A Political Thread

[Gavin]

Which happens to be a very funny scene about a stupid, insensitive man suffering from concussion being very stupid and insensitive towards some Germans.

Nothing to do with his insensitive comments to Germans but other comments about non-white people.

John Cleese hasn't commented on Fawlty Towers, but he has wondered about the ancient Greeks, Romans and Issac Newton.

https://mobile.twitter.com/JohnCleese?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author

EDIT. He has now...

https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/john-cleese-slams-stupid-decision-22181183

Strange he claims it is a stupid decision, yet in 2013 he supported the editing of the episode

' "No, no, no," she said, "all cricketers are n*****s".' In 2013, the BBC removed the offensive language from future broadcasts on the grounds that public attitudes had 'changed significantly', acting with the full backing of writer Cleese.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.da...sode-containing-N-word-broadcast-Britbox.html

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Nothing to do with his insensitive comments to Germans but other comments about non-white people.

Yep & see Cleese's comments in my previous post - his take is that the intention was to show up the ignorance of the dinosaur making the comments.

Racism isn't all about skin colour, although that's the obvious manifestation. Surely only a matter of time before Allo Allo gets pulled, even though the Germans actually bought it.

 

[McTallshort]

Nothing to do with his insensitive comments to Germans but other comments about non-white people.

Again a stupid, bigotted man, saying stupid bigotted things so everyone laughs at him not with him.

This reminds me of in sickness and in health when the whole basis of the program was laughing at a bigoted, insecure fool. It was the belief back then that by showing the views of characters like Alf Garnett and the Major in Fawlty Towers up as old fashioned and stupid that people would judge such people in the same way. The fact was people really did have those opinions and many still do. So instead of showing these people up as the fools we simply airbrush the opinions out of the mainstream.

 

[McTallshort]

Yep & see Cleese's comments in my previous post - his take is that the intention was to show up the ignorance of the dinosaur making the comments.

Racism isn't all about skin colour, although that's the obvious manifestation. Surely only a matter of time before Allo Allo gets pulled, even though the Germans actually bought it.

Possibly the Policeman mixing up his French might cause a bit of upset.

 

[ncurd]

I've been thinking about the Faulty Towers thing and Baden Powell (when I was a Scout people use to me he was a homosexual as opposed to a homophobe), its all a bit off I have many lefty friends but whilst they all Colston was a bad boy and we should remove him nobody was really talking about those things. Or even remotely close now there are a few bad eggs that probably would but they are few and far between. Then I reminded of the James Gunn incident where right wing tosspots pretended to have concerns to get him fired. I wonder if that sort of things is going on.

In other news I see the BBC announced they received 25,000 complaints about Matlis, I wonder how many of those complaints were of the BBC's handling of it not the actual thing itself.

 

[ncurd]

On Cleese, sadly despite being one of great comedians and liberals he does appear to have fallen off the deep end in recent years and regressed in possibly bit racist grandfather who doesn't realise hes being racist.

 

[RedruthRFC]

I am perplexed as to why the UK can have suffered the most damage economically AND have the highest number of COVID related deaths in Europe. It's the worst of both worlds and pretty much confirms major failings and crisis mismanagement within the Government.

It seemed pretty clear to me from early on that the worse the medical problem is allowed to become, the more financial damage will be done. The government seemed to think that they could trade one off against the other, almost as if they thought that there would be some sort of inverse proportionality.

 

[RedruthRFC]

Again a stupid, bigotted man, saying stupid bigotted things so everyone laughs at him not with him.

This reminds me of in sickness and in health when the whole basis of the program was laughing at a bigoted, insecure fool. It was the belief back then that by showing the views of characters like Alf Garnett and the Major in Fawlty Towers up as old fashioned and stupid that people would judge such people in the same way. The fact was people really did have those opinions and many still do. So instead of showing these people up as the fools we simply airbrush the opinions out of the mainstream.

It didn't work though did it? I'm sure I've heard Warren Mitchell say that he would frequently be congratulated on the character by people who considered him a role model.

I'm not sure the same applies to the Major, although I've always been amazed that scene escaped censure.

 

[Which Tyler]

Racism isn't all about skin colour, although that's the obvious manifestation. Surely only a matter of time before Allo Allo gets pulled, even though the Germans actually bought it.

I watched some of that reasonably recently - it's actually nowhere near as bad as I expected it to be.
Of the bits I watched (about 2 seasons worth) I don't recall anything that would be offensive nationally - though Lieutenant Gruber is a slightly offensive stereotype - but done lovingly IMO

 

[General Melchett]

It seemed pretty clear to me from early on that the worse the medical problem is allowed to become, the more financial damage will be done. The government seemed to think that they could trade one off against the other, almost as if they thought that there would be some sort of inverse proportionality.

A couple of obvious failings early on were the lack of testing (WHO were quoted at the time as saying "test test test") and not shutting borders timely nor having any sorts of checks at airports (flights were coming in from Italy while it was hotspot). I doubt that more testing and better border control would have damaged the economy significantly and yet surely could have saved thousands of lives. It's been a sh1tshow in crisis management from No.10 and no mistake.

 

[RedruthRFC]

A couple of obvious failings early on were the lack of testing (WHO were quoted at the time as saying "test test test") and not shutting borders timely nor having any sorts of checks at airports (flights were coming in from Italy while it was hotspot). I doubt that more testing and better border control would have damaged the economy significantly and yet surely could have saved thousands of lives. It's been a sh1tshow in crisis management from No.10 and no mistake.

Agreed, all true, although the not quite what I was getting at. I'm saying that the government essentially traded an 2-3 weeks of keeping the economy running by locking down late and wasting a week by naively thinking that people would understand what "avoid unnecessary contact" meant and follow the advice for much more financial misery further down the line. It seemed clear to me at the time that this was what they were doing at the time, I don't know whether it was massive shortermism on their part or if it just hadn't occurred to them that that was what they were doing. Unbelievable either way.

 

[General Melchett]

Agreed, all true, although the not quite what I was getting at. I'm saying that the government essentially traded an 2-3 weeks of keeping the economy running by locking down late and wasting a week by naively thinking that people would understand what "avoid unnecessary contact" meant and follow the advice for much more financial misery further down the line. It seemed clear to me at the time that this was what they were doing at the time, I don't know whether it was massive shortermism on their part or if it just hadn't occurred to them that that was what they were doing. Unbelievable either way.

You could be right. I don't know if it was just dithering and incompetence in No.10, delusional nationalistic arrogance that they would be able to manage things better than Italy or a conscious attempt to squeeze out a bit more economic activity ahead of lockdown. Either way it's governing at it's worst with Cockwomble and Cummings at the helm.

 

[ncurd]

There's also the minor fact that behavioural scientists said the British public would only have stomach for so many weeks of lockdown.

Of course it all backfired in we have to spend more weeks in it and come out slower...

 

[Reiser99]

Agreed, all true, although the not quite what I was getting at. I'm saying that the government essentially traded an 2-3 weeks of keeping the economy running by locking down late and wasting a week by naively thinking that people would understand what "avoid unnecessary contact" meant and follow the advice for much more financial misery further down the line. It seemed clear to me at the time that this was what they were doing at the time, I don't know whether it was massive shortermism on their part or if it just hadn't occurred to them that that was what they were doing. Unbelievable either way.

There was also the fact that they believed if more people got it, the more the country would be immune and so could open and recover quickly...well that didn't work. It seems like they decided on all the wrong advice.

 

[General Melchett]

Decades from now there will be a Trivial Pursuit question that reads 'Which incompetent UK Prime Minister attempted to cover his arse during the onset of a pandemic with the slogan "We're being guided by the science"?.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

https://twitter.com/haveigotnews/status/1271428362960068617?s=20

 

[General Melchett]

 

[Bada-Bing!]

Black Fox News interviewer has to explain to Trump where "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" quote came from and his answer is just classic Trump.

 

[Gavin]

Black Fox News interviewer has to explain to Trump where "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" quote came from and his answer is just classic Trump.

Abraham Lincoln did 'good' for black people

Donald Trump did 'better' for black people

The man is lives in his own made-up world

 

[duncanb]

A couple of obvious failings early on were the lack of testing (WHO were quoted at the time as saying "test test test") and not shutting borders timely nor having any sorts of checks at airports (flights were coming in from Italy while it was hotspot). I doubt that more testing and better border control would have damaged the economy significantly and yet surely could have saved thousands of lives. It's been a sh1tshow in crisis management from No.10 and no mistake.

Totally agree on lockdown because hindsight is a wonderful thing like DIL who worked in ITU saying she wished they realised simple turning onto stomachs and using oxygen and not intubation was the right way.
It seems to be more likely that our own citizens on weekends mid week breaks brought the main part of virus here.
So border closures may not have helped as we would have had to repatriate our citizens.
Not putting them into quarantine is the issue , my thoughts only.