An Idiot Abroad
Just an observation really but I've watched a couple of these programs with my husband and Ive been thinking.
Is it acceptable that Ricky Gervaise and his irritating sidekick get to reproduce their judgements and preconceptions through this 'idiot' legitimately? He (the idiot) seems to have no check on the words that come out of his mouth. Some might say that's refreshing in this politicallly correct mad world, but that political correctness has been born out of some necessity.
A conversation I had with my relatives neighbour recently is an example of this. She daughter that she always pick up her milk from the 'paki' shop. As you'd imagine, I fairly recoiled in horror and mildly corrected her saying something like 'you mean the corner shop' (which it is) and she got irritated with me, saying that in 'her day' that's what they were called, they didn't mind and everybody called them that.
Of course there was little point in attacking a little old lady on her language. She didn't mean it in a derogatory way but that doesn't make it right.
I'm thinking out loud really. But is it the language or the intent that is important or is that not the point at all?
Is it ok for that elderly lady to say it because she's old, is stuck in her ways and doesn't mean it that way? Do we let it slide as this particular discriminatory comment will die out along with that generation?
I don't have an answer. I'm just thinking, but I do wonder about the idiot and that old lady.
Is it acceptable that Ricky Gervaise and his irritating sidekick get to reproduce their judgements and preconceptions through this 'idiot' legitimately? He (the idiot) seems to have no check on the words that come out of his mouth. Some might say that's refreshing in this politicallly correct mad world, but that political correctness has been born out of some necessity.
A conversation I had with my relatives neighbour recently is an example of this. She daughter that she always pick up her milk from the 'paki' shop. As you'd imagine, I fairly recoiled in horror and mildly corrected her saying something like 'you mean the corner shop' (which it is) and she got irritated with me, saying that in 'her day' that's what they were called, they didn't mind and everybody called them that.
Of course there was little point in attacking a little old lady on her language. She didn't mean it in a derogatory way but that doesn't make it right.
I'm thinking out loud really. But is it the language or the intent that is important or is that not the point at all?
Is it ok for that elderly lady to say it because she's old, is stuck in her ways and doesn't mean it that way? Do we let it slide as this particular discriminatory comment will die out along with that generation?
I don't have an answer. I'm just thinking, but I do wonder about the idiot and that old lady.
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