Political correctness to a ludicrous degree

[Steve Stacey]

Hi

Was watching an old Steptoe video recently, where Albert was watching the British Empre BBC TV series. It was made in 1972 (I was 13), and I remember it vividly. It was lavish for the time and narrated by the late, great Robert Hardy. Unfortunately, not only does it not seem to be available on DVD, download etc etc, it has apparently been completely airbrushed out of history. It doesn't even feature on the Internet Movie/Film database!!

I've searched high and low, even exploring the dark net but no joy. I've emailed BBC, History Magazine etc but no response. It beggars belief really. If anything, it was critical of the impact of empire, and should not be offensive in the least.

Has anyone else seen this, no anything about the airbrushing?

(I was ready for the stock responses re lack of storage, deleted etc. I wasn't ready for the denial and complete airbrushing)

Thanks

[staffslad]

Re: Political correctness to a ludicrous degree

I vaguely remember watching the series. There was also a magazine that accompanied it--one of those multi-part efforts I think.

[Clare]

Re: Political correctness to a ludicrous degree

Would the BBC Genome website have airbrushed it too? Here's the list of Radio Times issues for 1972.

[MiniMort]

Re: Political correctness to a ludicrous degree

Would the BBC Genome website have airbrushed it too? Here's the list of Radio Times issues for 1972.

The Genome has it listed: https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/951cb086...5ecf37f16e951d

[Steve Stacey]

Re: Political correctness to a ludicrous degree

Thanks for your responses. I think I also came across one of these Genome entries when searching. Didn't the BBC once have an archive BBC Store or something for old digital material?

Completely airbrushed out of other, non BBC sources as well:

https://www.imdb.com/find?q=The%20Br...=tv&ref_=fn_tv

I wonder if appraching Robert Hardy's family might work.

Not going to give up on this.

[Twocky61]

Re: Political correctness to a ludicrous degree

Don't get me started on political correctness lol

Let's take, for example, the supposedly offensive word for people of Pakistani extraction:

Brits are from Great Britain

Germans are from Germany

Spanish are from Spain

-------and so on

So why is the word for those from Pakistan offensive?

Also WOG:

Western Oriental Gentleman; so how is that offensive?

In the 90's I was on Kilroy (Jerry Springer type of show)

The subject was political correction

The BBC recorded the show but subsequently canned without broadcasting the show

Why?

The BBC deemed it as a controversial 'time bomb'

What's the betting it's not the people of the country concerned up in arms about it?

I believe it is all those 'do gooder' social workers & the like

[Richard1978]

Re: Political correctness to a ludicrous degree

Don't get me started on political correctness lol

Let's take, for example, the supposedly offensive word for people of Pakistani extraction:

Brits are from Great Britain

Germans are from Germany

Spanish are from Spain

-------and so on

So why is the word for those from Pakistan offensive?

Also WOG:

Western Oriental Gentleman; so how is that offensive?

In the 90's I was on Kilroy (Jerry Springer type of show)

The subject was political correction

The BBC recorded the show but subsequently canned without broadcasting the show

Why?

The BBC deemed it as a controversial 'time bomb'

What's the betting it's not the people of the country concerned up in arms about it?

I believe it is all those 'do gooder' social workers & the like

You need to get out more!

[Twocky61]

Re: Political correctness to a ludicrous degree

lol

[George 1978]

Re: Political correctness to a ludicrous degree

Don't get me started on political correctness lol

Let's take, for example, the supposedly offensive word for people of Pakistani extraction:

Brits are from Great Britain

Germans are from Germany

Spanish are from Spain

-------and so on

So why is the word for those from Pakistan offensive?

It seems very much double standards that Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are unironically abbreviated by BBC News and other sources, but if Pakistan was abbreviated it would be seen as racist (by them mostly) and even treated as if it was a swear word. I am just stating observations that I have seen myself.

I think that the story has it that Pakistan's abbreviation had been abused and hijacked by racists since the 1960s, using it on people who are from India, Bangladesh and other Asian countries. Even my mother late referred to a local shop ran by Asians by a certain term that one can easily guess, but then again she had never left the United Kingdom while she was still alive .

And can I also add that Kilroy was nothing like Jerry Springer - I liked one but hated the other.

One thing that annoys me is when I see websites where one needs to select a language and "English" is illustrated with an American flag. I never see French illustrated with a Canadian flag, so why not use the country of origin there?

[Twocky61]

Re: Political correctness to a ludicrous degree

There is a 'corner' shop here run by Asians

The owner we call Paki Dave, though not to him of course

lol

[George 1978]

Re: Political correctness to a ludicrous degree

I believe that all Asians in Britain have been called that at least once in their lives while living or working here - they probably wouldn't have looked Asian if they had not being called that. The stereotype that all Asian businessmen are corner shop owners or taxi drivers seem to be the parody of them in this country - at least from a positive perspective they are making their mark providing a service to people and working hard in the process, and are prepared to stay open even on Christmas Day for obvious reasons. Kudos to most of them.

On a tangent, I find the word Pommie affectionate when Australians use it on British people - it's only when it is used in conjunction with a swear word when it actually becomes offensive.

[OptimusPrime1980]

Re: Political correctness to a ludicrous degree

One thing that annoys me is when I see websites where one needs to select a language and "English" is illustrated with an American flag. I never see French illustrated with a Canadian flag, so why not use the country of origin there?

Because we are the new state of the US. Most people either use American terms and spelling, instead of the native British English.

[George 1978]

Re: Political correctness to a ludicrous degree

Because we are the new state of the US. Most people either use American terms and spelling, instead of the native British English.

Yes, I am aware of all that - one major thing that a programme such as Sesame Street (which was seen in most parts of Britain in the 1970s and 1980s) was the fact that in addition to the obvious differences in culture between the two countries, the fact of the matter was that it did make people aware about the differences between American and British English, a good 15 years prior to the Internet.

I grew up watching Sesame Street (the same version as seen over there), and yes, I was "bilingual" without even knowing it, pronouncing the last letter of the alphabet both zed and zee. When I was asked by a speech therapist back in the early 1980s to recite my alphabet, I made the mistake of saying zee. She wasn't very pleased. I was even confused as to whether "colour" or "flavour" had a U in them or not.

[Mulletino]

Re: Political correctness to a ludicrous degree

I had an Indian mate at school, he got very annoyed when people called him a "Pakistani" and the abbreviated version.

Here in Australia, the term Asians is used to describe those from China, Japan, Korea etc instead of India and Pakistan. The Greeks here also refer to themselves as Wogs and it isn't a derogitory term, which of course causes issues when they use the term online not realising that elsewhere it means something completely different.

[zabadak]

Re: Political correctness to a ludicrous degree

The term "Paki" is used aggressively and, therefore, offensively by racists. It is racist by association. Don't use it!