Chris O'Dowd's correction of interviewer who called him "British"

blatantrereg

Glitter_star94 wrote: »

Who's an enemy to britain, who ireland don't have?

RIRA?
Actually no - they're defo an enemy to Ireland too come to think of it.

IM0

and this got 130+ thanks because?

Ghost Buster

IM0 wrote: »

and this got 130+ thanks because?

Some people are interested in things that you arent......

And you are posting here because?

Anyone

http://taint.org/2003/12/10/185721a.html

Son Of A Vidic

Sappa wrote: »

This does not deserve its own thread.

Whatever you say Mein Führer!

IM0

MakeEmLaugh wrote: »

Not to invoke heedless Anglophobia, but Chris O'Dowd correction of this interviewer (47 seconds in) when she calls him a "British actor" is the epitome of how it should be done.

Concise, firm and discreet.

as opposed to?

breaking out a tri colour, and burning a brittish flag in the other hand?

LordSutch

Killer Wench wrote: »

No! Americans quite understand that Ireland is separate from England. Many of us make that connection with Ireland, in the sense that we fought against the British colonial rule, but now maintain close alliances with them.

Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland, the UK, the Brits, the Irish, the Brits who are not British, the Irish who are British, and the Irish who are not British, the Scots who are British and those who are not, its all very confusing to the Americans. Yes of course they know that if you are Irish you are not English (but you still might be British), and they know only too well about the family dispoutes over the centuries, but they also know that we all live together on a very small group of islands, and that we are all related to each other in one way or another, colonial rule or no colonial rule.

RossyG

Samuel L Jackson: You see that’s your problem right there. You British keep claiming people that don’t belong to you.”

Kate Thornton says something tactless and suddenly it's 'you British." :rolleyes:

Dangerous Man

I watched that YouTube vid of Cillian Murphy - I thought he dealt with it very well indeed - polite but firm.

It's understandable that people get upset at being mistakenly referred to as British - our ancestors had to fight to the death so we could have our own country back. I don't think there's anything wrong with standing up and saying 'actually, I'm Irish.' It's what we should all do.

LordSutch

Dangerous Man wrote: »

I watched that YouTube vid of Cillian Murphy - I thought he dealt with it very well indeed - polite but firm.

It's understandable that people get upset at being mistakenly referred to as British - our ancestors had to fight to the death so we could have our own country back. I don't think there's anything wrong with standing up and saying 'actually, I'm Irish.' It's what we should all do.

But what if you are an American and you read nationality (these islands) through the prisim of post #158?

Prick!

Ahhh, this is a thing I hate about boards.
Look at the thanks fot he OP. This is stupid, I thought the Irish were supposed to be laid back and that, now just because someone calls an irish person british it's a talking point.

Get over yourselves.

It's pitiful.

LincolnsBeard

RossyG wrote: »

Kate Thornton says something tactless and suddenly it's 'you British." :rolleyes:

Agreed. His reply was, in my opinion, even more patronising.

Dangerous Man

LordSutch wrote: »

But what if you are an American and you read nationality (these islands) through the prisim of post #158?

I agree with that post but I don't think that it necessarily obviates what I later said. I just think, that given our history, we shouldn't be afraid to correct people who refer to us as British.

Ghost Buster

Prick! wrote: »

Ahhh, this is a thing I hate about boards.
Look at the thanks fot he OP. This is stupid, I thought the Irish were supposed to be laid back and that, now just because someone calls an irish person british it's a talking point.

Get over yourselves.

It's pitiful.

The talking point is/was how calmly and laid back it was dealt with. Some have stuck with this attitude through the thread, some have not BUT the thanks for the first post are about how laid back the matter was dealt with. Why are so many missing this?

karma_

Ghost Buster wrote: »

The talking point is/was how calmly and laid back it was dealt with. Some have stuck with this attitude through the thread, some have not BUT the thanks for the first post are about how laid back the matter was dealt with. Why are so many missing this?

Don't worry about it, these threads always draw out certain familiar faces. It's AH tradition.

losthorizon

Marilyn Helpful Rambler wrote: »

He's pretty much been living in London for the last ten years, I think. So it's probably got a bit more English since.

I'm from Cork and lived in Waterford for over ten years. Funny thing is my accent has got more Cork sounding and I feel more like a Cork man than ever.

Although who would ever claim to be from Waterford

gara

Prick! wrote: »

Ahhh, this is a thing I hate about boards.
Look at the thanks fot he OP. This is stupid, I thought the Irish were supposed to be laid back and that, now just because someone calls an irish person british it's a talking point.Get over yourselves. It's pitiful.

I love when people's posts match their username

TheRealist101

Countries mean nothing.

I laugh when people say they are proud to be Irish.How can you be proud of something you had no effect on whatsoever?

Prick!

Ghost Buster wrote: »

The talking point is/was how calmly and laid back it was dealt with. Some have stuck with this attitude through the thread, some have not BUT the thanks for the first post are about how laid back the matter was dealt with. Why are so many missing this?

What? So a thread is started because someone points out something in a calm manner? What? it makes no sense.

Quorum

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

Yeah but the posters point is that the majority of British people don't in anyway shape or form accept him as British, he's Irish to them.

Oh yeah, true.

conorhal

TheRealist101 wrote: »

Countries mean nothing.

I laugh when people say they are proud to be Irish.How can you be proud of something you had no effect on whatsoever?

So what are you doing on boards.ie?

Sleepy

Duggys Housemate wrote: »

West Britishness in Irish people is, by an large, anti-Irishness. Its fairly unique in Europe. You dont get Southern French in Spain. Clearly colonisation has a lot to do with it.

You do however, get Basque in Southern France

Sound of Silence

LordSutch wrote: »

But what if you are an American and you read nationality (these islands) through the prisim of post #158?

I think you would be a bit misguided to assume that any American would be aware of the intricate minutia of British and Irish National identity.

For them it's as simple as: Irish accent, Irish person; English Accent, English person, and so on and so forth.

It wouldn't stop me from correcting them if they happen to be wrong.

poeticseraphim

Duggys Housemate wrote: »

Well then you are wrong. Irish people have been oppressed as much, or worse than, American blacks, and were subjected to laws similar to Jim Crow for longer. The only difference is slavery, but slavery is serfdom you dont pay for.

Erm unless you are 200 years old you have not personnally so stop it

And it bs to suggest that a people who are the indigenous majority in their own pretty homogenous island with independance for the past 60-80 years are being oppressed or are similar to a minority people living in a country where they are discrimintated against is ridiculous.

We in the republic are the majority we do not know what it is like to be oppressed or grow up descrimminated against and we are the mainstream.

Unless you are from the north you don't know what it might be like.

poeticseraphim

TheRealist101 wrote: »

Countries mean nothing.

I laugh when people say they are proud to be Irish.How can you be proud of something you had no effect on whatsoever?

Countries mean nothing? Trying crossing an American border then....

And we all affect our culture as Irish people..that's what makes it Irish

Without us it would not exist.

suicide_circus

TheRealist101 wrote: »

Countries mean nothing.

I laugh when people say they are proud to be Irish.How can you be proud of something you had no effect on whatsoever?

ok if not proud, maybe you feel lucky or privileged to be Irish? You could have been born into appalling circumstances in some absolute destitute hellhole but instead you were born on a safe and stable island with a moderate climate, plenty of water and no dangerous wild animals.

mikemac1

Duggys Housemate wrote: »

You dont get Southern French in Spain.

You have the Basque people around that area though and they are not slow about telling you if you call them Spanish

To be called a Spanaird is almost an insult to some, no no no, they are Basque

Fratton Fred

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Remember Samuel L. Jackson V Kate Thornton debacle over Colin Farrell

Kate: What’s it like working with Colin, ‘cos he is just so hot in the UK right now? Samuel: He’s pretty hot in the US too. Kate: Yeah! but he’s one of our own! Samuel: Isn’t he from Ireland? Kate: Yeah, but we claim him ‘cos Ireland is beside us. Samuel: You see that’s your problem right there. You British keep claiming people that don’t belong to you. We had that problem in America too – it was called slavery.”

If she had simply replied "one of us, in that this station is watched in Britain and Ireland" she would have been right.

Fuinseog

did Sir Bob Geldof correct maggie when she called him a true Brit with grit?

MajorMax

A Primal Nut wrote: »

There is a battle raging on Wikipedia over this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chris_O%27Dowd&diff=511358417&oldid=511357690

The weird thing about the revisions is that both ip addresses are Irish, 1 with a ip with eircom in Galway and one with an ip with Vodafone in an unknown location. So it's 2 paddys arguing about whether another Paddy is irish or not

later12

conorhal wrote: »

TheRealist101 wrote: »

Countries mean nothing.

I laugh when people say they are proud to be Irish.How can you be proud of something you had no effect on whatsoever?

So what are you doing on boards.ie?

You don't have to be "proud to be Irish" to be interested in the affairs of your region. Living in Ireland, you'll usually find Irish discussions more relevant than discussions on UK, French or Aussie message boards.

Anyway I thought Chris O'Dowd also handled the thing very well; very grown up. No triumphalism, straight to the point, good work.

MakeEmLaugh

MajorMax wrote: »

The weird thing about the revisions is that both ip addresses are Irish, 1 with a ip with eircom in Galway and one with an ip with Vodafone in an unknown location. So it's 2 paddys arguing about whether another Paddy is irish or not

This doesn't really surprise me. Many people who live in Ireland are very possessive over what it means to be Irish, and have advanced their own narrow view of Irish identity.

They sneer at athletes like Michael Conlan and Paddy Barnes representing Ireland in the Olympics, because they were born outside of the Republic.

They sneer when the likes of Shane MacGowan or Dermot O'Leary define themselves as Irish, because both were born in England.

And they also sneer at Irish-born people who emigrate from Ireland for the sake of their livelihood. This list includes Dara O Briain, Graham Norton, Terry Wogan, Graham Linehan, Eamonn Andrews, Dave Allen, Una Healy and now Chris O'Dowd.

Well, how Chris O'Dowd defines himself is much more important than some anonymous internet troll, and as can be seen in this video, he defines himself as Irish.

later12

MakeEmLaugh wrote: »

And they also sneer at Irish-born people who emigrate from Ireland for the sake of their livelihood. This list includes Dara O Briain, Graham Norton, Terry Wogan, Graham Linehan, Eamonn Andrews, Dave Allen, Una Healy and now Chris O'Dowd.

Who actually does that

MakeEmLaugh

later12 wrote: »

Who actually does that

Well, look at the previous comments. Some people - Irish people too, mind - are accusing Chris O'Dowd of not really being Irish because he lives and works in England.

When Terry Wogan was voted the Greatest Living Irish Broadcaster, many people called in to Joe Duffy saying he wasn't really Irish, because he earned his money in England.

And Dara O Briain, when he last appeared on the Late Late Show, spoke of internet trolls on twitter attacking him with the prefix "Wogan's heir", as if being an Irish presenter working in Britain was something to be ashamed of.

I've seen and heard it several times.

MHalberstram

I had to look up imdb to find out who this guy is. Have never seen anything he was in.

later12

MakeEmLaugh wrote: »

Well, look at the previous comments. Some people - Irish people too, mind - are accusing Chris O'Dowd of not really being Irish because he lives and works in England.

No they're not.

People have mentioned that you could understand the woman's mistake, because she associates him with British TV, and that's where he's made his name.

Nobody is sneering at him for working in the UK; nobody is claiming that makes him less Irish.

When Terry Wogan was voted the Greatest Living Irish Broadcaster, many people called in to Joe Duffy saying he wasn't really Irish, because he earned his money in England.

I think the argument was that he wasn't a working broadcaster in Ireland, not that he isn't Irish.

I don't know anything about the Dara O'Briain situation you cited, but you also cited lots of other Irish people working in entertainment industry in the UK or internationally & I have never heard anybody "sneer" at them for doing so. I think people just wish them well and get on with it.

MakeEmLaugh

later12 wrote: »

No they're not.

People have mentioned that you could understand the woman's mistake, because she associates him with British TV, and that's where he's made his name.

Nobody is sneering at him for working in the UK; nobody is claiming that makes him less Irish.

I think the argument was that he wasn't a working broadcaster in Ireland, not that he isn't Irish.

I don't know anything about the Dara O'Briain situation you cited, but you also cited lots of other Irish people working in entertainment industry in the UK or internationally & I have never heard anybody "sneer" at them for doing so. I think people just wish them well and get on with it.

Take a look at post #53. It reads "I assumed [Chris O'Dowd] got the job because he was mates with fellow Brit and londoner Graham Linehan they formed a friendship when they where introduced by the British talkshow host Grahan Norton or it might have been sir Terry Wogan."

Perhaps you haven't heard people sneer at the likes of Eamonn Andrews, Dave Allen, Una Healy, Ed Byrne and so on, but I have both heard it in conversation and seen it posted on websites like boards.ie.

This snide attitude towards Irish people who move to England does exist, whether you've witnessed it or not.

Downlinz

After Hours should be renamed the nationalistic identity insecurity forum, seems to be nothing but endless obsession over what the british think and say about it. It's pathetic.

Border-Rat

Director John McTiernan (Die Hard, Hunt for Red October, Predator etc) is fiercely proud of his Irish ancestry. He said he turned down directing Patriot Games because it portrayed the IRA too negatively.

Ash.J.Williams

Border-Rat wrote: »

Director John McTiernan (Die Hard, Hunt for Red October, Predator etc) is fiercely proud of his Irish ancestry. He said he turned down directing Patriot Games because it portrayed the IRA too negatively.

that makes him a dick does it not?

later12

MakeEmLaugh wrote: »

Take a look at post #53. It reads "I assumed [Chris O'Dowd] got the job because he was mates with fellow Brit and londoner Graham Linehan they formed a friendship when they where introduced by the British talkshow host Grahan Norton or it might have been sir Terry Wogan."

I'm pretty sure that poster was making a statement about Irish people being mistaken as British, not actually "sneering" at Irish people who work in Britain. I think you've picked him up completely wrongly.

edit: no, it was Colmustard trolling. Colmustard was not sneering at them because they work in Britain, he says he considers himself a "West Brit".

Perhaps you haven't heard people sneer at the likes of Eamonn Andrews, Dave Allen, Una Healy, Ed Byrne and so on, but I have both heard it in conversation and seen it posted on websites like boards.ie.

Yeah I have heard people expressing dislike for one or two of these, but not because they live in the UK ffs.

LordSutch

MakeEmLaugh wrote: »

Many people who live in Ireland are very possessive over what it means to be Irish, and have advanced their own narrow view of Irish identity.

As somebody who has lived and worked outside the state for many years I can confirm this to be very true, and sadly the longer I am back here the more I seem to be blending in and conforming (at least publicly) to the 'narrow norm', for the sake of a less bumpy ride . . .

Border-Rat

Ash.J.Williams wrote: »

that makes him a dick does it not?

If it does, then everyone who celebrated the actions of the IRA in Dublin in 2006 are also dicks.

Helix

Colmustard wrote: »

why does this only seem to matter to the Irish.

it doesnt

try calling a canadian an american and see how it goes down

LordSutch

Helix wrote: »

it doesnt

try calling a canadian an american and see how it goes down

Here's an answer I already made, earlier in this thread > http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=80676853&postcount=158

dark crystal

Helix wrote: »

it doesnt

try calling a canadian an american and see how it goes down

Or a New Zealander an Australian.

Sound of Silence

LordSutch wrote: »

As somebody who has lived and worked outside the state for many years I can confirm this to be very true, and sadly the longer I am back here the more I seem to be blending in and conforming (at least publicly) to the 'narrow norm', for the sake of a less bumpy ride . . .

I don't know if an Anglophile World view qualifies as an identity, as much as appreciating Roman ingenuity makes me a different sort of Irishman.

I think it comes down to whether or not someone would actually want to identify themselves as Irish. From reading some of your previous posts, I'm not sure you qualify in that regard, as I'm sure you're more embarrassed to be Irish than anything else.

In regards to Rory, he's obviously made his own decision, as every person in Northern Ireland subconsciously does. While I'm sure he's alienated more than a few fans, In the end I believe it's better that he plays for the UK rather than Ireland, as ultimately I'd much rather an Athlete that actually has a desire and drive to play for his chosen squad rather than someone who is simply resigned to the role.

languagenerd

I think many people here missed the point of the OP - was he not saying that O'Dowd has the right idea and this is how we should go about it? (i.e. not getting overly angry or aggressive, just correcting them firmly and politely?)

If someone called me British, I would correct them the same way I've corrected people who have mistaken me for American, French, Canadian and Arabic (that was a weird one, I have red hair ffs! :P) in the past. It's not a big deal unless you make it one. Unfortunately, people are sensitive about being called British because of our history - and I think we'll know the day that we've moved on as a nation when everyone's able to correct people who mistake their identity without thinking anything major about it.

That said, it does grate on me when bands say "Hello, UK!" or "It's our first time touring Britain!" on-stage. You're being paid to be here, at least know where "here" is! :pac:

MakeEmLaugh

Sound of Silence wrote: »

In regards to Rory, he's obviously made his own decision, as every person in Northern Ireland subconsciously does. While I'm sure he's alienated more than a few fans, In the end I believe it's better that he plays for the UK rather than Ireland, as ultimately I'd much rather an Athlete that actually has a desire and drive to play for his chosen squad rather than someone who is simply resigned to the role.

Think you've got the wrong thread, mate.

Wacker The Attacker

I was mistaken for a cork person once even though i have a fairly strong dublin accent.

I didnt correct them, I punched them