Savage Eye on "What to do with the Quaaaares"

Abhainn-Rivers

I hadn't actually watched this myself until a friend pointed it out to me. First I know Savage Eye is a satire and the point of a satire is to ridicule societal trends with a view to the betterment of society. Well criticism of the Catholic Church being pretty much fair game in some respects I was alarmed at the targeting of LGBT people and gay men in particular 10 minutes into the clip...

RTE iPlayer: Savage Eye

...was this just me? Can anyone make sense of what this clip was added into it all? for those who may have trouble the clip shows two stereotypically gay men entering a bar and denounces them as sexual predators advising people not to look them in the eyes or be seduced and then advises people to avoid them and then grab them and throw them into a wood cutter.

LegacyUser

I´ve watched the Savage Eye since the first series and this sketch doesn´t particularly bother me.

I think the real idea is to highlight just how ignorant and narrow-minded some people are, especially from the older generation (of course, not to tar everyone with the same brush).

This seems to be well illustrated through the irrational behaviour of the barman.

YMMV.

rainbowdrop

I would take that sketch as mocking the close-minded culchie farmer types just as much as Gay men.

Savage Eye takes the piss out of everyone though, not just the 'Quaaaares' so I wouldn't be so quick to take offence OP, it's not supposed to be taken seriously........

Max Power1

Abhainn-Rivers wrote: »

I hadn't actually watched this myself until a friend pointed it out to me. First I know Savage Eye is a satire and the point of a satire is to ridicule societal trends with a view to the betterment of society. Well criticism of the Catholic Church being pretty much fair game in some respects I was alarmed at the targeting of LGBT people and gay men in particular 10 minutes into the clip...

RTE iPlayer: Savage Eye

...was this just me? Can anyone make sense of what this clip was added into it all? for those who may have trouble the clip shows two stereotypically gay men entering a bar and denounces them as sexual predators advising people not to look them in the eyes or be seduced and then advises people to avoid them and then grab them and throw them into a wood cutter.

Who decides whats fair game and what isnt? You cant say that taking the piss out of one group is fine but not the one that you are part of.

Either satire is ok or it isnt. Im a bisexual male and I have no problem with people taking the p!ss out of bi people.

Abhainn-Rivers

My issue is that I struggle to call that particular segment satire.

‎"In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement. Although satire is usually meant to be funny, its greater purpose is constructive social criticism, using wit as a weapon." (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/satire)

The rendition of that segment seems to do nothing to assert the folly of the crazed barman or undermine his biases. I mean to make it work against 'Bull Mick' one could have added in some non-stereotypical gay/bi men in the bar. All I see is some "quaaares" being placed in a meat blender!?!

Chuchoter

This would be grand if it was funny, instead its portraying gay people as predators and then fecking them in a woodchipper. Not a huge amount of social commentary going on there. It would have been funny if the old guy was saying all this stuff to a confused gay guy minding his own business while this mad culchie goes on about neutralizing him.

It is however something I've noticed about RTEs entertainment shows. Quite recently (don't laugh at me, my dad watches it and my computer is in here :P) a character on Fair City was going out with a woman. She is quite obviously bisexual, but everyone calls her a lesbian (lezzie, lesbo, variations on that) and this is shown to be the cause of all her character flaws: lying, cheating, husband stealing, generally awful person. Slurs are frequently used against her to prove no kind of point other then we don't like her and she goes out with women lets make fun of her.

baby and crumble

Like a lot of other people have already said, the big problem I have is that this simply is a load of ****e. It's not funny. Not even close. It's so weird, because RTE can make some really great tv, like 'Growing up Gay', or some of the Primetime shows, but when they try to do comedy, it never ever works. They seem to assume that in Ireland people who watch comedy have the IQ of a gnat.

it's insulting, dfeinitely, but not to gay people, or culchies, or whoever they're meant to be lampooning. It's insulting to any Irish person with a sense of humour who has to pay the license fee for this drivel to be turned out by a national broadcaster.

I mean, honestly. This? Fade Street? Republic of Telly? Those really annoying people who are meant to be impressionists, who are just AWFUL? Why on earth should I have to pay for ths crap to be made????

/rant.

SparkyTech

zoegh wrote: »

Like a lot of other people have already said, the big problem I have is that this simply is a load of ****e. It's not funny. Not even close. It's so weird, because RTE can make some really great tv, like 'Growing up Gay', or some of the Primetime shows, but when they try to do comedy, it never ever works. They seem to assume that in Ireland people who watch comedy have the IQ of a gnat.

it's insulting, dfeinitely, but not to gay people, or culchies, or whoever they're meant to be lampooning. It's insulting to any Irish person with a sense of humour who has to pay the license fee for this drivel to be turned out by a national broadcaster.

I mean, honestly. This? Fade Street? Republic of Telly? Those really annoying people who are meant to be impressionists, who are just AWFUL? Why on earth should I have to pay for ths crap to be made????

/rant.

Don't forget the hilarity of Killnaskully

baby and crumble

Oh GOD I'd blocked that out...

Ash.J.Williams

jesus lads...i'm straight and i got the point!! Mick "the bull" is a racist homophobe actually based on a real person, and the stereotype pink clad gentlemen at the bar represent exactly how people like him see gays...mcsavage over exaggerates this by portraying gays as a vampire like race...
Does Mick the bull give the impression he's a knowledgable expert on ethics and fairness?

wonderfulname

Seriously, people can get way too touchy about things like this, it wasn't remotely funny all right but you could see the point of it. Mick the Bulls character portrays the backward end of this country that still exists. The scene that follows is one that is effectively in his head, he does not know what a gay man looks like, he has never met one, the two characters that enter the bar are of his own creation, as is the following scene.
Anybody who lives/lived down the culchie has met someone like Mick the Bull; "Sur' I took down a stag with a coat hanger last week", "Saw two lads from bally up here the other day, strange lookin' fellars, could tell it was them like, so they came up to me anyway, and they shtarted. I fookin' bate the two of em', ran dhem back to der mammies."

I never thought I would find a need to dissect that character, or to type half the Irishisms I just did... Long story short just because you don't "get" the joke doesn't mean it's at your expense.

Endymion

Abhainn-Rivers wrote: »

The rendition of that segment seems to do nothing to assert the folly of the crazed barman or undermine his biases. I mean to make it work against 'Bull Mick' one could have added in some non-stereotypical gay/bi men in the bar. All I see is some "quaaares" being placed in a meat blender!?!

How would that have made it more of a satire? A satire isn't required to provide the counter point, infact if it needs to explicitly provide the counter point then it's pretty poor satire. This particular episode isn't something you personally like, but you've no problem with the exact same form of satire being used in relation to the church.

Personally, I find the whole thing a load of unfunny crap, and typical of the muck RTE puts out.

crayolastereo wrote: »

This would be grand if it was funny, instead its portraying gay people as predators and then fecking them in a woodchipper. Not a huge amount of social commentary going on there. It would have been funny if the old guy was saying all this stuff to a confused gay guy minding his own business while this mad culchie goes on about neutralizing him.

Unfortunately, it's not a crime to be criminally unfunny.

crayolastereo wrote: »

She is quite obviously bisexual, but everyone calls her a lesbian (lezzie, lesbo, variations on that) and this is shown to be the cause of all her character flaws: lying, cheating, husband stealing, generally awful person. Slurs are frequently used against her to prove no kind of point other then we don't like her and she goes out with women lets make fun of her.

In absolute fairness, Soaps are meant to be a dramatisation of real life. It would be a bit unrealistic to portray your average Irish community as being fully aware of the distinctions in sexuality. Even people who've had it explained to them, roll their eyes and say "yeah right". Soap operas work on the basis of conflict.

zoegh wrote: »

Like a lot of other people have already said, the big problem I have is that this simply is a load of ****e. It's not funny. Not even close. It's so weird, because RTE can make some really great tv, like 'Growing up Gay', or some of the Primetime shows, but when they try to do comedy, it never ever works. They seem to assume that in Ireland people who watch comedy have the IQ of a gnat.

it's insulting, dfeinitely, but not to gay people, or culchies, or whoever they're meant to be lampooning. It's insulting to any Irish person with a sense of humour who has to pay the license fee for this drivel to be turned out by a national broadcaster.

I mean, honestly. This? Fade Street? Republic of Telly? Those really annoying people who are meant to be impressionists, who are just AWFUL? Why on earth should I have to pay for ths crap to be made????

/rant.

Some people love it though. I can't stand the panel, I think they're a bunch of sneering gob****es, but others love it.

Ash.J.Williams

or equally you could say it's the funniest thing on rte by a long shot?

baby and crumble

Ash.J.Williams wrote:

or equally you could say it's the funniest thing on rte by a long shot?

Eh, no, I don't think you could, to be honest.

I don't see it as being offensive to gay people, at all. I get what McSavage is trying to say, I get that the bar guy is obviously homophobic and that he's out of touch both in his way of think and what he sees gay men to be.

It's just really not funny.

Then again I never thought McSavage was funny when he was busking in Temple bar, I thought he was dickhead.

but, I agree it takes all sorts. I can never ever stop laughing when I see this-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-EGu3CgZjc

But I know not everyone does!!!

:pac::pac::pac::pac:

Sorry

I thought it was very funny.

Quentinkrisp

The barman scenes in the savage eye are an obvious piss take of narrow minded bigotry, to anyone with half a brain. I thought Mick the barman was actually the funniest part of the show!:D:D

Sure, Dave McSavage may not be the most likeable person on the planet in real life, but the way I see it, RTE have fully redeemed themselves by running this show, which is the best comedy since Father Ted IMO!:):)

gcgirl

Quentinkrisp wrote: »

The barman scenes in the savage eye are an obvious piss take of narrow minded bigotry, to anyone with half a brain. I thought Mick the barman was actually the funniest part of the show!:D:D

Sure, Dave McSavage may not be the most likeable person on the planet in real life, but the way I see it, RTE have fully redeemed themselves by running this show, which is the best comedy since Father Ted IMO!:):)

100% agreed

Hardaway

kinda think its p funny how many of these guys who "take the piss out of everyone equally" r straight white middle class dudes. think the class stuff is a lot more egregious but yeah rte is p horrific so this doesnt even seem notable in that context.

Ash.J.Williams

Sorry to drag this up again, as a straight person i see the mcsavage sketches as nothing disrespectful or harmful, it's merely a commentary on bigoted aspects of our society.....however, sometimes i see things that i genuinely feel let the gay side down such as Brian Dowling on tv or this message i saw on twitter today...

."Tonight at The Panti Show I will be launching my #GE11 campaign, with the slogan, "A banana republic needs fruits in charge!"

what do you think?

wonderfulname

Ash.J.Williams wrote: »

...however, sometimes i see things that i genuinely feel let the gay side down such as Brian Dowling on tv or this message i saw on twitter today...

I hate him I hate him I hate him!!!

Twats like him are a hell of a lot worse for perception of gay people in Ireland than anything else you can think of.

But as for that tweet, you missed a bit;

. Bunny, Regina, Bláthnaid and I will be launching our General Election campaign, with the slogan, "A banana republic needs fruits in charge!". Give the Plastique Party your #1.

Sounds well serious doesn't it? They're advertising the panti show, chillax.

fjireland

wouldnt be mad about it, but as far as rte produced comedy goes, it's not the worst thing they ever produced... it can be very funny but at times goes little too close to the bone, risk of offending.... still you have to take it with big pinch of salt so all in all , i think its harmless and has it's moments....

Timmy_the_dog

Ash.J.Williams wrote: »

Sorry to drag this up again, as a straight person i see the mcsavage sketches as nothing disrespectful or harmful, it's merely a commentary on bigoted aspects of our society.....however, sometimes i see things that i genuinely feel let the gay side down such as Brian Dowling on tv or this message i saw on twitter today...

what do you think?

Firstly, long time lurker first time poster.

Can I ask you as a straight person posting on a "LGBT" forum what part of "letting the gay side down" did you think was ok, really. Why should there be any side to "let down"? How many hateros let society down every day?..countless numbers. Why should there be any separation? People are people..

I could go on with the substitution of nouns but is there any point?

I'm gay..your straight..my brothers are straight, my sister is gay, my friends are straight, what the fup ever. Live your own frickin life, enjoy it!

wonderfulname

Good point, Brian Dowling lets all of society down!

zinx

I heard that Mick the bull is going for a job in the George.

He's going to wear a big pair of sunglasses and remove all electrical appliances from the vicinity of the bar.