There are a number of plausible angles on the apparent decline of the developed world. One is that developed world elites have relearned a global lesson - how to despise ordinary people, their lives, tastes, culture, education and ambitions. Unfortunately, as an overarching explanation this angle works well.
For example –
For decades TV comedy and drama have relied on characters which are caricatures we recognise, caricatures to be lampooned, vilified, cheered, despised, admired and so on. We are all familiar with characters we never really encounter in real life because they are fictional caricatures specifically crafted for their roles in comedy or drama.
Alf Garnett, Frank Spencer, Hyacinth Bucket, Terry of Terry and June – the list goes back a long way because the caricature has always been a backbone of TV sitcom and drama. Dad’s Army was hugely popular yet it made fun of the Home Guard in World War II. It made fun of ordinary people – the bank manager, the butcher, vicar, undertaker, ARP warden, housewife - ordinary people being courageous and patriotic.
The whole gamut of working class and middle class caricature seems to infest BBC culture. It appears to foster a perception that its hordes of caricatures are more than fictional, that this is how ordinary people really are – limited, absurd, even contemptible and easy to despise.
There are many more of course. A vast number of caricatures are figures of fun but also the kind of people who would never have landed a job at the BBC. Ordinary people seem to be despised by the BBC – that is to say ordinary licence payers. It is an interesting memory game, totting up how many situation comedies poked fun at characters who would also be BBC licence payers.
Elites and those on the elite fringes despise us for being easy to manipulate, have done for decades and show it in many ways apart from TV. Woke culture is remarkably akin to a monstrous sitcom inserted into real life - a whole range of caricatures designed to make fun of ordinary people leading ordinary lives. Too far fetched? Look at Prince Harry – he’s a right laugh isn’t he?
Or take the coronavirus pandemic – what a laugh that has been. Making millions of people stay indoors while a heavily hyped infection fails to rampage through the land. As a demonstration of government power, government ineptitude and the power of propaganda it was almost inspired. Drama and comedy rolled into one vast sitcom and still we aren’t allowed to see the joke.
It isn’t only situation comedy though. How about climate change, the game show where ordinary people are supposed to believe that driving their car causes irreversible changes to global weather. Not only that but they have to hand over lots of money to pretend it can be stopped. What a laugh eh? Imagine wanting to be a contestant on that show.
How about Boris Johnson’s government? Is this one of the worst UK governments since WWII? No? Bzzzzz wrong answer. Or the absurd elevation of Jeremy Corbyn to Labour party leader, or our ludicrous inability to manage immigration or our difficulties in leaving the EU.
For decades TV comedy and drama have relied on characters which are caricatures we recognise, caricatures to be lampooned, vilified, cheered, despised, admired and so on. We are all familiar with characters we never really encounter in real life because they are fictional caricatures specifically crafted for their roles in comedy or drama.
Alf Garnett, Frank Spencer, Hyacinth Bucket, Terry of Terry and June – the list goes back a long way because the caricature has always been a backbone of TV sitcom and drama. Dad’s Army was hugely popular yet it made fun of the Home Guard in World War II. It made fun of ordinary people – the bank manager, the butcher, vicar, undertaker, ARP warden, housewife - ordinary people being courageous and patriotic.
The whole gamut of working class and middle class caricature seems to infest BBC culture. It appears to foster a perception that its hordes of caricatures are more than fictional, that this is how ordinary people really are – limited, absurd, even contemptible and easy to despise.
There are many more of course. A vast number of caricatures are figures of fun but also the kind of people who would never have landed a job at the BBC. Ordinary people seem to be despised by the BBC – that is to say ordinary licence payers. It is an interesting memory game, totting up how many situation comedies poked fun at characters who would also be BBC licence payers.
Elites and those on the elite fringes despise us for being easy to manipulate, have done for decades and show it in many ways apart from TV. Woke culture is remarkably akin to a monstrous sitcom inserted into real life - a whole range of caricatures designed to make fun of ordinary people leading ordinary lives. Too far fetched? Look at Prince Harry – he’s a right laugh isn’t he?
Or take the coronavirus pandemic – what a laugh that has been. Making millions of people stay indoors while a heavily hyped infection fails to rampage through the land. As a demonstration of government power, government ineptitude and the power of propaganda it was almost inspired. Drama and comedy rolled into one vast sitcom and still we aren’t allowed to see the joke.
It isn’t only situation comedy though. How about climate change, the game show where ordinary people are supposed to believe that driving their car causes irreversible changes to global weather. Not only that but they have to hand over lots of money to pretend it can be stopped. What a laugh eh? Imagine wanting to be a contestant on that show.
How about Boris Johnson’s government? Is this one of the worst UK governments since WWII? No? Bzzzzz wrong answer. Or the absurd elevation of Jeremy Corbyn to Labour party leader, or our ludicrous inability to manage immigration or our difficulties in leaving the EU.
The people you vote for are useless – ho ho didn’t you know?
Yes - our faces are being rubbed in it.
11 comments:
It has always bothered me how, in sit-com land, so many absolutely incompetent men are able to have nice jobs, nice (fairly) nice families and very nice homes.
While super competent wifie runs everything, sorts out problems, pulls hubby out of shit.
This has gone on for years.
Sons never do rough manual labouring jobs. In fact they do not seem to be employed.
For me it takes the com out of sit-com.
Is there a sitcom based on senior Tv management, akin to The Thick Of It?
Hot Metal got close. Or Drop the Dead Donkey?
I can understand why, at some point in the twentieth century, the government and the associated establishment thought it necessary to set up a corporation which monopolised the new TV and radio technology. Very useful, really. Tell the people what to do, and all that.
It now looks odd, though, that they should also decide to "entertain" the population with a parade of plays, comedy sketches, and silliness. Maybe it was always about control. Don't think this, don't like that, don't be this type of person...
I'm old enough to remember Mrs Dale's Diary on the wireless: here was the BBC writ large. Doctor Dale, Mrs Dale and sundry other people of a better class spoke BBC English and instructed the scruff on what to do about the latest problem rustled up by their masters. To let the listeners know their place, there was a backup cast of cockney stereotypes we could identify with. Nowadays the tv companies don't bother with the toffs, they have the lowest common denominator scruffs plugging what's good for us. If they can find lowest common denominator coloured gay scruffs with estuary English accents and no visible talent, so much the better . . . .
I wonder how long the BBC is going to last now that people are cancelling?
Doonhamer - you are right, wifie who runs everything and pulls hubby out of shit has gone on for years. Okay in small doses, but it leaves a sour taste when it becomes standard fare.
Sackers and Graeme - I'm not familiar with any of those but I often watched no more than the first episode of a new series.
Sam - yes the "entertainment" looks odd now. With hindsight the entertainment could have been dropped once ITV came along.
Jannie - old British newsreels are an interesting indicator of the way accents and general approach have changed. As you say we now have the lowest common denominator scruffs plugging what's good for us or good for us to know.
James - unless it flattens off there is bound to be a crunch point in a few years. The BBC has managed to keep the scam going so far though.
The most blatant recent demonstration of totalitarian contempt for us was the government’s announcement that if would facilitate British Residence and citizenship for 3 million Hong Kong Chinese “( who, of course are lIkely to have dependents).
Whilst the motive may be different, it was just as high handed as Tony Blair stepping up,immigration “to rub the Right’s noses in diversity”
or Angela Merkel inviting in a million or more mostly Muslim immigrants with the assurance “,Wir schaffenn das” (;we can cope with this”)
Essentially these are all instances of governments electing a new people.
In no case had they made It part of any prior manifesto or democratic consent.
In all cases, it shows contempt for their own people.
Edward - I agree, it is a demonstration of totalitarian contempt. I assume they don't expect so many to actually arrive but we also know how useless they are at estimating immigration numbers.
Australia & Canada have also offered to take HKCs - presently it's mainly about sticking one to China for ignoring the 1997 agreement.
But these highly educated and talented people are all welcome here - they'll not be a burden on the state, unlike Germany's one million "aspiring architects".
How do you know when a politician is lying? He's talking
How do you know when Xi is lying? Ditto
Ed - I think we have reached a state where even an influx of large numbers of highly educated and talented people would be a problem.
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