Ricky Gervais and the 'm' word

[taxman 12]

Exactly. "As a kid". Ricky Gervais is a 50-year old grown man.

 

And should know better. The spastic.

 

I know I probably shouldn't but....

[Suffragette1 10]

Nighty Night was magic!!! So uncomfortable!!! Brilliant

 

I agree, I would go one step further and say that it was pure comedy genius. Comedy, like all things, evolves and we have come a long way since the slapstick and innuendo ridden Carry On and the like. Audiences' tastes are far more sophisticated, bring it on. I am too young to remember Fawlty Towers when it was current, however, I am sure that also made for uncomfortable viewing at that time as it forces us to challenge our own perceptions and seeing someone make a prize arse of themself is cringe making, which is where the comedy lies in my view. The fact that we laugh at something that we find excruciating embarrassing as well absurd is where the cleverness lies.

 

Sorry, I'm not very coherent tonight.

[JFKvsNixon 11]

The storm has come about now because his stand up show was shown on Channel Four on Friday night where he mentioned the word. He used the word in the context of someone who has done something incredibly stupid, he also said that it wasn't appropriate to use the word in relation with someone who has a disability.

[andygardener 10]

Exactly. "As a kid". Ricky Gervais is a 50-year old grown man.

 

And should know better. The spastic.

 

I actually laughed out loud at that.

[epiphany 10]

For god sake he's said worse than that. Newsflash: it's comedy!

 

Who knows... you or I could be the next target

[LDeville 10]

Hi

 

PC gone mad or has it

[irenewilde 10]

For god sake he's said worse than that. Newsflash: it's comedy!

 

And that gives the unpleasant, unfunny little man the right to do it again does it? I always understood the word to be an unpleasant, derogatory term for people with Down Syndrome, I've never heard it in normal use. I think he's just attempting to make it seem less than it is. If it *is* a word in normal use I can think of no-one more deserving of it than him. He hasn't even got the grace to say sorry to the people he has hurt with the word, instead he just insults them a bit more.

 

I love comedy. I've been to live stand-up shows by many of the greats over the years. He is an utter waste of space & about as funny as Russell Brand.

 

 

Newsflash: not everyone finds offensive people funny.

[Lady Star 10]

And that gives the unpleasant, unfunny little man the right to do it again does it? I always understood the word to be an unpleasant, derogatory term for people with Down Syndrome, I've never heard it in normal use. I think he's just attempting to make it seem less than it is. If it *is* a word in normal use I can think of no-one more deserving of it than him. He hasn't even got the grace to say sorry to the people he has hurt with the word, instead he just insults them a bit more.

 

I love comedy. I've been to live stand-up shows by many of the greats over the years. He is an utter waste of space & about as funny as Russell Brand.

 

 

Newsflash: not everyone finds offensive people funny.

 

Do you not think that he might have a point when he stated that the meanings of words change - that Gay once meant 'happy', for instance? I bet that most people aged below 20 would have no idea that downs syndrome kids were once known as mongols... The reference in this context would be completely lost on them... As said before, noone HAS to like comedy, and it's not mandatory to find ALL comedians funny...

[Harleyman 12]

I'm not surprised at all. Gervais was an obnoxious twit when he hosted the Academy Awards in Hollywood. He seems to think that fame has given him the right to insult anybody or anything at will. Time he grew up and acted his age instead of some immature precocious brat

[Lady Star 10]

I'm not surprised at all. Gervais was an obnoxious twit when he hosted the Academy Awards in Hollywood. He seems to think that fame has given him the right to insult anybody or anything at will. Time he grew up and acted his age instead of some immature precocious brat

 

Was that the first time the US audience saw the Gervaise that has graced the UKs airwaves and screens for years? I found it amusing how he managed to upset so many people over there... He'd been at it for years here, and some people love it and some hate it - Not because he's famous now either, he was at it well before he had any real fame... It's one of the reasons he got so famous in the UK! He never did the middle of the road stuff here that he does in the US, his work is a bit 'darker'...

[epiphany 10]

And that gives the unpleasant, unfunny little man the right to do it again does it? I always understood the word to be an unpleasant, derogatory term for people with Down Syndrome, I've never heard it in normal use. I think he's just attempting to make it seem less than it is. If it *is* a word in normal use I can think of no-one more deserving of it than him. He hasn't even got the grace to say sorry to the people he has hurt with the word, instead he just insults them a bit more.

 

As I said, he's said far worse than that. If you don't want to risk being the target of his jokes then don't watch his shows.

 

Besides, just because you still think of the word as derogatory towards people with Downs Syndrome doesn't mean that's who Gervais was targetting.

 

Newsflash: not everyone finds offensive people funny.

 

The sensible thing to do if you don't find offensive people funny is to not watch comedians who are WELL KNOWN for treading a fine line.

[Snook 10]

I'm not sure that the people who are offended actually saw the act. He explained that he wasn't making fun of disabled people but using the term in its current sense. It was one of the least offensive parts of the act.

 

Also, he is playing a character in his stand up. He isn't really a stand-up and just puts on a character that is pretty much Alan Brent... Which is really the only thing he can do. But hey, it's made him a fortune.