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John Cleese: Cancel me (TV Show)

mcjmetroid

Member
Thought some of you might be interested in this.

John Cleese is doing a show on Channel 4 in the Uk talking about Cancel Culture. As we all know he has been a strong opponent to cancel culture in the past.
John Cleese as hopefully most of you would know is the star of Fawlty Towers and Monty Python and much more.
Can't seem to find a release date on the show itself.

Some choice Tweets in the past:







Article:

John Cleese will take on the topic of “cancel culture” in a forthcoming television series for the UK’s Channel 4.
The new documentary will reportedly explore “why a new ‘woke’ generation is trying to rewrite the rules on what can and can’t be said”.

John Cleese: Cancel Me will see the British comedian and actor meet various subjects who claim to have been “cancelled” for their actions or statements, and activists who have led opposition to various public figures.
In a statement, Cleese said: “I’m delighted to have a chance to find out, on camera, about all the aspects of so-called political correctness. There’s so much I really don’t understand, like: how the impeccable idea of ‘Let’s all be kind to people’ has been developed in some cases ad absurdum.”

John Cleese, Connie Booth and Andrew Sachs
UKTV to reinstate Fawlty Towers episode The Germans
Read more

“I want to bring the various reasonings right out in the open so that people can be clearer in their minds what they agree with, what they don’t agree with, and what they still can’t make their mind up about.”
The Monty Python and Fawlty Towers star has come under fire himself for his previous work.
In June 2020, Cleese responded angrily to a UKTV decision to remove from streaming an episode of his comedy Fawlty Towers that contained “racial slurs”.
The episode, The Germans, contained a scene in which the character of Major Gowen uses racist language in an anecdote about the West Indies cricket team.
Cleese told the Age at the time: “If you put nonsense words into the mouth of someone you want to make fun of, you’re not broadcasting their views, you’re making fun of them. The major was an old fossil left over from decades before. We were not supporting his views, we were making fun of them. If they can’t see that – if people are too stupid to see that – what can one say?”
The episode was later reinstated on the platform with a content and language warning.
Cleese also has been vocal about his opinions on “cancel culture” in the past, saying he worries about the effects it might have on creativity.
“[Political correctness] stuff started out as a good idea, which is, ‘Let’s not be mean to people’, and I’m in favour of that despite my age,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme in September 2020.
“The main thing is to try to be kind. But that then becomes a sort of indulgence of the most over-sensitive people in your culture, the people who are most easily upset … I don’t think we should organise a society around the sensibilities of the most easily upset people because then you have a very neurotic society.
“From the point of creativity, if you have to keep thinking which words you can use and which you can’t, then that will stifle creativity. The main thing is to realise that words depend on their context. Very literal-minded people think a word is a word but it isn’t.”
 

RAÏSanÏa

Member
a scene in which the character of Major Gowen uses racist language in an anecdote about the West Indies cricket team.
Cleese told the Age at the time: “If you put nonsense words into the mouth of someone you want to make fun of, you’re not broadcasting their views, you’re making fun of them. The major was an old fossil left over from decades before. We were not supporting his views, we were making fun of them. If they can’t see that – if people are too stupid to see that – what can one say?”

It'll be interesting to see how many of these are like the example and how many are racists who don't realize their statements and views are the greater folly that misses the bigger social picture and change. Like someone who hates wokeness because they can't find social or commercial acceptance from a forced audience at work or passing through public spaces to tell the racist jokes a grandparent told them any longer.

Just "Archie Bunker things" or "You're not my dad!". Character development or Darwinism.
Maybe there's more to it.
Will give Cleese the benefit of giving his show a go.
 

Kreen101

Member
I think John Cleese largely sees what's happening for what it is.
His experiences with the Life of Brian awakened him.
In the old days, it was the Right who would complain, boycott and protest, but it rarely worked, because the Left was more powerful culturally. Life of Brian came out and was successful.

Today, it is the Left that complains and boycotts, and they always win, immediately, with very little effort beyond tweets, and they successfully kill off the projects/careers they were protesting. I wanted to see that Michael Jackson parody film with Joseph Fiennes. A few people complained Jacko should have been played by a black man, and the movie was cancelled, never to be shown. So that's the difference.
 

mcjmetroid

Member
In the old days, it was the Right who would complain, boycott and protest, but it rarely worked, because the Left was more powerful culturally. Life of Brian came out and was successful.

Today, it is the Left that complains and boycotts, and they always win, immediately, with very little effort beyond tweets, and they successfully kill off the projects/careers they were protesting. I wanted to see that Michael Jackson parody film with Joseph Fiennes. A few people complained Jacko should have been played by a black man, and the movie was cancelled, never to be shown. So that's the difference.
Also back in the day it was the idiots or ignorant rights that would complain about this stuff.

You're now seeing the worst of the left complaining about this stuff.
 

ManaByte

Member
giphy.gif
 

CGiRanger

Banned
John Cleese still holding up the torch. It will be a sad day when he's gone, not many following suit to the greatness that is Monty Python.
In all seriousness, is there any good and worthwhile comedy these days? Is comedy even a thing anymore? I no longer hear much about stand-up comedians that's for sure. And how many "Comedy" focused films are even made anymore (particularly in the US)?

It's deliberately being destroyed by certain culture warriors. In an age when people cannot laugh at themselves, what does that say about society?
 

sackings

Member
In all seriousness, is there any good and worthwhile comedy these days? Is comedy even a thing anymore? I no longer hear much about stand-up comedians that's for sure. And how many "Comedy" focused films are even made anymore (particularly in the US)?

It's deliberately being destroyed by certain culture warriors. In an age when people cannot laugh at themselves, what does that say about society?
babylonbee is usually spot on
 

GeorgPrime

Banned
Thought some of you might be interested in this.

John Cleese is doing a show on Channel 4 in the Uk talking about Cancel Culture. As we all know he has been a strong opponent to cancel culture in the past.
John Cleese as hopefully most of you would know is the star of Fawlty Towers and Monty Python and much more.
Can't seem to find a release date on the show itself.

Some choice Tweets in the past:







Article:





Lets see how long until it gets canceled lol
 
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Fbh

Member
In all seriousness, is there any good and worthwhile comedy these days? Is comedy even a thing anymore? I no longer hear much about stand-up comedians that's for sure. And how many "Comedy" focused films are even made anymore (particularly in the US)?

It's deliberately being destroyed by certain culture warriors. In an age when people cannot laugh at themselves, what does that say about society?

I haven watched a good comedy show in years.
There's still some good standup but I wonder what will happen once people like Chapelle and Bill Burr retire. Those guys have been around for long enough and have a big enough fanbase that they aren't worried about being cancelled over something they say.

But I don't know if there's any newer and younger talent doing non "safe" comedy, and if there are I don't know if the current trend of sensitive people on twitter dictating what is and isn't ok will allow for them to become big/successful.
 

DKehoe

Gold Member
In all seriousness, is there any good and worthwhile comedy these days? Is comedy even a thing anymore? I no longer hear much about stand-up comedians that's for sure. And how many "Comedy" focused films are even made anymore (particularly in the US)?
Check out I Think You Should Leave. I really enjoyed both seasons of that.
 

Tschumi

Member
Hopefully he's going to say a good example, you can be against cancelling without being an intolerant wanker :) :messenger_fire:
 

bitbydeath

Member
I haven watched a good comedy show in years.
There's still some good standup but I wonder what will happen once people like Chapelle and Bill Burr retire. Those guys have been around for long enough and have a big enough fanbase that they aren't worried about being cancelled over something they say.

But I don't know if there's any newer and younger talent doing non "safe" comedy, and if there are I don't know if the current trend of sensitive people on twitter dictating what is and isn't ok will allow for them to become big/successful.
South Park creators just got a cool billion to stick around for a lot longer.
 

JonSnowball

Member
I haven watched a good comedy show in years.
There's still some good standup but I wonder what will happen once people like Chapelle and Bill Burr retire. Those guys have been around for long enough and have a big enough fanbase that they aren't worried about being cancelled over something they say.

But I don't know if there's any newer and younger talent doing non "safe" comedy, and if there are I don't know if the current trend of sensitive people on twitter dictating what is and isn't ok will allow for them to become big/successful.
Louis CKs most recent special is pretty good.

 

INC

Member
Piers Mogran being a cnt as usual. Shocking stuff.

Asks whats causing this? Yet that cunt run a newspaper, and caused most of this, dudes a fucking reptilian. Anyone who takes him seriously needs a mental health check up
 
The Justine Sacco story is so infuriating. The outrage mob got a taste for blood of the innocent and has never let up.
Good book on the subject:
Soyouvebeenpubliclyshamed.jpg
Finished this not too long ago, hilarious and tragic. Another guy from the UK that understands the absurdity of cancel culture. One of the few people to publicly side with Sacco, or at least argue that the punishment far outweighed the crime
 

Relativ9

Member
James Buckley who played Jay on Inbetweeners was asked about the fall of comedy once and he put the blame entirely on Twitter.


Hah the fucking gall of Pierce Morgan asking what caused the current mood of oversensitivity and woke-ness; you did you fucking twat, you and your friends in the global media:

 
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poodaddy

Gold Member
Hah the fucking gall of Pierce Morgan asking what caused the current mood of oversensitivity and woke-ness; you did you fucking twat, you and your friends in the global media:


Both Shapiro and Morgan are insufferable cunts.

On Topic: John Cleese is a fucking hero and I will worship this show if a studio actually has the balls to produce it. We desperately need a show like this right now, as it could potentially cause a cultural shift away from this woke bullshit if it was popular enough and well received.
 
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