Since we’re not allowed to watch Basil Fawlty not mentioning the war in case we offend the Germans, can we celebrate Waterloo Day today as the Prussians were on our side?
It's a good job they were on our side. Napoleon would have wiped the floor with us had the Prussians not been there. We were so fortunate that Napoleon split his Army
Except we can because it's been re-instated (or is going to be) and because it wasn't the Germans scene that was the problem.
Wont it upset the French? By the way does anyone celebrate the 14th October - Battle of Hastings Day - I know we dont but do the nothern French?
Surely it was temporarily removed to review the words used by the Major in his description of the West Indies cricket team! I love Fawlty Towers & the “Germans” episode but those words needed to be amended as they were truly offensive - I don’t hold with a view that it shows up racism in its stupidity, they just shouldn’t be heard!
It's a tough one in that there will always be someone laughing because they just find the racism itself funny. It's out of place for sure because it was an immensely popular comedy at prime time (I think?) using deeply offensive words. But the intention is clearly to show the major as being out of touch and ridiculously antiquated. When I was teaching in high school years ago, my head of English made the decision for us to stop teaching Of Mice and Men on the insistence of a parent because one our black students was uncomfortable with the use of 'n-----' in the novel. This meant that the whole year didn't study the book. If I was a bit older and more confident I'd have refused to do this. Firstly, it denies a chance to experience in literature the historic racism whose legacy is the racism of today. Secondly, the novella is empathetic in showing the suffering of Crooks, the black character, and the odiousness of the racist character Curley. It's not exactly an analogy as Of Mice and Men isn't a comedy, but it shows the difficulties of how we deal with pieces of art which depict racism.
As long as you acknowledge and understand the part played in that victory by the men of Belgium, Holland, Hanover, Brunswick, Brandenburg, Prussia, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
Sorry mate - I've just seen some many people post similar things in all seriousness. It's driving me mad.