[Tubby Isaacs]

Just come across this chap. 57k followers, has a podcast.

Racial issues famously only exist in America. Come to think of it, why would commemorating the other things he mentions not be "virtue signalling"?

And aside from not getting the significance of a murder by a police officer (as opposed to murder by extremists) he seems to thinks killings by police officers in America are otherwise unknown. Um, they aren't not by a long chalk.

[MisterMuncher]

Wonder how he feels about UK security forces facing trial for murder?

[Tubby Isaacs]

No idea. Here's one of his mates, who's auditioning for Mr Logic.

I'm not always a fan of Otto, but it's obvious that he's not saying Twitter blocking is a violation of free speech, just commenting on the irony that people who talk so much about free speech seem inordinately fond of blocking. If it's abusive, sure, or the account has abusive followers. But is that true of Otto? Wouldn't you want him on your timeline as part of the market place of ideas?

[Youngian]

I can see how in the mists of time Andy confuses Mary Whitehouse with Barbara Cartland. Wasn’t she the dog training woman?

I have no idea what Andrew’s Free Speech show will be about but let me guess: Liberal wokes and lefties (same thing) hate free speech because they want to ban ‘libertarians’ (racists) from campuses (mention some anecdote about a loopy US academic calling for a modern equivalent of racist black bin liners to be banned). Protect Rupert Murdoch’s right to print whatever lies he likes about people from the lefty luvvies at Hacked Off. And then there’s Twitter and Facebook’s bans. They are part of the globalist libtard conspiracy controlled by Soros and Nick Clegg or something.

For those who’ve studied political philosophy, I’m guessing one of the first things you study is Karl Popper’s paradox of tolerance. Like in macroeconomics you’re quickly introduced to Keynes’s paradox of thrift. But that doesn’t stop people thinking they’re very clever making analogies about government spending being like their household accounts.

[Tubby Isaacs]

It's not even a Mary Whitehouse situation really anyway. Otto doesn't want GB News taken off, I presume. Just thinks it'll be hypocritical shit.

[Youngian]

Looks like he’s ghost writing the PM’s new biography; ‘Save Shakespeare from the wokes.’

[Andy McDandy]

"I want them in ruffs and tights and going hey nonny nonny, and Shylock needs a big nose and did you see that thing on the BBC with that black woman playing a queen..."

[Bones McCoy]

I think this belongs here:

[Youngian]

David Harewood in a kid’s tv series of Robin Hood so upset Nick Griffin he accused the BBC of being obsessed by race.

[Youngian]

I think this belongs here:

Dean is either a tin eared US or Russian bot’s impression of the English bloke down the pub or a sad twisted loser camped in his mum’s basement who yearns to be one of Tommah’s lads.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Is anybody proposing rewriting Shakespeare plays?

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Been done.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Bowdler

[Andy McDandy]

There's a pretty good book on him by Emma Smith of Oxford University called "This is Shakespeare", which has a really quite brilliant analysis of why his popularity has never waned, and why the arguments about keeping him "anti-woke" are bollocks.

If you read pretty much any film or play script, you'll be struck by the detail that goes into set directions, descriptions of decor, costume, characters and so on. Not Shakespeare - all you get is enter and exit (bears optional) and occasional references to props, mostly delivered through dialogue. There is no set direction saying a dagger hangs in the air in front of Macbeth - all we know is that he can see one.

Smith describes this as being "in the gaps" - there's no detail given on how any line should be delivered, how a character should look, everything is open to interpretation.

That gives directors tremendous flexibility when it comes to staging his works. Set them whenever you like, wherever you like. Play around with genders, ages, ethnicities, whatever. It truly is universal in a way that many of his contemporaries just aren't.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

That sounds interesting.
I've just read
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00 ... UTF8&psc=1

'Globe: Life in Shakespeare's London'

Quite informative, strips away the touristisationary* aspects.


*We can all do coinings...

[Malcolm Armsteen]

@Andy McDandy

The Emma Smith book - would it appeal to a bright 12-year old? I've just bought her Lamb's Tales because she reckoned she was finding comprehending some plays hard, and thinking of seeding her library.

[Andy McDandy]

No reason why it shouldn't - it's aimed very much at the layperson, so a bright kid should be fine with it. Might ask what a few things mean, but hey, what are parents and grandparents for?

[Malcolm Armsteen]

My own thoughts exactly!

Many thanks.

[Samanfur]

Been done.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Bowdler

See also, Nahum Tate. Although not quite to the same extent.

[Bones McCoy]

Been done.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Bowdler

See also, Nahum Tate. Although not quite to the same extent.

Also Sondheim et al.

[Youngian]

Is anybody proposing rewriting Shakespeare plays?

No substitute for Hamlet in the original Klingon. Film makers have always been at it. Kurosawa is top of the tree with Throne of Blood (Macbeth) and Ran (Lear).