British sense of humour

[stephec]

Sorry @Drago but you're just going to have to admit that America did win the war. 🤣

 

[Drago]

Except he was born on the 10th March 1940, a full year and 3/4 before America bothered to turn up. Now that is funny!

 

[stephec]

Except he was born on the 10th March 1940, a full year and 3/4 before America bothered to turn up. Now that is funny!

You and your pesky facts. 😂

 

[oldwheels]

Similar to the aircraft joke we had a couple of bus drivers who did a similar trick on tourists.
One was on the bus taking fares as the passengers came on. When the bus was full an uncouth looking character shambled up. " Hey Duncan I've often fancied a go at this driving lark. Can I have ago? Sure you can take it up to Tob if you like while I nip back to the pub. Do you know where to find the gears and things?" The ticket man got off and the designated driver took off with the passengers decidedly apprehensive. Before they got on the road he did put on the mic and told them he was in fact a fully qualified driver and assigned to that service.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

My dad was a bus driver and in the summer used to drive the mystery coach tours for the old folk's clubs.

One day, two old dears were discussing the possible destinations as they boarded.

"Why don't we ask the driver, he'll know "

"Dinna be daft Agnes, it's a mystery tour. He'll not know either"

 

[Blue Hills]

Probably not just a British thing, but did you not find the sense of humour in the police could be a bit black and sick at times? I know in the prison service it was. Just a coping method I think. Some of tne stuff we came out with would get an instant and lifetime ban in here!

similary doctors humour I think. came across some again lately in a round-the-world cycling book written by a london doc. It sounds sick but I can imagine docs have to live with stuff day to day that most of us can't imagine. So I agree about it usually being a "coping mechanism". The london doc comes across as a perfectly decent guy. Maybe, at risk of mod intervention, I will repeat one or two if I can find them.
The book

View: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=signs+of+life+stephen+fabes&i=stripbooks&crid=2NZ4MFZTEI02A&sprefix=signs+of+life%2Caps%2C245&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_13

 

[Blue Hills]

We obviously don't know the same Germans; The humour in the Baden region (Upper Rhine valley) is very similar to the UK.

i knew a very funny german. Can't remember which bit she was from. She also used the english language better than most brits.
I'd be interested in your take on these Baden funmeisters - any examples?

 

[Blue Hills]

”For you, Tommy, zer var is never over!”

i remember reading a memoir once where someone said that on being captured by the germans, he WAS actually told:
"for you the war is over"
sometimes truth can be stranger than fiction.

 

[Blue Hills]

Don’t want to bang on about the war, so, this will be my one and only comment on it. I recently read that UK also received Marshal Aid (actually, more than Germany did), if true, what the f*** did we do with it?

yep we received a lot. a hell of a lot.
spent it on some amazing plane development probably during the 50s.
would have been far better off spending it on the country's crumbling infrastructure, much of which was in a shocking state well into the 70s.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

It was squandered by politicians with delusions of grandeur - https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/marshall_01.shtml

 

[BoldonLad]

yep we received a lot. a hell of a lot.
spent it on some amazing plane development probably during the 50s.
would have been far better off spending it on the country's crumbling infrastructure, much of which was in a shocking state well into the 70s.

Exactly, agree 100%

 

[Blue Hills]

I doubt many Germans would have seen losing as a good thing in the immediate aftermath, and for however many decades they had to suffer a divided country and being viewed as international pariahs.

That Germany has recovered well from the war after close to 80 years is undeniable, but to say that's thanks to them losing is nonsense.

I think @Andy in Germany was referring to the longer term. Tis true that in the immediate inter war years things were somewhat problematical. At the risk of getting serious, it's my understanding that certain aspects, particularly the holocaust and what many folks actually got up to, didn't start to be addressed until the 60s. i mean, how the fark do you sweep something like that under a polite carpet? Also, Marlene Dietrich I think remained unpopular in Germany for many years post-war - seen by many as a traitor/deserter/off message.

By the by, the german woman I referred to upthread had a good German joke on that burying/glossing of history.

There was a good german film about these "secrets" made years ago - english title "the naughty girl" I think.

On balance though, I'd say the Italians trump the Germans at that. By a long way.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

 

[Blue Hills]

I doubt the masses of East German women raped by the Soviets before the entire population was put under the jackboot of Communist rule for 50 years thought losing the war was a good thing.

well it was undoubtedly good that germany lost.
The east germans told some spectacular lies/jumped some historical and moral somersaults for decades about the Nazi past.
I take your point about the rapes of course.

 

[Andy in Germany]

i knew a very funny german. Can't remember which bit she was from. She also used the english language better than most brits.
I'd be interested in your take on these Baden funmeisters - any examples?

I've been trying to find an example but a lot of the humour is language based, like that in the UK, so it doesn't translate very well.

Mind you there's a lot of humour that plays on English words too...