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Posted by zaryzary2003 on 07/16/06 19:19
Fred Goodwin, CMA wrote:
> The 10 least politically correct movies ever
>
> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13805019/
>
> >From 'Blazing Saddles' to 'Team America,' these films take no
> prisoners
>
> COMMENTARY
> By Michael Ventre
> MSNBC contributor
> Updated: 3:54 p.m. CT July 11, 2006
>
> Many believe political correctness is good. It keeps us in line. It
> reminds us that almost all segments of society should be treated with
> dignity and respect. A joke at the expense of someone's gender, race
> or ethnic background has no place in movies today.
>
> Of course, there are those who disagree, who believe political
> correctness is wrong, who feel that it only creates resentment toward
> the offended parties. A PC world is a world of oppression, they say,
> where freedom of speech is allowed in theory, but not in practice.
>
> Personally, I'm not sure how I feel. Ideally, I'd like to straddle
> the line between both so as not to offend anyone.
Ok, the author of this article doesn't really understand what the term
"Politically Correct" means - or at least what it used to mean. The
term came up first on college campuses, and referred to the tendancy of
some to immediately attack statements that didn't fit into a certain
liberal orthodoxy. The term is somewhat broader today.
But something is not "un-PC" just because it's irreverent, or bawdy, or
impolite. They're just irreverent, bawdy, or impolite. I don't mean
that these movies are bad, I think a lot of them are great. But they're
not "un-PC."
> That trend has slowed down considerably in recent years. They just
> don't make racial, ethnic or sex jokes like they used to in motion
> pictures, although occasionally they still try. Again, some feel
> that's the way it should be. Others disagree. But it's undeniable
> that these are different times - PC times - and students of comedy
> surely can appreciate the evolution of the genre to today's more
> sanitized state.
I'm not quite sure what to make of this paragraph. In years past it
was ok to make blatant, racial slurs in a horribly meanspirited way.
Now it's considered socially unacceptable to make *meanspirited* racial
slurs. The issue comes in how meanspirited the slurs are.
But people and comedians and others make jokes that involve race all
the time, even today. I'm not sure what he's talking about. Even a few
of the movies on his list do, such as "Team America" which only came
out a few years ago.
> "Blazing Saddles"
>
> The granddaddy of them all when it comes to language and situations
> that wouldn't fly today.
That's bullshit. This film is on TV all the time and nobody whinces.
Also, anybody watching this show can tell instantly that the comments
about race are making lampooning *racists*, not blacks themselves. The
main character in the film is smart, funny, and capable. The racists
are evil, stupid, conniving, or all three.
> A particular slur
> that starts with the letter that comes after "M" is sprinkled
> liberally throughout,
I assume he means a slur that starts with "N", not "M".
> but there are also plenty of sexual references as
> well,
Sex jokes might be crude, but they're not particularly unPC.
> Since Brooks is an
> equal-opportunity offender, he assaults the sensibilities of
> Native-Americans, Jews, Chinese, Irish, women, horses, the handicapped
> and others.
Except that, as I said, he's lampooning racists, not racial groups.
> If "Blazing Saddles" were pitched in Hollywood today,
> Brooks would have been hastily escorted off the lot, and executives
> would quickly issue a statement that the move had nothing to do with
> him being short and Jewish.
Plenty of movies are produced today that are equally as irreverent.
(Not that many are as funny, however.)
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