Basil Brush a racist?
Posted by clubwah on March 18, 2008
I was amazed to read today that Basil Brush, the hilarious fox puppet on British TV, is being investigated by police because of allegedly racist comments about Gipsies.
According to the BBC news a member of the public reported a scene which showed a Gypsy woman trying to sell Basil Brush heather and pegs. Northamptonshire police confirmed they had received a complaint about a TV show featuring Basil Brush from a member of the public in February.
“The complaint was logged as an incident of a racist nature and our Hate Crimes Unit is investigating,” a Northamptonshire Police spokesman said.
The Telegraph reported Brush, a well-to-do and much-liked member of the community, is reported to have told his close friend Iggle Piggle that since the arrival of the ragdolls in town, he ought to “tie everything down in the night garden. You know what those travellers are like! Ha ha! BOOM BOOM!”
Bridie Jones, of the England Romany, Gypsy and Irish Traveller Network, accuses the UK media of double standards when it comes to racism.
She told the BBC: “They are not allowed to joke about blacks or Asians any more because they would be taken to court, but when it comes to Gypsies or the Irish travelling community they mock us – and to them it’s not racist.”
She sort of has a point, but fuck me if anyone deserved a steretype of theiving bastards, apart from Morrocans, it’s Gypsies, or Irish travelling folk who set up camp on the edge of London in very ritzy caravans leading to reports in local papers warning residents to be aware they’re around to keep houses and doors locked, not to dissimular to Basil’s warning to Iggle Piggle.
If Basil Brush is charged with racism (I’d kill to see the police interview) then so should the producers of The Bill, which has had several episodes about thieving travellers and Guy Ritchie for Snatch.
And what about The Goodies, who in the episode about Black and White Beauty saw Graham and Tim dress as Gypsies and yelling out “We are Gypsies, we have come to steal your horse. We love stealing horses, because we are the Gypsies” – see it about 8:40 into this clip, which is still rather funny.
If Basil Brush’s comments can get police involved, imagine what this could have copped.
Richard Cutts said
The whole thing is a farce, some people seem to be of the opinion that it’s offensive for anyone to comprehend their ethnic/religious/social group being dishonest.
If there arn’t enough minority parts in TV shows then producers are punished. If any of the minority charachters do anything dishonest then producers are punished.
Only middle class white men are allowed to do bad things on TV apparently.
It annoys me no end how stupid and nonsensical shit like this is.
Richard Cutts said
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=803&Itemid=29
Dave from Albury said
It’s amazing how much the gypsies are reviled still. I can remember clearly an episode of The Panel from years ago where Rob raised the issue of the war in Kosovo with a guest from the UK, no doubt expecting a sympathetic comment, everyone was shocked when instead the guest’s first response was “Fucking Gypsies!”
Iain said
Basil Brush harks back to the Music Hall and pantomime tradition hence the BOOM BOOM punch line to so many of his quips, Although the left may be concerned about the plight of the Gypsies and other travellers the average punter in the UK often have stories of their own that suggest that Basil Brush is in fact being rather gentle in his jibes.
clubwah said
I’m left, look what I wrote.
Why does everything have to be left and right?
I think you’ll find the only people defending gypsies are gypsies.
John Surname said
Heard the podcast Wah? I speak at length (okay, a minute) about this.
John Surname said
And being of the left, Basil’s cruelty towards the marvellous race of Gypsies made me weep with anger and hatred. I had to have a latte to calm my nerves.
Iain said
Sure Wah and good for you, but then there is left and “the left” the former generally being a bit better than the later.
clubwah said
This whole concept of “The Left” bothers me.
Who are they? How do you join? Is there “The Right”?
It’s like the politically correct movement – there is no such thing, just a hashing together of PC issues and decisions that are somehow connected and wrongly assumed that they’re made by the same people.
Iain said
Well I tend to use it as a short hand for a part of the political spectrum . Like religion there are some believers who are extremely doctrinaire and and others who consider their politics entirely on an emotional level.
Did you by any chance read Janet Albrechtsen’s piece in today’s OZ? she sums up the difference rather well and it may well answer your question here Wah.
clubwah said
I wouldn’t read what that evil bitch has to write if you paid me – does that make me left? Her obsession with the whole left thing and is actually quite boorish.
I am definately from the left side of the spectrum, but I’ll often have views on issues that can be construed as conservative.
This divide stifles debate. What bothers me is when people’s views are simply dismissed as left or right, without them actually being heard or successfully debated. Just abuse the messenger without considering the message.
What bothers me about Albrechtsen and Bolt is that they claim to be writing about the right side of politics, but they are nothing more than cheerleaders and apologists for the Liberal Party with a blinkered, one-sided view of the world.
Fang said
Why am I not surprised Iain likes an aggressive, borish propagandist like JA: he can’t think for himself.
Iain said
Actually Wah what she has to say about David Mamet seeing the light and giving up leftism is quite inspiring for we conservatives But the far more interesting observation that seems to really gel with what I have seen over the last couple of years, namely those who we could broadly call the left want to argue emotionally and the right want to argue from the evidence, and with logic. Sure there are exceptions on both sides but the general trend seem to hold true.
I’m pleased to hear that you think that political tribalism stifles debate but so does refusing to read what the other side is saying. Don’t you think that we should all try to engage with the other side so that just maybe we can really understand how our opposites think and maybe we can appreciate better where they are coming from.
clubwah said
“the left want to argue emotionally and the right want to argue from the evidence, and with logic.”
Are you joking Iian?
The “Right” uses evidence that suits them and when you try to question it or put an oppising view or fact they resort to personal attack instead of trying to justify their claims – Bolt is a prime example of this.
I admit I am often guided by emotion, which is a damn site better than thinking you have to believe in something because you of the way you’ve been pigeon holed. The most important thing is being open minded.
To me having a debate with someone from the other side of politics should be as engaging as talking about footy with someone who supports another team. You’ll crap on for ages, rarely agree on anything but have fun doing it. It’s not about understanding what’s in people’s heads, but just having a decent crack. Sometimes you might be swayed.
It’s sad that certain blogs only allow people who agree with them to comment. To me that defeats the purpose of blogs.
Fang said
Iain, all your talk about being saved and seeing the light is reminiscent of someone who is brainwashed by a religion or ideology and can’t think for themselves.
Iain said
I like your talking about the footy analogy Wah and I agree with your closing statement I see that on both sides of the political spectrum.
By the way I’m not joking sure there are examples of emotional rather than reasoned argument from both sides I just think that the left do it more often than the right, Of course the worst form of argument comes from those who resort to personal insult or invective like “fang” does here in this thread. But they are best ignored.
raydixon said
Are Gypsies a race or is gypsyism (I just made that up) a way of life? If you said “Aussies are thieves and they cheat at cricket” that’s not racism. What is the Australian race? I realise there are some ethnic origins among gypsies but isn’t it fairly mixed? I think that to say its racism to brand gypsies thieves might be a bit like saying it’s racism to brand hippies dope-heads.
clubwah said
Iain,
Fang is rather tame compared to the attack dogs on some of the “right” sites where a simple question sees you barred and then attacked without any means to respond. Like footy everyone see4ms to be one-eyed in this respect.
Ray,
I reckon bigotry is probably the better word in this case Ray. It’s amazing though how people will go off at Muslims and when you acuse them of racism they say “they’re not a race”. As though that makes it better. In actual fact it is racism because they are usually targeting Arab muslims.
Fang said
Iain, all I am merely saying is that you are letting JA make inaccurate generalisations about everyone who is “of the left” and you are letting her do the thinking for you. She is very good at this; she gets paid to do it. If you thought critically about what she is inferring then you would see that she is wrong. But you can’t.
Here is your flaw. You are arguing that “the left” use emotion and feeling rather than evidence in an argument. Yet you just said:
I just think that the left do it more often than the right
There you go. Using what you feel instead of using evidence.
raydixon said
I think it’s confusing the issue to compare the term gypsy to muslim. The word gypsy is loosely applied and does not just refer to a specific organisation or group of people.
When you claim to be racially vilified it’s just like libel, you need to show that the words were directed at you or your group specifically and that actual harm was done. I can’t see how it harms or denigrates any one group of people to suggest “travellers” might steal stuff from you. It’s a bit precious.
r said
The Gypsy people are a race, they are called Romani, or Roma, they do exist, and they are treated like shit. The situation is not one sided or easliy resolved, so when stupid kid shows bring out this kind of rubbish, it only inforces stereotypes, it make Gypsy people more up in arms, and non gypsy people more conscience of an overly “PC” environment, I hate political correcteness, but I think this is deep racial stereotyping to the romani race. Its not to be swept under the carpet, it showld have ever been said.
raydixon said
It’s “kid’s stuff”. Yes there is a race known loosely as gypsies, so what? The puppet referred to “travellers”. How does that offend any one particular race? I can’t believe we’re even talking about this.
clubwah said
Travellers are pretty much Irish gypsies, the guy who made the complaint was one of them.
I just read how the case has been closed: http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/basil-brush-wins-racism-row/2008/03/21/1205602627719.html
raydixon said
Yes and ‘Grey Nomads’ are also ‘travellers’. Maybe the UK senior citzs should have lodged a complaint too. Anyway, glad to see common sense prevailed.
clubwah said
Ray,
This wasn’t about people who a travelling around for a holiday. Think of Traveller in this instance as a proper noun, and not as simply a person who packs his bags and travels.
I found the following online:
Irish Travellers are an indigenous minority or ethnic group who make up less than 1% of the population in Ireland. They number approximately 28,000 people in the Republic of Ireland and 1500 in Northern Ireland. There are also large Irish Traveller communities in Britain and North America. Their family structure, nomadism, employment patterns and language are all distinctive and have ensured their survival as a minority group on the margins of Irish mainstream society for generations. There is little information or research available on the question of Traveller origins and a range of theories have been put forward by scholars including the possibility that they are the descendants of travelling bards who were joined by families who “took to the road” because of eviction, war, famine and the social upheaval that was a consequence of colonisation.
http://www.ul.ie/~library/travellers/irishtravellers.htm
raydixon said
It is almost part of the vernacular to say that gypsies (or in this case ‘Travellers’) are synonomous with thieves. That reputation was, in the past, well earmed.
There’s no more harm done by the puppet jokingly referring to “Travellers” as he did than there is in Sam Newman referring to Collingwood supporters as feral vandals & thugs or to Adelaide supporters as morons.
That’s because it’s partly based in truth but, more importantly, it’s said “tongue in cheek” or in jest.
No harm was done and that’s how it’s been determined. I abhor racism but it’s just ludicrous to suggest we have to mind our Ps & Qs so much that we lose our sense of humor.