to think – and say – this is incredible offensive?

[Mitzimaybe]

On a football forum where there's nothing much going on (it is the off season, after all) someone made a post saying "This site has about as much going for it as Adolf Hitler would have at a Bar Mitzvah." I responded with "Unbelievable. I've seen some idiotic and offensive posts from you over the years, but that crosses the line so far that I'm lost for words."

A few others have also told him its offensive but some have defended him, e.g. "Jesus, what [xxxxx] posted was not offensive! You lot must be a right laugh if you're offended by something as easy as that." The person who posted the remark claims to have done a straw poll and "A random sample of 27 people in the office and unanimously everyone agrees with me."

I am not Jewish, don't consider myself overly pc (e.g. I don't see anything wrong with Baa baa black sheep) but surely, any sane person can see it's incredibly offensive, can't they? Or is it just me? I don't even understand why there's any argument about it.

So what does a random sample of 27 mumsnetters think about it?

eurochick, your mate might not be offended, but I'm guessing if he wasn't your mate you wouldn't be so sure, so... maybe you wouldn't say it?

Come on, it's a little bit offensive, surely?

Well I find it very offensive, I hate the way people think they are so clever making this kind of reference....its not clever or funny. Its actually heart breakingly sad that people en masse make such a joke out of the (recent) past terror millions had to go through. Shame on him.

God bless you too tethers

eurochick, well it offended me.

So, how many people would have to find something offensive for it to be considered offensive? And if a few people find something offensive but others don't they are..............po faced? stupid?

As I said, there is no place for such 'jokes' they add no value to our society and encourage low level thinking and prejudiced views.

electra - towards whom does said crappy joke encourage 'prejudiced views'?

Further up the thread, someone appeared to be defending casual racism. The intention of jokes like this is to stir up bad feeling.

I will never think that jokes about the holocaust, either direct or indirect are acceptable. Do you think that jokes about 9/11 are acceptable or appropriate? Same goes for any other tasteless jokes about murder victims or Diana or any other tragedy.

I dont see in what context its offensive. I think nowadays you cant seem to do or say anything without someone feeling offended! I imagine in years to come we will all be censored robots. Also, I am Jewish.

not offensive

its a joke, and not an offensive joke at that. It's not anti-Semitic, so I can't see the problem....

Surely it's a sort of compliment , testimony to their sanity/good position on moral compass if he's saying that Jews wouldn't react well to Hitler...I don't see why it's so heinous. In bad taste, but it's just a way of exaggerating how flat the forum is.

It's offensive imo. It's using the fact that Hitler persecuted Jews as material for a joke. Not very funny. I would put it in the same category as saying someone is 'sweating like a paedo in a playround'. The people who make these kind of jokes ime think they are very clever and cutting edge when they are actually aresholes.

That boxer said something similar as well - 'as one-sided as a gang rape'. It's a new category of offensive similie used exclusively by cocks.

I personally think that if even one person finds something offensive then it is.

Electra. Hitler apparently found Jews offensive. By your argument they must have been offensive then?

Of course you didn't mean that. You just haven't thought it through properly.

That catchphrase when repeated unthinkingly offends me as it goes, but it's actually okay to offend me. The sky won't fall if you do.

yes jokes about dead people can be funny. Jokes about lots of bad taste things can be funny.
And if you ban everything that someone somewhere finds offensive, there will be literally nothing left.

I don't think anyone's trying to 'ban' anything or go all PC gorn mad. The thing is you can say pretty much anything - it's just that saying certain things makes you a twat. There's no law against being a twat so I don't know why twats get so wound up about political correctness.
I love the 'you can't even say....these days' people. I always feel like saying 'well actually you just have so you obviously can'.

I think we have all agreed that it isn't sensitive or in good taste, but no, I don't think it's incredibly offensive. It would be if fun was made out of Holocaust, bit it's not, it's being used as a reference to make the point. It is not anti-semitic, it doesn't poke fun at the victims-it's crass, no doubt, but incredibly offensive?

But the very fact that it is a reference to the Holocaust is what makes it all the funnier for people who like this kind of joke. It is making light of it imo.

its a jooooooke. A bit borderline but still really not something to get ones undercrackers in a twist over.

I see your pov, but at the same time people have always incorporated awful things in jokes- psychologists say it's a way of coping iyswim. I agree it's not in a good taste, it's not a joke I would choose to tell, but I just don't think it's derogatory towards Jewish people or Holocaust- although I can see that there is a very fine line where similar jokes may, in fact, do so.

I wouldn't get my undercrackers in a twist. I would just cross them off my mental list of decent human beings

another thing, if you label something lame like this as incredibly offensive, what do you have left to call actual really offensive things that happen? Nowhere left to go.

I don't think it was even meant to be a 'joke' per say, just a stupid, (and as I've said before crass and thoughtless comment). I agree with MsTeak - where do you go with say holocaust deniers if this silly comment is incredibly offensive.

Don't find it offensive in the slightest.
Not really funny as it seems a bit to much like they're trying to shock or offend and it's gone for an obvious one which takes the edge of humour.
in my opinion for offensive humour to be good has to be a bit subversive and catch you off guard. Either by being so offensive and over the top that it's clearly satirical and you laugh out of shock because you didn't see the punch line coming. Or else something that is a bit clever or twisted and takes a second to sink in.

So what about people who have been through a tradegy and choose to make a joke of it? When my darling grandmother got dementia, we made -shock horror - jokes to help us get through it. Jokes are a part of life and seriously if you get offended by every single joke that could be deemed as racist or whatever you really will be offended a lot of the time. What jokes are there that someone will not find offensive?
Unless you are Jewish, I really cannot see why you would find this offensive anyway. If you do a straw poll of Jewish people and the majority do not find it offensive, theres your answer.

Op, if you're still about, can you explain what was so very offensive about it?
Did you think the meaning was something other that hitler not being popular at a Jewish gathering?

....or any of the others who agreed it was offensive?
Genuinely interested if you felt it had a different meaning.