Cue outrage: Gervais' new Netflix special just dropped.

Robin Ince at it again, calling RG a "poster boy for the alt right". Really??

Didn't realise there was a vetting process to who is allowed to laugh at anyone's jokes. Chortle goes on to stick the boot into Gervais because Glenn Beck thought it was funny.

A few years ago I'd have fallen for all of this. It's insane.

https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2022/05/26/50859/rickygervaisshasbecomeearoleemodelforrthealt-right?rss&fbclid=IwAR0rQ6B51aII8FxxWEemirR8M32PiSdYOspEDPj-gThJHnLOplVhvroAGI&fs=e&s=cl

Watched last night, didn't like all of it but found a lot of it absolutely hilarious - had a real nostalgic trip back to the 11 O'Clock Show days. He has always had this persona as a performer, just is now an elder statesman type that younger comics want to see as an irrelevance (while being jealous of his success I imagine).

As pp pointed out, there is a bit just after halfway through that contextualises the earlier trans jokes (in a way that was very reminiscent of JKR's 'live your best life' tweet) - he knows full well that will be what causes uproar despite a whole show of tasteless gags about all sorts of other things, which is one of the points he's making.

I'll be fairly certain anyone moaning about it in my news feeds has not watched the whole thing despite the mad angry crying. But RG has no case to answer.

Twitter's blue monkeys are shovelling a lot of anti-Gervais tweets into my timeline this morning.

A solution that will perhaps meet the approval of the monitors:

mobile.twitter.com/BurnsideNotTosh/status/1529418642345058304?cxt=HHwWgICznd2Jy7kqAAAA

Comedy regulator and rules now!

In that case he's fine here, as it's women who are being hurt.

Gervais said nothing that TRAs themselves have not said. That's it; he repeated back to them their own lines. He's holding a mirror up to them, and they didn't like what it showed.

Oh Catherina, how did I guess that you wouldn't like it?

So....you adored him when he was making fun of fat people and disabled people, which he has always done in his comedy, from the very beginning? But somehow now he's not acceptable....

Or I'm guessing you are trying that faux 'oh I used to be one of you, but this is too far' crap we get from the ploppers like yourself who show up whenever there is a news story.

Satire is meant to ridicule power.

Something so ghoulish about this made up quote attributed to Terry Pratchett. As if he’d ever write that badly!

Here are some actual Terry Pratchett quotes:

"First sight is when you can see what's really there, not what you heid tells you ought to be there...Second sight is dull sight, it's seeing only what you expect to see." ― Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men

“The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.” ― Terry Pratchett, Diggers

More at the link, it was a real labour of love from someone on Ovarit compiling the list.

I wonder if even the person who posted that trite and stupid “quote” might be able to spot the difference between their sloppy reheated cliche and the wise and funny genuine article.

Spot on!

Gervais was not making fun of transgender people but the activists who apply the ideology of gender identity like a bulldozer which levels everything in its way: Our words are taken away from us, we can no longer say that we are women because we belong to the female sex and are adult human beings, and our rights are also being taken away.

This is a consequence of the gender identity ideology which argues that trans rights equals the right to redefine lots of ordinary words, to force abstract identities on everyone (which end up being based on sexist stereotypes), and to make it impossible to even mention the female sex.

Those TRAs doing this are not marginalised individuals. They have the ear of many governments, universities, charities and much of the mainstream media.

And everything Gervais said in that skit I have heard stated by actual TRAs online.

?? Lee's stance on the trans issue has no relevance to what I'm referring to here actually.

Saw the gig live and laughed so much. Really looking forward to a gin and a rewatch this weekend!

Very easily done. Especially at this time of night 😊

Apologies i misread misread who this

Did you actually read that article?

@MishyJDI

vrabia.tumblr.com/post/180186839716/hello-friends-let-me-take-you-on-a-journey-a

“Educate yourself”

Terry Pratchett also said “It’s vital to remember who you really are. It’s very important. It isn’t a good idea to rely on other people or things to do it for you, you see. They always get it wrong”

Make if that what you will 🤷🏼‍♀️

The difference being that Lee believes men can magically change sex. Gervais knows they can't.

Terri Pratchett never said or wrote that.

It’s as accurate and sincere as all your other claims.

Individuals, or groups can be both hurting and hurt others.

It's wrong to excuse terrible behaviour because the perpetrator is seen as a victim.

Interesting the beeb article links people to the Glaad tweet where they instantly see all the responses telling Glaad they are over reacting and didn't have to watch it. Glaad channelling Mary Whitehouse here

Very caaaaaaaaaaaaaareful article from the beeb.

'Fame' back in 2007 featured a skit about ME/CFS, it's non existence in Africa ("sorry, can't get water from the well today - ME"), and increasingly frustrated "its not a disease!" from Ricky.

I was already a fan (though I did hate the office), suffering from at that time unexplained CFS, and it was funny despite punching down.

I did not vandalise any park benches. I couldn't. Cause of the ME.

BBC story here.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-61576751
What is most worrying, to me, about this is the response from GLAAD
(GLAAD described here as a US LGBT rights group)
Their tweet started with "We watched the Ricky Gervais "comedy" special on Netflix so you don't have to".
Reminds me of "we read JK Rowling's essay so you don't have to" - we can just tell you all what we think is in there, so you don't even have to consider the point that he (Ricky) or she (JKO is making.

Rape jokes are just.....shite....

"Satire is meant to ridicule power. If you are laughing at people who are hurting, it's not satire, it's bullying."

• Terry Pratchett