Alan Carr - Chatty Man
08/05
Channel 4
Alan Carr hosts his own light-hearted chat show. Alan is joined by Hollywood star Anna Kendrick, comedian Lee Mack and actor Danny Dyer. Music comes from Clean Bandit, who perform their latest single Stronger.
Comment
Lee Mack was Alan's guest and sadly he returns to mocking transgender people once again.
Lee is no stranger to this as we have often reported.
Shame, yet again he uses intersex as a comical issue. He has children of his own. And what if one of those had been born with a congenital issue that other's mocked? It is actually outrageous and proudly broadcast again by Channel 4. Lee has made other gags about transgender people on his show (that he writes) 'Not Going Out' and that is the BBC now being aired on Dave. And also in his Stand-up routines.
TRANSCRIPT
Alan - "Let's talk about Kate and Will's new Kid..."
Lee Mack - "You're Joking! Don't spoil it for me I've recorded it!"
Alan Laughs
Lee Mack - "I've...I've had a bet on Hermaphrodite! (Waits for the big laugh)."
(Alan Laughs - Audience bellows).
Lee Mack - "No I meant the name..."
(More laughter).
.... They discuss child names and then Lee returns again to intersex innuendo.
Lee Mack - "My kid was almost called Lily Savage (cos his wife's maiden name is Savage). Which is appropriate because she was born with a penis!.."
(The audience takes a sharp intake of breath as to wonder if to laugh or not...).
Lee Mack - "No not really..."
(Audience laughs again.)
Audience can laugh here as he does not have a transgender kid they feel no shame. But this is a TV show broadcast into millions of homes and some of those do have a transgender child Alan.
So here we have an interesting merry-go-round. When Lee was objectifying others as transgender/Intersex it was hilarious for all concerned, when he for a split-second personalised it (for a laugh) they all felt uncomfortable.
The truth is that is how they should always feel with this type of humour. But 'othering' is always someone else's problem by definition. So this alone was a good social experiment. Lee waited to see if this audience would react to him saying his daughter had a penis, and when he heard the gasp he probably selected one of two punchlines appropriate depending on the reaction - he is a professional comedian after all so probably had more than two set up. In this instance the gasp meant he could stop. And move on.
He then went onto say the following,
TRANSCRIPT
Lee Mack - "I love the fact you said NO?! [To having an intersex child] Surely if she was born with a penis she would be a boy!.."
Alan Carr - "Oh yeah (LAUGHING), I didn't think of that!"
Alan sadly laughed at everything which is sad.
The fact is Lee clearly did not have a trans* child so this was again throw-away transphobia for laughs. Had he had a transgender kid, I suspect he would never have even have said a word.
But what this does demonstrate is as long as there is no actual transgender person around fill yer boots and mock all you like, as it is apparently perfectly acceptable as far as Channel 4 is concerned to make fun of T/I people and especially children and families who can suffer terribly as a result.
Channel 4
The reaction to this is by some on Twitter - "Lighten up!" But this same comment was made to a black footballer in a pub in the 1970s when he spoke of racism and said he had to laugh along with it... why? Because they said so. "It's only a joke mate just having a laugh [at your community!]"
It is othering check it out - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Other
Othering - Othering is a process that identifies those that are thought to be different from oneself or the mainstream, and it can reinforce and reproduce positions of domination and subordination
Mocking disabled people is on the increase as is reported transphobic incidents often leading to suicide. There are well-known cases of intersex people killing themselves. So Lee and Alan pack it in please! Alan being Gay and Lee being a 'cheeky-Chappy' is not enough for those families struggling out there.
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