Ricky Gervais - is he a mong? Or among friends?

[silverlining]

Gervais is getting some serrious stick from all quarters regarding his perpetual use of the word "mong" and posting pictures of himself pulling "mongy" faces on Twatter.

 

Sean Lock and Richard Herring are the latest comedians to slate him, calling him "lazy" and "If the words are upsetting some people and perpetuating a stereotype, isn't it more noble and thoughtful to just admit you might have made a mistake and stop?"

 

Gervais has claimed detractors are jealous of his success and bemoaned the "humourless PC brigade":

 

"The modern use of the word mong means 'dopey' or 'ignorant'," said Gervais in a statement. "It's even in modern slang and urban dictionaries."

 

"Well done everyone who pointed out that Mong USED to be a derogatory term for DS [Down's Syndrome], Gay USED to mean happy. Words change. Get over it."

 

So. Is Gervais a bad mong?

[Guest Slim(fast)Shady]

Gervais.....most overated human being there has ever been.....got lucky with The Office however anyone who works in an office could've wrote that....Extra's you felt compelled to laugh although in truth not at all funny...

 

Standup is Cringeworthy!

 

The real Gervais......when asked to do a stint i think was at Princess Diana's memorial (mebee) when was resorted to his "funny dance"..

 

Find him an embaressment to be honest!

[silverlining]

Gervais.....most overated human being there has ever been.....got lucky with The Office however anyone who works in an office could've wrote that....Extra's you felt compelled to laugh although in truth not at all funny...

 

Standup is Cringeworthy!

 

The real Gervais......when asked to do a stint i think was at Princess Diana's memorial (mebee) when was resorted to his "funny dance"..

 

Find him an embaressment to be honest!

 

Well, I agree with parts of your post - poorly-written, punctuated and spelled as it is - but the bit in bold is not true.

[The Dude Abides]

It's mad really, how big he's gotten off of one, admittedly, truly brilliant show. He's done nothing but mediocrity since. Painfully unfunny stand-up too.

 

Regards the use of the word, he says he's not using it "like that", which would be fair enough, but when you put the word and the faces he's pulling together, then what way does he mean it?

[Anubis]

Most people use the word mong as a slang term (see any FF match thread), so I think the mongs laying into him should get off his back.

[kelster]

He's a comedian and people like to be outraged. Richard Herring after his "racists have a point" misunderstanding which resulted in other comedians having a go at him should know better.

[Bobby Hundreds]

I always use the word mong especially when talking to retards. They love it the goofy little bastards.

[silverlining]

It's mad really, how big he's gotten off of one, admittedly, truly brilliant show. He's done nothing but mediocrity since. Painfully unfunny stand-up too.

 

Regards the use of the word, he says he's not using it "like that", which would be fair enough, but when you put the word and the faces he's pulling together, then what way does he mean it?

 

I saw his stand-up years ago at a Channel 4 jolly. Way before The Office.

 

It was exactly the same style and similar material to what he does now. In fact I saw him recycling the same decade-old jokes.

[Carvalho Diablo]

He's just not funny. At all. Ever.

[Strontium]

I'm just glad someone is finally standing up to the language fascists who want to sanitise our vocabulary.

[Ezekiel 25:17]

I love Gervais, he's easily a mong my top five comedians ever.

[The Dude Abides]

Most people use the word mong as a slang term (see any FF match thread), so I think the mongs laying into him should get off his back.

 

What's with the faces then?

[silverlining]

He's a comedian and people like to be outraged. Richard Herring after his "racists have a point" misunderstanding which resulted in other comedians having a go at him should know better.

 

It wasn't a misunderstanding, he was quoted out of context by someone who hadn't seen the whole routine and missed the entire fucking point of it.

[silverlining]

I'm just glad someone is finally standing up to the language fascists who want to sanitise our vocabulary.

 

This isn't about "sanitising vocabulary", it's about a rich, powerful man using words that disabled people find hurtful and offensive, you gigantic fucking spastic (ooops).

[kelster]

It wasn't a misunderstanding, he was quoted out of context by someone who hadn't seen the whole routine and missed the entire fucking point of it.

 

And then other comedians as well as others got all outraged as people love that sort of thing and jumped on the bandwagon and had a go at him. Well done for understanding the post, not sure you had to go to the trouble of expanding on it though. Thanks anyway lining.

 

Why set up the strawman opening post by the way? You could have just outlined your opinion straight off rather than waiting for other people to post so you could just jump on them.

[Anubis]

What faces?

[silverlining]

And then other comedians as well as others got all outraged as people love that sort of thing and jumped on the bandwagon and had a go at him. Well done for understanding the post, not sure you had to go to the trouble of expanding on it though. Thanks anyway lining.

 

There is no wider context, message or routine to justify or explain Gervais's use of the word mong. Or pulling "mong" faces on Twatter.

[Carvalho Diablo]

Pulling mong face = comedy genius ?

 

Oh dear. Fat cunt in desparation shocker.

 

Starved of oxygen (publicity), Gervais' tiny cock whithered to nothing.

 

Shithouse die.

[kelster]

There is no wider context, message or routine to justify or explain Gervais's use of the word mong. Or pulling "mong" faces on Twatter.

 

Comedy needs no message or wider context at all. Comedy doesn't serve any higher purpose. There really are no boundaries at all. If comedians want to explore the limits of good taste then that is their prerogative. If it upsets you or others then don't watch him or line his pockets in any way. Going red faced and writing letters to the Times just brings him the attention that he requires.

 

Anyway, have some Frank Sanazi just to show that comedy isn't always in good taste. If it were, we'd be stuck floppy haired Saturday nights mainstream TV wankers, and no-one wants that.

 

EvlqjFp5CfA

[silverlining]

Comedy needs no message or wider context at all. Comedy doesn't serve any higher purpose. There really are no boundaries at all. If comedians want to explore the limits of good taste then that is their prerogative. If it upsets you or others then don't watch him or line his pockets in any way. Going red faced and writing letters to the Times just brings him the attention that he requires.

 

Anyway, have some Frank Sanazi just to show that comedy isn't always in good taste. If it were, we'd be stuck floppy haired Saturday nights mainstream TV wankers, and no-one wants that.

 

 

Comedy should never be in good taste. But it should have a point.

And be funny.

 

"explore the limits of good taste"? Fuck off.

 

Gervais doesn't upset me. He fucking annoys me at times. I ignore him mostly.

[md1892]

Don't like him or the office, he makes me cringe. That being said I actually thought his stand up was ok.

 

He has a point regarding the evolution of language, the South Park boys have done a load on it recently.

 

Should know that there would be a backlash tho.

[Anubis]

Right, went through Gervais's twitter feed to get a handle on this, and was unsurprised to find a lot of misrepresentation.

 

Firstly, it seems the first tweet below (which is self-depreciating) is what kicked this off...

 

rickygervais Ricky Gervais

“@ludo1983: You know you've made it when you're the answer to a 'This Morning' competition @rickygervais” Was it, name a famous mong?

12 Oct

 

 

And was followed by this explanation when somebody asked him what a 'mong' was.

 

rickygervais Ricky Gervais

“@will_doyle: @rickygervais What is a mong?” A div, a dozy spud headed twonk. I would NEVER use it to mean downs syndrome

12 Oct

 

 

What interseted me, was that for some time before this all kicked off Gervais has been posting pics of himself and others pulling stupid faces. They are a regular feature of his tweets - you don't need to go too far back (just days) for plenty of examples.

 

After the above tweet, he posts a couple of more pictures in the same vein, and suddenly gets jumped on for them. In fact, once this all kicked off, the only pictures he posts with an accompanying tweet stating "this is what a mong looks like" are pictures of Karl Pilkington.

 

What a load of arse.

[silverlining]

Don't like him or the office, he makes me cringe. That being said I actually thought his stand up was ok.

 

He has a point regarding the evolution of language, the South Park boys have done a load on it recently.

 

 

He recently claimed that his stand-up routine and widely-reviled US award show car-crash are all an "act". A nasty, egotistical persona that he adopted in the face of sudden and amazing success.

 

But it's horseshit. His stand-up persona has been exactly the same for 15 years. And how much of it is an act?

 

I loved The Office. I enjoyed the bits of Extras I did see. Some of his stand-up is OK, even if he isn't actually very good at stand-up.

 

But one has to wonder about the sheer amount of comedy that he derives from the misfortune of others. The weak. The disabled. The mentally subnormal. The poor. People who live in different cultures and talk different languages.

 

His hilarious routines about the starving people of Africa (which he's been doing on and off for over a decade)

 

Sitcoms about dwarfs. Because dwarfism is just funny isn't it?

 

Routines and sketches and situations about wheelchairs, blind people, deaf people, black people, fat people, religious people.

 

He may argue it's about how we react to uncomfortable situations or ideas.

 

But this "mong" incident shows what he really likes doing is mocking people less fortunate, or indeed just different, to himself.

[Anubis]

He recently claimed that his stand-up routine and widely-reviled US award show car-crash are all an "act". A nasty, egotistical persona that he adopted in the face of sudden and amazing success.

 

But it's horseshit. His stand-up persona has been exactly the same for 15 years. And one has to wonder how much of it is an act.

 

I loved The Office. I enjoyed the bits of Extras I did see. Some of his stand-up is OK, even if he isn't actually very good at stand-up.

 

But one has to wonder about the sheer amount of comedy that he derives from the misfortune of others. The weak. The disabled. The mentally subnormal. The poor. People who live in different cultures and talk different languages.

 

His hilarious routines about the starving people of Africa (which he's been doing on and off for over a decade)

 

Sitcoms about dwarfs. Because dwarfism is just funny isn't it?

 

Routines and sketches and situations about wheelchairs, blind people, deaf people, black people, fat people, religious people.

 

He may argue it's about how we react to uncomfortable situations or ideas.

 

But this "mong" incident shows what he really likes doing is mocking people less fortunate, or indeed just different, to himself.

 

Didn't seem to stop Warwick Davies having dinner with him a few days ago.

[silverlining]

Didn't seem to stop Warwick Davies having dinner with him a few days ago.

 

I'm sure they're probably good friends. Doesn't really make any fucking difference to the point I'm making about Gervais and his brand of comedy.

 

It's low-brow, easy humour based around mocking disabled people. A bit like Frankie Boyle. Comedy for people who think they're a bit edgy. But aren't.