whilst english humour is the best in the world then we needn't be taking easy pot-shots at germans. there is a whole lot else about the present that we could be knocking for a laugh: their festidiousness about punctuality; their apparent love of wandering around naked; their constant wrapping up warm in fear of getting a cold; being a nation of hypochondriacs with their constant trips to the doctors; or their funny little leather shorts (although that is confined to bavaria....)

on the other hand they take the piss - as best they can - about the brits having poor teeth (and for the most part i'd have to agree with them) and the fact that our country is a mess (snow, banking, government, debt, rain).

i think the UK has to do some thinking regarding how it views events that 98% of the population have no first hand experience of. the media - especially the likes of the sun and mail - have to get over the fact; the germans WILL NOT forget anytime soon if the brits let it lapse. do the yanks go on about it the same way we do....? no, their country (despite its many flaws) has a positive and progressive outlook on things that i feel the UK, unfortunately, doesn't share....

A cock, eh? Thanks for that.

It's called "humour", you know. You may not have found those adverts funny, but a very large number of people do and did! (Including some German friends of mine who thought they were brilliant.).

Anthony Beevor wrote that the Germans reaped the whirlwind that they had sowed with the Russians. They paid in full for that.

Everyones relatives fought in the World Wars. Its a redundant point. We also have a great deal in common with the Germans.

Everytime I hear a English, Irishman etc/German, ****stani joke- I think the teller is abit simple.

do the yanks go on about it the same way we do....?

alright, cock was maybe a bit much and i apologise, but your attitude whenever anything tuetonic is mentioned is either "handy hock" "ze list" etc.

there is a point jokes are no longer [i]that[/i] funny and i think it says a lot about a person/people when they are unable to think of anything new to come up with....

We are a lot better off now that people actually think about the things they say in case they cause needless offense but some people just dont get that.

Bernard Manning just took the piss out of everyone, so it must be alright eh! No he was a fat racist C+++.

We make jokes about Germans, yanks, French, Scots, Welsh, Irish, English & any one else we can think of - they reciprocate

end of

You may not have found those adverts funny, but a very large number of people do and did! (Including some German friends of mine who thought they were brilliant.).

+1

In fact, said German colleague instigated a battle of Britain-esque paper aeroplane competition in the office the other week - markings and all. Except he wanted the 'Spitfire'!

5thElefant - Member

do the yanks go on about it the same way we do....?

Try going on to a yank forum and see how long it takes them to bring up the war of independence, the monarchy, 'subjects', bailing us out of ww2, being disarmed and teeth.

yeah, but do they bang on about the Germans and WW2?

and the war of independence was more like the first American Civil War as the vast majority of troops for both sides were made up of emigrated brits and irish. but try telling that to a holywood educated seppo...

alpin, no apology needed, but thanks anyway!

The thing is, there are some jokes that sort of exist beyond humour in my opinion. They've sort of become an institution in their own right. For example, on looking at a map, someone almost has to say "We are [i]here[/i], the Germans will be [i]here, here and here[/i]".

Maybe that's not funny, I don't really know, but there are some jokes which just exist in their own right. Anyone Welsh will know that, as they'll have the ever present sheep jokes. Anyone Irish or Tasmanian will know it as well. The Dutch will always make a bike reference around a German. Doesn't necessarily mean that it's funny, it's just a sort of institution.

On the Shepherd Neame adverts, however, I think they were brilliant!

[i]i think it does say an awful lot about us that we keep having to refer to 1939-1945 in order to feel good and smug about ourselves.[/i]

Complete rubbish!
There's 1966 too 🙂

there is a point jokes are no longer that funny

so stop reading them then 🙄

Maybe you should carry round your token-German friend as a sort of permission card and show him as proof that its 'ok' when cracking such jokes?

Do you also have black friends that makes it ok for you 'to get down' infront of everyone else?/act 'familiar'? 😆

there is a point jokes are no longer that funny

Who gets to decide that then? Alpin - international humour ombudsman? 🙄

Jeez - Juan's less touchy about us picking on the frogs 😉

yeah, but do they bang on about the Germans and WW2?

You're wrong to assume that this is a british thing. Every nation does it. The dutch are amazing (see my first post on page 1).

Do you also have black friends that makes it ok for you 'to get down' infront of everyone else?/act 'familiar'?

At a wedding last weekend, My daughter told me that 'you white people can't dance'

She was right mind 🙂

no zokes. bash away but rather on a topic over which they have a chance to defend themselves.

as hora said, it is much like **** jokes - they have no chance to defend themselves on account of having no choice about.

[i]international humour ombudsman[/i]..... i rather like it. what's the pay like?

no zokes. bash away but rather on a topic over which they have a chance to defend themselves

surely they can go on Zingletrackvorld [or whatever] & make jokes about the English? 😉

I promise not to be offended & hereby waive all claims to be afforded the luxury of defending myself

If i were German it would be the assumption German = fascist that i would find offensive.

As that American guy said about 911. Some subjects are better left for serious reflection rather than comedy.

^^^ wot Mr Alpin said - it's just tedious tedious tedious

even my younger son (12) goes on about Hitler the war etc etc - where does that come from ?
I don't think we've ever talked about it at home - somehow he's going on about stuff that he's not got the least connection with - we just need to get over it......

even my younger son (12) goes on about Hitler the war etc etc - where does that come from ?
I don't think we've ever talked about it at home - somehow he's going on about stuff that he's not got the least connection with - we just need to get over it......

Because it is the most studied element of modern history in the curriculum, perhaps?

most studied element of modern history in the curriculum

and there in lies the problem....

i remember there being something in the news about a german committee/group/whips at an education conference saying to the brits that they need to expand the cirriculum and not be so hung up about the war.

many school kids growing up believe that the modern world was shaped by this event alone.

If everyone worried and continued to worry about the past everyone would hate everyone and the British would probably be the most hated, so we probably shouldn't poke fun ourselves.

That said it does just sound like PC gone mad.

In spite of living in the UK all my life I only got to spend any time with Germans last week when we were hiking together on a mountain in China, they complied with some stereotypes (massive ammount of porn on their laptop) but were a great laugh and were no rowdier as drinkers than myself or my American colleague.

americans are shit drinkers....

I'm sure I would have remembered if anyone had entered the dark art of scatology.

Yes it could offensive but so could Apu from the Simpsons.

It's the context it is applied.

As long as we laugh it off if Germans do it ourselves but the advert is aimed at idiots with nothing else to do 😉

alpin - Member

americans are shit drinkers....

According to todays Times Britain is way down on alcohol deaths per 1,000, binge drinking etc out of 5 other Europe countries.

Interestingly- France, Italy and Spain are ahead of us.

According to todays Times Britain is way down on alcohol deaths per 1,000, binge drinking etc out of 5 other Europe countries.

Interestingly- France, Italy and Spain are ahead of us.

I think some of us are more sensitive to racism (percieved or otherwise) than others.

It just seems to me that humour can be funny without having a victim, many of the very best comedians like Billy Connolly, Eddie Izzard, Bill Hicks and any number of others use comedy that is for want of a better word smarter than that. I just think this kind of humour belongs in the past.

most studied element of modern history in the curriculum

and there in lies the problem....

What was that about those who forget history are doomed to repeat it?

an education should be a little more all encompassing.....

start with the Boer War perhaps.... it's not only the germans that have committed henious crimes.

Have you noticed that the ads that parody 'Ze Germans' are always targeted at the knuckle draggers, students or the immature/teenager market? 🙄

alpin - Member
an education should be a little more all encompassing.....

start with the Boer War perhaps.... it's not only the germans that have committed henious crimes.

Why stop there, what about the Norman invasion? Or does that not offer enough opportunities for apologist hand wringing and guilt? 😉

'Ze Germans' are always targeted at the knuckle draggers, students or the immature/teenager market?

I think they target any Germans Hora - not just those

Maybe get the Danes involved with their glamourised raping and pillaging?

German girls are lush.

😀