Jim Davidson - I'm not a c*nt any more
Discussion
Asterix said:
Zaxxon said:
or any episode of Ain't alf , Hot Mum with the indians with the wobbly heads etc.
That's not racist - that's exactly what a lot of them do.grumbledoak said:
Go ask Ben Elton how much money he made telling students to be Socialists.
Funnier than anything Ben Elton said. I'm from a very left wing family, and although i don't agree with much politically that they do i reckon i am probably a bit more left wing than the average PHer, however i still think JD has his funny moments and the Elton is an unberably smug
so i reckon there is hope for me yet! 
The Guardian said:
The young black comedian fixes Jim Davidson with a contemptuous glare. "I grew up feeling inadequate because of your comedy," he says. "You old-school guys got laughs from feeding people's prejudices."
omgus said:
grumbledoak said:
Go ask Ben Elton how much money he made telling students to be Socialists.
Funnier than anything Ben Elton said. I'm from a very left wing family, and although i don't agree with much politically that they do i reckon i am probably a bit more left wing than the average PHer, however i still think JD has his funny moments and the Elton is an unberably smug
so i reckon there is hope for me yet! carmonk said:
Don't waste your breath. Most people will sit and laugh like a drain at skits of Americans, French, German, Australian, Austrian, Swedish, English, etc. until it gets to someone with a darker skin, at which point it immediately becomes 'racist'.
Didn't say that i didn't find it funny, but that kind of thing could never be broadcast now. The knee jerk brigade would end your career.i thought it was quite interesting. the idea came from davidson watching a young black comedian at a show and introducing himself at the end of the show saying how much he enjoyed the comedians act. the comedian (sorry his name escapes me) then started telling davidson how the humour that davidson advocated in the 80s affected young blacks in general and contributed to a lot of racism in society which lives on today.
apparently davidson was quite shocked by this and went back to think about his act and whether comedy really could cause so much racial aggravation, as a result he wrote a play based loosely on the meeting. its ointeresting, davidson has spent seven years living in dubai but came back because money was tight, he has sold seven houses and knows he wont be back on tv. i dont think the play is a last chance saloon type of thing in terms of finance but i think he is genuinely interested in the subject and his attitude to comedy and racism.
unfortunately, davidson lets himself down massively by ranting frequently at the new breed of comedian, the likes of russell howard and chris addison are not name checked but part of the younger comedians that davidson has so much contempt for. they are young, left wing and anti-establishment and at complete opposites to him. that all said, its nothing new, he probably hated the likes of ben elton and the first anti-thatcher mob too.
having seen many comedians recently, the likes of marcus brigstocke and chris addison are fascinating becuase they are intelligent people and have a strong knowledge of their core material. its not just ranting in disagreement but taking an argument down and identifying the flaws and weaknesses. i think thats what davidson hates, its not an easy game any more, you cant just shock and get a laugh, roy chubby brown has that market (albeit a very small one) tied up.
in fact reading the article made me realise that davidson and I do agree on something, we both think michael macintyre is a complete
. i wouldnt mind seeing the davidson play to be honest though lining his pockets puts me off just enough to stay away.
Zaxxon said:
carmonk said:
Don't waste your breath. Most people will sit and laugh like a drain at skits of Americans, French, German, Australian, Austrian, Swedish, English, etc. until it gets to someone with a darker skin, at which point it immediately becomes 'racist'.
Didn't say that i didn't find it funny, but that kind of thing could never be broadcast now. The knee jerk brigade would end your career.
carmonk said:
Don't waste your breath. Most people will sit and laugh like a drain at skits of Americans, French, German, Australian, Austrian, Swedish, English, etc. until it gets to someone with a darker skin, at which point it immediately becomes 'racist'.
The problem is, is that it's more complex than you suggest. People have always ripped the piss out of each other, and always will, but how the same joke is perceived will vary, depending on "the balance of power" between the people involved. It's risky to try and fabricate an example, but you could imagine a 1000 black people in a theatre, listening to Bernard Manning/Jim Davidson doing their routine, and maybe finding it funny, but compare that to the exact same situation, but with 999 white guys and one black guy. In that case, despite the jokes being the same, the black guy *could* feel awkward.Insert yourself into those two scenarios - black comedian/1000 white people vs black comedian/999 blacks+ you, on your own.
Same comedians, same jokes different perceptions depending on circumstances.
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