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AIBU?

to be a bit in love with Ricky Gervais?!

141 replies

potsyandco · 27/02/2013 22:37

Watching Making of Derek. I love Derek. It's caring, heartfelt, poignant and funny.

Ricky Gervais is funny, clever and caring (yes, I really do think that!) and not bad looking (even more shocking, I know!)

So, AIBU? I presume I'm alone in this one...

:)

OP posts:

Report

hazeyjane · 28/02/2013 15:18

but 'idiot' doesn't tend to be hurled around as an abusive term against disabled people, words like 'mong' and 'retard' do.

LottieJenkins · 28/02/2013 15:20

EllieArroway

EllieArroway · 28/02/2013 15:24

Oh and I wont "move on" because i have several friends who have Downs Syndrome and i will stick up for them till the day i die!

Oh drop the holier than thou attitude please. That you think this hysterical over reaction TWO YEARS LATER over one fecking tweet is helping matters at all is woefully naive.

Lessons can't actually be learned unless you actually learn from them and move on. RG has and so should everyone else.

EllieArroway · 28/02/2013 15:25

Gosh - intelligent rebuttal, Lottie.

I'm wounded

countrykitten · 28/02/2013 15:26

Not these days no - but idiot did used to be used in that way. In the States 'retard' is interchangeable with idiot and is used in the same jokey way so the meaning of words does change. I think if I asked one of my classes of 16 year olds what does 'mong' mean, they would no more associate it with Downs than they would associate the word idiot with Downs.

BinksToEnlightenment · 28/02/2013 15:27

Idiot isn't used as an insult? Are you sure?

Are you going to stop using it now you know the original definition? Are you going to issue an official apology to us all for using it.

Or is that totally ridiculous?

countrykitten · 28/02/2013 15:27

Cretin in another word which people happily use to insult each other nowadays - the derivation this word is not squeaky clean either.

countrykitten · 28/02/2013 15:28

BtE I can't actually work out what your points are at all.

headinhands · 28/02/2013 15:32

Was so impressed with 'Derek', found a real gem there I think. Absolute genius.

zzzzz · 28/02/2013 15:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BinksToEnlightenment · 28/02/2013 15:35

I'm agreeing that the definition of words change, and that WE ALL use words with offensive etymology.

I think Ricky Gervais was stupid - an idiot in fact - to use it on Twitter. But in no way did I take it to mean 'I bloody hate people with Downs Syndrome and I just can't hold back from telling you all.'

hazeyjane · 28/02/2013 15:54

I know that 'idiot' is used as an insult, but I don't think it is used as an insult specifically against and with reference to a person with learning disabilities, in the same way mong and retard is (and in America there is a campaign to try to stop the common usage of retard as an insult - the r word.

zzzzz · 28/02/2013 16:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

countrykitten · 28/02/2013 16:06

Thanks for the clarification Binks. I agree.

ouryve · 28/02/2013 16:07

YABU.

Seriously.

Less than a year ago, he was defending his use of the word "mong"

ouryve · 28/02/2013 16:09

And OK, so that's already been brought up in this thread, but I blocked him a few months back, on Twitter, because I was sick of seeing his shite re-tweeted.

seeker · 28/02/2013 16:09

"seeker He didn't, he said so"

MarmaladeTwatkins · 28/02/2013 16:13

"
Or, that so much time has passed it doesn't matter anymore, and there's a sort of shelf life on being offended?"

There is no shelf-life on being offended on Mumsnet

BinksToEnlightenment · 28/02/2013 16:15

I haven't said anything about my own feelings on the word. I also said that he shouldn't have used it.

There isn't a certain period of time that passes before a word stops meaning one thing and starts meaning another. It's a gradual crossover. This one can be interpreted in a few different ways. The fact that he said he didn't mean it that way is enough for me.

hazeyjane · 28/02/2013 16:17

Didn't you know you can't be offended by anything on mumsnet without being accused of 'shrieking' and being 'professionally/permanently offended'.

MarmaladeTwatkins · 28/02/2013 16:20

Oh come on, hazeyjane. You must admit that Mumsnet does have the monopoly on offended posters. It's a running joke so it must have a grain of truth in it.

I don't care who's offended by what tbh. I maintain that you have a right to be offended by things. I maintain that others have a right not to be.

seeker · 28/02/2013 16:22

The thing is, "mong" hasn't even started its transition to everyday insult. It's not even in a grey area. It would be instant grounding if I heard ds use it. So ther is no way that RG didn't know it was offensive. No way.

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hazeyjane · 28/02/2013 16:22

Did he forget that the word had been used in relation to people with Down's Syndrome in his programme Extras, also I wonder what this face (half way down the page) reminds you of, because it reminds me of the face people used to make when they called people a 'spaz' or 'joey'.

countrykitten · 28/02/2013 16:23

ouryve you blocked RG on twitter? He must have been devastated!

BinksToEnlightenment · 28/02/2013 16:25

Maybe not in your experience. But I've heard it to mean 'relaxing'.

Cob can mean a bread roll or a tantrum. If I say you've got a cob on are you going to insist I called you a sandwich?

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