The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #13444   Message #1148117
Posted By: Richard Bridge
28-Mar-04 - 07:11 AM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Puff the Magic Dragon (parody)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Puff the magic dragon ( parody)
Odd - I don't find the Hartlepool monkey offensive at all, and find the Frog and the Vicar inoffensive enough to be redeemed by its wit.

But the point about bigotry (of the "humorous" variety) surely is that it assumes and denigrates (allegedly as "funny") a characteristic (or, I should make doubly clear, an alleged if not actual characteristic) of a minority that is discriminated against or a minority that is vulnerable.

So, arguably, "Eskimo Nell" while pretty direct, does not have (to my ears) this element of bigotry, as neither do for example (albeit less direct, but quite unambiguous) Shakespeare's erotic poems ("License my hands, and let them roving go..." etc).