Lion pride and prejudice
February 25, 2012 12:11 PM Subscribe
Metafilter likes cats and Downton Abbey, right? I present Downton Tabby (SLYT)
Why the Laura Linney hate?
posted by found missing at 12:27 PM on February 25, 2012
posted by found missing at 12:27 PM on February 25, 2012
Why the Laura Linney hate?
It is a ginger joke. the "Joke" is that gingers have no souls.
I kinda wonder where all this ginger nonsense comes from. It isn't even a typical Americanism. It seems like it came from Rickey Gervais or something.
posted by Ad hominem at 12:35 PM on February 25, 2012
It is a ginger joke. the "Joke" is that gingers have no souls.
I kinda wonder where all this ginger nonsense comes from. It isn't even a typical Americanism. It seems like it came from Rickey Gervais or something.
posted by Ad hominem at 12:35 PM on February 25, 2012
I learned it from South Park.
posted by TheRedArmy at 12:48 PM on February 25, 2012
posted by TheRedArmy at 12:48 PM on February 25, 2012
Ginger hate is from South Park.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 1:00 PM on February 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 1:00 PM on February 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Yeah, but where the hell did South Park get it? It seems like one of those arbitrary British prejudices which make no sense.
posted by koeselitz at 1:08 PM on February 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by koeselitz at 1:08 PM on February 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Ah, AskMe has some info on it, at least. Seems to be chiefly British.
posted by koeselitz at 1:12 PM on February 25, 2012
posted by koeselitz at 1:12 PM on February 25, 2012
We've been doing ginger hate in the UK for ages. I think it has its roots in persecuting the Scots, the Irish and the Welsh, who have the highest distribution of ginger genes, and then had a comedic resurgence in the 1980s, when political correctness kicked out the jokes about blacks/Asians/Jews/gays and there was suddenly a gap in the market for a handy minority to take the piss out of.
posted by permafrost at 1:13 PM on February 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by permafrost at 1:13 PM on February 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Why the Laura Linney hate?It is a ginger joke. the "Joke" is that gingers have no souls.
Uh.. That strikes me as a fairly arbitrary interpretation.
I figured it was a comment on her notably flat reading of the Downton Abbey intros.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 2:20 PM on February 25, 2012
I am always surprised and amused when people give South Park credit for this. One of those, "I saw it on the tee-vee so it must be true" sort of moments.
posted by hermitosis at 3:08 PM on February 25, 2012
posted by hermitosis at 3:08 PM on February 25, 2012
If the actual Downton Abbey has catnip sequences like the one in the video above, I may be inclined to watch.
posted by spinifex23 at 3:34 PM on February 25, 2012
posted by spinifex23 at 3:34 PM on February 25, 2012
Makers of this video,
You need a larger cast of tabbies. And also, more outfits for them. I am willing to lend you both. My Clarabelle was clearly born to play the role of Mrs. Catmore, and her brother would make an excellent Thomas.
posted by arianell at 6:06 PM on February 25, 2012
You need a larger cast of tabbies. And also, more outfits for them. I am willing to lend you both. My Clarabelle was clearly born to play the role of Mrs. Catmore, and her brother would make an excellent Thomas.
posted by arianell at 6:06 PM on February 25, 2012
It started out funny, but the acid catnip trip...eh, didn't fit. Did enjoy Lady Mary Tabby pawing the Wolverine doll lovingly and then we found out she killed it with her sex, though.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:07 PM on February 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:07 PM on February 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
Needs more Scottish folds.
posted by Ad hominem at 11:39 PM on February 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by Ad hominem at 11:39 PM on February 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
I figured it was a comment on her notably flat reading of the Downton Abbey intros.
You may be right. I see at least as many ginger jokes on the Internet as I see cats and Downton Abbey bits. Ms Linney is also a natural ginger if the screencaps of her early nude scenes are to be believed.
posted by Ad hominem at 11:49 PM on February 25, 2012
You may be right. I see at least as many ginger jokes on the Internet as I see cats and Downton Abbey bits. Ms Linney is also a natural ginger if the screencaps of her early nude scenes are to be believed.
posted by Ad hominem at 11:49 PM on February 25, 2012
I think it has its roots in persecuting the Scots, the Irish and the Welsh, who have the highest distribution of ginger genes
I really don't think so. In my experience it's something that starts in the playground. In any typical majority-white English school you'll get a smattering of kids with brick red hair, pale skin and freckles. Kids don't need any more justification for cruelty than 'look, there's a different-looking person'.
It would be interesting to know if it's something that happens in Scottish and Irish schools as well.
posted by Summer at 2:22 AM on February 26, 2012
I really don't think so. In my experience it's something that starts in the playground. In any typical majority-white English school you'll get a smattering of kids with brick red hair, pale skin and freckles. Kids don't need any more justification for cruelty than 'look, there's a different-looking person'.
It would be interesting to know if it's something that happens in Scottish and Irish schools as well.
posted by Summer at 2:22 AM on February 26, 2012
oh I say rick
oh I say rick
oh I say rick
posted by joannemerriam at 10:24 AM on February 26, 2012 [3 favorites]
oh I say rick
oh I say rick
posted by joannemerriam at 10:24 AM on February 26, 2012 [3 favorites]
I am always surprised and amused when people give South Park credit for this.
I dunno. I know that red-heads in the US did get teased a bit when I was a kid, but the word "ginger" was unheard of and the outright vicious hatred is quite alien. Most times it came up, for me, in a man-cave type of conversation about hot actresses or whatnot. As a denizen of the web I understood this hate thing was out there in UK culture, but then it was on South Park, and bam, ginger hate was everywhere. Perhaps SP was riding a wave of American adoption, but it certainly wasn't something that was obvious before that.
Absolutely, I can recall no such analog to the time that an entire family was hounded out of town for red hair. That's a level of hostility that you hardly find in the US outside of prejudice against blacks.
posted by dhartung at 1:14 PM on February 26, 2012
I dunno. I know that red-heads in the US did get teased a bit when I was a kid, but the word "ginger" was unheard of and the outright vicious hatred is quite alien. Most times it came up, for me, in a man-cave type of conversation about hot actresses or whatnot. As a denizen of the web I understood this hate thing was out there in UK culture, but then it was on South Park, and bam, ginger hate was everywhere. Perhaps SP was riding a wave of American adoption, but it certainly wasn't something that was obvious before that.
Absolutely, I can recall no such analog to the time that an entire family was hounded out of town for red hair. That's a level of hostility that you hardly find in the US outside of prejudice against blacks.
posted by dhartung at 1:14 PM on February 26, 2012
Does anyone know what song that is when Mary is on her catnip trip? Shazam isn't picking it up.
posted by lizjohn at 1:14 PM on February 26, 2012
posted by lizjohn at 1:14 PM on February 26, 2012
It isn't even a typical Americanism.
Huh? Not only is it not an Americanism, most Americans wouldn't know that the term "ginger" even referred to redheads (which is what Americans call them).
Seems to me the (fairly lamely executed) joke is, after about the twentieth time you've heard Laura Linney say in that weirdly flat tone, "I'm Laura Linney, and this is Masterpiece," it really starts to get on your nerves, and you want to start mocking poor Ms Linney (who is aside from her stilted delivery introducing Masterpiece, a fine actress) with comments like, "I'm Laura Linney and I am dead inside." Nothing to do with her hair color or nationality. I find myself mocking Alan Cumming too, during the Masterpiece Mystery phase of the year, even though I like his actual acting roles just fine.
posted by aught at 6:34 AM on February 27, 2012
Huh? Not only is it not an Americanism, most Americans wouldn't know that the term "ginger" even referred to redheads (which is what Americans call them).
Seems to me the (fairly lamely executed) joke is, after about the twentieth time you've heard Laura Linney say in that weirdly flat tone, "I'm Laura Linney, and this is Masterpiece," it really starts to get on your nerves, and you want to start mocking poor Ms Linney (who is aside from her stilted delivery introducing Masterpiece, a fine actress) with comments like, "I'm Laura Linney and I am dead inside." Nothing to do with her hair color or nationality. I find myself mocking Alan Cumming too, during the Masterpiece Mystery phase of the year, even though I like his actual acting roles just fine.
posted by aught at 6:34 AM on February 27, 2012
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The best part was the books at the end.
posted by cjorgensen at 12:19 PM on February 25, 2012 [4 favorites]