1. 11 (a). Review- Violating the Maxims of Communication - Blackadder
The maxim of Quality: try to make your contribution one that is true, specifically: (i) do not say what you believe to be false (ii) do not say that for which you lack adequate evidence
The maxim of Quantity: (i) make your contribution as informative as is required for the current purpose of the exchange (ii) do not make your contribution more informative than is required
The maxim of Relevance: make your contribution relevant
The maxim of Manner: be perspicuous, and specifically: (i) avoid obscurity (ii) avoid ambiguity (iii) be brief (iv) be orderly.
See also: Handout #23 and #26
Clip: [10:15-16:30]

2. 11 (b). Multiculturalism- The United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland
Pictures: (left) A-Level students from London; (right, top) the flags of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; (right, bottom) the Union Flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

3. Multiculturalism- The End of Empire & the Birth of Multicultural Britain
With the decline of the British Empire at the end of the 19th century and its eventual dissolution (marked by the handing over of Hong Kong to China in 1997), the demographic makeup of the United Kingdom has undergone dramatic change.
Alongside the USA, the UK is a nation characterized by the diversity of its citizens and residents (in London you can find people who were originally citizens of every country in the world – and more).
With the handing over of sovereignty back to nations that had been under British rule came a wave of immigration of people from those very nations to the UK.

4. Multiculturalism- The Commonwealth of Nations
The former territories of the British Empire make up the bulk of the 54 states organized as The Commonwealth of Nations.
The Commonwealth dates back to the late 19th century and the decolonization of the British Empire.
The Queen operates as the symbolic head of the organization.
The Commonwealth covers around one quarter of the world’s land and has its own version of the Olympics called the Commonwealth Games.
Picture: the flag of the Commonwealth of Nations

5. Multiculturalism- Commonwealth of Nations Members
Picture: flags of the Commonwealth

6. Multiculturalism- Immigration & Changing Cultural Identity I
The ‘Windrush’ Generation
-1940s to 1950s
Immigrants from the former colonies of the West Indies/Caribbean.
The first ship to arrive from Jamaica was the ‘Empire Windrush’, hence the name.
Pictures: (left) the ‘Empire Windrush’; (right) newly arrived immigrants looking for work

7. Multiculturalism- Immigration & Changing Cultural Identity II
South Asians – British Asians
In the UK the term ‘Asian’ typically refers to people from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka (people from South Asia). Note: People from Korea, China, etc. are commonly referred to by their nationality, not collectively.
Mass immigration to the UK was a result of the independence of these nations. India (1947). Pakistan (1947). Sri Lanka (1948, as Ceylon).
Immigration was largely due to economic factors.

8. Multiculturalism- Modern Britain
2011 Census of the UK

9. Ethnic Minorities in Popular Culture- Stereotypes-early televisual representations
Before the 1950s, when the 'Windrush generation' of immigrants from the West Indies began to make its presence felt, race was a relatively little-used subject for British comedians. Even after that, while those touring the pubs and working-men's clubs might well have included racial material in their acts, such humour made little impact on television or radio comedy which, thanks to strict producers' codes, scarcely if ever touched on controversial issues. (Duguid 1)
Comedy can often be a way of coming to terms with change, and one of the greatest changes of the past half-century has been the transformation of Britain into a multiracial society, following a process of immigration beginning in the late 1940s. (Duguid 2)
Source: Mark Duguid (1) ‘Race and the Sitcom’ & Mark Duguid (2) ‘The British Sense of Humour: Race’

10. Ethnic Minorities in Popular Culture- 1960s and 1970s Representations of Multiracial Britain
TV comedy's attempts to deal with race in the 1960s and 70s can be uncomfortable viewing now, although they weren't necessarily seen as racist at the time. (Duguid 2)
Picture: the cast of Curry & Chips. On the far right (!) the character Kevin O’Grady (an Irish Indian) played by a ‘blacked-up’ Spike Milligan.

11. Ethnic Minorities in Popular Culture- 1960s and 1970s Representations of Multiracial Britain II
Laughing at or laughing with?
The bigoted ravings of Alf Garnett in Till Death Us Do Part were intended to satirise racism, although many felt that this message was lost on some of the audience, who considered Alf a hero for giving voice to their own feelings. (Duguid 2)

12. Ethnic Minorities in Popular Culture- Till Death Us Do Part
Clip: Till Death Us Do Part, Series 5, episode 7 [9:00-10:48 ‘No blackies in the Bible] & [20:50-22:00 ‘The Paki at the bar’]

13. Ethnic Minorities in Popular Culture- 1960s and 1970s Representations of Multiracial Britain III
Mind Your Language, set in an English language class for non-native speakers, had something to offend almost everyone with its collection of characters identified largely by simplistic national stereotypes.
Picture: the cast of Mind Your Language
Clip: Mind Your Language Season 2, episode 2 [4:50-6:16]

14. Ethnic Minorities in Popular Culture- 1960s and 1970s Representations of Multiracial Britain IV
Love Thy Neighbour mocked the anxieties of a white couple when an African family moves in next door, but this worthy aim was undermined by too many jokes about the jungle. (Duguid 2)
Clip: Love Thy Neighbour, Series 1, episode 1 [10:50-11:50] ‘Eddie meets his new neighbour’

15. Multicultural Voices in Comedy- the 1980s and Beyond
In the shows from the 1960s and 1970s it is possible to see the United Kingdom trying to come to terms with the changing make up of society (albeit in a very crude and often limited manner).
These shows were all written by and for the dominant, majority white population. Hence, the one dimensional ethnic characters, the absence of any overt, direct critique of the dominant culture.
The 1980s saw a breakthrough for minority Britons across popular culture.
Comedy shows, such as Desmonds (Channel 4), showed Black Britons in situations that were not merely about their race and their relation to the dominant culture, but were about their lives. The comedy in Desmonds, for example, is largely independent of its Afro-Caribbean casts’ heritage. In other words, their race is largely incidental to the plot/comedy.
[ref: Bechdel Test -

16. Multicultural Voices in Comedy- Themes of multicultural drama & comedy
Personal identity: Who am I?
National & Cultural Identity: Who/What am I?
Fitting in: Assimilation or Authenticity?
Confronting stereotypes
Representing experience as a minority
Speaking in patois/slang
Alternative to the dominant culture
Critique of the dominant culture
Critique of the heritage culture
Picture: the cast of Desmonds

17. Representing British Asian Experience- Goodness Gracious Me (BBC)
Sketches
1. Cultural & Religious Identity
2. Critiquing the Dominant
Culture & Challenging
Stereotypes
3. Critique of the Heritage
culture
4. Contemporary Issues
5. Cultural Relativity
6. Self-parody
See: Handout #38(overview of the show and its themes) & handout #37 (scripts of sketches)

18. Goodness Gracious Me- 1: Cultural & Religious Identity
(dis-) connection with
heritage
Religious Identity
Satire of parents trying
too hard to fit in
Self-parody
Representing minority
experience
Sketch #1 (a): ‘Being a Hindu’

19. Goodness Gracious Me- 1: Cultural & Religious Identity
Sketch #1 (b): ‘Being a Sikh’

20. Goodness Gracious Me- 2: Critiquing the dominant culture & challenging stereotypes
Sketch #2: ‘Going for an English’ – parody of British behaviour in Indian Restaurants. See: Handout #37 for script and references

21. Goodness Gracious Me- 3. Critique of the Heritage Culture
Socio-Cultural Heritage
Father – trying to hold on
to heritage (Al Murray)
Son – wanting to assimilate
Critique of older generation
Sketch #3: ‘Everything is Indian!’
[The Queen is Indian] – see script
[Da Vinci was Indian]
[Superman is Indian]
[Christianity is Indian]

22. Goodness Gracious Me- 4. Contemporary Issues
Generation gap
-exacerbated by heritage gap
Multiculturalism
-’a nice Indian boy?’
‘Universal’ nature of sketch
Sketch #4: ‘Gay son’

23. Goodness Gracious Me- 5. Cultural Relativity
Critiquing the dominant culture
-represented here by the Christian
Couple are eager to fit in
-and try new things
Sketch #5: ‘Converting to Christianity’

24. Goodness Gracious Me- 6. ‘Self’ parody: Bollywood & Competitive Asian Mothers
Sketches #6 (a) & (b): Series 2, episode 1. ‘Bollywood’ parody [4:00-7:34] & ‘Competitive Asian Mothers’ [15:42-21:15]

25. The Real McCoy- Afro-Caribbean/British Asian Sketch Show
3 Sketches
1. The accountant
- Speaking in patois/slang
- Identity and exclusivity (superiority)
2. Classic Shows dubbed for ‘We’
- Representing experience as a minority
- Cultural identity
- ‘Self’-parody
- Critique of mainstream entertainment (TV)
3. Douglas, the ‘roots & culture’ lawyer
- Critique of assimilation culture (exaggeration)
- ‘Self’ critique of minority culture
- Heritage
See: handout #39 (synopsis of The Real McCoy)

26. The Real McCoy- 1. The Accountant
(1) Speaking in patois/slang (2) Identity and exclusivity (superiority)
Sketch #1: ‘The Accountant’

27. The Real McCoy- 2. Classic shows dubbed for ‘We’
- Minority Experience
- Cultural identity
- ‘Self’-parody
- Speaking in patois/slang
- Critique of the mainstream
Sketch #2: Classic shows dubbed for ‘We’ from Channel 9, Jamaica [2:10-5:40]

28. The Real McCoy- 3. Douglas, the ‘roots & culture’ lawyer
Critique of assimilation culture
‘Self’ critique
Cultural identity
Heritage
Caricature
Sketch #3: Douglas, the ‘roots & culture’ lawyer

29. Multicultural Voices in Comedy- Themes of multicultural drama & comedy
Recap and Review
Personal identity: Who am I?
National and Cultural Identity: What am I?
Fitting in: Assimilation or Authenticity?
Confronting stereotypes
Representing experience as a minority
Speaking in patois/slang
Alternative to the dominant culture
Critique of the dominant culture
Critique of the heritage culture

30. Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Ali G’- a return to ‘blacking up’?
Picture: (left) Sacha Baron Cohen; (right) Ali G throwing gangster poses

31. Ali G- character, parody
Ali G is a stereotype of a British suburban male who imitates rap culture as well as urban British and British-Jamaican culture, particularly through hip-hop, reggae, drum & bass and jungle music, as well as speaking in rude-boy-style English with borrowed expressions from Jamaican patois.
Ali G speaks a comical patois in keeping with his delusions of being black and of Jamaican ancestry. His speech is peppered with such catchphrases as "Aight" (alright), "Booyakasha", "Big up Yaself", "Wagwaan", "West Side", "Batty Boy”, "Respek" (respect), "For Real", "Poonani", "Timperley Mandem", "Check It", "Wicked" and "Keep It Real".

32. Ali G- example clips & discussion #1
Clip: Ali G in Da House, Series 1, episode 1 [0-1:40]

33. Ali G- example clips & discussion #2

34. Ali G- example clips & discussion #3

35. Ali G- discussion (small groups)
Acceptable parody
or not?
See: Handout #47

36. Work, etc. Multiculturalism continued
B. Good Taste’: Establishing Boundaries
Reading: ‘Can you define offensive comedy?’ by Paul MacInnes
Reading: ‘Jimmy Carr: “I thought my Paralympics joke was totally acceptable”’ by Stephen Moss