Nationality oxymorons

In My Humble Opinion
21

Cardinal, I don’t think you intended to offend anybody.

Sorry for hijacking your thread, but it just annoyed me that you were so surprised that Australians could be scientists. I wasn’t aware that we had a stereotype for being dumb… I guess you learn something new everyday.

While I understand that you are joking, I still find it rascist, whether it’s aimed at Australians, Italians, Germans, or whoever.

I personally don’t believe Americans are uneducated, even though we constantly see things like Jerry Springer. I don’t for one second believe that the people on that show portray the typical American. In fact, I don’t think there is a typical American.

I’m sorry if I appear too sensitive, but honestly, wouldn’t you be a bit offended if I implied that Americans were dumb, or that gays are limp-wristed pansies, or that women are weak and emotional, or that blacks were stingy ?

I think it’s the inference of “all”, rather than “some”. IOW, you can’t be an Australian AND a scientist, or a Dutch person AND generous.

FWIW, I don’t think you were intentionally being nasty.

22

We regard it as offensive to ascribe what we perceive to be a negative attribute to a demographic group, but we don’t regard it as offensive to stereotype a demographic group as lacking what we perceive to be a positive attribute. Interesting.

23

I might point out that a moderator was the first reply in this thread.

That is all. Good bye, thread.

24

Whatever it is, it certainly is not racist. Unless any of the the three mentioned can be construed as a “race” in any way, shape, or form.

What this is is some mild humour (the level of hilarity per definition varies per reader), based on a nationality’s stereotypes. Stereotypes are a broad brush to paint with, and should not be taken too seriously.

Of course there are highly accomplished Australian scientists.
Of course some, if not most, Dutchmen are quite generous.
And of course only a minority of Americans are undereducated.

My simple advice is this: if joking about nationalities pisses you off that much, be wise and hit the back button. Everyone is in agreement that Cardinal started this thread with no ill intentions. There is no reason for anyone to colour it as such, then.

25

I’m sorry if I appear too sensitive, but honestly, wouldn’t you be a bit offended if I implied that Americans were dumb, or that gays are limp-wristed pansies, or that women are weak and emotional, or that blacks were stingy ?

No, i wouldn’t. Not as long as we (like we did here) made it clear this was self-satirizing thread. Hell, I hear Europeans imply that Americans are stupid all the time. And have you seen a comedy lately? SOmebody needs a dose of Austin Powers 3?

26

Goo, I particularly like the way you mentioned every other oxymoron used in this thread in you rebuttal except “Sober Irishman”

:slight_smile:

27

I suggest we sooth the ruffled feelings here by changing this to a NON SEQUITUR Nationalistic Stereotype Thread! Here, I’ll start!

Enthusiastic Spaniards!
Magic Realist Lithuanians!
Impolite Egyptians!
Balladeering Californians!
Fastidious Bulgarians!
Dulcimerlike Aztecs!

28

I took the OP in very good humor and do not think any offense was meant.

When I was about 12 I bought my neighbor’s old Mad Magazines. There was clip in it called something like “The World’s Thinnest Books.” One of them was “Puerto Ricans I have met while Yachting.” That was from the 1960’s, I think. I didn’t get it or understand but I think that, while intended in humor, this kind of thing can be a little…well, offensive.

So I think Cardinal didn’t mean to offend but man, this thread is a slippery slope. :smiley:

Tibs.

29

BTW, “Scotch” should be “Scottish”. “Scotch” is a drink.

30

Goo, the recent news article about the scramjet is one of the first non-jounral articles I’ve read about research being done ‘down under’. In the news in america we see stories all the time about new studies from here, the UK or Japan…

The 99% of the population outside of science probably never thinks about research being done in other countries.

Hell, I was suprised that you Aussies were working on next generation propulsion.

Also Goo, after reading the OP many times, neither the OPer or anyone else said Aussies were dumb…

And Goo, actually the more I’m reading this the more pissed off I’m getting. Being a scientist doesn’t make you smart? Thank you for this revalation.
If anything, what you said is offensive, I know a large number of very smart people who aren’t scientists. But since they aren’t scientists I guess they aren’t smart? Since they aren’t scientists they must be dumb as shit. I mean, what’s the use of being able to argue about deconstructionism, or understanding the principles of cubism… I guess they should all drop out of their PhD programs shouldn’t they.

(And if I’m understanding how you reached your conclusion Goo, then I’m doing the exact same thing here. But I’m gathering that you didn’t mean what you said that way. But given your reaction to the OPer I’m thinking that you did.)

Arg sorry for the hijack… but that pissed me off more than I thought it was going to :frowning:

Anyhoo I have a few for you guys:

Russian Biologists

(Science joke. During the communist rule, a secretary of Agriculture or whatever the soviet version was, learned about the idea of evolution… His plan to feed the nation was to stop crop rotation and plant the same type of crop year after year in the same place, hoping to grow plants that were the best adapted to the specific part of russian they were planted in. As a result, massive shortcommings in crop production for I think a few decades. And it pretty much threw Soviet bio-technology development back a few decades. Anyway, we all know Russians are the best physists… and chess players.)

Scottish Winemakers :slight_smile: I just have a very funny mental image of a bunch of scots sitting in a bar sipping wine all night while everyone else drinks lager and scotch.

31

That would be Trofim Denisovich Lysenko.

I LOVE that guy, he’s such a NUT!

32

Cardinal, you started a thread awhile back suggesting that members of a certain US state all need to get over themselves.

Now you express surprise that Australia produces any scientists, the Swiss can feel passionately, etc. What’s with all the negative stereotyping?

And no, your little “let’s keep in nonoffensive” quip doesn’t recuse this from being a very ill-advised OP.

Coldfire showed restraint above and beyond. Not everyone has to be so generous.

33

He’s my hero.

Living proof that a little science is a VERY dangerous thing, especially in the hands of the partially educated.

In college I had a picture of him, right under the poster of a college student on the ground next to a keg saying, “Caution experiment in progress”

34

Ancient, time-honored joke to follow:

A little boy asked his parish priest, “What is it like in Heaven?” The priest answered, “Ah, it’s a wonderful place, where all the chefs are French, all the waiters are Russian, all the engineers are German, all the policemen are English, and all the lovers are Italian.”

The boy thought for a moment, and asked, “What is Hell like, then?” The priest answered, “Just like Heaven- only all the chefs are English, all the waiters are French, all the policemen are German, all the lovers are Russian, and all the engineers are Italian.”

Exaggerated? Of course! Full of holes? Of course! We all know that Ferrari’s engineers are as good as anybody’s, that England now has loads of world-famous chefs, etc. But come on, lighten up. It’s not as if ANY of those ethnic groups can claim to be a persecuted, oppressed minority! And, behind closed doors, when they think nobody else is listening, members of those ethnic groups regularly laugh at similar stereotypical jokes.

35

“Political correctness” has gone way too far! Can’t anybody say anyting to anyone anymore without it being “offensive”!?!

Jesus, people, lighten up and get over yourselves. Its just a little jokin’ around. How positivly shallow and empty one’s life must be to be offended by something someone types on a message board in cyberspace as a joke. (Damn, thats a fine run-on sentance!) How does someone like this function in the real world without dissolving into a puddle at the slightest provacation?

Why would someone who is easliy offended even read this thread? Would it be so they could then bitch about it?

She said she loved me like a brother. She’s from Arkansas, hence the Joy! (I may have just pissed off a bunch of Arkies, but I bet they don’t get the joke!)

36

I have played the above game at the Council of Europe (ya know, sort of a bastion of non-Isms and human rights work?) with great entertainment had by all who played, about 20 different nationalities were represented and we were all flinging them back and forth.

Everyone is aware that certain stereotypes exist, most people are aware that they are just that, stereotypes. The stereotype of the irish is an alcoholic father who beats the whole family, and where there is smoke there is fire absoultly, however it is not the defining characteristic of the population of Ireland. Surely we are all grown up enough here to play around with these common perceptions, and possibly even end up discussing how they come about etc ?

37

Forgot to mention that I found it really interesting to hear some of the “debunking” cites :slight_smile: The australian invention links were great, as was the reminder that Ducati and Ferrari are fantastically engineered :slight_smile:

38

I’m an Irish-American, and I’m sober at the moment.

Can’t really PROVE it, though.

39

…positivly, sentance, provacation…
I guess this comes from an American…
Now don’t get offended, it’s just a joke posted on a message board as a joke.
:slight_smile:

40

Taken from this site on constitutional law.

From this site.

It’s all just for fun. It’s all just a joke.

Sure.

The author of the OP wasn’t talking about himself, there was no self parody there. He was making a negative statement about other nationalities. Offense need not have been meant, for the “joke” to be offensive.

We’re seeing rules being written right now for this board concerning parodies, ignore lists and “lawnchair” posts, but it’s okay to make fun of your neighbour at your neighbour’s expense?

That’s sad.