Ricky Gervais satire or prejudice?
 

Ricky gervais new comedy airs on thursday on C4 'Derek' being the central character is meant to be 'satiring prejudice against the disabled'
But is it?....
From the man who labelled Susan Boyle a mong I'm not convinced it's not just hi getting away with abuse.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...n-lazy-cruelty

QUOTE:
''"Derek is a fictional character and is defined by his creator. Me," he says. "If I say I don't mean him to be disabled then that's it''

His contradictory comments have not gone unnoticed....
QUOTE:
''Derek is an autograph hunter and this is Gervais on Derek, speaking to a journalist: "He's better than me. He's better than most people. He's kind, loving, funny, sweet, honest, open-minded, hard-working …"
This is Gervais on autograph hunters in his show:
QUOTE:
"They are the bane of my life. They're a mess. I don't mean their clothes. I mean their DNA."

I don't think he's any of the things that get thrown at him. I just don't think he's funny

He pushes the boundaries of comedy, I think that's a good thing.

Maybe people who think they might be offended should skip the show.

Derek will be the sanest, most honest and most innocently pure character on the show. Gervais' comedy is more about the interactions of people, so it's more likely to be poking fun at people that continually undervalue real life versions of Derek.

Oh like he did with susan boyle you mean?....He was taking the piss.
And he is pushing boundaries yes, as he is getting away with it.

That's a completely different scenario to a show he's written, produced and directed.

I have a nephew with cerebal palsy, but I use "mong" all the time. Probably a good idea not to confuse his work, with twitter.

But isn't that one of the jobs of comedy?

The meanings of words can, and do, sometimes adapt over time. I would say that many people use the word when referring to someone as an idiot.

reference

Gervais actually said when referring to Susan Boyle, and I quote, ""She would not be where she is today if it wasn't for the fact that she looked like such a ******* mong. When she first came on the telly, I went: 'Is that a mong'? I don't mean she has Down's Syndrome, by the way. No, no! That would be offensive. That word doesn't mean that any more."

As for "Derek", I shall watch on Thursday before forming any opinions on it.

I am not really keen on Ricky, I do find him fully at times but mostly I can just take or leave him.

I don't like anyone who get's his followers on me just cos I called him fat on Twitter :hmph:

You can't leave it at that.

Tell me more. Explain the story.

Well basically he tweeted a photo of his awards collection, bragging his success in response to an article which wrote something bad about him. I found it really big headed so I replied 'ur still fat tho' and then he retweeted me and asked his followers what they thought of my little insult, and all of a sudden I got like a hundred tweets every minute from angry Ricky Gervais fans, telling me I'm stupid because I can't spell 'though' and sarcastically telling me I should take up poetry and saying Ricky Gervais is far from fat, that he has worked so hard to shed his weight and now is sexy so I ended up logging out and started watching tv instead :joker: :joker:

:laugh2:

I'm only going to be watching because Karl's in it.

Salman, we both each others heads in at times, but then I read things like this and I can't stop laughing.

I can't believe you trolled Ricky Gervais :joker: :joker:

i think he is overated.

yeah I don't troll anymore I learnt that after my first twitter got suspended :|

Thats like saying #my best mate is black and I say the N word all the time'...

Who mentioned twitter?...

What a bliddy hypocrite eh?...He dosen't take kindly to being insulted doe's he?....

:worship:

I don't like Ricky Gervais. I liked The Office, but he generally doesn't make me laugh, I think he's a tool. However... No one's actually seen this programme yet and already some are starting to get outraged on other people's behalf. Wouldn't it be better to wait to actually see the show before deciding it should be censored?

Autograph hunters are terrible though, whenever I go to football games there are a bunch of fully grown men with kid's football cards shouting for players to come and sign them

That's a complete false equivalence, and It's not the same thing at all. If you want to explain exactly why, just reply to this, and I'll explain it.

Apologies, for some reason I thought he'd called her that on twitter. I still don't understand what your outrage is. Is it this satire, is it the fact he makes personal jokes about people? Or is it that he used the word mong?

Who is suggesting a censor?...It's just the concept that is in discussion.

Comedy doesn't and should never have any boundaries...because it's simply just that, comedy. There is a discernible between satire and jokes, and remarks made with malicious intent, and I find it odd how some people can so easily confuse the two.

Ricky's shows are about mocking stereotypes, tearing them apart and just being generally satirical. If you don't understand satire, then it's offensive, but if you do, it's not.

And this is coming from someone who is pretty indifferent towards him. I might give this show a chance though.

There are lots of comedies that mock stereotypes...But the star is not so openly offensive to individuals in the name of 'comedy'.
That is simply called 'mocking' ...And is a form of bullying.
Nobody should have the right to abuse another and attempt to pass it off as 'entertainment'

He pushes the boundries, yes, but he's funny.

I've never understood why people complain about comedians if they find them offensive or unfunny.

If you're offended, don't watch.

Thats not really the point is it?..
In this country we have hate laws, discrimination is not tolerated.
So why then is it acceptable when under the guise of 'humour'?

Who is Ricky discriminating against?

Also what hate crimes is he carrying out?

What is the topic of the thread gypsy?
And discriminating against disabled people is now a crime. Susan whilst being a lovely singer is also classed as having a disability.
She is not a 'mong' however anyone attempts to define the term...

LOL obviously you didn't mean it that away but that sounded like you were insulting her :laugh:

He plays a disabled person in a show, how is that discriminating against disabled people.

And did Susan mind when she was called a mong?

:laugh:

As previously stated: "Gervais was quick to acknowledge during the routine that the word was once a derogatory term for people with Down's Syndrome, but insisted he was using the modern interpretation.

'I don't mean she has Down's Syndrome, by the way. No, no! That would be offensive

That word doesn't mean that any more,' he said.


Read more: Ricky Gervais in the clear over Susan Boyle 'mong' comments

I think anyone that takes any form of comedy seriously is fairly foolish. There's a lot more bigger problems in the world we should be concerned with, a TV show that MIGHT offend someone seems to be a pointless thing to get worked up over in the long run.

I just have nothing for disdain for people who complain about things on TV, if you have such a problem with something then do not watch it or pay any attention to it. By getting pissy you're only bringing attention to the show rather then the issue. All it succeeds in doing is limiting creative freedom.

He wrote the show.
Is that the issue.. Would you mind being insulted in front of millions of people?

:joker:

This show hasn't aired yet right? It seems a bit pointless to say it's offensive when nobody's seen it yet.

Wouldn't he be more discriminating if he didn't write the show? Cause he writes shows about abled people, so what not disabled?


And I don't think I'd mind. Maybe Susan didn't mind either.

So you keep saying...If it is so open to interpretation, and could mean a complete idiot he could apply it to himself then?...Imo