Ricky Gervais ‘Humanity’ and trans

[BRHaunton]

Not really a fan but DS likes him so we’ve just sat and watched his new stand up show on Netflix.

I was pulling this face

He certainly isn’t pulling any punches on the subject of dead naming, being forced to believe ‘transwomen are women’ or Caitlin Jenner etc.

He’s got to be getting a lot of abuse for that surely?!

[SunsetBeetch]

People are, Lumene, people are...

[Lumene]

Fantastic. Who could argue with that?

[NotTerfNorCis]

Yep well done Mr Gervais for giving this case the publicity it deserves.

[FormerMediocreMale]

Go Ricky!

He's really getting stuck in and has a huge following

[tobeforgotten]

Thanks to the woman who persuaded him to take the issue seriously.

[2BthatUnnoticed]

Ricky Gervais - thanks for sharing this with your 13 million followers!

So many people are ignoring this, appreciate any visibility the issue gets.

[Rightmovestalker]

I totally agree with him.

[Hypermice]

I do hope he doesn’t cave and retains his well thought out position on the nature of humour, and the target vs subject of jokes.

Stand firm Ricky!!

[picklemepopcorn]

Ricky Gervais's new 'transphobic' jokes are causing outrage - The Independentapple.news/AfYzaDhv5T9i5ZgQhfTivlg



He's starting to be called on it...

[wildduckhunt]

Katherine Ryan has also taken a bit of a pop at the absurdity of it in her show on Netflix - along the lines of "I'm so pleased I finally look like a Kardashian... Shame it's the dad, but I'll take it!".

[KochabRising]

Watched the stand up the other day and had to explain to DH how it ties with with the TRA madness (deadnaming etc.)

I think gervais makes some really valid and quite serious points in it about comedy and offensive - the difference between the subject and the target of a joke for example. The Bruce Jenner spiel was a fantastic reductio ad absurdum. It just shows how bonkers the concept of deadnaming is.

Although Ricky, good news - you don’t have to live as a chimp for a year - you’ll just be able to self identify as one!

I actually was quite surprised watching it - it’s heartening to see it’s still ‘allowed’ to do routines like this.

[RaininSummer]

Never watched RG before. He was funny, incisive and I guess cruel in done ways such as the nut thing but I assumed he was really mocking those who would moan about nut bans etc. Loved the Bruce Jenner and Bobo parts. And the baby shaking Rottweiler s.

[MrGHardy]

Just watched it now a little late, but it was one of the best stand ups I’ve seen in a while. I wanna meet Bobo ffs.

[Weebo]

I personally think was about the condescending attitude towards adults with learning difficulties

Absolutely. There are lots of things I dislike about the show but the portrayal of Derek as a man who is socially 'different' but is of a generation where diagnoses were a completely different ball game than today isn't one of them.

Derek didn't see himself as a disabled person.

I never felt he was the butt of the joke.

He was funny and funny things happened to him but why should that make him the butt of the joke simply because you perceive him as a person with a disability?

That is as condescending as you can get, to be honest.

[CaptainKirkssparetupee]

I have no issues with people enjoying RG, or his shows, it's just my opinion after all.

I've never met him, if anyone want to arrange for me to meet him I might change my mind, but there a several thing over the years which don't sit right with me, Derek is one of them.

[theaveragewife]

No, he was the only one with any empathy and understanding of the world.

[CaptainKirkssparetupee]

We were supposed to laugh at the people putting Derek down, not at Derek.

Yes he was the butt of the joke.

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

We were supposed to laugh at the people putting Derek down, not at Derek. Can people really not see that? Derek was the innocent.

[daysofpearlyspencer]

Don't get why he is disablist? Been to his show years ago and he defended disabled people; in particulat people with MS, which is me!

[theaveragewife]

I didn’t think Derek was the Butt of jokes, he came across as a wonderful caring character, some of the episodes were heartbreaking because they highlighted the greedy narcissistic ‘nt’ (If you like) people and the difference between then and Derek.

I also liked the fact it wasn’t pointed out that he had a disability, because that is often the least important thing about a person with a disability - yet it is the way they are often introduced.

[CaptainKirkssparetupee]

under current government guidelines Derek would be deemed suitable for work and not disabled.

If only the show was about this, or highlight this in any way it would certainly have sat better in my view...
It's such a shame it didn't.

[picklemepopcorn]

The only snippet I saw was that below, and it didn't seem mocking or offensive. It reminded me of the film about the football supporter whose mum was a cleaner at a university, and his extreme naivety allowing him to do things typical people wouldn't dream of. There were elements of Derek's portrayal that grated, but it didn't seem unsympathetic as such.

[DrumDrum]

I doubt Ricky will ever take it back. Humour is often dark, it’s almost like it allows us to see a side of ourselves that we wish wasn’t there. Kind of like how in the dark old days the only person who could ever tell the king or queen the truth was the court jester. There is also much worse out there. My friend showed me a YouTuber called gavin mcinnes interviewing someone who was transitioning where he told his guest that he could at least have worn a wig and trans people were showing a distinct lack of effort and said he/she looked like a cop who fixed their own car on Halloween m.youtube.com/watch?t=545s&v=EIxDsbHttx8 don’t click if you are easily offended. I think gavins guest is no longer claiming to be a woman by the way.

[Elendon]

Well apparently my 16 year old autistic son has been ruled not disabled by DWP.

I have, naturally, appealed the decision.

Now, I don't think Derek does mock people with disabilities. What it does do is mock the attitudes towards people with disabilities - think bless!- under current government guidelines Derek would be deemed suitable for work and not disabled.

[CaptainKirkssparetupee]

I'm not a big bang theory fan, but Mr Bean is a good example, a whole lot of people with autism (and without) love the character.
The difference is these characters are not portrayed mockingly, while Derek is. These characters tend to have the last laugh, and a caring side, while Derek the butt of most jokes and is uncaring in most cases.
Mr Bean is also incredible intelligent even though he doesn't follow societal rules.
It's they way they are portrayed, and derek, not just the character but the whole show comes across as mocking people with disabilities.
Saying Derek isn't disabled is exactly like when they used to say the minstrels weren't offensive caricatures of black people.