Punch and Judy - WTF?

[AnnaQuayRules]

I've just been to a village fete. Lovely traditional event with a Punch and Judy show. I remember P&J from my childhood 50 years ago, and know it involved domestic violence played for laughs, but assumed the story had been updated for modern times.

Apparently not. Punch is still beating up Judy, and all the children were laughing along with it.

I feel it's completely inappropriate in this day and age, and sending very dodgy messages about domestic abuse. However someone I was chatting to thought I was being ridiculously "woke" about it.

So
YABU - it's just a traditional kids shoe and it's fine because Mr P gets arrested
YANBU - it's ridiculous it's still using this story line

I love Punch and Judy😍

Doesnt she win in the end and he is the baddy of the piece? Its been a while since i watched it.

It’s puppets hitting each other, slapstick comedy. Would you be posting if Judy was punching Punch? Male characters being on the receiving end of violence doesn’t bat an eyelid yet many men suffer DV.

Over the top? Yes, that’s right. They're just puppets. They're so odd-looking they barely register as male or female anyway.

I mean, he’s literally called Punch.

May as well fast track this to the Daily mail news desk

I agree. It’s also extremely heteronormative. They could at the very least make the crocodile gay or trans. There are also no minority ethnic characters. It’s just wrong on every level and should be cancelled.

It's a goddamn puppet show. Do we have make everything bloody pc, in the words of Brian Conley...

It's only a puppet!

This has made me realise I can’t remember a single plot point of Punch and Judy.

I thought it was just a couple of hand puppets messing around.

Heteronormative! Never heard that before, but somehow it's self explanatory!

eldest has hated punch and just since he was a toddler cos the bad man hurts the lady (he caught a small bit on holiday). littlest ones have never seen it, I don't get what's funny.

you'd think in this day and age, there would be an updated version where we don't laugh at a wife beater cos she deserves it

But it’s not. It’s communicating a narrative.

How anyone still says things like ‘it’s just a puppet’ astounds me.

it’s just a TV show
it’s just a movie
It’s just a music video

things projecting domestic violence or grape or any other heinous crime in a comedic, acceptable and light heated way to children thus continuing the down playing and normalisation of the behaviours are WRONG

I’ve been with Gen Z and Gen Alpha people when some 1970s type sitcom has been on like ‘love they neighbour’ and they’ve been absolutely horrified. I can’t believe that that level of racism was so casually used an entertainment and the public just laughed It’s embarrassing Anybody would find any way to justify these old things that demonstrate behaviours that just not okay

I don't know any puppet show where the woman abused the man? what are you and your kids watching?

Yes with a crocodile and some sausages thrown in - although for the life of me I can’t remember why 🤷‍♀️🤣

I mean it's basically been the same show on village greens since the 17th century, not sure why you think it would have suddenly been updated in the last 50 years.

But Mr Policeman comes along to arrest / punish Mr Punch. Because what he has done is wrong…..

I made no association as a child, or adult, to DV happening in front of me via puppets. YABU OP. P&J is great.

Because for most of the last 400 years it's never been questioned that a man has the right to hit his wife. We now, thank goodness, don't see it as acceptable behaviour

I loved it. Photo of me looking seriously at it. As someone else said the crocodile and sausages were bizarre. But fun !

Ffs 🤦🏼‍♀️

from wiki

I was at one today as well (Shepperton?) - it was lovely to see something traditional that everyone was really enjoying.

FFS. 'That's the way to do it'

I hate it, I found it so creepy and weird when I was little and still feel the same. The weird high pitched voices and it's consistently nasty. Its a posh thing I think, all DHs posh cousins love it. I love a panto thou and they are obviously just as bad 😂

WTF. It’s a kids puppet show…. How hard did you have to try to be offended at this one?

Don’t let the facts get in the way of someone being offended….!