Banning Shakespeare, AIBU to think

[FluffBalled]

it's about time isn't it?

All that transphobia, prejudice and antisemitic language - it is amazing schools have allowed this stuff to continue.

Let us not forget Je suis Charlie too and the killings in France by some ISIS supporters because their religion was so weak it could not stand being lampooned.

derxa then I don't understand the argument. If we stopped showing minstrel shows, and that's a good thing and hasn't led us to forget that these shows existed, then what's the problem with not showing more recent shows with racist slurs and blackface?

Apologies if I've misunderstood you.

derxa then I don't understand the argument. If we stopped showing minstrel shows, and that's a good thing and hasn't led us to forget that these shows existed, then what's the problem with not showing more recent shows with racist slurs and blackface?
hasn't led us to forget that these shows existed I haven't forgotten but people much younger than me may not know of their existence. Perhaps I'm thinking of media studies students etc not mainstream TV.

I definitely don't think we should pretend they never existed, I just think you don't need to keep showing them on TV to do so.

Many years ago, the newly elected National Socialist Party and the shortly after self-declared dictator, ordered the burning of censored literature. A film is still available where it can be seen that people were throwing books onto a huge bonfire directly in front of the Government Building.And look what that to.

People burned books because mere possession of anything banned (and the list become ever more vague, so no one was ever sure quite what was "permitted") would have meant a trip to one of Adolfs holiday camps. Or the guillotine. Which Nazis were very enthusiastic proponents of.

I’m sorry if my post a couple of pages back came across as snobbery (anyone who knew my background would probably laugh at that accusation). I guess what I meant was when we study a book (I home ed and we did Tom Sawyer recently) we’re looking at it from an academic perspective, and we can see how attitudes have changed, and why language considered acceptable then, isn’t ok today. And I guess you could make that argument for media studies students discussing Fawlty Towers. But watching it for entertainment? I think that would make many people uncomfortable.

I guess what I meant was when we study a book (I home ed and we did Tom Sawyer recently) we’re looking at it from an academic perspective,

We certainly did not read "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" for the lolz.

@ColdTattyWaitingForSummer

I’m sorry if my post a couple of pages back came across as snobbery (anyone who knew my background would probably laugh at that accusation). I guess what I meant was when we study a book (I home ed and we did Tom Sawyer recently) we’re looking at it from an academic perspective, and we can see how attitudes have changed, and why language considered acceptable then, isn’t ok today. And I guess you could make that argument for media studies students discussing Fawlty Towers. But watching it for entertainment? I think that would make many people uncomfortable.

It’s supposed to make people feel uncomfortable. That’s the entire point of that scene. It’s sending up racist old bigots like the Major. It even makes Fawlty feel uncomfortable. Are we really going to lose satire now? Because if we do the world’s going to be a lot poorer for it.

Shakespeare was heteronormative.

I think there are ways to “send up” racist attitudes without gratuitous use of the n** word. And if minority communities feel they are harmed by it, I think we owe it to them to listen to them, not brush their feelings under the rug.

I think there are ways to “send up” racist attitudes without gratuitous use of the n** word.

They may be. But who is the final arbiter ?

Reginald D. Hunter (for example) is quite (and has been for nearly 20 years) over his use of that word. Although, if you want some balance, when he won a comedy award* with William Shatner hosting, "the Shat" refused to read the title of his winning show. So is that well done Shat, or ignorant Shat ?

(* Story related on Alan Davies "As Yet Untitled")

Once I got past "Open Sesame" I gave up believing in magic words.

I think there are ways to “send up” racist attitudes without gratuitous use of the n word

Of course there are. But that’s how Cleese and Booth chose to do it. And the two objectionable words in that scene aren’t gratuitous, the satire depends on them. It just wouldn’t work without them. You have to go to quite a lot of effort to access that episode of FT. If it offends you, don’t go to all that trouble.