Memo to Mayor Mike: jokes about "inebriated Irish hanging out the windows" don't go over well before Irish audiences.
The mayor stirred up another brouhaha yesterday when the Irish Voice reported that "The remarks were met with a combination of laughs, boos and groans" when those words emerged from Bloomberg's mouth Wednesday night at the American Irish Historical Society, where more than 100 leading Irish-Americans were celebrating publication of a book about the 250th anniversary of the St. Patrick's Day Parade.
Among those in attendance was the Irish Counsul General, Noel Kilkenny, and the parade's Grand Marshal, author Mary Higgins Clark.
"He was trying to be funny," said one official who was there. "It wasn't funny. Some people took it as a personal or ethnic (comment)."
Even City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, a political ally of the mayor's, suggested he was off base.
"Given the mayor’s long history of support for the Irish community his remarks last night were both surprising and inappropriate," said Quinn, who didn't attend the event.
"I am pleased to hear he has since apologized and while he should not have said it, he has a great record on the issues. Let’s move on," said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.
Bloomberg told reporters he didn't intend to offend anyone.
"I was talking about a party that they have every year on St. Patrick's Day, where it's sort of traditional to hang out the window and yell and scream. I said it in good fun. I certainly didn't mean anything that anybody should take offense to."
Ah yes - he said it all in good fun.
I think even more offensive than the Bloomberg joke was Quinn falling all over herself to criticize her patron Bloomberg without, you know, actually criticizing him.
She's all wet from all that water she carries for him splashing around...
We Irish-Americans are generally a fairly thick-skinned lot but Bloomberg's remarks were offensive. Of course, he is offensive anyway and he probably shouldn't tell jokes because he isn't funny. What he said was "I live in the neighborhood, right around the corner," the mayor said. "Normally, when I walk by this building, there are a bunch of people that are totally inebriated hanging out the window. I know that's a stereotype about the Irish, but nevertheless, we Jews around the corner think this." Now, if a similar remark had been made about a Jewish stereotype we would have instantly been hearing from the Anti-Defamation League...
ReplyDeleteAt least he didn't suggest that the inebriated Irish use some birth control for a while. Imagine what the reaction would have been then.
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