Hey, Chaco. Read it again, particularly the very last line, “If you’re American, try English.” Doesn’t that give you a clue that this is satire, that it’s not to be taken seriously, that Dame Edna is parodying the attitude that you’re so offended by?
Lighten up.
Personally, I think the Great Dame is damned funny.
I’ll try again.
It’s like getting upset with “Archie Bunker” for being a bigoted clown. But the “Archie Bunker” character was supposed to be a bigoted clown, and the intention was to mock bigots.
haj beat me to it.
Yes it is. Surely you can see the absurdity of the idea that all Spanish speaking people are the help.
“The help don’t speak English” is an old “joke” that’s been beat to death. Sort of like the joke about West Virginians having no teeth and screwing their sisters.
I have seen several instances (on this board even) of people getting very offended by being called sheep raping inbreeds. Even I find this offensive even though I am not white. People have said to me things like, “you guys eat tortillas and beans” and other goofy shit and I just let it slide because I realize that they are ignorant. My contention is that a major publication like Vanity Fair should not allow things like this to be said because it may be taken out of context, as is apparent in this situation.
If I go to a comedy club or I watch a late night show, I know that what to expect. A publication like Vanity Fair (And I apologize for making fun of it, because I have honestly never read it so I will refrain from making judgments about it) should be careful about what it publishes.
I am sick of the media portraying us as subordinates or the “help” as are a lot of people within my culture. I am lightening up now that I understand the context, but there are still many, many people who do not, and they are still very offended by this. This is what I mean by saying that Vanity Fair should be careful.
All Americans are fat
All British have bad teeth
All Aussies are criminals
All Latinos are home helps
There, hope thats cleared things up!
Chaco said:
<< I have seen several instances (on this board even) of people getting very offended by being called sheep raping inbreeds. >>
Well, funnily enough, I nearly fell of my chair laughing at that! Like it, I’ll have to remember that one.
It’s considered in-breeding to rape a sheep? Good lord, this has been going on a lot longer than anyone thought!
See, that was funny too.
As for Dame Edna, oh do come on Possum’s, he’s a comedian.
[quote]
[ul][li]“My mother used to say that there are no strangers, only friends you haven’t met yet. She’s now in a maximum security twilight home in Australia.”[]“I’m an immensely shy and vulnerable woman. My husband has never seen me naked. Nor has he expressed the least desire to do so.”[]“The Ancient Greeks, they’re different: the blond, cultured ones. They all died out I’m afraid…”“You mustn’t judge Australia by the Australians”[/ul][/li][/quote]
He takes the piss out of lots of things, all in a blatantly over the top way that should suggest to the audience it might not be serious . For example, he’s a 69 year old male wearing a dress, a purple rinse wig, some of the greatest glasses ever seen and speaking in a falsetto strine accent . Does this suggest that he’s being serious to you?
That perpetuating ignorance is OK as long as you are joking? Yeah, loud and clear.:rolleyes:
Maybe she should have talked about wetbacks like O’Reily did. Oh wait, he is also a master of satire. That explains everything.
Oh my god! Next time I see someone make a joke about showtunes, I’m going to have to scream my head off and start an internet chain letter demanding that person’s immediate termination for being a homophobic asshole!
I agree completely with the “humorless people” comment posted earlier. If you go out of your way to be offended, there’s a really good chance you’ll find something to be offended about.
I am Mexican and I am completely unoffended…in fact I am a little offended myself at people (including other Latinos) who are in just such a rush to be offended crybabies over everything. If you can’t grasp that this was an obvious satire of bigoted dimwits, then I am deeply worried. Granted I don’t find it terribly funny, but not the least bit serious.
Perhaps since “Edna” is an Australian, she probably isn’t privy to the knowledge that Latinos are a “protected class” in America that can’t be poked fun of in the same way that Poles or Frenchmen are. Now Vanity Fair should know better, but then again should they be out to censor everyone? Should all illiberal or politically incorrect material be expunged from print?
And Latinos are not the fastest growing ethnic group(s) in America, Asians are. But then again we are perfectly free to make fun of the British, as those pasty bastards no longer come here that often and barely have sex at all.
Now I do hope that you were wearing a dress and typing in a squeaky voice when you posted that, just to make it clear you were joking.
I LOVE Dame Edna.
She never seemed to be as popular in Australia as she was in the UK though.
“Dame Edna” isn’t the only persona the comedian does, Australian politician “Les Patterson” is also quite funny.
Vanity Fair also has an imaginary society dame columnist named Nan (exists only as a drawing; not even as a man in a dress) who described a vacation spot as being overrun by doughy, badly dressed midwesterners. You guessed it: a reader from Ohio wrote in canceling her subscription. Vanity Fair printed the letter without comment.
I can see the satire in Dame Edna’s column piece, but it just didn’t have the right punch to hit home.
Much more clever satire is the Sarah Silverman bit that got her into so much trouble with the asian community. It troubled me that they didn’t see the irony of it.
Let’s review, shall we?
So you heard vague rumours, then received an e-mail providing conclusive proof about something you’ve never read or heard of before, and now you’re upset.
I assume that you’re also pissed off because a bunch of Nigerians scammed all of the money from your bank account.
Stupid jerk.
Chaco, perdona, pero a este boricua eso no le molestó en nada.
¿Sabes por qué?
¡Porque el comediante tras “Dame Edna” NO, repito NO está mofándose de los latinos! ¡Está mofándose DE LOS SNOBS BLANCOS RICOS que actúan y piensan de esa manera! El propósito de la pieza es demostrar cuán ridículas son ESAS personas y la clase de mentalidad ignorante que tienen.
¿O es que está prohibido escribir una sóla palabra si no es que por eso es lo que abogas? Diantres, hombre, es una pieza de una revista de novedades frívolas, no un pasaje de sagradas escrituras.
[sub] Excuse me, Chaco, but this Puertorrican is not offended. Know why? Because the “Dame Edna” character is NOT, repeat NOT, mocking latinos! He’s mocking RICH WHITE SNOBS who act and think that way! The purpose of the piece is to show how ridiculous and ignorant are people with that mentality. Or are we supposed to never write a word that we’re not actually advocating? C’mon, man, it’s a fluff piece for a magazine, not Scripture![/sub]
That’s partly because she’s been doing that act since the mid 1950s.
Ooh, Sir Les is tasteless. He’s not a politican, he’s a cultural attache and patron of the yartz.