(Untitled)

[zil]

Okay... so it's my first post here, and I'm always paranoid about posting to communities, so please be gentle with any criticism

Comments

[kahvi]

I suppose if the characters are, in context, portrayed as complete idiots, I wouldn't mind, so maybe part of the problem here is context.

It is. Coupling is a Briish show, and the examples you have stated about are typical of British humor, e.i. sarcastic. We aren't meant to go "OMG - he tries to sleep with all the women he knows, that's so funny because it's TRUE!", we're meant to go "OMG - that's so wrong for him to say, what kind of stupid person would say that", and find humor in that. I have a very close British friend. We make the most horrible racist and sexist jokes together, but the humor - again - is that what we are saying is so ourageous. In other words, we are making fun of the absurdity that opinions like that exist. Eh, it's kinda hard to explain... Humor IS hard to explain - but I hope I managed to explain at least why I feel it is quite the opposite of sexist

[kahvi]

Err, "Briish" should be "British", of course.

[luighseach]

But when someone quotes it out of context, doesn't that change it a bit?

[kahvi]

That would depend on the context it is put into, but yes, of course. I just wanted to point out that they aren't meant to be sexist in the show.

[luighseach]

Yep, I know. I didn't mean to invalidate your point, just add to it! :o)

[idemandjustice]

It definitely could, yes.

[morgan_dhu]

Living in Canada, I've gotten to watch a lot of US comedy and a fair bit of British comedy. In my experience, the distinction you're describing is what I think of as the greater tendency of British (and some Canadian) comedy to have a strong satirical edge. Instaed of it being about laughing at the things the characters do, as in a lot of American comedy, it situates the comedy in a social context and ridicules the attitudes found wihtin that social context, as performed by the characters.

While I haven't seen Coupling, it sounds as though that might be part of the difference you're describing.

[celticdaisy]

I agree with what you say about the satire.

(And I found coupling hilarious. :P)

[kahvi]

That's what I was trying to say, yeah. You put it much better than I managed to. :)

[skate97]

i agree. i think The Simpsons is one of the few american shows that actually satirizes america well. lots of others shows seem to afraid of being un-pc to do this.

[zil]

Yeah, that's a good point. I haven't seen Coupling myself (though I've heard from many people that it's highly worthwhile), but I was raised on British humor. Admittedly, most of what I grew up with was from a different era (Monty Python, I'm Sorry I'll Read that Again, Douglas Adams, things of that ilk) so that probably creates a rift, but I do tend to feel that British humor is the best I encounter, for exactly the satirical/sarcastic bent you're describing. So I think the problem with those particular quotes was primarily reading them out of context of the character development, etc

[kahvi]

Coupling isn't like those shows you mentioned, but that's mainly due to quality. ;) I mean, those are some of the greats up there. But I see what you mean about context. If I were you I would say something to him like how cleverly funny those jokes are, in that you think they are sexist, but they are really not. That might get him thinking. :)

[lolacat]

I am such a huge fan of British shows. My husband and I generally find them much better than what's available on our US networks. Netflix is our supplier!

[delphyne_]

Yeah I've heard that excuse - "we're not really racist or sexist, we're being ironic". Actually it's still sexist and racist. Being ironic doesn't give you a free pass to make bigoted jokes.

It's got nothing to do with British humour (I'm British) and everything to do with some people's deep-felt need to pick on other people.

Anyway, Coupling has got to be one of the most un-funny programmes on TV. The OP certainly shouldn't be worrying about whether she has a sense of humour, she should be worrying about her friends that find Coupling funny.

[kahvi]

Being ironic doesn't give you a free pass to make bigoted jokes.

Of course not. But since the definition of ironic is that you are saying the opposite of what you really mean, you'd have to make a feminist statment in order to make bigoted jokes with irony. The whole point is that they don't mean that what they are saying is OK. That's where the humor is supposed to be. If it isn't funny, it's not because it's sexist.

[delphyne_]

It's pretty clear that Coupling is not coming from a feminist perspective. White people making racist jokes in an "ironic" way or men making sexist jokes in an "ironic" way are using irony as an excuse for their bigotry.

Irony has been the big excuse in Britain to perpetuate sexist humour (racism rightly doesn't get a look in and nobody is being "ironic" about people from ethnic minorities) because people just weren't ready to let go of their misogyny, therefore they cloaked it in so-called irony.