Lurkio
Friday 29th February 2008 8:03pm
London
27 posts
Quote: Up4it @ February 27, 2008, 9:09 PM
THE YEAR IS 2020 AND THE AFTERNOON FLIGHT FROM CYPRUS HAS LANDED AT HEATHROW. PEOPLE ARE QUEUING AT PASSPORT CONTROL. AN ELDERLY COUPLE ARE SUDDENLY DETAINED AND AIRPORT POLICE ARE BECKONED.
ASIAN OFFICER:
What is the problem being here?
SCOTTISH GUY: (Passport control)
It's this couple here. They are trying to enter Britain!
ASIAN OFFICER:
Oh yes, and?
SCOTTISH GUY: (Waving a couple of passports)
And they're only bloody ENGLISH!
ASIAN OFFICER:
Oh dearie me. Oh no, no, no. It is being a very good job that we tightened up our borders.
THE COUPLE ARE FROG MARCHED AWAY.
THE VERY END.
Hi folks!
Hope I'm not too late to join the fun.
Firstly I didn't find it funny. I get the premise; that English people are being refused entry because they are English, but I think the same point could have been made with more finesse. The set-up is expounded weakly, and the premise for the couple being refused entry is not explained…is it merely because they are English and we must accept that all Scots and Asians hate white English people? I assume it is a racial issue, as presumably a black or brown English person would not be refused entry?
Obviously the humour is based in a political viewpoint I don’t share, but I’m not sure it’s even logically consistent with that view. I mean, maybe if you ended by saying, “I’m afraid you were away for a few days longer than you mentioned so in the meantime we moved a family of Kosovans into your house. Perhaps you’d like to try Iceland, I understand there’s some vacancies there…but we’re full”.
(I also like the idea somebody else had of some middle English types seeking asylum fro the weather in the Sudan)
Of course the immigration officer could be Scottish, or even white English and the immigration policy would be the target. The only reason I can see for having the “hilarious” 1970s Indian accent is to draw attention to a clear racial divide, which you obviously (and erroneously) feel characterises the immigration issue. Having a Scottish character seems to characterise the Scots as English haters, rather than as you later said referencing Gordon Brown…if you want to do that I suggest you elevate the sub-text to the meta-text, otherwise us thicky guardian readers might think you’re just having a pop at the Sweaties.
Secondly, the difference between this and “going for an English”, aside from the technical ability on display is that it holds a mirror up to behaviour that is still quite common in Indian restaurants. It relies on the absurdity of the roles being reversed, and is beautifully observed (ordering Lassis instead of lagers for instance). I’m not sure how you would find it racist, its target is a particular area of English society…at no point has the sketch implied that all English people are lager louts. The sketch above lazily places and Asian and Scottish stereotypes in the situation, their defining characteristic, in fact their only characteristic, is their ethnicity, from which we are supposed to infer that they would naturally hate white English people.
Finally, some of the more general posts on “them Islams” or whatever, are just sadly ill-informed, It’s a shame you choose to view an entire group of people based upon your limited experience on an internet forum. I suppose that’s why I’m responding really, because I wouldn’t want a casual observer to assume this forum comprises unfunny racists.