ChatterBank1 min ago
Would You Want Classic Comedies Such As Faulty Towers,ofah,till Death Us Do Part,to Carry A Racist Warning?
I realise it was a different era but wouldn’t just switching it over/off suffice if it offends you?
Answers
Agree with Ken, regards Fawlty Towers, funniest comedy ever. In my opinion. Very clever writing. I laughed so hard too, I could hardly breathe at times, plus being eight months pregnant, whilst watching the one about the corpse, I honestly though I was going to give birth where I was laughing so much!
10:50 Mon 25th Nov 2019
Comedy relies entirely on interpretation, which is a moveable feast.
I understood that Alf Garnet was a grotesque parody of an ignorant racist, but plenty of people thought he was real, and applauded his views.
More recently, there are plenty of intelligent people who believe that Alan Partridge is a genuine chat show and radio host.
If you start pre-empting interpretations and 'warning' people, then you tend to destroy the point of satirical comedy, which is to make you laugh, and also think, in equal measure.
I have never subscribed to the notion of altering things because 'someone may be offended' - that is simply no way for an adult culture to exist.
Offence is not fatal, and it can be debated and debunked - but only if it is allowed the freedom to be experienced first, and that is a risk inbuilt into every art form that exists.
You cannot start policing art to 'protect' people - it harks back to the pointless killjoy arrogance of people like Mary Whitehouse who sanctimoniously believed that only she and her merry band of fools were beyond 'corruption' and was therefore heaven-sent to 'save' everyone else.
I think we have moved past such stupidity now, let's not allow it to return.
I understood that Alf Garnet was a grotesque parody of an ignorant racist, but plenty of people thought he was real, and applauded his views.
More recently, there are plenty of intelligent people who believe that Alan Partridge is a genuine chat show and radio host.
If you start pre-empting interpretations and 'warning' people, then you tend to destroy the point of satirical comedy, which is to make you laugh, and also think, in equal measure.
I have never subscribed to the notion of altering things because 'someone may be offended' - that is simply no way for an adult culture to exist.
Offence is not fatal, and it can be debated and debunked - but only if it is allowed the freedom to be experienced first, and that is a risk inbuilt into every art form that exists.
You cannot start policing art to 'protect' people - it harks back to the pointless killjoy arrogance of people like Mary Whitehouse who sanctimoniously believed that only she and her merry band of fools were beyond 'corruption' and was therefore heaven-sent to 'save' everyone else.
I think we have moved past such stupidity now, let's not allow it to return.
woofgang - // That was another one that was supposed to show up racist attitudes and may not have been as successful as was intended. //
I presume you refer to Love Thy Neighbour?
As I recall, it was unsuccessful as a parody or racism entirely due to the absence of anything approaching a humorous script.
Saying 'honky' and similar phrases over and over again simply evaporates any comedy impact, and soon obliterates any shock value, leaving a poor one-trick pony of exchanges to go round and round in ever-decreasing and depressingly humour-free circles.
I presume you refer to Love Thy Neighbour?
As I recall, it was unsuccessful as a parody or racism entirely due to the absence of anything approaching a humorous script.
Saying 'honky' and similar phrases over and over again simply evaporates any comedy impact, and soon obliterates any shock value, leaving a poor one-trick pony of exchanges to go round and round in ever-decreasing and depressingly humour-free circles.
While I totally agree, Andy... I don't think younger viewers will interpret it the same way. I must have been about 8 years old when my parents were watching ofah. Life has moved on.
I think it is perfectly acceptable to rerun anything and everything, perhaps with just a line of caution, but also acknowledge that older people will understand, while younger ones will either find them irrelevant at best, and offensive at worst.
To protect the older programmes, for those that do enjoy them, i think just a warning is a good compromise. It only takes one 20 year old to complain, for things to be banned for life otherwise.
I think it is perfectly acceptable to rerun anything and everything, perhaps with just a line of caution, but also acknowledge that older people will understand, while younger ones will either find them irrelevant at best, and offensive at worst.
To protect the older programmes, for those that do enjoy them, i think just a warning is a good compromise. It only takes one 20 year old to complain, for things to be banned for life otherwise.
An unfashionable view today. Don't worry... everything goes round in circles. It will come back- there is always a process... (with younger ABers probably)...
1) understand what "honesty" means.
2) pretend your generation invented it
3) accuse anyone older of not understanding what it means
4) even if they do... tell them they are too old and stuck in their ways to embrace "new" concepts
5) invent the word "realityphobe".
And we are off! :-)
1) understand what "honesty" means.
2) pretend your generation invented it
3) accuse anyone older of not understanding what it means
4) even if they do... tell them they are too old and stuck in their ways to embrace "new" concepts
5) invent the word "realityphobe".
And we are off! :-)
//... then there is officer crab Tree, "good moaning"! //
officer Crabtree was given a Ted Heath accent - if you're old enough to recall the excruciatingly bad speech he delivered in French in the 1970s...… :-)
Every Christmas our unit had our Christmas dinner in our base. We used to provide our own entertainment after the meal and a few drinks.
I once did a skit of Officer Crabtree with a monologue of all humerous events that we,as a group,experienced throughout the year. I gave the senior officers a good ear bashing with my crabtree esque French accent and the innuendo that went with it.I was asked to do it each year after that complete with homemade gendarme uniform. I still have a photo of that. Happy days. :-)
retro, upload the picture we'd love to see that!
"officer Crabtree was given a Ted Heath accent - if you're old enough to recall the excruciatingly bad speech he delivered in French in the 1970s...… :-) " - when Blair was PM he once gave a speech in Paris in perfect fluent French as he'd worked there when he was a student. Unable to mock his French the Tabloids took another tack: "What does Blair think he's doing? doesn't he know it's the job of the British to murder the French language?"!
"officer Crabtree was given a Ted Heath accent - if you're old enough to recall the excruciatingly bad speech he delivered in French in the 1970s...… :-) " - when Blair was PM he once gave a speech in Paris in perfect fluent French as he'd worked there when he was a student. Unable to mock his French the Tabloids took another tack: "What does Blair think he's doing? doesn't he know it's the job of the British to murder the French language?"!
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