Has PC ruined the British Sitcom? Page 6

Frankie it doesn't mean you are discrimanating unless you are racist to everyone but the law, as usual, is stupid. There are things I would censor but comedy is not one of them. As for Sid James well the post modern thing referes to the fact that supposedly the performers and audience know the joke is racist yet they say it anyway because of that selfawarness. Thats how Gervais justifies it.

Has PC ruined sitcom? No because the good productions ignore it. e.g. Father Ted had a Tea Lady, a dumb Irish man and frequently patronised women and made fun of religion.

Ooh, yes to Father Ted, AJP.

Quote: ajp29 @ July 14, 2007, 5:31 PM

How about when hes about to tell the joke about a black man and stops because a black man comes within earshot.

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The joke isn't someone telling the bread-bin joke. The humour lies in David Brent's sudden change in behavior and cowardice when confronted with a black person in his audience. The bread-bin joke itself isn't particularly funny - him using the inappropriate joke is just one of the many ways that the David Brent character tries desperately to be the "funny guy", which inevitably backfires when most people take offense to it and he gets a severe warning. You aren't supposed to sympathise with him and say "huh, bloody mind police its PC gone mad innit", the whole point is about how deep the character digs himself. If you interpreted the scene as Ricky Gervais trying to smuggle in racist jokes under the guise of "irony" then all I can say is that you're wrong and should watch it again.

I understand the joke retinend I was giving an example there are many others. I don't want to debate but here goes. You can do exactly the same with without being racist, what about telling an ugly joke and have an ugly person come in? Why does he choose a racist joke? Beats me? Retinend if you're looking for a heated debate i'm really not your man

I've lost interest in this thread!

Thanks for that David

Quote: ajp29 @ July 14, 2007, 3:50 PM

Under the Race Relations Act, it is unlawful to discriminate against anyone on grounds of race, colour, nationality (including citizenship), or ethnic or national origin. All racial groups are protected from discrimination.

The Race Relations Act generally applies to the fields of employment, planning, housing, the exercise of public functions (both by public authorities and also private bodies exercising public functions, for example, privately-run prisons). It also applies to the provision of goods, facilities and services, and to education.

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Doesn't apply to the English, who are constantly discriminated against with the current constitutional and political structure of the United Kingdom.

Quote: zooo @ July 14, 2007, 5:10 PM

God knows.
But I think any sane, right-thinking person knows what is racist and what isn't. Don't get paranoid.

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Rofl. That's exactly the trouble. Too many people aren't sane, nor right-thinking, and take the most innocent, simple comment to be offensive.

Quote: ajp29 @ July 14, 2007, 7:13 PM

Has PC ruined sitcom? No because the good productions ignore it. e.g. Father Ted had a Tea Lady, a dumb Irish man and frequently patronised women and made fun of religion.

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But did you ever think that there might be more great shows like that, if it weren't for PC?

Quote: Aaron @ July 14, 2007, 9:10 PM

Doesn't apply to the English, who are constantly discriminated against with the current constitutional and political structure of the United Kingdom.

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That was one of the loopholes I was alluding to.

The police and other companies regularly break the law when they farm for ethnic minorities and select them over other applicants, just to get the balance right.

Quote: David Chapman @ July 14, 2007, 8:16 PM

I've lost interest in this thread!

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Don't read it then.

And the boxes to indicate ethnicity in application forms? I know they'll say it's for statistical purposes, but the contradiction is that in their efforts to reduce difference, the PC lobby highlight ethnicity / race by introducing the issue into more and more areas of our lives such as job applications.

Quote: SlagA @ July 14, 2007, 9:10 PM

That was one of the loopholes I was alluding to.

The police and other companies regularly break the law when they farm for ethnic minorities and select them over other applicants, just to get the balance right.

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That amuses me no end. "There aren't enough female [insert job here], and certainly not enough ethnic minority [insert job here]!" It's not due to discrimination. More often than not, it's simply because they're not interested in the job(s)! >_<

Funny's funny! Does it matter what sex or race the actors are? Often they have to be what they are for comic effect.

Quote: ajp29 @ July 14, 2007, 7:13 PM

Frankie it doesn't mean you are discrimanating unless you are racist to everyone but the law, as usual, is stupid. There are things I would censor but comedy is not one of them. As for Sid James well the post modern thing referes to the fact that supposedly the performers and audience know the joke is racist yet they say it anyway because of that selfawarness. Thats how Gervais justifies it.

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Thanks for that. I found that explanation really useful but am uncomfortable with it though as it seems that you are suggesting Gervais is "getting away with something" when in fact why does he have to justify his comedy at all?

Also if the joke is "racist" what difference does our "self-awareness" really make? Are we saying then that if we allude to the fact that a joke is "racist" then that's OK to include it in a sketch, providing that we don't tell the joke and that the laugh is coming from somewhere else i.e. RG's embarassment. I am uncomfortable with that, it's far too contrived.

Back to Sid James, we (the audience) knew that the joke was going to be "racist" when Sid James did the same routine 30 odd years ago. The laugh was on Sid's embarassment then, the same as it was on RG's embarassment now, the only real difference being that Sid didn't have to justify it as it wasn't considered particularly taboo to make a joke about another race then... anymore than it ought to be now.

I still profess that making a joke about someone from another race is not "racist" or "racism" unless it's discriminating against them but I can't think of an example where it would be. Most of the time surely it's just having at laugh either with them or at their expense, which may not be to everyones taste (it's not to my taste as I think it's old fashioned and not relevant to the cosmopolitan world of today) but I don't think it should be against the law.

I don't put "race" as an issue into my sketches, it's just not what I write, but others should be free to do so. I do have foriegn (non-white, non-English) characters but they just take part in the general absurdity rather than being the butt of any gags specific to their race. Their race to me is immaterial save when I can add to the chaos through misunderstanding of language or culture or similar.

Quote: Jack Massey @ July 12, 2007, 10:12 PM

Has Political Correctness ruined the British Sitcom? What's your opinion?

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Is British Sitcom so PC. Was " Extras " PC ?

Compared to the 1990's I think we are less PC now

Quote: Kent Pete @ July 15, 2007, 12:31 PM

Is British Sitcom so PC. Was " Extras " PC ?

Compared to the 1990's I think we are less PC now

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I think we've seen sense now.

Maybe something had to be done but it went too far the other way. Now I think we've got a reasonable balance.