Explanation Required From Daily Mail Fans On Answerbank

[sp1814]

Can any of your explain why having a black character and a more prominent female character is going to 'ruin' Bob The Builder???

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3191619/Can-revamped-Bob-Builder-tick-PC-box-Yes-returns-prominent-black-character-glamourous-makeover-business-partner-Wendy.html

This is the strange thing...it certainly isn't unusual for building crews to have black electricians, plumbers or carpenters...so why are Daily Mail readers so upset?

Have we got to a point where the portrayal of any black person or woman on TV is now considered 'PC'???

(Hat tip to TheMediaBlog for this).

[sp1814]

AOG

If you could identify and of the TV news presenters or weather people who are not up to the job, I'd appreciate their names, so I can check them out on YouTube.

If you can't, then perhaps it suggests that producers might be swayed by the talent coming through?

I'm sure you'd agree that this is a possibility?

[jno]

Telegraph readers where 7,791 preferred the 1998 Bob against only 296 who preferred 2014's Bob

no suggestion that Telegraph readers, average age 85, might not be the target demographic for a children's show, I suppose?

[sp1814]

Svejk

I'm guessing that you don't understand the point of this thread.

What I'm getting at, is "why can't those on the right understand that it doesn't have to be 'PC' to have women / black people / the disabled / etc on telly"

It is genuinely a mystery to normal people.

Seriously - would you see a black character in a TV show about builders and think, "This is so PC"?

[mushroom25]

if the idea was to tick all the PC boxes, the production company weren't really trying. if they were, the main builder character would be Robercik the builder, and wendy would have a girlfriend.

[sp1814]

mushroom25

Absolutely. You've hit the nail on the head.

I think the problem we now have is that right wingers are simply not thinking before they fall back on the term 'PC'. It's now become a catch-all cliche.

If in the new series, Bob the Builder had set up home with Paul The Plumber, and we raising a dyslexic wheelchair-bound African child on a sink estate, then yeah - PC bells-a-chiming.

But this?

It seems that some have taken the PC ball and are running all over the shop with it.

Svejk - this isn't about racism at all. I'm not saying that those who are accusing CH5 of being politically correct are racist. I'm saying that they are not engaging their brains.

Not the same thing.

[naomi24]

How unnecessarily complicated we make our lives. Load of rubbish.

[mikey4444]

I fail to see what is wrong and why the DM should be upset on our behalf.
Surely only racists and misogynists could possibly think that there was a problem ?

Typical DM story....it must have been a very slow news day !

[mikey4444]

"But not even Bob the Builder, it seems, can withstand the forces of political correctness"

The DM's words, not mine.

I repeat, its just another typical DM story.

[Togo]

//"Not even Bob the Builder can withstand the forces of political correctness," writes a Daily Mail showbiz reporter who possibly never imagined having to type such a sentence//

I included the whole line mikey. Maybe the DM let the quote stand in the interests of impartiality. The clue is in showbiz reporter.

[Booldawg]

Seems like a good idea. Who knows, if it works well we might even start seeing White Males appearing in an RnB/Hip Hop video?

[sp1814]

Booldawg

Yep...like the biggest-selling rap artist of all time.

Eminem.

[Quizproquo]

errmmmm...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJO5HU_7_1w

[sp1814]

divebuddy

Sort the responses to the story into 'Best rated' order...you'll see what I mean.

Again - I'm not saying that these people are racist - I'm accusing them of trotting out the term 'PC' when there's no need to.

That's the crux of this.

And AOG has kindly posted a link to the Daily Telegraph which seems to indicate some correlation amongst the Right...

[Quizproquo]

...and not to be forgotten.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StlMdNcvCJo

[Old_Geezer]

I think "ruin" is a bit strong. But I don't see the objection to pointing out it is probably being done to satisfy the PC crowd. Seems self evident.

[sp1814]

Actually - you've got me thinking - there's Plan B, Example and Izzy Azaleas (not sure how you spell her surname).

I suspect that rap is quite accommodating when it comes to who makes it.

Not too sure how many black country singers there are though.

[Tilly2]

At least ten, sp.

http://www.ibest9.com/top-10-famous-black-country-male-singers-reviews/

[youngmafbog]

The problem is that, particularly with the BBC (yes I know this is nt the BBC) there is a continual social engineering exercise going on. Ethnic minorities are often 'over' represented to make it appear we are a mixed country. Reality is that outside the main cities the UK is not really. Amending a show to include ethnic minorities will obviously open up to the accusation, correct or not of being PC.

And i too have rarely seen black builders or female ones on site. Mostly East Europeans or Indians.