# Dame Edna can lick my huevos **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 10, 2003, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dame-edna-can-lick-my-huevos/154035 "2003-02-10T05:03:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chaco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Chaco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chaco)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dame-edna-can-lick-my-huevos/154035/1 "2003-02-10T05:03:41Z")
I thought it was an urban legend when I first heard heard about what he/she said. I mean it is the year 2003, how would a major publication like Vanity Fair publish something like this: > [@](#): > > Forget Spanish. There’s nothing in that language worth reading except Don Quixote, and a quick listen to the CD of Man of La Mancha will take care of that. There was a poet named Garcia Lorca, but I’d leave him on the intellectual back burner if I were you. As for everyone’s speaking it, what twaddle! Who speaks it that you are really desperate to talk to? The help? Your leaf blower? Study French or German, where there are at least a few books worth reading, or, if you’re American, try English. Then I get [this](http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/petition/dameedna.asp) petition and now I am furious. How in the fuck does this shit happen. Didn’t the editors notice this before it printed. How could they have let this pass. Did they think that nobody would have noticed. Does Vanity Fair not realize that we are the [fastest](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/01/22/MN206840.DTL) growing ethnic group in the United States. Did they think that we were going to overlook this shit. How can these backward fucks allow for this garbage to be printed even in their piece of shit magazine. I know satire and this is not satirical. This is an insult to me, my family, my friends, and my culture in whatever context it is used. We know humor and this is not funny. Vanity Fair can take their half hearted [apology](http://www.calendarlive.com/printedition/calendar/cl-et-rutten8feb08.story) and shove it up their ass. We have enough stereotypes to overcome as is. We are still trying to recover from Ricky Martin and J-Ho…er, I mean J-Lo. I hope this unfunny asshole/bitch burns in tranvestite hell. P.S. Before the jokes begin; I really don’t want Dame Edna to lick my balls…_yuck!_ ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dame-edna-can-lick-my-huevos/154035/2 "2003-02-10T05:11:30Z")
Dame Edna doesn’t exist, “she” is not a transvestite, it’s a made up character played by a man. The article is supposed to be funny, but it’s obviously back fired. Write to Vanity Fair to complain, but I wouldn’t bother with the petition. The petition, as it appears on snopes, is a chain letter masquarading as a petition; the clue is the phrase “send it to all of the people whom you know”. If it was a serious petition, then it wouldn’t have used that phrase. ---
**Author:** ![Treviathan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/838e76/32.png) [@Treviathan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treviathan)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dame-edna-can-lick-my-huevos/154035/3 "2003-02-10T05:21:02Z")
I think Snopes explains (rationalizes?) it best: > [@](#): > > The protests over the piece in question seem to be based on a misunderstanding of the nature of the “Dame Edna” character, one of whose primary comedic attributes is that she is a spoof of entrenched British colonial-era attitudes under which all foreigners (even white, English-speaking Americans, as evidenced by Edna’s “or if you’re American, try English” jab) were regarded as social inferiors. The facetious question and answer reproduced above don’t condone this type of prejudice; they ridicule it. The comments about the desirability of learning Spanish were not intended as a slam of the language or those who speak it, but as a humorous put-down of the snobbish sort of person who would base a decision about which foreign language to learn on its trendiness and fashionability. If Dame Edna offends you, I wouldn’t recommend reading the “Talk Like a Snob!” thread from a couple of months back. To me, the satire’s pretty clear; YMMV, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![schplebordnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@schplebordnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schplebordnik)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dame-edna-can-lick-my-huevos/154035/4 "2003-02-10T05:21:43Z")
“Does Vanity Fair not realize that we are the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States.” What’s that got to do with it? Or are you saying it’s OK to make fun of slower growing (or shrinking) ethnic groups? ---
**Author:** ![Primaflora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Primaflora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Primaflora)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dame-edna-can-lick-my-huevos/154035/5 "2003-02-10T05:27:02Z")
Dame Edna’s been making fun of everyone for years. She’s especially vicious to Australians. I think it’s a case of humour not transplanting well. The intent definitely would not have been to denigrate Hispanics. ::passes out gladioli as a symbol of peace:: ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dame-edna-can-lick-my-huevos/154035/6 "2003-02-10T05:28:06Z")
I reckon that fastest growing ethnic group is “humourless people”, and they deserve all the whooshing that they get. ---
**Author:** ![Chaco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Chaco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chaco)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dame-edna-can-lick-my-huevos/154035/7 "2003-02-10T05:32:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by schplebordnik \* > \*\*“Does Vanity Fair not realize that we are the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States.” > > What’s that got to do with it? Or are you saying it’s OK to make fun of slower growing (or shrinking) ethnic groups? \*\* The reason I brought that up was because there are a significant number of Latinos in this country that would notice something like this. I am sure that a some of their readers are Latino. Did they seriously believe that we would not get offended. I did not mean it in the way you describe it. ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dame-edna-can-lick-my-huevos/154035/8 "2003-02-10T05:37:08Z")
Well, to put things in perspective: Comedians make fun of white people all the time. I’m white. If I got as upset as you are every time I heard / read something making fun of whites, I’d probably keel over from a heart attack. ---
**Author:** ![Chaco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Chaco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chaco)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dame-edna-can-lick-my-huevos/154035/9 "2003-02-10T05:39:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Desmostylus \* > \*\*I reckon that fastest growing ethnic group is “humourless people”, and they deserve all the whooshing that they get. \*\* I do not know who this asshole (Dame Edna) is and I would guess that a lot of Latinos don’t know who he is. So him saying this is justified because he is funny in who knows where? So we’re the whooshed ones and we should get over ourselves, **Desmostylus**? Are you an avid Vanity Fair reader? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dame-edna-can-lick-my-huevos/154035/10 "2003-02-10T05:39:39Z")
The character of Dame Edna is supposed to be clueless and atiquated. He is making fun of people who feel that way. Get it? He’s on your side. Haj ---
**Author:** ![schplebordnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@schplebordnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schplebordnik)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dame-edna-can-lick-my-huevos/154035/11 "2003-02-10T05:43:20Z")
And who’s this “Don Quixote”? Is he some sort of a Spanish writer? I haven’t heard of many Spainiards having the first name of “Don.” Or is that another hoax, like the Dame Edna fellow? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dame-edna-can-lick-my-huevos/154035/12 "2003-02-10T05:44:05Z")
By the way, I am an avid Vanity Faire reader. It’s a great magazine. I don’t care for Dame Edna’s column so I don’t read it. I am familiar with Dame Edna though because he had a television show in the UK and I’ve seen a few snippets. This character predates the VF column by many years. Again, and pay close attention, Dame Edna is not a real person. She is a satirical character. It’s like getting mad at Edward Norton because he portrayed a Nazi in a movie. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dame-edna-can-lick-my-huevos/154035/13 "2003-02-10T05:47:52Z")
Or people who know Bonzai Kitten is a satire, but think it will give other people ideas… _sigh_ It’s SUPPOSED to be offensive. He’s making fun of people like that! Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dame-edna-can-lick-my-huevos/154035/14 "2003-02-10T05:48:02Z")
Chaco said: \<\< I do not know who this asshole (Dame Edna) is \>\> If you read the posts above, it is explained. \<\< So we’re the whooshed ones and we should get over ourselves \>\> Or do what? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dame-edna-can-lick-my-huevos/154035/15 "2003-02-10T05:54:22Z")
Funny that you wring this up, my parents did mention to me this case, but the way they describe it is that the Hispanic media is coming with the consensus that this was really offensive. Personally, I see now it was a big whoosh, but as I have observed in many media frenzies of the past and present (quick: how many do know the popular view that Iraq was involved with 911 is virtual poppycock?), many times reporters will not go back to tell the whole truth if suddenly the “vox populi” has accepted the first impression; in this case, thanks to the media, I fear that Vanity Fair is in trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Chaco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Chaco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chaco)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dame-edna-can-lick-my-huevos/154035/16 "2003-02-10T05:58:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hajario \* > \*\* She is a satirical character. It’s like getting mad at Edward Norton because he portrayed a Nazi in a movie. > > Haj \*\* So is it OK to say whatever you want about whatever ethnic group you want under the guise of satire? It is easy for you guys to say “jeez, this guy is over reacting” because you guys know who he is and you understand his humor. I am starting to calm down now that I am beginning to understand his humor. But I still feel that you should not use references that many people within that culture may deem offensive. What got me pissed was the help/leaf blower line. ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dame-edna-can-lick-my-huevos/154035/17 "2003-02-10T06:01:58Z")
Freedom of Speech. Dame Edna can say what ever “she” likes. If you take offense, that is another matter. I refer you to my earlier post: Well, to put things in perspective: Comedians make fun of white people all the time. I’m white. If I got as upset as you are every time I heard / read something making fun of whites, I’d probably keel over from a heart attack. Compare… ---
**Author:** ![schplebordnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@schplebordnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schplebordnik)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dame-edna-can-lick-my-huevos/154035/18 "2003-02-10T06:02:18Z")
The biggest problem with the help/leaf blower line is that it isn’t funny. The thing about you can learn about Don Quixote by listening to the Man of La Mancha CD, that’s funny. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dame-edna-can-lick-my-huevos/154035/19 "2003-02-10T06:04:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chaco \* > \*\*So is it OK to say whatever you want about whatever ethnic group you want under the guise of satire? > \*\* If you’re doing it to make the point that such racist attitudes are wrong, then, well, yes. Pretty much. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dame-edna-can-lick-my-huevos/154035/20 "2003-02-10T06:05:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chaco \* > \*\*So is it OK to say whatever you want about whatever ethnic group you want under the guise of satire? > > It is easy for you guys to say “jeez, this guy is over reacting” because you guys know who he is and you understand his humor. I am starting to calm down now that I am beginning to understand his humor. But I still feel that you should not use references that many people within that culture may deem offensive. What got me pissed was the help/leaf blower line. \*\* I can understand why you would be upset if you thought that this is a real person presenting their views because those views are ignorant and dim witted. Think of it like Archie Bunker from _All in the Family_. He said stuff like that in every episode but it was funny because everyone knew that his views were idiotic. That character, too, was making fun of those ignorant views. It’s unfortunate that there are people out there raising a ruckus over nothing. There are real racists out there to fight. This is a non-issue. Haj [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dame-edna-can-lick-my-huevos/154035.md?page=2)