"Placeism" in humour should it be banned?

[Danny-Boy]

Listening to the Stephen K Amos radio show Wednesday evening on R4, he made a very cheap joke about Brighton in the context of his family (most of his humour ia about his family and a lot of that is how they treat his homosexuality).

Claiming that his mother has a fixation about the Queen he said (to a thin smattering of laughter from the studio audience) "They're All Queens in Brighton!" or words to that effect.

To be honest earlier on he had a pot at Croydon as well. That joke was more like that commonly applied to Eastbourne being "God's Waiting Room" which I heard on another R4 comedy show a few months back. (that got far more laughs). Comedians like Jack Dee commonly use it now. I went to a Jack Dee show in the Congress in Eastbourne a while back where he made jokes about Hastings, which went down very well.

Making fun of communities is not new. One of the earliest I remember was about 1972 in an episode of "Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads" where Bob (Rodney Bewes) admits that he has a cousin who is a gay antiques dealer. His mate Terry (James Bolam) asks where his shop is. "Harrogate" says Bob. "Ah, they're all pooves in Harrogate!" says Terry with feeling.

The point is is this not discriminatory? Do Brighton inhabitants like being branded on national radio as 100% homosexual?

 

[Danny-Boy]

Listening to the Stephen K Amos radio show Wednesday evening on R4, he made a very cheap joke about Brighton in the context of his family (most of his humour ia about his family and a lot of that is how they treat his homosexuality).

Claiming that his mother has a fixation about the Queen he said (to a thin smattering of laughter from the studio audience) "They're All Queens in Brighton!" or words to that effect.

To be honest earlier on he had a pot at Croydon as well. That joke was more like that commonly applied to Eastbourne being "God's Waiting Room" which I heard on another R4 comedy show a few months back. (that got far more laughs). Comedians like Jack Dee commonly use it now. I went to a Jack Dee show in the Congress in Eastbourne a while back where he made jokes about Hastings, which went down very well.

Making fun of communities is not new. One of the earliest I remember was about 1972 in an episode of "Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads" where Bob (Rodney Bewes) admits that he has a cousin who is a gay antiques dealer. His mate Terry (James Bolam) asks where his shop is. "Harrogate" says Bob. "Ah, they're all pooves in Harrogate!" says Terry with feeling.

The point is is this not discriminatory? Do Brighton inhabitants like being branded on national radio as 100% homosexual?

Is this "The Angry Silence"...

 

[atfc village]

Aldershot is a complete Toilet lots of social problems ,drugs ,dropouts and too many people have moved there without enough suitable housing .If someone had a pop at it most would laugh and agree with it,it's my hometown aswell btw.

 

[BigGully]

The problem with 'isms' is that if you afford it to one group of people then quite reasonably another group will demand the same consideration.

I am yet to see where this might end, I recall enjoying a slot with the Italian chef Gino D'Acampo with Chris Evans on Radio BBC 2.

It consisted of Chris Evans laughing at/with the chef and mimicking his mispronunciation of his words and accent etc.

I did wonder at what point does the 'harmless fully consensual' mimicking of accents etc, begin and end, is it Europe, or are we obliged to factor in colour of those we laugh at.

I am looking forward to hearing a similar slot, laughing at the next Asian guest, it will take me back to the ever missed TV show 'Mind your Language'.

 

[drew]

Perhaps it would be easier if we all had a sense of humour bypass, that might make every sensitive soul happy but what a dull life it would be. If you're worried about it then perhaps you have some of your own issues to work through!

 

[Baldseagull]

Listening to the Stephen K Amos radio show Wednesday evening on R4, he made a very cheap joke about Brighton in the context of his family (most of his humour ia about his family and a lot of that is how they treat his homosexuality).

Claiming that his mother has a fixation about the Queen he said (to a thin smattering of laughter from the studio audience) "They're All Queens in Brighton!" or words to that effect.

To be honest earlier on he had a pot at Croydon as well. That joke was more like that commonly applied to Eastbourne being "God's Waiting Room" which I heard on another R4 comedy show a few months back. (that got far more laughs). Comedians like Jack Dee commonly use it now. I went to a Jack Dee show in the Congress in Eastbourne a while back where he made jokes about Hastings, which went down very well.

Making fun of communities is not new. One of the earliest I remember was about 1972 in an episode of "Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads" where Bob (Rodney Bewes) admits that he has a cousin who is a gay antiques dealer. His mate Terry (James Bolam) asks where his shop is. "Harrogate" says Bob. "Ah, they're all pooves in Harrogate!" says Terry with feeling.

The point is is this not discriminatory? Do Brighton inhabitants like being branded on national radio as 100% homosexual?

It is discriminatory, but no one believes it is true, it's a joke made using exaggeration. I read daily on here jokes and comments about Crawley and it's residents being, chavvy, sub human, neanderthals, a bit of Croydon in Sussex etc. I know it is an exaggeration of the truth, so does the poster, I love living in Crawley and proud to be born here, but it does have a bit of Croydon like concrete architecture and a few residents that are well suited to being Jeremy Kyle guests. Brighton does have a few more queens than the average town, so what?

 

[Grassman]

Like most jokes, sometimes it's funny, sometimes not. We used to have a comedy night at The Forum in Tun Wells and without fail every single comedian would say something along the lines of "you're all so posh in Tun Wells...", the irony was never wasted on the Forum audience, sat as we were in a dirty, cold ex-toilet block on broken plastic chairs. Sigh.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Good comedy is never safe comedy. It's edgy. And it's likely to upset some people. "Placeism" might easily be a proxy for racism, or homophobia, but let's not ban it. Where appropriate, though, we can confront the negative side of edgy humour.

 

[clungemeister]

Is this "The Angry Silence"...

stephen k amos must be struggling for material , he was always quite funny but is now languishing on radio 4...never mind eh...i couldn't give a plook either way....english folk have a way of laughing at themselves........and i honestly don't think there that many burglars on this board...!!

 

[Brovion]

"Anyway, a thieving scouser, a six-fingered Norwich fan and a sheepshagging Welshman went into this bar ..."

 

[Pavilionaire]

On the one hand I find it a little tiresome that every reference to Brighton in the media seems to be linked with homosexuality. On the other hand I like taking the piss out of other places in Britain too, so you've got to take the rough with the smooth.

That said, I think that those who work in the media should realise that it isn't just Brighton that has gay people. Whenever reality TV programmes try an be all-inclusive and PC by featuring gay people why do they always live in/around Brighton, or be looking to move to Brighton? This is especially true of all these property programmes on Channel 4. Maybe it's because Phil Spencer is addicted to the innuendo and the opportunity this affords?

 

[mona]

I don't find Amos particularly funny but it was a harmless enough gag. Strangely I sensed it might make NSC.
A lot of English humour is about places whether it's Bognor Regis, Wigan or Hartlepool.
The Scots, Irish and Americans sing songs about their towns and cities; English people joke about theirs. Discuss.

 

[Eeyore]

Brighton is always going to be subject to benign jokes about Queens and its left wing tree huggers. It's all very benign and inoffensive. There is a difference between that and malicious referencing in general conversation. At least we are on the map.

I tend to avoid making references to negative traits of any location, or rather creating a crude blanket assertion about a place, because I'm not comfortable about any accuracy attached to such things.

It's always a question of context and intent. There is a marked difference between suggesting that the Queen doesn't visit Brighton for fear of being upstaged and describing the place as a town full of meat off cuts and offal.

One of my favourite books on northern culture, very humorous and informative:

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/feb/03/travel.travelbooks

 

[Albion Pearl Jammer]

NO....you shouldnt ban any comedian from saying anything, if you don't like it don't listen to them or go and see them again. OP as you said it didn't get much of a laugh because it's not that funny (to me anyway) but I'm sure if you're honest with yourself we have all laughed at jokes about people from different places not only in th UK but around the world. My favourite comedian to see live is Jimmy Carr, I don't have favourable views on rape or taking the piss out of disabled people but after an 'oooh' I laugh as do the rest of the audience, he's offensive yes, but only if you take offence, Its just comedy, I have a few beers and a laugh when i see him, and for the record I do not like Roy chubby brown, swearing is funny but there needs to be more to it than that, for me anyway

 

[Danny-Boy]

I don't find Amos particularly funny but it was a harmless enough gag. Strangely I sensed it might make NSC.
A lot of English humour is about places whether it's Bognor Regis, Wigan or Hartlepool.
The Scots, Irish and Americans sing songs about their towns and cities; English people joke about theirs. Discuss.

Good point. For a laugh tell me which records the following towns or local places are mentioned in:

1) Eastbourne
2) Bexhill (by the same artist)
3) Camber Sands

All these recorrd got into the charts at the time.

prize fr anyone who can find a sung reference to Seaford.

 

[Danny-Boy]

Aldershot is a complete Toilet lots of social problems ,drugs ,dropouts and too many people have moved there without enough suitable housing .If someone had a pop at it most would laugh and agree with it,it's my hometown aswell btw.

Years ago it was an Army town but I know what you mean, if it's the town you were born and brought up in it's your "hometown" and criticism of it is sometimes not appreciated.

Mine is Croydon...

 

[Biscuit]

Brightonians getting upset about sneering placeism is hugely ironic. Is there a place in the country, or indeed the world, that we have decided is on parr with our great city?

 

[Goldstone1976]

prize fr anyone who can find a sung reference to Seaford.

"I can Seaford miles and miles"

 

[Questions]

"Anyway, a thieving scouser, a six-fingered Norwich fan and a sheepshagging Welshman went into this bar ..."

Then what happened ?

 

[Nibble]

Stephen K Amos is not remotely funny. If he was white and straight he wouldn't be well known.