Frack me! Thanks to Andrew Collings I have bought the box set of Battlestar Galactica (the latest incarnation) and rather than going to the gym or doing some work on AIOTM as I had intended I stayed in all afternoon and got stuck in. It's too early to call, but I think I am going to enjoy this, but as I am slowly working my way through all 5 seasons of the Wire as well I might have to spend most of what remains of the decade watching box sets. Ah well, it beats working.
It's a lot smarter than the old version of this show, and clearly already a commentary on war and terrorism and responsibility for these things. Though at the moment I don't think it's much cleverer than something like Star Trek TNG or Voyager. It's probably a bit better than "Another Flip For Dominick". I can only imagine how this show would blow the minds of Ludovic Kennedy and his weird gang of "Did You See" cronies.
But it's interesting that in the US Sci-Fi is one of the main conduits to discuss scientific and ethical questions. I am looking forward to working my way through the massive tin of DVDs that is sitting in front of me now.
I got about my tenth request in as many days to make further comment on offensiveness in comedy, this time from the Independent newspaper, but I turned it down. I am pretty much done with talking about that one. The only way we're going to progress is to stop getting offended by such trivial stuff. We are devaluing an important thing by getting so overwrought and upset by stuff that needs at most a simple apology and often not just that. Save up your disapproval and shock for truly awful things, not a comedian making a personal or off-colour joke, but for people who actually do bad things and are serious about it. The BBC should just tell everyone to fuck off and put out whatever they think is funny and acceptable. And leave it to the audience to decide what they want to see and what they don't. A man wrote to Time Out this week to say he was glad Frankie Boyle had left Mock the Week because, "It means I don't have to listen to his profanity and abuse." But you know what, he'll still have to listen to all the other panelist's profanity and abuse. And he didn't have to listen to Boyle's profanity and abuse in the first place. He could have turned off or turned over. I don't particularly like that show and that's what I choose to do. But I accept that some people like the profanity and abuse and don't see why they shouldn't be allowed to see it because me and a bloke in Time Out don't enjoy it as much. And the best way to get stop people like me and Frankie Boyle getting laughs from sick jokes is to make it so nothing is offensive and no one gets offended, because then that entire branch of humour disappears. It's symbiotic and is only funny because it goes that little bit too far. If you have no limits then we'll have to think of something else to do. So if you don't like these jokes, it is entirely you're own fault that they exist.
Let's say no more on the matter and get on with trying to make people laugh and then apologising when we fail.
