I agree its not acceptable, but I get the feeling beacause it was SIR Trevor McDonald who made the comment Ofcom turned a proverbial "blind eye". Admittedly Sir Trev claimed he was copying Bernard Mannings style, but I feel for the comics family, he had only been dead for a few days and the comment was unecessary and cruel.
To me its no different to a white person saying it about a black person, but no one seems to treat it the same and i think its totally wrong, ive heard kids calling other kids 'white b1tches' teachers dont treat it as racist but it is, its still discriminating against other races.
The PC bridgade or whatever you call it dont seem to include white comments and why is love to know.
Ricky Gervais
Alan Patridge
Larry David
Little Britain
as NJOK said ealier. The reason why the 'PC brigade' doesn't jump all over them, but would if it were filth like Bernard Manning is because of context.
Look at the context of what Sir Trev said, then you'll see the difference.
We tell jokes about the Irish. The Russians tell jokes about the Polish, the french apparently tell jokes about the English (never heard one myself).
I suspect every where in the world every one has jokes to tell about their naigbouring countries.
I can't see why everyone makes such a big deal about it.
Did you see the scene in Extras where Keith Chegwin said that black people weren't funny and challenged Ricky Gervais to name a funny British black man?
He was in a dressing room at the time, and the camera pans around to reveal a poster of Lenny Henry. Gervais winces and falls silent.
People who proffer this 'The blacks can get away with anything' line always seem to forget that modern comedy is as blatantly un-PC as it always was, but it's just more inclusive and...frankly...better than the one-dimensional rubbish that spewed forth from certain individuals in the 70s.
I thought it was funny. I don't know how anyone cant see it was him parodying Manning's style of humour. I think it was taken well out of context by anyone who complained.