MovieChat Forums > '71 (2014) Discussion > Man/Dan/Can game

Man/Dan/Can game

posted 10 years ago by pjpoconnell
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There used to be a cruel "game" played in Britain and Ireland in which a youth gang would stop a lone youth and ask him: "Are you a Man or a Dan or an old tin can?" The references were to: Man--Orangeman, a Protestant supporter of the Orange Order and British rule of Ireland; Dan--admirer of Daniel O'Connell, a 19th-century statesman who worked for rights for Irish Catholics. Depending on the actual loyalties of the gang and the lone youth, the lone youth might be embraced or kicked down the road like "an old tin can." The sad dilemma is that there was no way for the lone youth to know the loyalties of the gang. If he refused to answer, he would be kicked down the road anyway.

[–] ttaskmaster 10 years ago

A little apocryphal perhaps, as there were (and probably still are) very similar calls used in many places, the answers denoting one's affiliation with anything from religions, universities and sexualities, to football teams (Celtic and Rangers in Scotland being a big one), military service arms or even which part of the town you were from.

We had Billy/Dan/Old Tin Can, with the last ones being Jewish and thus simply left alone (though most wore skull caps, so it was obvious to begin with).

[–] Theo Robertson 10 years ago

Yeah I remember a similar type of game in Northern Ireland . It was called "Sectarian murder" . Apparently it was very popular in the 1970s

[–] pjpoconnell 10 years ago

Taskmaster: The "game" was first described to me by a Scot raised in Glasgow in the 1920s. At least "Man, Dan, Can" is more euphonious than "Billy, Dan, Can." I do not, however, fully understand your post. I assume that "Billy" refers to William of Orange and hence means Protestant. "Dan," of course, would refer to a Catholic. But are you saying that "Old Tin Can" referred to Jews, but, even though they were recognizable by their yarmulkes, they were not "kicked down the road"? If so, I would find that extraordinary, considering the prevalence of anti-Semitism years ago.

[–] ttaskmaster 10 years ago

Given that Jews were neither Catholic or Protestant, they were thus neither the target or ally the groups were interested in, therefore left alone. I neither know nor care for the reasoning behind it. However, the Jews were not especially hated as a general rule, when there were fiercer rivals around.

[–] ronfirv 10 years ago

He might have guessed the possible loyalties by the area of the town he was near, or colours of items of clothing of the gang, if he were sharp-eyed.
I am not Glaswegian, but back in the 60's/70's, if anyone wore green on a Protestant estate, there was a high risk of serious confrontation, and vice versa wearing blue on a RC estate, associated of course with the football teams of Celtic and Rangers. It still applies today but with less bitterness. (We had a similar situation in Edinburgh between Hibs and Hearts supporters, but even in the same period, not the same hatreds or violence as on the west side of the country).
Tribalism, plain & simple.
It reared its head again in last year's referendum campaign when Glasgow largely voted YES, and Unionist youths took to the streets waving the flag of Union, and no doubting singing old songs of sectarianism. In time, it will be buried once and for all, and let us hope it is not long coming. Life is too short and passes too quickly.