British embassy sparks anger for tweet celebrating 1814 White House burning

[jakeXT]

Source: Guardian

When it comes to the diplomatic use of a Twitter account, it seems that even 200 years isn’t distance enough to spare a nation’s blushes.

That’s the hard lesson that the British embassy in Washington has learned after it posted on its official feed what it thought was a light-hearted tweet to mark the 200th anniversary of the burning of the White House by British troops.



The tweet featured a photograph of a cake on which a model of the White House was flanked by British and American flags and encircled by lighted fireworks, with the words: “Only sparklers this time!”

Despite the passage of two centuries, many Twitter users were less than amused. As Yossi Gestetner put it: “WWHHAATT??? Is this suppose to be funny?”

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/25/british-embassy-tweet-white-house-burning-1814

[Enrique]

1. too soon

[Bragi]

38. Good one! /nt

[C Moon]

2. Not too soon, just bad diplomacy. Sounds equivalent to something our Tea Baggers would do.

[Blue_Tires]

3. Finding it hard to get worked up over this one....

[harun]

8. Yeah, me too.

[flamingdem]

37. thinking more about having a piece of cake

yum

[indepat]

4. Even among the best of buds, some wounds heal slowly

[Nye Bevan]

5. Anyone "angered" over this really, really needs to lighten up (nt)

[ManiacJoe]

13. Exactly. I got a good chuckle out of it!

[theHandpuppet]

24. Oh, I don't know...

Depends on whether you had relatives who served during that war. Mine did and several were POWs. I'm not laughing.

[Blue Idaho]

27. My kin arrived in 1636

Several of my kin fought and died fighting the British. It's a tweet - get over it.

[theHandpuppet]

40. I think you're free to dismiss it as you wish

I am just as free to have an opinion as you are.

[Aristus]

6. Listen, if we had ever burned Whitehall, guaranteed 200 years later, some Brit

would have this to say about it:

"Oy! Right! Gob that crikey shite, mate! It stands to reason we won't 'ave it! Give you a thick goober, I will!..."

Or something English-y like that...

[christx30]

12. You forgot something about

tea kettles. And a lift.

[smilodon populator]

19. Umm, that's Austrailian, mate.

Crikey.

[Aristus]

20. The Aussies got it from the English.

http://www.britishslang.co.uk/slang/crikey

[SoapBox]

7. Well, what the?

...name and fire someone.

[amandabeech]

9. Or transfer someone to the British Embassy in Bhutan. n/t

[muriel_volestrangler]

31. Can you fire tweeters for lacking a sense of humour?

It'd be great if you can ...

[7962]

10. Well look at the Irish and the Orangemen, thats from the 1700s at least

And many still get pissed about it.

[xocet]

11. "Joke'em if they can't take a *u*k." would apply here. n/t

[Anarcho-Socialist]

14. Some people obviously need to calm down and lighten up

[The Second Stone]

15. Meh. Long time ago. Not what I would expect from professional diplomats

had this been a bunch of blokes at a pub, I might be amused.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

16. They shouldn't get their panties in a wad.

I ed.

[paleotn]

17. Oh yea?! Well......

In 1814 we took a little trip,
Along with colonel jackson down the mighty mississip.
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans,
And we fought the bloody british in the town of new orleans.

We fired our guns and the british kept a comin',
There wasn't 'bout as many as there was awhile ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
On down the mississippi to the gulf of mexico.......

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/nittygrittydirtband/battleofneworleans.html

Take that!

[BrainDrain]

18. Wow..I mean..seriously??!!

If you get upset by something as inane and harmless as this..you need to check your priorities....wow..just ...wow.

[MisterP]

21. the LaRouchites are gonna raise hell with this ...

[LloydS of New London]

22. Go back to eating what you insist on calling "food"

Blimey!

[broadcaster75201]

23. I dunno. I'm amused. *shrug* nt

nt

[Brigid]

25. Three words:

Andrew. F%&@#*$. Jackson.

[Javaman]

26. 3 more words...

Last edited Tue Aug 26, 2014, 08:03 AM - Edit history (1)

wrong fucking president.

Madison was pres during the war of 1812.

the battle of New Orleans took place two weeks after the war was officially over, but Jackson hadn't received word yet.

so I don't know how "old hickory" plays into the burning of the White House.

And from everything I have read, the burning of the WH was an accident carried out by pissed off British soldiers who didn't find enough to drink.

[Brigid]

29. I didn't say Jackson was president.

But he did cobble together a motley crew that kept the Brits out of New Orleans (I guess they didn't get word either).

[Javaman]

45. yes, they didn't either.

so in the grand scheme of things. the battle didn't matter and lives were needlessly lost.

[msanthrope]

34. Four more words...Battle of New Orleans.

We kicked their fucking asses......

[Javaman]

44. yes, two weeks after the war was over. nt

[msanthrope]

49. No one knew it was over. And the dead were just as dead. nt

[Javaman]

56. And that makes it worth it.

more dead for the hell of it.

it's not a victory if it's after the fact regardless if they know or not.

at that point, it's just pointless death.

[msanthrope]

57. Jackson defended the citizens of NOLA from certain firebombing and death. Worth it. nt

[roamer65]

42. Ummm...

The president during the "War of 1812" was James Madison. He was president from 1809-1817.

[Javaman]

46. good catch, you are right. I will fix nt

[Brigid]

48. Madison remains the only President to come under enemy fire. . .

While in office. He took personally took command of a militia unit outside DC. He was forced to retreat.

[Exultant Democracy]

28. Omg, this is hilarious. I fail to see how this could upset anyone rational.

[christx30]

30. I go into British chat rooms

and wish them a happy Fourth of July. I laugh when they kick me out.

[Enrique]

47. i'm thinking of communities up in the mountains somewhere

that don't know the War of 1812 is over. Then again, such communities probably wouldn't use Twitter.

[theHandpuppet]

59. Yeah, because we all know "mountain people" are just a bunch of ignorant fucks

Thanks a lot.

[Enrique]

61. no offense

i wasn't thinking of actual mountain people, or about ignorance. I was imagining people like those Japanese soldiers that spent decades in the jungle after WWII ended. Since we don't have jungles, I said mountains.

[theHandpuppet]

62. Thank you for clarifying

I read so many posts on DU denigrating our own mountain people that my hide has become really thin in this regard.

[Historic NY]

32. Too funny, but it wouldn't been "white" w/o the British help...

[IronLionZion]

33. Silly Brits

[tabasco]

35. I'M OUTRAGED!

at anybody who gets their undies in a wad over this.

[Bragi]

39. ,No U.S Tweet for the burning of York?

Can't blame the Brits for that.

[mulsh]

41. It's ok We Yanks will still pretend you Brits matter on the world stage.

n/t

[roamer65]

43. Typical dry British humor.

They'd all be goose stepping in the streets of London if it wasn't for us.

[whatthehey]

51. actually Operation Sea Lion was abandoned in Nov 1940

That's before the US military involvement or even lend lease. The Germans simply lost the battle for air supremacy and would have had no way to provide cover for any putative landing force.

And if your contention is that the Germans would've resurrected the idea later, it's worth bearing in mind that 80% of all German combat fatalities were at the hands of Russians.

[roamer65]

63. I'm talking much earlier than Lend lease.

One of the first big tasks of our newly created Federal Reserve was a nice big, fat war loan in 1915 when Britain was running desperately short of money. That special relationship between our Federal Reserve and the Bank of England continued well after WW1 and WW2.
Orwell saw this relationship and that is why Britain became "Airstrip One" of Oceania in his book "1984". He realized who was pulling the strings.

[Adrahil]

50. Meh... I thought it was pretty funny. It was 200 years. NT

[GliderGuider]

52. Gee, still a little sensitive?

We Canucks take great and ongoing delight in the role we played in that little incident.

Man up, America!

[Arugula Latte]

53. I guess "Shock and Awe" isn't so awesome when it happened on your own turf, eh?

[LanternWaste]

55. Yeah... I think I'll be giggling at anyone who's upset by this.

Yeah... I think I'll be giggling at anyone who's upset by this, bless their little hearts.

[theHandpuppet]

60. Yeah, that's my immediate reaction

Every year when I tidy and lay flowers at the graves of my 3rd gr-grandfather and his brother, who served in that war and were POWs, I have a good old laugh at their sacrifice.

[True Blue Door]

58. This is a clear case of oversensitive nincompoopery.

Unless you're a giant sequoia, under no possible definition can 200 years be called "too soon" to joke about something.