Little Britain's racist, isn't it? Page 9

I loved Come Fly With Me and it's a shame Matt and David look back on it with some regret which is the vibe I got from them talking about it in an interview. I can't remember which one but Matt was saying he felt Taaj and a few other characters like the Japanese schoolgirls went too far with the racial stereotypes and making a new series was out of the question. That's a shame because the endearing nature of their partnership made it a very enjoyable and at times surreal sketch show which was a new creation from Little Britain. Ian Foot took prejudice to the extreme but it was ok because it was Walliams who can do no wrong. You could say he can't put a foot wrong if you'll excuse the pun. Two gags for the price of one there. Aiiiiyoooooo

David also looked the most 'convincing' in Come Fly With Me out of all his dressing up endeavours. As Alan Partridge once said the mind plays tricks.

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Quote: Chappers @ 20th December 2017, 11:31 PM

POTUS?

Google it Chappers Cool

Quote: DaButt @ 21st December 2017, 12:06 AM

President Of The United States. The president's wife is known as FLOTUS (First Lady Of The United States). And then there's SCOTUS (Supreme Court).

What about SCROTUM?

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 21st December 2017, 7:15 AM

Google it Chappers Cool

What about SCROTUM?

That is what the 60% of Americans who are not Trumpistas would argue the POTUS lacks.

Quote: ArticulateMadness @ 21st December 2017, 7:44 AM

That is what the 60% of Americans who are not Trumpistas would argue the POTUS lacks.

I thought that was the round bits inside the flappy bit?

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 21st December 2017, 9:34 AM

I thought that was the round bits inside the flappy bit?

That too, except most people think he has enough money to buy those custom made parts. :-p.

Being racist made it funny, if you call that racism. Take it out, it's less funny. Humour needs targets, it helps if these targets have a sense of humour, but it shouldn't require it to air like broadcasters are beginning to think. Name me a strictly PC show that was hilarious because I haven't seen one yet.

What about that Jasper Carrott and Meera Syall one? Oh hang on a minute....

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ 26th December 2017, 10:44 AM

Being racist made it funny, if you call that racism. Take it out, it's less funny. Humour needs targets, it helps if these targets have a sense of humor, but it shouldn't require it to air like broadcasters are beginning to think. Name me a strictly PC show that was hilarious because I haven't seen one yet.

Outside of the minstrel bit, what part of it was racist? I saw sexist humor, and homophobic humor. Are you hedging an entire eppy literally was only funny because they did a 2 minute or less blackface skit that probably would not be considered humorous for any other audience outside of Britain? I seem to recall when they did Little Britain USA they conveniently didn't include that.

Quote: Chappers @ 26th December 2017, 5:11 PM

What about that Jasper Carrott and Meera Syall one? Oh hang on a minute....

"Asked whether TV had made progress in showing Asians in Britain, Syal replied: "I think we've slightly gone backwards.

"Some of the stuff I'd want to have on TV wouldn't get on at the moment. It's a conservative climate with lots of period pieces and lots of nostalgia.

"When people think of stuff with South Asians in, it tends to be programmes like the upcoming Rochdale abuse drama."

She added: "If there were five or six or seven shows on TV featuring South Asians, then absolutely Rochdale is a worthy subject to investigate - but it's about context.

"We should also be thinking about stories that just show us as people, not issues." http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-39185147

Quote: Definitely Tarby @ 21st December 2017, 1:16 AM

I loved Come Fly With Me and it's a shame Matt and David look back on it with some regret which is the vibe I got from them talking about it in an interview. I can't remember which one but Matt was saying he felt Taaj and a few other characters like the Japanese schoolgirls went too far with the racial stereotypes and making a new series was out of the question. That's a shame because the endearing nature of their partnership made it a very enjoyable and at times surreal sketch show which was a new creation from Little Britain. Ian Foot took prejudice to the extreme but it was ok because it was Walliams who can do no wrong. You could say he can't put a foot wrong if you'll excuse the pun. Two gags for the price of one there. Aiiiiyoooooo

David also looked the most 'convincing' in Come Fly With Me out of all his dressing up endeavours. As Alan Partridge once said the mind plays tricks.

Image

I can see why they would look at it with regret compared to Little Britain. They knew they took it over the line. The bigger question is who had the guilty conscience, because Walliams wanted to do another season and Lucas did not. Ian Foot should have been the crux of the racist biscuit, but Lucas went way overboard with almost all his characters except the desk girl trying to get a promotion. At least on Little Britain his most over the top character was the gay guy that was the only gay in the village. And considering his sexuality, that was almost mind boggling he'd do a character that bent on every stereotype imaginable.

And yes, David does look like a great bird.

Quote: ArticulateMadness @ 20th December 2017, 12:35 AM

In America, any white people doing blackface will get them beat, shot, stabbed, and quite possibly killed/targeted. There are some jokes in America due to their racial insensitivity of public policy that will never be tolerated and you just cannot do.

I find this very hard to believe. Do you mean this has been the sudden response to Trump's provocative presidency? Because I don't recall Gene Wilder being targeted for blacking up in at least one movie, and other actors in films, I have a vague memory of Chevy Chase playing black in a film as well. I'm sure there have been others in the not too distant past. Mel Brooks has also lived to a good age sticking it to political correctness and using bold racial humour.

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ 27th December 2017, 1:45 AM

I find this very hard to believe. Do you mean this has been the sudden response to Trump's provocative presidency? Because I don't recall Gene Wilder being targeted for blacking up in at least one movie, and other actors in films, I have a vague memory of Chevy Chase playing black in a film as well. I'm sure there have been others in the not too distant past. Mel Brooks has also lived to a good age sticking it to political correctness and using bold racial humour.

Gene Wilder didn't put on traditional blackface, and having Richard Pryor being the one putting it on him gave him a very rare pass. However, that was over 40 years ago when race relations were cooled. Mel Brooks has been tongue in cheek with the racist jokes/films, but again, having Richard Pryor on board was his way around it. And again, Blazing Saddles was 50 years ago. Different America.

Today, in America, you put on blackface ala Robert Downey in Tropic Thunder you HAVE PROBLEMS. He got a lot of shit for that, and on more than one occasion things thrown at him promoting that film. Now with Dotard's racist leanings and proclaiming white hate groups as nice people, it is literally a negative.

This blackface-a-teer damn near got the piss kicked from their body: http://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/workers-black-face-costume-sparks-protest-in-st-augustine/634800233 This caused this chick pretty much her career: http://www.thisisinsider.com/riverdale-star-accused-blackface-halloween-costume-2017-10 And this dude wound up getting jumped in his hometown for his blackface: https://www.allure.com/story/trump-supporter-blackface-halloween-costume

If you truly don't believe me, I implore you to come to America, adonne a nice blackface minstrel stick, and go stand in a major city and await the reality, but no tears when they send you back home in pieces.

Quote: ArticulateMadness @ 18th December 2017, 10:57 PM

I am not familiar with Ian Foot, so I can't speak on that. Howsoever, my comments are more so regarded to the perception of them in America and not UK (which as I've said several times is not offensive by the historical context). When the show came to America, they retooled it with Harry J. Lennix (this was before Obama was president) and it was Little Britain America or something like that - still, it didn't make it past half a season. The original show aired very heavily two seasons on an obscure channel (not even a BBC America type) late in the wee hours of the morning like 2am or something. The minstrel blackface spoof was enough of an uproar for the entire show to be pulled from American syndication (and read my previous posts as to why that is).

Hey, I was joking, :D I love the character of Ian Foot from ''Come fly with me'' played by this same guy from Little Britain (David Walliams).
In American society many things are considered racist when they really aren't. There is also a tendency towards exaggerating how ofended one feels about things to try and make right for all the wrong doings of the past. I find this to be complete madness, one should always try to look at the situation for what it is: a humorous one. Failing to do that would mean one has lost his/ her ability to poke fun at themselves and that its when true madness begins.

Quote: Kapow @ 27th December 2017, 6:36 PM

Hey, I was joking, :D I love the character of Ian Foot from ''Come fly with me'' played by this same guy from Little Britain (David Walliams).
In American society many things are considered racist when they really aren't. There is also a tendency towards exaggerating how ofended one feels about things to try and make right for all the wrong doings of the past. I find this to be complete madness, one should always try to look at the situation for what it is: a humorous one. Failing to do that would mean one has lost his/ her ability to poke fun at themselves and that its when true madness begins.

Yes, I just watched that whole series. He was one of the more redeeming characters on there, but I don't think he was racist as he was more so politically incorrectly prejudiced with bigoted tendencies. Again, his character is a little bit advanced from most of the Little Britain characters, or shall I say evolved, as he's less of a stereotype and more of an arch type.

Having said all that, let me correct you on a few things as to why Little Britain and its blackface is unacceptable by the American standard (which I think you think is moreso about hurt feelings and making a laugh of a bad former situation).

Blackface in American society is BAD. Period, point blank. It isn't about how one feels either. It is about what it represents. Starting in the 1800s America, white performers would put dark paint on their faces and perform ridiculous stereotypes about blacks (who were then slaves) in Minstrel shows. As Norm Sheehan and Donald Bogle have written in depth, blackface began as a popular movement that ridiculed and lampooned black Americans leading up to the American Civil War to demean their status in society and make them look less intelligent, less civilized, and definitely not a citizen that should be given rights. This movement exploded during Reconstruction (post slavery American period) and continued onward in media as a representation of black people on television and film, dying out by the 1970s in the mainstream, but continuously used by white supremacist groups since the 1800s until now in their propaganda. It is STILL common to see these people running around with a blackface doll hanging by a noose with rhetoric saying the best place for black folks is on the end of a rope. People that put on blackface are ascribing to an ignorance pushed by hate groups that are actively still hunting and hurting people, black, hispanic, jewish, women of their race that date outside the race, etc. This is exacerbated by the mere fact of employment and housing being terribly discriminated, prejudiced, and separated as a matter of public policy. Your name can disqualify you from jobs. So can your address. EEOC was created to stop things like this, but the presidency of Barak Obama gave a re-rise to the minority of racist people that now are 40% of Trumpistas that are more than willing to forego their own civil rights to oppress others in this Trump presidency. And he and his ilk are bringing back the dirty washings from days past that are not so easily forgotten, and boasting upon it.

So yes, while Lucas and Walliams might find doing a sendup to Al Jolsen singing "Mammy" (which is a very bad racist epithet in America) on Little Britain with their minstrel duo, it is completely unacceptable in American society. It is just plain not, and will never be considered funny because in our climate of racial background it is not. And this is why I said be thankful the UK has a better relationship with their black people post slavery than America has with theirs. There is no poking fun at that, especially now in a climate of true racial hostilities egged on by Trump and his ilk. In American society, many things in the racism cypher that should have been overcome ages ago are literally apart of governmental policies support certain groups enacting bad behavior towards other groups, and they are allowed to continue unchallenged in said behavior. This is how our Democrats allowed for the rising of the Klu Klux Klan during a period of Reconstruction post-slavery, which in actuality, gave rise to things such as Jim Crow, Black Codes, and the Plessy versus Ferguson decision of separate but equal. Keep in mind all of these policies excluded things such as the right to vote, the right to work, the right to travel, and allowed an entire race of people to be kept in lower status worse than had they been considered property. And also keep in mind the reversal of ALL said policies only happened in America officially in 1970, but unofficially have still been going on (I implore you to look up former President Richard Nixon's Southern Strategy or Gary Webb's expose of President Reagen flooding black communities with crack or Bill Clinton's tough on crime 3x your out policies and their effect on black people's civil rights in America). Unlike black people in the UK, American black people (and other races of color) are still dealing with the same policies on the books from the 1800s that keep coming back with a vengeance and creating the tension that explodes into violence. Blackface was something that was invented to be disrespectful and demeaning in this country, and there even was a time where black actors had to wear it to perform on Broadway or they couldn't.

Okay, Lucas and Walliams might not know all of that. But they knew enough about it not to include the minstrels in the American version. Maybe somebody told them. Maybe they did a little research. But the fact of the matter is, their brand of socially incorrect comedy cuts deep outside of the UK, and by their own admittance they want to reach a broader audience. The reason why they flopped in America is because they had to answer for their choice of character stereotype solely for being white. And unfortunately, this is what America is on. There is a distinct cultural difference between Dave Chappelle playing a white news reporter and Lucas/Walliams putting on blackface. Whiteface has never been the brunt of racial inferiority in the mainstream as is grossly overlooked by the American masses. Blackface has, which is why when people like Robert Downey Jr. do it knowing the racial climate in Hollywood they get their asses handed to them (and he had to make 3 Iron Man films and people still ruffled in feathers about him in Tropic Thunder). See the point? It's a cultural difference again based on America's dark past with its black people and those that engage in it are automatically thought to be among the supremacists because they know what that is about.

I'm not just picking on Little Britain here - a lot of British sketch comedy does the black/brown face. All I'm saying is that you can't expect the historical implications of blackface and how America exported it via films/television to all of a sudden be gut busting hilarious when it still stands as the threshold to the darkest part of American history dealing with slavery, post-slavery, and contemporary society today. Watch Bamboozled by Spike Lee. Gives a great overview of the history of the blackface and the repercussions of using it in modern society.

:O "Yes, I just watched that whole series. " .......................... :S

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 28th December 2017, 7:01 AM

:O "Yes, I just watched that whole series. " .......................... :S

Well, I did. In one swoop. Wasn't that many episodes, and with only having one season and a special it was pretty easy to knock out. Little Britain, on the other hand, took a bit more time.

I'm about halfway through season 1 of Big School, but it's just lost me and I'm struggling to get through it.

Quote: ArticulateMadness @ 28th December 2017, 11:26 AM

I'm about halfway through season 1 of Big School, but it's just lost me and I'm struggling to get through it.

Maybe you should just leave and get a job.