Political Correctness or just Madness?

From Benny Hill to Little Britain, so many 'minority' groups are dismissed, humiliated and exploited as so called entertainment. Yet, so many here defend their right to be offensive and accuse anyone who doesn't like it of being 'snowflakes'.

I've recently been listening to Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra and I'm astounded by just how much anti-foreigner language there is. 'frogs' is only one example.

The Americans glibly talk about 'towel-heads' and wonder why Middle Eastern people don't like it.

And I'm sorry to say this and racism has become a very popular subject for stand-up comedians.

But if you listen, it's an excuse to curry favour (if you'll excuse the expression) with an audience of like-minded people.

If you are, for instance English and you poke fun at English characteristics, it's often (but not always) funny but the same script delivered by a non-English person would be
racist.
That's the definition of racism: to blame an individual or group's perceived shortcomings on racial heritage.

Is he still on the BBC? I kind of got the impression his star had faded some time ago. Horrible misogynistic bully.

Galaxy

Frankie Boyle is an utter arsehole. Hope that didnt offend anyone

Don't hold back Galaxy ?

Why the BBC is giving him airtime is beyond me. I want a refund on my TV licence.

We were puzzled when my daughter asked in a Florida supermarket if they had fags in there, and she got some very odd looks, then someone explained, lol!

Would the BBC issue a similar warning if Captain Mainwaring were to refer to Germans as the Bosch or as Huns?

Frankie Boyle is an utter arsehole. Hope that didnt offend anyone

How is comedy such as Dad’s Army labelled as ‘offensive’ while the programmers promote and create vehicles for ‘comedians’ such as Jimmy Carr and Frankie Boyle.

You must be exhausted firecracker.

Double sigh ??

There is sone sone very childish and rather nasty posting going on.....”leftie snowflake “ for example.

Some people are too snowflake to skip over a simple warning before a film and have to complain about it.

Not all of the insults are multicultural issues though. Many are sexist, homophobic, ableist, ageist.

I watched a movie at school once with a little person in it. PG rating. Innocuous I thought. Until I saw the little person in the class wincing at some of the comments in the film. Listening to it with a new ear, I realised, yes, it WAS offensive.

Do you think it’s because we grew up hearing/using/accepting these words that that’s why some of us think ‘warnings’ per-broadcast seem a bit OTT?

For younger viewers I expect these words have never been their currency and in a much more multicultural society they would seem offensive. Are offensive. Just that some of us oldies don’t register them the same - which doesn’t actually make it right (nowadays).

Genty ????

Firecracker123

Sigh ?

sighing with Firecracker123

Sigh ?

Firecracker123

No just giving up on leftie snowflakes on GN?

Use of language does matter. The language used here to describe those of us who acknowledge that says it all

They are not stopping the programme but merely pointing out that the language used is from another time and has now been recognised as possibly liable to cause offence.

I think it's just common courtesy.

Or do you think it's OK to for words like slag, cretin, pouffter, retard, gyppo, chinky, etc, etc, etc, to be used in the context of a comedy without comment?

Genty Whether a French person living in, or visiting, this country in those days considered French people being referred to as frogs as simply "harmless fun" is questionable. Words are often considered to be harmless until their use has a personal impact.

I can’t remember what the programme was ( old age!) but a few days ago we were watching tv and a harmless old film came on preceded by dire warnings.We fell about laughing.

No just giving up on leftie snowflakes on GN?

Firecracker123

I give up lol ????

Ooh are you giving up LOL-ing? Hooray.

Iam64 ??

Urmstongran

If you watch old black & white gangster movies Italians were referred to as ‘wops’ or ‘eyeties’. Chinese as ‘chinks’. Blacks as ‘niggers’ or ‘negro’.

Unacceptable language by today’s standards. Usual behaviour back then.

We ought not to judge history using today’s standards.

‘Fashions’ change. My elder relatives (in their 80’s) always refer to black people as ‘coloured’. As in ‘you know that coloured man who lives round the corner?’. They grew up using the term in the 50’s as they felt it was more polite than saying somebody was black. They thought that quite rude actually.

But times change. It sounds not only outdated but quite patronising to my ears if they say it. They are however nice people and I know they genuinely mean no offence so I don’t correct them.

Something strange is happening. I'm agreeing with urmstongran - again. I suspect its to do with the hemisphere - you know a northern thing, we find each other wherever we are and however different our political/brexit views may be there will be some common ground.

My husband had a book published a couple of years ago, which reviewed his area of work from a historical perspective. He struggled with terminology ie cretin, lunatic and so on. Eventually he decided the best thing was to use the correct terminology for which ever period in history he was covering. This meant using language he was not comfortable with but, as others have said, language and its acceptability changes all the time.
I saw my first black man in 1956. We were living in a village with a US airbase. the black GI's always walked in pairs. I was fascinated but my mum corrected me, no don't call them 'black' that's so rude, we say 'coloured'.

It's such a pity that some get outraged about the BBC acknowledging that the language used in some older programmes my now be considered offensive. Good for the BBC to actually address this. There really isn't any need to get all agitated about it.

I always thought that people called the French 'frogs' because of all the frogs legs they eat!

Just thinking is it wrong to call a vegetarian Beefeater a Beefeater?