To wonder how Friends has survived 'cancel culture?'

[ChocolateSantaisthebestkind]

Over the course of Christmas/lockdown evenings, we have been watching these again on Netflix and DH and I were both saying we don't know how it has survived unedited some bits are down right uncomfortable to watch now.

1. Treatment of LGBT people

2. Making fun of disability -Ginger's leg episode

3. Phoebe's Childhood

4. Ridicule of foreigners

5. Joey/Ross/ Chandler treatment of women

6. Tag --> Sexual Harrassment at work

7. Gunther Stalker

8. Lack of racial diversity ('fixed' but tokenistically by introduction of Charlie)

9. Ageism

10. Body shaming

I know lots of us loved it back in the day and some episodes are still funny, but it just amazes me that there hasn't been more backlash.

AIBU to be

I agree on the LGBT aspect, but I feel like I would need examples/reasoning on the others.

Because 'cancel culture' is in actual fact a myth. Simple, as you were.....

Because people love it, the same with creepy Love Actually. I don't think neither will be cancelled ever, but I wouldn't be surprised if Grease is removed from terrestrial telly.

You're going to be cancelling a hell of a lot of things if you're looking at tv from 25 yrs ago.

If we sanitise everything into an idealised (and false) version of the world and pretend issues don’t exist, there would be no discussion of those issues (and sitcoms would be very boring).

Because people like it and it’s funny.

HTH.

You’ll have to provide specific examples of it being problematic, eg episodes. Young people generally use social media the most, and we like friends. It’s an iconic show, even if we didn’t grow up with it, hence why the reception to it on social media is positive

Shhhh.......

I think it probably has amongst late teens and twenty-somethings.

Oh ffs a lot of your examples show you are watching a satirical comedy show as if was dead serious. Eg with Ginger’s leg they aren’t making fun of disability (really don’t know how you managed to watch the episode and not understand that) they are making fun of Chandler’s inability to cope with it.

The only area where you have a point is the Lbg stuff and you know what that is how things were at the time. The biggest put down at school was “That’s so gay.” They aren’t saying that is how things should be but they aren’t rewriting reality either by showing it how was. And again they don’t mock gay characters they mock the ofher characters’ reactions to them.

I suggest you stick to nonfiction on your tv, fiction seems a little complex for you.

I have no idea what cancel culture is.

The LBGT jokes are uncomfortable now, but it was also the first show to feature a lesbian wedding IIRC, and the relationship between Carole and Susan was very unusual on TV at the time. So I don’t think you can say as a show overall it is homophobic.

Because it gets more views on Netflix than anything else.

You can’t hold the past to today’s standards. These things happened and actually watching these kinds of things makes you realise and appreciate how far we’ve come. I’m more annoyed that they lied to me about how adult life would be.

Yanbu, I watched quite a lot of it in the last lockdown... I enjoyed but it’s so creepy! The boys are creeps. The girls are sex objects. Ross is an absolute disgrace! (I was mesmerised).

It's a very original thought though.
I just bet there's nothing all over the internet about Friends being "of its time", shall we say?

The amount of episodes porn is normalised is the big shocker for me.

And the gay 'jokes' are rather puerile.

I recently researched with DD, and we actually discussed both of the above, so it raised how times have changed.

Overall, it's still funny.

Rewatched, no researched

You will get a lot of people pretending they have no idea what cancel culture is etc. It's a fairly well known 'call out culture' that has been on the rise for quite a few years.

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/barack-obama-cancel-culture-woke-activism-social-media-interview-yara-shahidi-a9177396.html

Read Jon Ronson wrote about call out culture a few years ago now.

The people who pretend to not wat it is, or that it isn't a thing, are more often the ones that Obhama are speaking to.

And people like this

twitter.com/jonronson/status/1221444763775311873?lang=en

Joey threw Ginger's leg on the fire! Chandler was grossed out by it, that is all quite offensive I think.

Other examples --> Poalo Lecherous Italian stereotype/ Ross Mocks how he speaks frequently.

Ross Rachel dynamic is EA.

Gunther is a creep

Ugly Naked guy

Joey is a sex pest

@Skysblue did you write/ commission it? You seem to be taking it very personally. I too enjoyed it back in the day, I am just surprised that given lots of comedy now has context warnings on, I'm surprised this show doesn't.

Many people don't subscribe to or care about wokeness. Not everything is seen through a London, middle class lens.

@LaMarschallin Jeez, I didn't say it was ground breaking, it was just and idle wondering and wanted to discuss with others, you know, as we can't see people face to face right now, so online forum are a good way to have a chat.

Yes Joey threw her leg on the fire but his friends were all disgusted with him for it. Chandler was grossed out by it and commented himself what a horrible person that made him. Just watched that episode.

It’s survived because society as a whole is not yet caving in to a few peoples complaints.

Jog on mate