Yay! I hope you knew that before googling.
Circa 1985. But I can’t validate its patrimony online.
Well, Lenny Bruce said that, too!
Agreed, I don’t understand how this could be considered a “saying” anymore than “turn left at the corner”, it’s just basic statement for a specific circumstance.
In the early 80’s in the Army we said “Fuck 'em in the ass if they can’t take a joke.”
I thought that was the date, when he, the actual guilty Jew, confessed to having killed Jesus.
The saying can be definitively traced back as far as 2005.
I too am unfamiliar with it. Can you give some of the set-ups that were used by the various entertainers mentioned?
We heard it the first day of boot camp in 1967, and it had been around long before that.
I can’t find a cite, but I seem to remember it being a quote from Mary Harris ‘Mother’ Jones, She lived from 1837 to 1930, so that would be much earlier than any of these other sources.
I made it up yesterday. Why are you stealing from me?
There was 'zine whose name I forget* back in the 90s which said 'fuck ‘em even if they can take a joke!’
- It had platypus in the title, iirc.
OK, I’m going to use it even though by now I have a (hazy) sense of when it is appropriate.
Signed,
Mr. Hopeful Witty Comeback
It has many, many uses, but usually when you’re taking some action that may seem a bit dicey, but the risk to you is actually small. You’re out for a few beers and your wife is fine with it. You tell your mates “well, I told her I’d be back at ten, but I’m having another beer; fuck her if she can’t take a joke.” It’s a false bravado, as there is no real consequence to your action.
I’ve generally heard it used to make light of something serious. You accidentally kill a bunch of people. “Oh, fuck 'em if they can’t take a joke”.