[Robodog]

Originally Posted by LTWTW

We've all seen Biggins on BBOTS, I'm A Celeb and so on, and I think we have a pretty good idea of the man that he is.
And from that I believe he has just been an arse, got too comfortable and thereby unguarded, saying things probably best only said when amongst friends.
To be offensive, there has to be some intent; if Bear made the shower joke (and we still have no confirmation of what Biggins actually said), then we'd know the intent was to be nasty and, yeah, classable as offensive. Coming from Biggins, you know it's just gallows humour and if whatsername really was in tears about it, then she needs a sensitivity bypass.
His views on bisexuals are ridiculous and totally without merit; but offensive? I'm not offended by them - are you? Really? In the grand scheme of things, are those the most offensive views you have heard recently?
If holding ridiculous views was a crime, 90% of the population would be in prison.

Oh oh oh someone said something stupid, let's jump on them and make ourselves feel good by being as judgemental and superior about it as we can - burning at the stake isn't good enough.

Spot on

Great to see there is still plenty of perspective out there amid the hysteria.

This type of over-reaction does more harm than good to the anti-racist movement. There is genuine racism out there which needs addressing in a serious and effective manner, real racism which comes from hatred and actual racist intent. Biggins' stupid joke had neither hatred nor racist intent behind it. There is a very important difference. You cannot compare crap jokes about death camps in general to actual, specific racial hatred. It's an insult to victims of real racism to put them in the same category.

And anyway, his 'joke' was tasteless but it was not aimed at any racial or religious group - it was aimed at BB! Comparing their regime to a death camp. It was an 'anti-regime' joke! The opposite of an 'anti-community' joke. The 'target' of the joke was the cruel regimes, not their victims! He judged wrong and used a sensitive subject to make his point but if you break the joke down, his angle is on the side of the good guys, not the bad guys!

PLUS = Biggins never mentioned any particular death camp, or war, or racial or religious group anyway! People have jumped to conclusions hastily about it being anti-semitic because jews died in death camps in ww2, but plenty of other groups and individuals ALSO died in those camps, including homosexuals, artists and intellectuals - groups that Biggins identifies with i'm sure.

It was a joke about death camps, not about any specific group or person.

What next? Ban Mel Brooks' 'The Producers'? Ban the German episode of Fawlty Towers? Ban 'Allo 'Allo?