Comments on: Funny Bones, 1944 (2nd set)

By: Clark

Clark — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:24:54 +0000

While we’re on the threadjack, interesting that the Church magazines printed these racial caricatures at a time when many of their readers WERE full-blooded Scots, Irish, German, and Swedes. I guess people just had thicker skins back then.

By: Eric Boysen

Eric Boysen — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:28:46 +0000

No one wants an ancestral stereotype of foolish, shiftless foot shufflers, but there is a pride in the frugal, in the spirit that overcomes oppression, and in other traits that survive in many once or still oppressed communities. Heck, there are people who have a sense of pride in how much liquor they can hold. As long as that is the case, the stingy Scott (or Schwab), the drunken and pugilistic Irishman and the order-loving German (all part of MY geneology) will continue as a stock character in amusing anecdotes without too much offense given or received.

Now what about those ugly Americans?

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:39:54 +0000

No, but somebody else might be. Just being safe. Or paranoid.

By: Researcher

Researcher — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:07:02 +0000

You didn’t think I was serious about being offended about the Scotch jokes, did you?!?

Maybe if the Scots had been a subjugated race, under the yoke of foreign oppressors –

Well, as a matter of fact, I guess they were! Maybe I should really be offended. Hmph.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:50:06 +0000

I know, I know — you called me on this issue the first time it came up. If I thought it really truly bothered anyone, beyond mild irritation, I’d eliminate these jokes, too (although I think it’s interesting, perhaps even important, to see what our ancestors thought was funny, within limits).

If anyone is really annoyed by the Scottish (or Scotch, as they’re usually labeled) jokes, please write (keepapitchinin at aol dot com) and tell me how much and why they are offensive, and I’ll consider accommodating you.

By: Researcher

Researcher — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:01:56 +0000

You hope nobody is too bothered by the Scottish jokes you post, Ardis?

I always take deep offense at every joke about my ancestral quirks.

(Of course, on the other hand, I also take pride in that same Scottish heritage of frugality. Better to be frugal than improvident.)

By: Eric Boysen

Eric Boysen — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:01:37 +0000

I like the flippancy of the answer to the teacher’s question – assuming the kid actually understood the word.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:49:40 +0000

‘Fraid so, kew. There were lots of ethnic jokes in the magazines from the first half of the century — Scots were excessively frugal, Irishmen got into fist fights and found ways to avoid work, Swedes were big, dumb (but lovable) lunks with funny accents. There were periodic black jokes, and, to a far lesser extent, Jewish jokes, too. I usually omit or rewrite (with notice that I have rewritten) the really offensive ones, and hope that nobody is too bothered by the ones I do post.

By: kew

kew — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:10:22 +0000

There are two jokes about cheap Scots. Were those common at the time?

By: Mark Brown

Mark Brown — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:42:49 +0000

The one about dogs is definitely true. I’ve recently become friends with a black Labrador who wags everything behind his shoulders. We call it the full body wag.

The world is full of willing people; some are willing to work, and others are willing to let them.

I’ve heard something very much like this statement attributed to J. Golden Kimball. Maybe he got it from the LDS magazines, or maybe they got it from him.

On a street car a man gave a woman a seat. She fainted. On recovering she thanked him. Then he fainted.

This one also has a J. Goldenesque ring to it. The version I have heard is that he stood in front of a congregation and boldly declared that there wasn’t one man in a hundred who knew how to treat a woman. After the wives got through elbowing their husbands in the ribs he went on to say that there wasn’t one woman in a hundred who appreciated how good she had it anyway.