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Most people? Not sure that's true Sherry. The reason I asked is because my adult sister has/had huge issues with her self-image and self-esteem due to the way she was/is treated by others due to her disability. In short, the casual mocking of people with a disability legitimises a culture whereby we de-personalise the subjects of such humour and pretend that it's all innocent and has no effect. That is patently not true in at least some cases.

 

As her brother, I am uncomfortable (although I wouldn't use the words outraged or offended) with anything I perceive to be perpetuating the acceptability of such use of language. I want to see her happy and accepted. Clearly the end of mong gags won't achieve that, but it's all incremental, isn't it? The civil rights movement didn't end racism, but it moved things forward.

 

As I said above, I think the word mong is kind of funny in a playground sort of way and has become slightly removed from the DS connotations. That said, while some remain offended by it, I won't use it - as I found out on here a few years ago after using it a couple of times and having two long standing forumites privately pull me up on it due to the way it made them feel about their own family members.

 

For me the crux of the matter is that if what you say is personally painful to people then you shouldn't say it, by and large; certainly not casually so.

 

I appreciate what you're saying but like I said, for me my issue with it is... Jealousy.

 

Maybe i've generalised a fair bit by saying most people, but of those i socialise with who've got disabled children/family members they are quite busy and it does seem to take alot to rile them. If any of you look at the images of kids with soto's then you'll see there are quite vivid characteristics of the face and body, she has been bullied due to her size, currently 5'10 i think. Size 11 feet and so on, but she is that big, there's no getting away from it. Any other person that tall would be ribbed, because it's her disability that makes her that way means she can't be? The world isn't kind enough to differentiate, she'll integrate with society, she'll work, pay her way and so on. Just as that person was discriminated against for their hair colour she maybe for being tall. I'm sounding simplistic and i know that. I've just done my best for her and i will for Lydi to realise that society won't grant social leeway with adults the way it does for kids and if the use of words such as mong/spaz comes up then that's the way it is. It doesn't mean it's right, but if they're offended by it then i've not prepared them as well as i would of liked.

 

 

 

*goes off to buy ginger hair dye for when they get home*

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Most people? Not sure that's true Sherry. The reason I asked is because my adult sister has/had huge issues with her self-image and self-esteem due to the way she was/is treated by others due to her disability. In short, the casual mocking of people with a disability legitimises a culture whereby we de-personalise the subjects of such humour and pretend that it's all innocent and has no effect. That is patently not true in at least some cases.

 

As her brother, I am uncomfortable (although I wouldn't use the words outraged or offended) with anything I perceive to be perpetuating the acceptability of such use of language. I want to see her happy and accepted. Clearly the end of mong gags won't achieve that, but it's all incremental, isn't it? The civil rights movement didn't end racism, but it moved things forward.

 

As I said above, I think the word mong is kind of funny in a playground sort of way and has become slightly removed from the DS connotations. That said, while some remain offended by it, I won't use it - as I found out on here a few years ago after using it a couple of times and having two long standing forumites privately pull me up on it due to the way it made them feel about their own family members.

 

For me the crux of the matter is that if what you say is personally painful to people then you shouldn't say it, by and large; certainly not casually so.

 

It'll be interesting to see how people treat "Life's too short" given that a huge amount of the cast will be little people. A fair amount will probably take the route of saying he's going for the easy joke and miss completely the fact that once you get past the odd joke about putting the doorbell higher to stop someone ringing it the humour will be based on other things.

 

I think there's some massively misguided views on Gervais on here and that a lot of people judge him on the persona that he cultivates for public consumption. Idea like the fact he cares about his mainstream success are so far wide of the mark it's untrue. He cares about the quality of his work and his legacy, and that's it. I don't know where the idea that he's always out with models in Hollywood comes from either, as he deliberately shuns a lot of that shit to have a quiet life.

 

When he's taking the piss out his producer Ash, calling him a "Little wheelchair fella" and mocking him at award ceremonies he's just treating him the same as he would someone else. He's not making a distiction between him and "normal" people.

 

A lot of people don't get him, but then he seems to deliberately not make that easy.

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He's living off him? Think he's living off his vast wealth produced by his back catalogue.

 

He's promoting him, and their show. He wants Karl to be the most famous person in the world. He want people coming up to him in the street. He wants this because he knows Karl would hate it and that amuses him.

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Living was the wrong term. More using the 'Karl Pilkington brand' to promote Gervais' own comedy genius.

 

Why can't he promote him from behind the scenes, Gervais hinders An Idiot Abroad as oppose to enhancing it.

 

I disagree, some of the funniest parts have been Gervais and Merchant's phone calls to Karl, and then watching Karl absolutely lose the plot!

 

I wasn't a big fan of Gervais before Idiot Abroad, but I've warmed to him a lot now which is strange given the minimal part he plays in the two series.

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To comment on Gervais an artist,I only ever laughed when he did that C4 show called 'The 11 o'clock show.

I honestly dont find him funny although a lot of people seem to like his shows such as The Office and Extras. They dont do it for me but I admire the fact that he seems able to write good stuff.

 

Probably a little bit similar to Peter Kay,IMO. I think hes a brilliant writer but not a great stand up.

He comes across as a better person than Gervais though.

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he's aMONG friends. (has anyone done this yet? can't be arsed reading the whole thread)

 

He makes me laugh but I wouldn't fancy a pint with him. I think he'd have short-man-syndrome and be a bit up his own arse. The Office and Extras are genius though.

 

 

Yeah, like I didn't already do that fucking joke in THE TITLE OF THE THREAD.

 

I agree The Office is superb, Extras was OK. He's not a very good stand-up, and most of his Hollywood films have been fucking execrable.

 

I haven't watched any of the Pilkington stuff because it's stupid television for stupid people.

 

That's about it, really.

 

And he's a lying cunt about his use of the word mong, but we've already established that. I hope he has some children with Down's Syndrome. We'll see how much he loves calling people mongs then.

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I'm guessing this is aimed at me. It's not as if I'm telling you what or what not to do; what I am saying is that when you have a *friend/family member* who has *ailment* you perhaps see things in a different way. I didn't say anything was disgusting, just that Gervais's argument was weak.

 

Just so it's clear, if you had a close family member who had Down's Syndrome would you use the word "mong"?

 

I wouldn't use the term "mong" to describe yours, mine or anyone else's Down Syndrome child/friend/relative but I would use it to describe people who were a bit of a spaz in the modern context of the word. I would because it's about context.

 

I just hate the lazy argument of "so and so is out of order because they made a joke about something that affects me personally"

 

As stated before this particular standup has been around for a couple of years and it's only because it was on mainstream television the email writing mongs are kicking off about it

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Probably a little bit similar to Peter Kay,IMO. I think hes a brilliant writer but not a great stand up.

He comes across as a better person than Gervais though.

 

In what way? By not saying the word 'mong'? Peter Kay, according to a few accounts, is a huge cunt, and i'm not just talking about his girth here.

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It'll be interesting to see how people treat "Life's too short" given that a huge amount of the cast will be little people. A fair amount will probably take the route of saying he's going for the easy joke and miss completely the fact that once you get past the odd joke about putting the doorbell higher to stop someone ringing it the humour will be based on other things.

 

I think there's some massively misguided views on Gervais on here and that a lot of people judge him on the persona that he cultivates for public consumption. Idea like the fact he cares about his mainstream success are so far wide of the mark it's untrue. He cares about the quality of his work and his legacy, and that's it. I don't know where the idea that he's always out with models in Hollywood comes from either, as he deliberately shuns a lot of that shit to have a quiet life.

 

When he's taking the piss out his producer Ash, calling him a "Little wheelchair fella" and mocking him at award ceremonies he's just treating him the same as he would someone else. He's not making a distiction between him and "normal" people.

 

A lot of people don't get him, but then he seems to deliberately not make that easy.

 

I'm looking forward to that - and I'm very intrigued to see what my sister thinks of it. Also, I totally get the Gervais thing, but - like everything (and especially this forum) - context is all, isn't it? On a TV show billed as a comedy, it is more obvious what he's trying to do than when he's being the "real" Ricky Gervais. Like I said, I'm not up in arms about it; I'm just a bit uncomfortable with it - mainly for the fact that so many people don't "get" it and think it's all OK - as per the Twitter war that broke out over his.

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Yeah, like I didn't already do that fucking joke in THE TITLE OF THE THREAD.

 

I agree The Office is superb, Extras was OK. He's not a very good stand-up, and most of his Hollywood films have been fucking execrable.

 

I haven't watched any of the Pilkington stuff because it's stupid television for stupid people.

 

That's about it, really.

 

And he's a lying cunt about his use of the word mong, but we've already established that. I hope he has some children with Down's Syndrome. We'll see how much he loves calling people mongs then.

 

Yeh well done with that, you have just confirmed what everyone else was thinking.

Pathetic.

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In what way? By not saying the word 'mong'? Peter Kay, according to a few accounts, is a huge cunt, and i'm not just talking about his girth here.

 

I know a couple of lads who went to the same school as him in Bolton and they said he was pretty down to earth and still let on to them in the street.

 

I also saw him a few years ago with his missus and baby at the time walking round a country park like a normal family with no minders or looking flash or any of that stuff.

So my sources say Peter Kay is an alright fella.

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I wouldn't use the term "mong" to describe yours, mine or anyone else's Down Syndrome child/friend/relative but I would use it to describe people who were a bit of a spaz in the modern context of the word. I would because it's about context.

 

I just hate the lazy argument of "so and so is out of order because they made a joke about something that affects me personally"

 

As stated before this particular standup has been around for a couple of years and it's only because it was on mainstream television the email writing mongs are kicking off about it

 

If a relative's child, who happens to have Down's Syndrome, does something daft then why not call them a mong if the word no longer has any connection with "mongoloid"? Paulie, you are clearly a decent person because you don't want to upset anyone but I am struggling with the "I can use this word provided there's nobody present who has a Down's Syndrome relative with them" context idea. It reminds me of

 

TED: (frantically) Wha.. Who.. Wha.. ?!? Dougal there were Chinese people there.

DOUGAL: Oh right yeah.

TED: I mean what is.... I mean...

DOUGAL: That's the Yin family. They're living over there in that whole Chinatown area.

TED: Chinatown area? There's a Chinatown on Craggy Island? Dougal, I wouldn't have done a Chinaman impression if I'd known there was going to be a Chinaman there to see me do a Chinaman impression.

DOUGAL: Why not Ted?

TED: Because. Because it's racist. They'll think I'm a racist. I'm going to have to catch up with them and explain I'm not a racist.

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