To think colleagues joke was NOT acceptable?

[LaurenkI]

My team has a meeting every Monday (virtual) and there’s always chat at the start about weekends etc. One of my colleagues said he’s worrying because his holiday plans for the year include already booked trips to Cyprus and Dubai. Another colleague then said ‘any chance you can book a trip to France next’ and he got a few laughs.

I have family in France, as does another colleague I’m aware of. Is it me or is this type of ‘joke’ really inappropriate given the current climate?

Do you think the French never make jokes about the British?

I hope your victim finds this thread somehow and identifies who you are. Though probably they already know.

Of course the French make jokes about the British (well, the English specifically) but they do it in French so no one understands them.

OP, I hear you. I had some delicious Toulouse sausages for tea tonight and I’m disgusted that your evil colleague was basically manifesting the destruction of France, the home of such gastronomic delights. Please send me your HR’s email address so that I can add my support to your complaint tomorrow. I’m so offended that I’m now sobbing into my crème brûlée…

Was it a crass and stupid joke? Yes

Is the guy who made it an idiot? Yes

Are you overreacting? YES!!!

@LaurenkI Don't you understand, what's funny about it is the sheer impossibility of it happening? It's not a suggestion!

If I'd been there I would have said "oy, you leave France alone, I like taking my holidays there!" As part of the banter, you understand, not as an attack or complaint.

Just that it's Six Nations Season and people make this kind of joke about teams they expect to beat them; and that with this kind of context the joke would obviously just be about the sporting rivalry

Not in my experience, I’ve always found the Dfrench to be extremely hospitable on my numerous visits over the years.

They’d not sink to such depths.

Are you from Slough?

oh fgs

One look at the poll result tells you

This is what I dont get about people like this. In a long working life I have come across the odd one, and without fail they ended up isolated. Not in a whole office "sending to Coventry" bullying way but simply because no one wanted to be the next to be accused so they were just avoided by everyone. Surely thats worse than ignoring the odd misjudged comment here and there?

😅

Grow up

Oh grow up! The french are as bad as, if not worse than, we are!

There is a French woman on this thread who has said that, so now you are saying that you know better than her? A person who you are offended on behalf of thought the joke was funny, so does that change your view?

I mean, I know the answer to that but I would be interested to hear your justification.

FastFood · Today 20:15
I'm French and I find it funny.
You guys should hear our jokes about the Brits. Its just the age-old rivalry, we love each other ♥️

I speak French fluently and it doesn't help. Their sense of humour is ..particular.... but what else can you expect from people who think that Gainsbourg is the greatest sex symbol who has ever lived 🤢
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serge_Gainsbourg

Best to ask lots of questions in these kinds of scenarios. If he’d been asked to explain why he dislikes France so much, he’d have tied himself in knots.

Guy probably hasn’t even been to France.

A firm I worked for in the past did an exchange with French colleagues. What a great time we had ripping the piss out of each other. The boss hosted a party when the French people were going back home. It was brutal 😅 I couldn't get out of bed for 3 days 🤣🤣 we really missed them when they left 😭

I imagine the people you work with are also glad your retirement is on the horizon.

Exactly this. We’re English, damn it. Taking the piss out of the French is what we do.

Did we fight the battle of agincourt for nothing?

'Came across your desk?' The innudendo in this post is disgusting and clearly intentional. I feel triggered and I have reported you to mumsnet.

It wouldn’t bother me any more than typical banter between, say, England and Wales supporters during a rugby match. So basically wouldn’t bother me at all. I wouldn’t find it particularly funny, but I most certainly wouldn’t be offended or upset by it. I’m certain your boss has more important things to be spending their time on and for me it would place an amber flag by your name.

Rightly or wrongly people from all countries can slip up at times. I personally have always tried to avoid doing so.

I would rethink the email and not send it. The only purpose it will serve is to make you look ultra sensitive and a time waster.

Haha no, Hull, although I don't live there now

Good for you; I am amazed that the OP doesn't realise that having a pop at the French has been a feature of English humour since before the Norman invasion, and that the French in turn quite rightly give as good as they get.

Anyway I dearly hope the Iranians don't fire any missiles at France, it could cause up to £15 worth of damage. See? There's another shit joke about France, yet I love France, spend as much time there as I reasonably can, speak French (of a fashion), and have family there too. The OP badly needs to unclench.

My Hull joke:

This guy dies and meets the devil. The devil says "hahaha you've been really naughty and now you're dead and you're in Hell". The guy goes "what? This can't be true. Say that again, there must be a mistake." So the devil says "hahaha you've been really naughty and now you're dead and you're in Hell". "Thank fuck for that" says the guy. I thought you said 'you're dead and you're in Hull' ".

I'm half English and half Scottish. I've had the jokes my entire life from each side of my family during football/ rugby seasons or just anytime really 😂

Oh come on, the hatred alternating between real and mock has been going on for centuries. Dissing France is part of our DNA. It’s just a joke no one means anything by it.