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kingandyhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/tv_film/newsid_3777000/3777753.stm
An interesting (if simplistic) piece from the Children's BBC team on how HP3 got its "PG" rating. Basically: Children's movies are allowed to be a bit scarier, because being a children's movie you know everything will turn out alright. Hmm... I don't know, I'm not sure that reasoning holds up to close scrutiny, but I can't easily put it into words. They're right when they say that the majority of the audience will have read it already, though.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/3786397.stm
Speak Your Brains: Is flying England's flag right? There's a variety of opinions there, ranging from worries that the St George's Cross has been co-opted by racist bigots, to those who don't see what the fuss is about and don't know why you'd wave a flag anyway ("Birthplace is fairly arbitrary"), by way of those who believe they should be able to show their patriotism and racist bigots be damned. Personally I'm with the people who don't particularly see the point, but I also think it's a shame that those who do like to wave a flag only seem to feel the need to do it during football tournaments. They're not saying "Our country is the best", they're saying "Our lads can beat your lads at football".
The reason it's been co-opted to an extent by the far right, of course, is that they've taken "Our country is best" and extended it to "because all foreigners are dirty and should stay where they belong", which is much worse. Given the choice, I think a world in which people could support their team at sporting events without raising unfortunate associations would be a good one. But then, I'd quite like a world in which people could support their teams without painting their country's flags on their enormous distended bellies, which currently seems sadly out of the question.
Right, that's quite enough half-baked drivel from me for now.
An interesting (if simplistic) piece from the Children's BBC team on how HP3 got its "PG" rating. Basically: Children's movies are allowed to be a bit scarier, because being a children's movie you know everything will turn out alright. Hmm... I don't know, I'm not sure that reasoning holds up to close scrutiny, but I can't easily put it into words. They're right when they say that the majority of the audience will have read it already, though.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/3786397.stm
Speak Your Brains: Is flying England's flag right? There's a variety of opinions there, ranging from worries that the St George's Cross has been co-opted by racist bigots, to those who don't see what the fuss is about and don't know why you'd wave a flag anyway ("Birthplace is fairly arbitrary"), by way of those who believe they should be able to show their patriotism and racist bigots be damned. Personally I'm with the people who don't particularly see the point, but I also think it's a shame that those who do like to wave a flag only seem to feel the need to do it during football tournaments. They're not saying "Our country is the best", they're saying "Our lads can beat your lads at football".
The reason it's been co-opted to an extent by the far right, of course, is that they've taken "Our country is best" and extended it to "because all foreigners are dirty and should stay where they belong", which is much worse. Given the choice, I think a world in which people could support their team at sporting events without raising unfortunate associations would be a good one. But then, I'd quite like a world in which people could support their teams without painting their country's flags on their enormous distended bellies, which currently seems sadly out of the question.
Right, that's quite enough half-baked drivel from me for now.
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no subject
Date: 2004-06-08 08:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-08 08:27 am (UTC)Remind me to buy you something with a dragon on it, you poor oppressed mass you.
no subject
Date: 2004-06-08 08:35 am (UTC)I'm proud to be English, British and European. And just because I'm patriotic about my country doesn't mean I'm racist or xenophobic, or even hate Welsh people ;-)
The co-opting of the George Cross by the far right (which I dispute was that widespread, IIRC they generally used the Union Jack) is made even funnier if you know anything about our patron Saint's origin, you know being a mixture of mythical construct and Asian/Arab origin. The people that argue we shouldn't fly the flag because of the right wing controversy are just giving in to the far right and re-enforcing the image of Flag=Right Wing.
I think the English should stand up and say that the St George's Cross is not a symbol of the Far Right, its a symbol of a multi-cultural nation that we can rally around at any time we wish to show our support for our country be it in football, rugby or any other time we feel like being proud of our country.
no subject
Date: 2004-06-08 09:04 am (UTC)Maybe I'm prejudiced, but I definatley see Welsh flag waving as a more innocent gesture. It would still make me cringe to see it flapping on cars with the frequency that I've seen the St. George's cross of late. It's just not a classy thing to do.
What do you read into when you see people waving the Welsh flag, or even the Scotish one? Do you feel any amount of anti-English sentiment behind it?
no subject
Date: 2004-06-08 09:33 am (UTC)Proud to be Welsh/Scottish? I think is most cases it simply is that. I'm sure to some Scots/Welsh it may represent them standing up to the English oppression but is that a reason to deny all the others the chance to celebrate their nation?
I was listening to the debate on 5 live on the way in this morning and one of the panelists was continually asserting that all ethnic minorities felt threatened by the flag even though people who where of ethnic origin phoning in saying they had no problem with it and flew the flag themselves. By the end of the phone in it seemed to me this guy had convinced himself that the St George's flag was inherently racist because it had white in it and the only solution was to design a new one to which "they" had input. I had to discount his opinion in the end because he didn't advance the argument apart from a "I'm right, your wrong" approach. Political correctness gone mad I tell you...
no subject
Date: 2004-06-08 09:35 am (UTC)I blame the Sun.
no subject
Date: 2004-06-08 09:47 am (UTC)As do I. I wonder if we'll be treated to those wonderful plastic bowler hats daubed with the St. George's cross this year.
no subject
Date: 2004-06-08 10:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-08 02:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-08 02:44 pm (UTC)Those flags look rather silly but I don't see it as racism
Date: 2004-06-09 03:10 am (UTC)I do think more people who are supporting other teams should put up little flags to. At the last Euro footie event, I worked at TAG. The whole office had flags up including the Scottish, Irish, Welsh and others - it looked kinda cool - friendly rivalry and all that. My friend Jens is of Danish origin and he got hold of the largest Danish flag he could and hung it proud (even after they were knocked out). It was like an inverse English flag. I personally placed the "National Flag of Badgerland" up in the Helpdesk area and opted out of watching any of it (secretly I was supporting Brazil so I could get a free Coca-Cola t-shirt from my ring-pull - I was win!).
I think I digress. Nevermind. The one thing I do find especialy silly about those flags is those people who cannot control themselves and have to have more than one. I've seen cars and vans with three or four. Look at me! Look at me! I support the England football team I do. I do! Really.... Overcompensating I think - secretly, they like bowls.
Re: Those flags look rather silly but I don't see it as racism
Date: 2004-06-09 03:37 am (UTC)