Oh puleez!

[jawnbc]

Little Britain 'promotes prejudice, hatred'

Hit British TV show Little Britain has been accused of promoting prejudice and hatred.

A study by a London School of Economics academic says many of the show's characters - from teenage mum Vicky Pollard to proud gay Daffyd - are stereotypes based on people's dislike of others of a different class, sexuality, race or gender. Researcher Deborah Finding branded the show as "the comedy equivalent of junk food".

"It is clear that when 'we', the audience, are invited to laugh at 'them', the characters, we are laughing not only at the figures on screen, but at entire groups of people whom they come to represent," she said.

"Little Britain does far more to promote racism, sexism, homophobia, ageism and classism than it does to satirise them - though it does do that from time to time.

"To claim that it is ironic is to miss the point that comedy constructed about the other - that which is different from us - involves the mocking of minority groups in a way that winds the clock back to the pre-alternative days of [controversial British comedian] Bernard Manning."

In her study, Ms Finding analysed the show's characters and found that their physical traits were used to project fears about homosexuals, the working class and minority groups. She said that in laughing at Pollard - a fat, chain-smoking single mother - audiences were expressing their fears and hatred of the working class. Viewers saw Pollard, with her "stereotypical body", as having the features of all working-class single mums - "feckless, stupid and promiscuous", Ms Finding said.

"Even Daffyd, the self-proclaimed only gay in the village, is a character who connects the idea of being homosexual with being ridiculous and therefore relies on mainstream fears about gayness, despite the fact that Daffyd is the creation of comedian Matt Lucas - who is himself gay," she said.

Comments

[slate-canada.livejournal.com]

I'm not really familiar with the show, although I have seen a few clips. Do you not think that there is some truth to this article? The glimpses I have of the show seem to take a pretty unsophisticated poke and long standing stereotypes.

[notofthisworld.livejournal.com]

Nah.

The humour about Daffyd is actually pretty sophisticated.

Yes, he acts ridiculous, but only because he doesn't realise how mainstream being gay has become these days, and he doesn't know that he can be both gay and mainstream. The whole joke is that Daffyd's sense of victimhood is unnecessary. When the audience laughs at him, they're essentially asserting their acceptance of gay people.

Vicki, on the other hand... well, okay, she's a crass stereotype. But I don't think anyone actually thinks she represents the single mothers of Britain or the working class. She more represents the stupid teenagers.

[slate-canada.livejournal.com]

As I said, I'm not really in a position to criticize the show because of my limited exposure. I see what you're saying and this sounding alot like a point-of-view issue. I agree that there is a difference between making fun of gay people and gay people being funny.

I think that lately I've been a little hypersensitive to the fact the role of the gay character as the "freak", the "clown". Seeing those characters in leading-support type roles seems to be held up as some sort of victory when in fact it is pretty non-threatening view of gay culture - the audience can simply laugh and be relieved that the gays are easily identified by their stereotypical behaviour. Can't the gay-character be funny without it being about his gayness? Honesty, that kind of approach would probably confuse the audience.

Of course, we laugh at it too. We GET the joke because we see the stereotypes even if the fictional character is hyperbole.

Anyway, sorry I started by saying I shouldn't have an opinion on a show I don't really know and then I went and made my opinion known anyway. How about I shut my piehole and check it out first.

[jawnbc]

The whole show slaughters all sorts of stereotypes--and prejudices. Vicki is taking the piss out of popular culture that leads working class kids to think having the right track suit and runners means they're not...poor.

It all very much has an edge to it. It's supposed to. But it's brilliantly funny a lot of the time.

[notofthisworld.livejournal.com]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhcUH-SaCmo

[garpu.livejournal.com]

Although what British comedy *doesn't* poke at stereotypes? (That having been said, I haven't seen little Britain, either.)

[zurcherart.livejournal.com]

Oh my Gawd. You've got some catching up to do.

[garpu.livejournal.com]

Noted. :)

[cogshiftingman.livejournal.com]

I do not agree with Ms. Finding's findings.

[jawnbc]

Methinks she needs needs a cheese and pickle sandwich.

[paterson-si.livejournal.com]

She's a plonker with absolutely no sense of humour. I guess she never even managed to make someone smile, let alone laugh with that immensebrainnuclearpowerplant of hers. :)

[jamaisneutral.livejournal.com]

Oh come off it... I'm to tired to think about reasonable arguments why what she says isn't true, so I'll just stick out my tongue at her. :-P
There.

[mikeybill.livejournal.com]

Oh dear... let me guess - she's either a "queer" theorist or a sociologist.

And she had a sense of humour bypass.

This is the sort of idiocy that gives academia a bad name - this and Judith Butler

[jawnbc]

Hey fucker I'm a sociologist.

*scowl*

But I know what you mean...

[mikeybill.livejournal.com]

Moi aussi cheri, but you know how far up their own arseholes some of our colleagues can disappear at times.

[zurcherart.livejournal.com]

I'm offended that she didn't mention how Bubbles is hateful to fat nudist women who don't pay their bills.

(I've realized that when you stick with the show, they usually have a very humanizing turn for many of the characters that almost makes it hard to laugh at them -- the last few "Emily Howard" sketches on LB:USA for instance, or the Daffyd sketch where he "misses" the train to London because he's scared of actually playing with a guy's todger.)

[bitterlawngnome.livejournal.com]

But ... being homosexual IS ridiculous.

???

[bluebear2.livejournal.com]

It's still funny though.