Sunday, June 29, 2008

A Taste of Their Own Medicine

The tip for this post came in an email from AMDG. Dymphna was the first to look at the email, and called me in to show me the offensive portion:

Paul Goossens, EU-journalist at the Belgian press agency BELGA: “the Irish, a nation of parochial traditions, penny-pinching misers, catholicism and alcohol”

My response was, “But I don’t see the problem. Facts is facts.”

I had to duck a swing from her shillelagh and retreat up the stairs. She shouted after me, “This isn’t true! We are not either penny-pinchers!”

She’s right, you know. Mr. Goossens is mixing up the Irish and the Scots. I guess all those Celts look alike to the Duvel-swilling Wallonian burghers of Brussels.

Members of Vlaams Belang, who are well-acquainted with accusations of racism and hate speech, decided it was time to give the Eurocrats a taste of their own medicine. The text of their complaint can be found in a press release on the Vlaams Belang website:

06/17/2008 :: Complaint by Vlaams Belang against racist hate speech at Belgian Centre against Racism

The victory of the ‘no’ in the referendum on the Lisbon treaty has left politicians and journalists frustrated. Whether one supported the ‘yes’ or the ‘no’, if one says that Europe is built upon democracy, one should respect the outcome of a democratic referendum, but this is obviously not the case.

Paul Goossens, responsible for the European section of the official Belgian press agency BELGA, has written in the newspaper ‘De Morgen’ on 14/6/2008 that the Irish are a nation ‘of parochial traditions, penny-pinching misers, catholicism and alcohol’.

Vlaams Belang defends freedom of expression for everyone, but a majority in Belgium has decided that there has to be a ‘law against racism’ that makes incitement to hatred based on ethnic origin a crime. This law makes sure that anyone, writing such a thing about Moroccans or Turks in combination with their religion and the alleged use of drugs, faces a criminal procedure.

Therefore we have decided to file a complaint against Paul Goossens at the Centre against Racism in Belgium because of incitement to hatred against the Irish people. If one proclaims laws against ‘hate speech’, they should be applied to all.
- - - - - - - - -
The Vlaams Belang will also send a letter to the Irish embassy to apologize for these inappropriate remarks in order to underline that the people of Flanders are very positive towards Ireland, and to point out that we in Flanders, too, hope to be soon no longer a ‘province’, but ‘a nation once again’!

Frank Vanhecke, MEP
Philip Claeys, MEP
Koen Dillen, MEP

We’re not subject to EU’s anti-discrimination and hate-speech rules here at Gates of Vienna. So, just for a change, I thought it would be fun to cite some of those rarely-mentioned racist stereotypes of various Northern European groups. Besides the Scots, the Irish, and the Belgians, I am pleased to insult all the:

  • Dour Norwegians with their smelly fish;
  • Stupid hulking blond Swedes;
  • Beer-sodden porn-loving Danes;
  • Cowardly Frenchmen with their body odor and stinky cheese;
  • Humorless Germans obsessed with order and hygiene;
  • Whey-faced Dutchmen who live in windmills and mince around in clogs;
  • Leek-eating, vowel-impaired Welshmen who sing like castrati;
  • Money-grubbing Swiss in lederhosen yodeling down the valleys;
  • Finns herding their reindeer into the sauna;

And last, but not least, my own reviled ethnic group:

  • White Anglo-Saxon Protestants, who can’t hold a tune or clap on the beat to save their lives, who cook tasteless and boring food, dress like scarecrows, and bray loudly and arrogantly in English at foreigners.

Yes, I guess that about covers it. Are there any Gates of Vienna readers left unoffended?


Hat tip: The Flemish Republic, via AMDG.

27 comments:

Sam vfm #111 said...

If you mentioned my name, then I might be offended, but noting stereotypes of my Scot-Irish and German ancestors doesn't bother me in the least. I guess that makes me an American.

As for all the people that say Bush has reduced America's standing the world, I quote Machiavelli's The Prince.

[quote]...whether it be better to be loved than feared or feared than loved? It may be answered that one should wish to be both, but, because it is difficult to unite them in one person, is much safer to be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with.[/quote]

ugofc81 said...

Hey! Even if we are southern europeans, we mafiosi pasta-eaters addicted to mommy too exist.

Anonymous said...

"racism" never applies when targeted at Europeans. Duh!

blogagog said...

You've convinced me to become a Dane.

Zenster said...

Exceeeelllleeent! [/Monty Burns]

Turnabout is fair play. Let's have lots more of these Politically Incorrect applications of their beloved "hate speech" laws until the time comes where the Koran can be singled out for similar prosecution in all its glory.

Old joke from the era of German reunification:

There's good news and bad news:

The good news is that newly reunified Germany has selected its new capital.

The bad news: It's Paris.

blogagog: You've convinced me to become a Dane.

Fine, now trundle off and buy yourself a six pack of Carlsberg, then sit down and start Googling the initials of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Sir Henry Morgan said...

Hey - I'm offended!

I'm Welsh, and you forgot to mention our peculiar habits with sheep.

Henrik R Clausen said...

Ehm, I'm not offended...

What *is* the problem with beer & pr0n anyhow?

spackle said...

"I had to duck a swing from her shillelagh and retreat up the stairs. She shouted after me, “This isn’t true! We are not either penny-pinchers!”

Baron-

LOL. I thought by now you would have learned never to raise the ire of an Irish woman? Especially when talking about the emerald isle!

KG said...

You left out Aussies--now I'm offended.

spackle said...

KG-

Here you go. Damm roughneck Aussies with your criminal DNA! ; )

Ginro said...

I don't know. These upstart colonials with their sense of humour, lol.

Henrik R Clausen said...

I'm *STILL* not offended!!

This is utterly unreasonable and discriminatory towards us Danes. Where do I file my complaint???

Zenster said...

Henrik R Clausen: What *is* the problem with beer & pr0n anyhow?

Overly dedicated consumption of either one can seriously limit your intake of the other.

Zenster said...

Henrik R Clausen: Where do I file my complaint???

Right here!

Anonymous said...

Haha! I seriously love the Vlaams Belang. I mean, the train runs both ways, as they say. The laws ought to apply to everyone, not just Muslims.

Baron, are you saying there's something wrong with being orderly and hygienic? Haha, just kidding, just kidding.

One_of_the_last_few_Patriots_left said...

Baron, you forgot to offend us "dumb Polacks," but since all of my grandparents came to the USA from Poland, I thought I'd remind you.

One_of_the_last_few_Patriots_left said...

And by the way, don't you know that God invented the whiskey to keep the Irish from taking over the world?!

One_of_the_last_few_Patriots_left said...

Oh, damn, now that I said that I just can't stop myself: It is starting to appear, that God invented the Irish to keep the EU from taking over Europe!

( Sorry, that was too cheap a shot to resist.)

Henrik R Clausen said...

Zenster, does that mean that drinking at the whorehouse is a Bad Thing?

Argh. Life's just not fair these days - thanks for the complaint advice, takin' it now :)

*RIP*

Henrik R Clausen said...

Damn. You tricked me.

I think my *neighbours* will file a complaint next...

Steven Luotto said...

Italy (and yes it's all true)

This reminds me of a book that was around when I was a kid in America. It was called "Race Riots"... The chapter about Hungarians was blank with an apology note from the publisher sating that it had been stolen. And then they had a chapter dedicated to Texans. (There was a Texan so big that when he died, they couldn't find a coffin big enough for him. So they gave him an enema and buried him in a shoebox. Back then there was Amos and Andy on TV and in Italy THIS was on PRIME TIME Italian TV.

How sensitive we have gotten over the years!

Ed. Mister Ed. said...

Well, I'm only a half-hulking blond ... uh ... what was the rest of it?

But I say, Ja, fer shoooer ... the tools are there. Fight anti-infidel hatred with anti-hate laws.

We don't want to leave the real racists in uncontested possession of the moral high ground.

Do we? I don't think we do. But I'm just a ... what was that again?

Afonso Henriques said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Dymphna said...

Afonso--

I reluctantly deleted your comment...it's a bit too umm, naughty for Gates of Vienna. We are, as you know, a blog that some home-schooling parents let their older kids read.

That joke might not have gone over so well with the parents.

Still, I like the way the Portugese guys got back at the Frenchman...

Maiki said...

"you forgot Poland" /GWB/

Bezzle said...

Hey, you left the wife-beating Italians off the list.

Dymphna said...

@mike18xx

Hey, you left the wife-beating Italians off the list.

That's because it's beating women universal hobby for insecure men.

Italians are no worse than anyone else. Read the wife-beating stats in the US. As a former battered wife...well, don't get me going...