[throwablePie]

> The original broadcast included a scene in which Major Gowen, a regular guest at the hotel, uses very strong racist language in relation to an anecdote about the West Indies cricket team. A decade ago many broadcasters began editing out this part of the programme, although the racist language can still be heard on the version hosted by Netflix. http://archive.is/ZLIqs

I'm African American and I'd prefer not to be turned into a perpetual victim by people who mean well. Rather than infantilizing censorship, I'd like to have the option to watch to watch this classic episode in its entirety. An embedded disclaimer wouldn't be inappropriate.

Apparently, many Germans find this scene very funny: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfl6Lu3xQW0

[doublesCs]

What an extraordinary coincidence, I watched this episode yesterday on Netflix.

In the show the Major is a running joke as a very old person with a very old worldview. You can immediately know what he's gonna say when he opens he mouth to talk about black people, so I wasn't surprised at all. I was more surprised when in the same episode, Fawlty is startled and confused when he meets a black doctor.

[doublesCs]

EDIT:

> Cleese told The Age newspaper: “If you put nonsense words into the mouth of someone you want to make fun of, you’re not broadcasting their views, you’re making fun of them. The major was an old fossil left over from decades before. We were not supporting his views, we were making fun of them. If they can’t see that – if people are too stupid to see that – what can one say?”

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/jun/12/john-cleese-...

[tibbydudeza]

Like watching "All Of The Family" with Archie Bunker or those old Disney cartoons.

These programs are time capsules ... they should not be edited or changed IMHO as long as there are awareness on how they would be regarded today.