What's up with that post about French destroyer surrendering on the news page?

[BarjackU977]

Sailor Steve,

I get your point.
And with this one type of humor, the question remains: where is the border between "having fun" and "making fun of" (mocking).

It's at a different level for each person. It varies with the mood of the day. It depends on the perception of "balance", on personal experiences, on the context, on the "quality" of the joke. It's easy to take this type of joke as a joke one time, two times, three times, but the higher it goes in frequency, the higher the chances are that the target gets tired about the joke. Especially when people who really mean to insult happen to come along (and since the 2nd war in Irak, I came across a certain amount of such people), which was hopefully not the case in this topic.

I think it's nothing new for any of us. It's a debate many others had before.


Jimbuna,
other comments included, for example, that the Roman empire didn't have its border stop to Italy and France but that they included England as well, that the USA also took its troops back from Vietnam and things like that. There is no point, since you meant to joke.
But thus, it's not about me having a personal difficulty in understanding or about an inability to embrace the meaning of a joke, it's rather about the context and the other above mentioned reasons.
And yes, like MikiBzh said, having different cultures and languages can also cause misunderstanding.

[BarjackU977]

Out of curiosity, do many jokes of that type make it to the Subsim news, out of April's fool day (or even during)?

[krashkart]

Originally Posted by BarjackU977

Out of curiosity, do many jokes of that type make it to the Subsim news, out of April's fool day (or even during)?

I haven't been around here long, but that article is the first one of that vein I've read since joining.

[Jimbuna]

Dear Santa,

Thank you for my super soaker 5000, I am now the best armed British soldier in Afghanistan!

[Sailor Steve]

Here's one I read in a book on WW2 air combat, and it claimed it was true.

Swirling dogfight over the Pacific, with a mixed bag of American and British planes trying to escape a superior Japanese group. Over the radio come a yank screaming "Oh God, they're all over me! Somebody help me!"

The reply is from a Brit: "I say, old Chap. There are more than a few of us in the same pickle. Do shut up and take it like a man!"

[Oberon]

I believe in equal opportunity swiping, and I do so love British stereotypes, so Steves one hit the mark there

Here's some towards our Germanic colleagues:

The German air controllers at Frankfurt Airport are a short-tempered lot. They not only expect one to know one's gate parking location, but how to get there without any assistance from them. So it was with some
amusement that we (a Pan Am 747) listened to the following exchange between Frankfurt ground control and a British Airways 747, call sign "Speedbird 206":
Speedbird 206: "Top of the morning, Frankfurt, Speedbird 206 clear of the active runway."
Ground: "Guten Morgen. You vill taxi to your gate."
The big British Airways 747 pulled onto the main taxiway and slowed to a stop.
Ground: "Speedbird, do you not know where you are going?"
Speedbird 206: "Stand by a moment, Ground, I'm looking up our gate location now."
Ground (with arrogant impatience): "Speedbird 206, haff you never flown to Frankfurt before?"
Speedbird 206 (coolly): Yes, I have, actually, in 1944. In another type of Boeing, but just to drop something off. I didn't stop."

[Jimbuna]

For those of us who are fortunate enough to be Geordies

General Custer is standing on a hill overlooking the Little Big Horn. In the distance he can hear Sitting Bull's braves pounding on their drums.

He turns to a little Geordie soldier in his ranks, "Listen" he says, "they have war drums."

The Geordie replies, "Why, man! The effin', thievin' ba*tards..."

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by BarjackU977

And with this one type of humor, the question remains: where is the border between "having fun" and "making fun of" (mocking).

Excellent points, and the rest of your post too. The Vietnam point is well taken, especially by me. And of course the British have had their fair share of failures, as have everyone else. We try to keep it in good fun here, and Jim is one of the best when you get to know him.

I've always said that anyone who can't laugh at himself has no business laughing at anyone else.

As for joking about national stereotypes, here's one Jim made about America:
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...&postcount=165

And my reply:
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...&postcount=170

[Jimbuna]

Well let's give the cons a turn:

An Australian ends up next to a British soldier in the trenches during World War II.

The British soldier turns to him and says, "Good to see you, mate. Have you come here to die?"

To which the Australian replies, "No, mate, I came here yesterday!"

How about the yanks:

A young British soldier lost his head during a fire fight and ran for cover some distance from the action.
He had not only lost his prized beret but had also lost his webbing and weapon.
He was crouched down behind a wall when he felt a hand grip his shoulder and heard a calming American voice behind him say, "What the **** do you think you're doing here, soldier? Think of your regiment...get back there and do what you're paid to do."
The young soldier got himself back under control and said, "Sorry, mate, you're right."
The voice behind him bellowed, "MATE? I am an American Officer!"
The young soldier replied, "Sorry, Sir, I didn't realise I'd run back that far."

The Brits even:

A squad of british soldiers were patrolling the Iraqi border, when they came across a badly mangled dead body. As they got closer, they found it was an Iraqi soldier.
A short distance up the road, they found a badly mangled British soldier in a ditch on the other side of the road, struggling to breathe. They ran to him, cradled his bruised head and asked him what had happened.
"Well," he whispered, "I was walking down this road, armed to the teeth when I came across this heavily armed Iraqi border guard. I looked him right in the eye and shouted, 'Saddam Hussein is a moronic, deceitful, lying piece of trash!'"
"He looked me right in the eye and shouted back, 'Gordon Brown is a moronic, deceitful, lying piece of trash too!'"

"We were standing there shaking hands when a truck hit us."



I'd be lying though if I didn't admit this one has always been my favourite:

An elderly British gentleman of 83 arrived in Paris by plane.

At the French immigration desk, the man took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry-on bag.

"You have been to France before, Monsieur?" the immigration officer asked, sarcastically.

The elderly gentleman admitted he had been to France previously.

"Then you should know well enough to have your passport ready."

The British gentleman says, "The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it."

"Impossible. The British always have to show their passports on arrival in France!"

The elderly gentleman gave the French immigration Officer a long hard look.

Then he quietly explained;

"Well, the last time I was here, I came ashore on Juno Beach on D-Day in June 1944, and I couldn't find any *******ing Frenchmen to show it to."

[BarjackU977]

You're so right.

We'll soon have enough material here to issue a joke book

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

I've always said that anyone who can't laugh at himself has no business laughing at anyone else.