Mighty Boosh coming to Adult Swim in April

[Trembling Eagle]

the skinny jeans on that one guy disturb me.

I've lived long enough to see a trend come around, man the years keep coming.

[Regular Joe]

I could not have been more wrong about this show. What a jerk! After I gave it a chance, it turned out I was the prejudiced one. I'm sorry!

[Pidgeon]

The thing I like about it, compared to a lot of other British shows, is that it doesn't have a bit of cynicism to it.

[Sarah]

I could not have been more wrong about this show. What a jerk! After I gave it a chance, it turned out I was the prejudiced one. I'm sorry!

I'm glad you saw the error of your ways, RJ.  I see that next week season 1 starts, the best of the three, in my opinion.  You have treats in store.

[iforgotmymantra]

I'm not sure whether Britain is more racist than the U.S. or merely less politically correct.

It is both less racist and more politically correct. I'm glad to clear that one up.

[Bryan]

I'm not sure whether Britain is more racist than the U.S. or merely less politically correct.

It is both less racist and more politically correct. I'm glad to clear that one up.

I strongly disagree. I often heard Brits lamenting "political correctness gone mad" in their country. But then, I also often heard openly racist/sexist commentary of a sort that I've never heard in North America. I have no doubt that it's more p.c. than it used to be, but it just isn't in the same league as North America.

[Sarah]

But don't you think North America all too often uses political correctness as a Band-Aid (of the fancy, decorative variety) to cover up the ugly, festering, pus-filled ulcers of racism and sexism bubbling away underneath?

[scratchbomb]

only seen a couple of eps so far, but I like its wanton silliness (as opposed to the arch cleverness I usually associate with British comedy) and its refusal to explain any of the rampant weirdness contained within its universe.

in re: racism/non-PC-ness in Eng-uh-land, i don't know if they're more racist per se. but they definitely say things on British TV that would get someone suspended or fired here in the US. I remember seeing a episode of Top Gear where Jeremy Clarkson said he couldn't drive a Korean-made car because "they eat dog!" Even more surprising to my (American) ears, the large studio audience laughed heartily rather than gasped. And that this was not edited out for a showing on BBC America.

[Bryan]

Yeah, maybe p.c.-ness is just a band-aid sometimes.  The p.c. movement definitely didn't end racism, sexism, etc. But I'll take p.c.-mandated but insincere respectfulness over old-school, openly racist hostility.

[fletcher munson]

I think The Boosh is racist towards Coconut people.  They're portrayed as stick-like, and lifeless.

[yesno]

Sarah, what's your take on racism in Italy?

I won't say my view, but I will note that I recently heard a "woman on the street" interview with an elderly Italian woman who advocated lining up all Romanians and shooting them with machine guns.

[Sarah]

Well, it was twenty-five years ago, but, truth be told, I was so preoccupied with my job when I was there that I barely took note of anything else.  I can report that there were only white people where I worked, which is probably significant.  But in terms of actual racist statements, the only group I ever heard bad-mouthed--aside from Americans, of course--was the Gypsies. 

[Martin]

The Romani people have it tough in Europe right now. It's probably worst in Italy, where they are de facto treated like the scum of the earth and are more or less forced to live in ghettos. The Czech Republic is also treating its Roma population just slightly better than jews and other minorities were treated during WWII - czech out (sorry) this story in The Economist for some ugly details. We'll soon have straight up pogroms against Roma, if they're not happening already.

According to a friend of mine who grew up in Prague and is very involved in what's happening to the Czech Republic post-communism, the whole country is on its way to fascism (and/or implosion, whatever's worse). Which, of course, brings it all back to Italy. (I'd go so far as to say that Italy as a country, as a state, is beyond redemption at this point - the whole governing body is so corrupt it's not even funny. They're fucked, basically.)

So... Boosh, eh?

[Bryan]

Yeah - this has gone way off topic. Sorry about that. But to continue for a moment: in my opinion, the key difference between Europe and North America is that there's a deep-rooted sense of ethnic nationalism in Europe. Most people in North America are more prepared to modify their understanding of who can be a "real" American or Canadian.

I'm glad that Adult Swim is getting into all this UK stuff. I've been saying for years that there's an audience for it in the U.S. who have been neglected by the domestic tv industry.

[yesno]

When a friend of mine, an American of Neapolitan stock, lived near Turin, some of his friends considered him a different "race."

Boosh.