The BBC gets “woke” and actor Will Smith doesn’t make the cut without a cautionary disclaimer.
The Westminster, London based public service broadcaster has added a disclaimer warning of discriminatory jokes on a reboot episode of “Fresh Prince of Bel Air,” the sitcom that launched Smith’s storied movie career.
In addition to Fresh Prince, BBC added a disclaimer warning on Rowan Atkinson’s “Blackadder,” according to The Sun.
First aired in 1983, Blackadder “uses one derogatory term for a Spaniard and one for black people,” the paper noted.
Atkinson’s character in the show, Edmund Blackadder, said in one episode, “You come in here fresh from slaughtering a couple of Chocos when their backs were turned, and you think you can upset the harmony of a whole kingdom.”
The term is a racial “slur,” derived from chocolate to describe a black person’s skin color, The Daily Mail reported.
The disclaimer before the comedies states: “Contains discriminatory language which some viewers may find offensive.”
All of which makes you wonder how the liberal Brits would respond to an episode of “The Sopranos,” featuring the late James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano.
Rebecca Ryan, campaign director at Defund the BBC, denounced this latest move.
“The corporation is clearly committed to only representing the third of the country who support these moves whilst expecting the rest of us to keep paying,” Ryan told The Sun. “The BBC is pressing on with ‘campaign woke’, which will only hurry along the inevitable.”
The BBC responded to the backlash over the disclaimers to say: “It’s to tell viewers when a show includes something that may be offensive, inappropriate or outdated.”
Aside from Will Smith getting a “trigger warning,” social media users marveled over how any show more than 10 years old escapes such a disclaimer.
Here’s a sampling of responses to the story from Twitter:
lmfao Will Smith gets a trigger warning? He is the most wholesome actors about, there are few actors as daytime tv as he is.
— TactlessBrit (@Tactless44) February 8, 2021
They may as well put a “Woke Warning” on anything made more than 10 years ago.
— Shockadelic (@shockadelicaust) February 8, 2021
Blackadder: “may contain references to turnips.. we apologise to any root vegetables who may be offended. Sorry, we’re also sorry for the term “vegetables”. Sorry.
— N.Shenley- Tweets by @miserablesatire from 130121 (@NormanTShenley) February 8, 2021
Surely the disclaimer should read “This comedy was written in the past, when things were funny and has no intent to offend. If you find something offensive & can’t just laugh it off, could we suggest watching something totally humourless like comedy in the 2020’s”
— A Londoner’s London (@LondonersLondon) February 8, 2021
This is like putting “contents may be hot” on a cup of coffee.
— bill oram (@unclebilloram) February 8, 2021
People who are Woke have very little sense of humour as they spend most of their time being “serious” about things that really aren’t.
Soon there will be more warnings than content.
The BBC need to provide an option for Woke people which is just warnings. Nothing else.
— Dugald MacGregor (@DugaldMacGregor) February 8, 2021
We, as a nation have completely mad over the past thirty years or so. In an effort to try not to “offend” all sense of ourselves have been lost. Telling someone they are lazy, or greedy can now cause mental health problems. Which is now the get out of jail card.
— Garry Wilson (@madukumalele) February 8, 2021
This is why I’ve bought all my favourite TV shows and films on DVD. These people won’t be happy until every show from yesteryear is removed or edited.
— Ricky Lake (@RickyLake231) February 8, 2021
They don’t like people laughing as we will laugh at them when they trip over their own wokeness. “NUTS!!!”
— 🦈 IAN IN SURBITON 🦈 (@ianinsurbiton) February 8, 2021
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The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.
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