Ricky Gervais' use of word "Mong" on his latest show

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It's comedy. If it's not to your taste, nobody is forcing you to ****ing watch it. Pussy.

Spot-on with the whole 'in context' thing. People need to stop trying to be so unnecessarily politically correct all the time. I've used the word before, thinking it was merely synonymous with 'idiot' - as a light-hearted jibe. ' Oh you're such a mong!'. I've heard my friend call someone a 'flid' before, but unbeknowst to her, it probably refers to thalidomides...

Reply 22

morecambebay

Original post by Schmucks

He's not personally referencing them though, nor would he ever want to. As such, how is it in any way directed to them? You're making that connection now. Not him.

Not really true that is it?

In this show, he uses the word to describe susan boyle over and over and over again....and it is well known that she has a learning disability.

He seems to be trying to play the free speech card, but free speech says that people have the freedom to criticize him as well...in fact they should criticize him because the entire point of free speech is that all things can be challenged to see if they can stand up to their criticisms. What he really wants is censorship, he wants his views and his alone to be heard.

Reply 23

Schmucks

Original post by morecambebay

He also calls Karl Pilkington a mong. I think you need to understand what his reference point is before criticising. He never aims to publically humiliate Susan Boyle for her learning disability. He doesn't actually make a connection to her disability whatsoever. He's not referencing it one bit. If he was to hold back because she's got a learning disability, surely that's deliberately treating someone differently due to the hand they've been dealt with?

Ricky Gervais actively encourages people to give as good as he does - That's what comedy is. It's not evil or vindictive. It's humour. It's not intented to hurt anybody. It's funny how these celebrities he oh-so often insults never come out and complain about what Ricky has said. The fact is, he'd have nothing to apologise for. He doesn't reference things that are too far from comedic value. He has morals and wouldn't cross them anyway Mong is a term used to describe someone doing something idiotic in this modern age. I could call Susan Boyle a mong for flirting with Simon Cowell throughout her auditions, because I think it's idiotic, not because i'm trying to fling an insult at her for a disability which of course is a shame that she has.

All this time when people get wound up in the public for things he says, 90% of the time that person being attacked (Johnny Depp for example) comes out and takes it on the chin as good humour, and praises Gervais. That's how it should be.

This is PC gone bloody mad. Jesus.

Reply 24

Helpful_Charlie

The media is composed of mongs, so what do you expect?

Reply 25

Tams80

I didn't know "mong" meant DS until Mencap went and made a fuss about it. Great job there. ¬.¬

As others have said, it really depends on the context.

I don't see what's wrong about calling someone who is acting like they have DS a "mong", as they have no 'excuse'. People with DS do have an 'excuse' as they are unfortunate enough to have DS.

It depends on what the person doing the 'calling' means by it. If they mean to offend, then yes, I do think that is wrong. If they don't then I struggle to see why the 'caller' should be stigmatised for anything other than being ignorant of/not thinking what the person being 'called' will be offended by.

Reply 26

Quoi?

Original post by Jingers

Did you know that the word 'mong' or 'mongoloid' originally comes from 'Mongolian' and it's because people thought that Mongolians look disabled?

No the term Mongoloid refers to one of the major races of humanity. The word is formed by the base word "Mongol" and the suffix "-oid" which means "resembling".

Reply 27

Jingers

Original post by Quoi?

No the term Mongoloid refers to one of the major races of humanity. The word is formed by the base word "Mongol" and the suffix "-oid" which means "resembling".

I was talking about the insult...

Reply 28

Quoi?

Original post by Jingers

I was talking about the insult...

No you said the words Mong and Mongoloid were derived from the word Mongolian when it is quite clear all insults on the theme were derived originally from Mongoloid.

Reply 29

Craig_D

Gervais's comedy is much deeper than people give it credit for. People watch comedians such as Gervais, Al Murray and Stewart Lee, and don't realise that their acts are each social commentaries (as obvious as Murray's is, I still know people that don't get it). Gervais has a philosophy degree from UCL, he knows what's offensive and what isn't, he's playing a character. True, the style of comedy may not to everyone's tastes, but it's largely intended to be ironic.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 30

Jingers

Original post by Quoi?

No you said the words Mong and Mongoloid were derived from the word Mongolian when it is quite clear all insults on the theme were derived originally from Mongoloid.

Oh.

Nope.

Reply 31

Craiky1506

I think people who get offended by it should lighten up, as he said... words change meanings.

Reply 32

TurboCretin

I have heard this word used numerous times in common parlance, and never knew it was connected with Downs Syndrome. If people with Downs Syndrome are upset by the use of this word then that is a sad thing, but if Gervais didn't use it with the intent to cause upset of this nature I don't see where the justification lies for persecuting him.

Reply 33

derp

I don't think it matters at all whether or not he MEANT to reference people with Down's syndrome. It's like calling someone a p-ki or a sp-stic when you want to call them stupid - they're all just offensive words which shouldn't be used in any context.

Reply 34

ICDJ

I think he's a comedian and therefore has a license to say what the hell he wants

:colondollar:

Reply 35

Schmucks

Original post by derp

I've never, ever heard someone get called a p*** because they were deemed stupid. It's not become a social norm for that reference to be made either, whereas mong has, whether we like it or not.

-----

One thing that should be pointed out, Gervais' scripts are never made to genuinely hurt anyone. It pokes fun at certain people for things they do (Such as Charlie Sheen and his whole 'winning' parade) but never spitefully hurts anyone. He knows his context and carefully creates his script - It's manufactured comedy and as such he knows what lines he's crossing and what he's not. Nobody can actually quote a vindictive or stereotypical Ricky Gervais line, as they don't exist. He'll mock those for stupid stuff they do, but nothing more.

He's regularly gone on record to apologise if anyone is offended by what he's said, though won't apologise for saying it. He isn't aiming to offend, he's aiming to entertain. It does that in abundance, and he shouldn't have to apologise for anything within his scripts. He pushes boundaries but never crosses them, like a good comedian should. He's a genius of his field and shouldn't have to apologise because some are too sensitive to subjects that are water off a duck's back to the person the joke was actually aimed at.

Reply 36

henryt

Language evolves, and he wasn't being vindictive.

Reply 37

kerily

Original post by Schmucks

He's not personally referencing them though, nor would he ever want to. As such, how is it in any way directed to them? You're making that connection now. Not him.

He is personally referencing them - he's using a word that's used to refer to them. I don't see how much closer you can get to saying 'people with learning difficulties' than using a word that means 'people with learning difficulties'.

Reply 38

HarveyCanis

Although I think Gervais is a nasty piece of work, this is all completely overblown. I too did not know "mong" was an offensive word and the reason for that is that I don't look up every word I use as an insult before using them. If insults don't offend someone, what's the point?

It's why we have free speech, nobody has the right to not get offended.

Reply 39

username133326

Original post by Steevee

I think Gervais is quite right in what he's said. It's all about context. If he'd said it about or to someone with learning difficulties, Downs or whatever then yes, string him up. But in the context of a joke with nothing to do with such things, leave him alone.

well he has been directly offensive towards disabled people in the past...

something along the lines of "sometimes, when you see a mentally disabled person doing something weird, you just have to laugh, amirite?"

the man is a c*nt