Offensive?

[Over_the_Moon]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 1:49pm

The other night, I was taking a friend (who happens to be gay) home, and I had Q in my CD player, the song "If You Were Gay," came on, and after listening to about a minute of it, he informed me that he was "manically disappointed" that I would "listen to such insensitive offensive tripe."

Anyone else feel that way?


P.s. Offended by any other musicals?

[shira467]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 1:51pm

Seriously? Most of Avenue Q is offensive. But it's funny.

[Dreamcatcher]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 1:56pm

I can see how it could be viewed as offensive but again, its meant in a funny, humorous way but its not vulgarly and disgustingly offensive with the sole purpose to make people feel bad. That's just my view on it.

[Elizabeth_DeBris]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 1:56pm

Avenue Q is one of those things that's too offensive to be really offensive. And "If You Were Gay" really isn't too bad, in my opinion; it isn't stereotypical or anti-gay, or anything like that.

So maybe I'm just being a hypocrite, but I found a lot of things in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels offensive. I've never seen the show, but a lot of the jokes in the songs seemed really out-of-place, and came off as highly insulting. Can somebody please tell me why there is a line in "Oklahoma?" that goes (something to the effect of) "not a tree or a Jew/to block the lovely view?" I'm hoping that makes sense, in context...

[BluCat500]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 2:00pm

I think it adds to her chracterization, she is supposed to be a shallow and extremely ignorant redneck of sorts...correct me if I'm wrong anyone

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 2:01pm

It's understood when watching DRS that the character who sings Oklahoma? (I think the name is Jolene), while seemingly adorable and harmless, is racist and trigger-happy. I wasn't offended by it -- it's just the character saying it, not the creative team or the actors.

[magic8ball]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 2:03pm

You're not wrong. Both of those shows go out of their way to embellish stereotypes for humor. If people can't see that and move on, then that's their problem.

[Dreamcatcher]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 2:05pm

Yeah I think it was more to illustrate her character's personality in DRS then the writers trying to be offensive. I mean no writer (or most writers) don't want to write anything openly offensive just for the sake of being offensive because that wouldn't really help the shows success so I tend to find that when there is some questionable content in a song or dialogue its usually there with a purpose to illustrate part of the plot or really show a particular character's personality.

[keggss23]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 2:25pm

I have never been offended by the content of a show, but I have definitely been offended by the stupidity of a show.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 2:27pm

It is offensive but does so on purpose. It doesn't come out of a place of ignorance. Several of the creatives are gay.

Posted: 6/24/05 at 2:29pm

I think your friend missed the point of the song.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 2:30pm

I personally adore anything offensive and not PC. I'm actually offended by how easily people are offended these days. Your friend probably needs to get a sense of humor, though admittedly, out of context, it would be easy to misconstrue a lot of the comedy of AVENUE Q.

[Over_the_Moon]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 2:35pm

Some people LOOK for things to be offended by...

[brdwaybaby17]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 2:39pm

My sister's gay and liked that song... she laughed at it. But, "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" was a different story. She thinks they were making light of a big problem... but, heck, the rest of my family still loves it.... even my mom likes Q and she's conservative and uptight. lol

Posted: 6/24/05 at 3:03pm

I think it's interesting that people on this board love "Everyone's a little bit racist" but when someone DARED to post that people who live in the US should speak English, they were ripped to pieces.

Personally, I think the Asain stereotypes in this show are ignorant and offensive. I'm not "Mr. PC" but I think the R/L jokes about asian pronounciation are about 40 years too old to still be funny to most people. (If they ever were) I wouldn't go picket in front of the theatre about it, but it's a cheap shot and pretty stupid.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 3:06pm

It's all there to provoke people, to push buttons. I think it's all in good fun.

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 3:07pm

I always say, "If you can't laugh at yourself then who the hell can you laugh at?"

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 3:09pm

Joe, I also found the Asian jokes to not be funny. My problem with Q is that some of the songs are just so stupid and I skip over them. "When you Ruv Someone." I can listen to that once. But, I love many of the others.

[Elizabeth_DeBris]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 3:12pm

Thanks, to those who answered me. I didn't mean that the writers were trying to be offensive- it was obviously a joke, but it just seemed really... random. I'm glad it works better within the actual show.

Posted: 6/24/05 at 3:13pm

Yeah! I love a good tasteless ethnic joke-- I just don't think making a Japanese character say "Ruv" for love and "Recycraburrs
for recyclables is much in the way of humor.

[toodramatic]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 3:15pm

If we cant laugh at our differances and make fun of our selves. Then we'd be living boring lives and never really understand anyone else who is different.

Hell, we'd be Republican.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 4:31pm

I'm Asian and I LOVED the Asian jokes in AVENUE Q. They're meant to be satirical: the fact that we can still recognize the stereotypes reveals how ingrained and latent our own racism is. The show is making fun of the stereotype, not actual Asians.

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 4:33pm

wow, random, but right as this, princeton start'd singing if you were gay, that'd be ok. weird...

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 4:37pm

What's offensive about "If You Were Gay"? The whole song is about Nicky's saying that he'd still be supportive of Rod if he was gay. It's practically PFLAG's mantra. I think it's one of the least offensive songs in the show.

[CurtainUp]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 4:55pm

I agree with BlueWizard, I'm NOT Asian, but I agree that it's to SHOW how stereotypical we all think.

And am I the only one who actually finds If You Were Gay heartwarming and sort of sweet?

Updated On: 6/24/05 at 04:55 PM