In my recent post hagiographing Victoria Wood, I considered including her political correctness song. I wavered, because it more or less begins with an n-word variant (maybe??) that I had never heard of. The song, if I dare diminish it by suggesting it contains an argument, is if anything about denigrating annoying men. But as a lead-in to an exploration of the word “wanker” (I’m underselling this song) she mentions other insulting words she doesn’t care for and includes some that are modern-audiences-won’t-like-it-
Each year I become ever more grateful that I purchased complete sets of Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, and Black Adder. Though I fear I’ll simply be regarded as akin to that weird uncle who’d show certain movies to the adolescent boys if I try to show them to my son or his peers in 10 years time.
Also, we have evidence within living memory that progressive people can enjoy shows from an earlier era with gender relations that were contemporaneously looked down upon: The Honeymooners and I Love Lucy remained staples of syndication well into the ‘80s, such that Eddie Murphy could make a joke about Ralph Cramden and Ed Norton in his stand up (that is, itself, almost certainly on the chopping block; Tipper Gore must be smiling wherever she is).
You have such a marvelously clever and alluring writing style!
Each year I become ever more grateful that I purchased complete sets of Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, and Black Adder. Though I fear I’ll simply be regarded as akin to that weird uncle who’d show certain movies to the adolescent boys if I try to show them to my son or his peers in 10 years time.
Also, we have evidence within living memory that progressive people can enjoy shows from an earlier era with gender relations that were contemporaneously looked down upon: The Honeymooners and I Love Lucy remained staples of syndication well into the ‘80s, such that Eddie Murphy could make a joke about Ralph Cramden and Ed Norton in his stand up (that is, itself, almost certainly on the chopping block; Tipper Gore must be smiling wherever she is).