The Fun Police. Has It Worked?
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I've been having a discussion with myself today based on a couple of observations. The question I'm asking is have the fun police destroyed my sense of humour or have the times changed so much that things from 20 years ago are really that bad ...
First point, I learned today that Money for Nothing, the epic Dire Straits classic is chicks for free, not cheques for free. Not a big deal, but l learned it when I heard Knopfler use the word faggot in the song three times. Genuinely not noticed it before and it made me sort of wince. I suspect that in the last 10 years I'd heard the edited song only on the rare occasion is came on the radio. The thing is, Knopfler strikes me as the least combatitive person on the planet, so I looked up what it was about and apparently the song is a word for word quote on some department store schmuck he heard talking. So basically the whole thing is irony, which actually make sense.
Secondly, the wife watched Bridget Jones the other day and I jumped in as I remember laughing at it back in the day. So many of the lines / scenes just seem truly awful now to watch and I found myself thinking fuck me, was this shit really acceptable? The thing is, this movie isn't like Ricky Bobby or Anchorman where it's clear satire on an old school sexist stereotype. It's a laugh at a 30 something woman going through life. Yet, some of the stuff she endures just seemed awfully horribly sexist. But it doesn't really feel like it was presented in a sexist way. The most important point though was that my wife was still laughing at these scenes, where as I felt .. uncomfortable.
So, here's the thing. Has wokeness actually worked on me, or have time changed so much that classic songs / movies are now more of a real representation of an awful time for woman / lgbt that has passed? I think over the next few years I'm going to spend a bit of time thinking about this one. It's deep, I know, but we are in the rugby season break and the Craps are sucking shit, so there is time on our hands ....
Side Note. My fave movie growing up was Revenge of the Nerds, and despite all good intentions, there is a rape scene in it (despite the outcome). I'm happy to agree that it's right that movies have moved on from this.
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I won't have you say anything bad about revenge of the nerds
IIRC it wasnt actually a rape. He didn't do anything to her until she consented
Edit: Not rape, probably indecent assault.... Lots of other criminal violations in there, but hey it was the 80s
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I still laugh at Married with Children reels ( Facebook knows me so well ) and Blazing Saddles.
I think I’m ok.
If anything imagining the shock and outrage of Millennials who are outraged and hurt over Apu from the Simpsons ( for fucks sake, seriously ? ) makes it all the more funny.
The 80s did have some pretty tasteless comedy though, I never realised what was actually happening under the podium in Police Academy when Commandant Lazard was giving his speech until years later ( you all know the scene I mean )
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@canefan said in The Fun Police. Has It Worked?:
I won't have you say anything bad about revenge of the nerds
> IIRC it wasnt actually a rape. He didn't do anything to her until she consented
Edit: Not rape, probably indecent assault.... Lots of other criminal violations in there, but hey it was the 80s
Is that the scene where Louis had a mask on ? I haven’t seen it in years…..
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@MN5 said in The Fun Police. Has It Worked?:
@canefan said in The Fun Police. Has It Worked?:
I won't have you say anything bad about revenge of the nerds
> IIRC it wasnt actually a rape. He didn't do anything to her until she consented
Edit: Not rape, probably indecent assault.... Lots of other criminal violations in there, but hey it was the 80s
Is that the scene where Louis had a mask on ? I haven’t seen it in years…..
Yeah. Originally I recalled he didn't do anything. But on reflection Betty said he was great while he was down there so....
Then there was the scene where they broke into the sorority house and installed cameras
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@canefan said in The Fun Police. Has It Worked?:
@MN5 said in The Fun Police. Has It Worked?:
@canefan said in The Fun Police. Has It Worked?:
I won't have you say anything bad about revenge of the nerds
> IIRC it wasnt actually a rape. He didn't do anything to her until she consented
Edit: Not rape, probably indecent assault.... Lots of other criminal violations in there, but hey it was the 80s
Is that the scene where Louis had a mask on ? I haven’t seen it in years…..
Yeah. Originally I recalled he didn't do anything. But on reflection Betty said he was great while he was down there so....
Then there was the scene where they broke into the sorority house and installed cameras
Yes that’s right.
A semi famous kiwi muso has just gone to jail for doing that.
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@MN5 said in The Fun Police. Has It Worked?:
@canefan said in The Fun Police. Has It Worked?:
@MN5 said in The Fun Police. Has It Worked?:
@canefan said in The Fun Police. Has It Worked?:
I won't have you say anything bad about revenge of the nerds
> IIRC it wasnt actually a rape. He didn't do anything to her until she consented
Edit: Not rape, probably indecent assault.... Lots of other criminal violations in there, but hey it was the 80s
Is that the scene where Louis had a mask on ? I haven’t seen it in years…..
Yeah. Originally I recalled he didn't do anything. But on reflection Betty said he was great while he was down there so....
Then there was the scene where they broke into the sorority house and installed cameras
Yes that’s right.
A semi famous kiwi muso has just gone to jail for doing that.
But it was a movie in the 80s, and lots of shitty inappropriate movies came out of the 80s. If we are going to cancel films based on a current day lens almost all the early James Bond films will be gone and that's the tip of the iceberg
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@canefan said in The Fun Police. Has It Worked?:
Mate, it was always Chicks for Free. It was always a satirical song. All movies are product of their place and time. They are period pieces that should be enjoyed in that context
This is my overarching point. I agree with you 100%.
Yet, I found myself slightly uncomfortable with both the movie and the song.
Has wokeness worked? Worrying.
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@MajorRage said in The Fun Police. Has It Worked?:
@canefan said in The Fun Police. Has It Worked?:
Mate, it was always Chicks for Free. It was always a satirical song. All movies are product of their place and time. They are period pieces that should be enjoyed in that context
This is my overarching point. I agree with you 100%.
Yet, I found myself slightly uncomfortable with both the movie and the song.
Has wokeness worked? Worrying.
Fight the power mate. Fight the power
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@MajorRage said in The Fun Police. Has It Worked?:
I've been having a discussion with myself today based on a couple of observations. The question I'm asking is have the fun police destroyed my sense of humour or have the times changed so much that things from 20 years ago are really that bad ...
First point, I learned today that Money for Nothing, the epic Dire Straits classic is chicks for free, not cheques for free. Not a big deal, but l learned it when I heard Knopfler use the word faggot in the song three times. Genuinely not noticed it before and it made me sort of wince. I suspect that in the last 10 years I'd heard the edited song only on the rare occasion is came on the radio. The thing is, Knopfler strikes me as the least combatitive person on the planet, so I looked up what it was about and apparently the song is a word for word quote on some department store schmuck he heard talking. So basically the whole thing is irony, which actually make sense.
Secondly, the wife watched Bridget Jones the other day and I jumped in as I remember laughing at it back in the day. So many of the lines / scenes just seem truly awful now to watch and I found myself thinking fuck me, was this shit really acceptable? The thing is, this movie isn't like Ricky Bobby or Anchorman where it's clear satire on an old school sexist stereotype. It's a laugh at a 30 something woman going through life. Yet, some of the stuff she endures just seemed awfully horribly sexist. But it doesn't really feel like it was presented in a sexist way. The most important point though was that my wife was still laughing at these scenes, where as I felt .. uncomfortable.
So, here's the thing. Has wokeness actually worked on me, or have time changed so much that classic songs / movies are now more of a real representation of an awful time for woman / lgbt that has passed? I think over the next few years I'm going to spend a bit of time thinking about this one. It's deep, I know, but we are in the rugby season break and the Craps are sucking shit, so there is time on our hands ....
Side Note. My fave movie growing up was Revenge of the Nerds, and despite all good intentions, there is a rape scene in it (despite the outcome). I'm happy to agree that it's right that movies have moved on from this.
Could it be more a reflection of your professional life and how you're deeply aware of how those attributes and/or comments would end your career and that's something you find disturbing?
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@Rancid-Schnitzel you might have hit the nail on the head there. Thought provoking.
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@MajorRage said in The Fun Police. Has It Worked?:
Side Note. My fave movie growing up was Revenge of the Nerds, and despite all good intentions, there is a rape scene in it (despite the outcome). I'm happy to agree that it's right that movies have moved on from this.
I watched High Plains Drifter again last night and the rape scenes made me uncomfortable - especially the representation of the protesting woman getting what she actually wanted.
@MN5 said in The Fun Police. Has It Worked?:
I still laugh at Married with Children reels ( Facebook knows me so well ) and Blazing Saddles.
Blazing Saddles would never be made these days. And I actually consider this a detriment as the very people who would strenuously object would be clearly missing the point.
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@antipodean said in The Fun Police. Has It Worked?:
Blazing Saddles would never be made these days. And I actually consider this a detriment as the very people who would strenuously object would be clearly missing the point.
And yet, for all it's inappropriateness - particularly around the word "nigger" and the situation of a black man being the law - we have Tarantino of the trying to set a record for use of the word in every film he makes.
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@MajorRage said in The Fun Police. Has It Worked?:
@Rancid-Schnitzel you might have hit the nail on the head there. Thought provoking.
I reckon he's got it. I look back on things I said and did in the office from the late 90s and thought that shit would never fly these days.
In parallel, having a daughter who recently turned 16 has fine tuned what I find appropriate in the "behaviour to women" bucket.
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@antipodean said in The Fun Police. Has It Worked?:
@MajorRage said in The Fun Police. Has It Worked?:
Side Note. My fave movie growing up was Revenge of the Nerds, and despite all good intentions, there is a rape scene in it (despite the outcome). I'm happy to agree that it's right that movies have moved on from this.
I watched High Plains Drifter again last night and the rape scenes made me uncomfortable - especially the representation of the protesting woman getting what she actually wanted.
@MN5 said in The Fun Police. Has It Worked?:
I still laugh at Married with Children reels ( Facebook knows me so well ) and Blazing Saddles.
Blazing Saddles would never be made these days. And I actually consider this a detriment as the very people who would strenuously object would be clearly missing the point.
That’s a good point actually. Not Clints finest moment.
It was like when Bond “converted” Pussy Galore into fighting for the side of good and liking dick in Goldfinger
That romp in the hay has aged pretty badly.
Not to mention this scene in the same flick.
To be fair I sometimes give the girl a smack on the arse and send her on her way if I’m having a chat with a mate though.
