Henning Wehn

[Schmetterling]

Reinforcement of existing prejudical stereotypes enforces prejudice and ignorance. Does it not? By this logic:
Thus, all Germans wear leiderhosen (hello Henning!) unt all Germans reference Hitler (hello, My Struggle - translated into German as mein kampf).

Obviously, I don't agree with the above statement, being devils advocate here. I don't find racism or racist humour amusing. Possibly a more sore point for me than most due to the effect its had elsewhere in my life. But trying to point out how racism has affected my own life, failing to see how that might affect someone else does show a certain lack of empathy. for those affected.

Was 'Heil Honey, I'm home' ever in good taste? Seriously? No. So Why is such casual racism and prejudice amusing now? I don't find it excusable. If you do, Jim Davidson and his friend Chalky might be on tour soon. I won't be going.

If a comedian has to resort to such base and formless racial / national stereotypes rather than relying on their own wit and observations, there's no finesse or intelligence or wit or observation to their comedy, just a lazy dumb music hall schtick. To say otherwise is being a mere apologist. Fuck it, who needs intelligence, wit or originality in comedy when you can just resort to a string of cliches about cheese eating surrender monkeys, all Germans being nazis, all irish beign stupid? It's obviously too much to ask for someone to be original or show any intellect . Might as well do that whole 'only gay in the village' or blacking up shit you saw on Walliams / Lucas's effort the other Christmas.

if you see something you find is wrong - racism, for example - call someone out on it. Either you stand for something, or you don't. I stand by my beliefs. The rest of you can be spineless if you like and look the other way when people say 'Nigger', I won't.

Why, thank you - I have truly been enlightened and educated by your post. Thank you for showing me - the little racist fucker - the error of my ways.

Maybe one day you'll need an organ transplant, or an ambulance to take you to hospital. Would you turn them away because their skin is a different colour? Would you? We all bleed the same colour under the skin.All of us.

Sweet Jesus! Mother of Christ on a bike! And 10 Hail Marys. Son asked me the other day what 'histrionics' means. *copies and pastes thread to mail to son*

He must be on a wind up, surely?

Starting to suspect that, too.

I have a question SOQ:

Who is Henning Wehn 'racist' against?

 

[Onket]

And as for stating I'm wrong Onket - you'd might have a different opinion on racism if someone had threatened the lives of your kids because of the colour of their skin. You think thats excusable? If you think that racism is excusable, or right - then you sir, might want to re-consider your life from the ground up. I don't give a shit for your post count.

Maybe one day you'll need an organ transplant, or an ambulance to take you to hospital. Would you turn them away because their skin is a different colour? Would you? We all bleed the same colour under the skin.All of us.

I think you've forgotten what we're talking about here, or you've not read my posts.

For the record, I would not turn away an ambulance because it's skin was a different colour to mine.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Reinforcement of existing prejudical stereotypes enforces prejudice and ignorance. Does it not? By this logic:
Thus, all Germans wear leiderhosen (hello Henning!) unt all Germans reference Hitler (hello, My Struggle - translated into German as mein kampf).

1) It's "und", the d is pronounced as a t, rather than spelt.

2) You're implying that all comedy that references stereotypes reinforces those stereotypes. That isn't the case.

3) Herr Wehn's reference to "My Struggle" is a subversion of stereotype, a stereotype you seem to have bought into to a greater degree than he has.

Obviously, I don't agree with the above statement, being devils advocate here. I don't find racism or racist humour amusing. Possibly a more sore point for me than most due to the effect its had elsewhere in my life. But trying to point out how racism has affected my own life, failing to see how that might affect someone else does show a certain lack of empathy. for those affected.

Many Germans find the "they all wear lederhosen" stereotype extremely funny, especially as in parts of Germany, the whole lederhosen thing is seen as a Bavarian and/or Austrian thing, i.e. they have their own comic stereotype for Bavarians and Austrians as folk-dressed weirdos.

Was 'Heil Honey, I'm home' ever in good taste? Seriously? No. So Why is such casual racism and prejudice amusing now? I don't find it excusable. If you do, Jim Davidson and his friend Chalky might be on tour soon. I won't be going.

If a comedian has to resort to such base and formless racial / national stereotypes rather than relying on their own wit and observations, there's no finesse or intelligence or wit or observation to their comedy, just a lazy dumb music hall schtick. To say otherwise is being a mere apologist. Fuck it, who needs intelligence, wit or originality in comedy when you can just resort to a string of cliches about cheese eating surrender monkeys, all Germans being nazis, all irish beign stupid? It's obviously too much to ask for someone to be original or show any intellect . Might as well do that whole 'only gay in the village' or blacking up shit you saw on Walliams / Lucas's effort the other Christmas.

How many comedians reel off strings of clichéd stereotypes? Few, such as the aforementioned Davidson, Manning and Brown and their ilk.
How many comedians actually subvert the clichés? Most of them that have a talented bone in their bodies.

if you see something you find is wrong - racism, for example - call someone out on it. Either you stand for something, or you don't. I stand by my beliefs. The rest of you can be spineless if you like and look the other way when people say 'Nigger', I won't.

Has anyone asked you to?
Of course they haven't.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Why, thank you - I have truly been enlightened and educated by your post. Thank you for showing me - the little racist fucker - the error of my ways.

Sie sind Deutsch, macht Sie das rassistische, natürlich*.

Apols for poor grammar.

Sweet Jesus! Mother of Christ on a bike! And 10 Hail Marys. Son asked me the other day what 'histrionics' means. *copies and pastes thread to mail to son*

 

[ViolentPanda]

Maybe one day you'll need an organ transplant, or an ambulance to take you to hospital. Would you turn them away because their skin is a different colour? Would you? We all bleed the same colour under the skin.All of us.

Is it time for all of us to join hands and sing "I'd like to teach the world to sing" yet, or maybe a couple of verses of "kumbayah"?

 

[StraightOuttaQ]

I find comedy using with racist stereotypes not funny. I find Henning Wehn uses these. Thus, I do not consider him funny. Reinforcing existing stereotypes perpetuates racism.

Schmetterling, In my first post, I referenced a comparison to Amos N' Andy, Black & White minstrel shows and so forth. As in, someone who trades upon their own national / racial identity and does so to make commercial gain. It is, like I said, me pretending to be a stock in trade Brummie as my comedy schtick to get a cheap laugh, rather than using wit or observation or intellect.

If you trade upon your racial / national background in order to exploit it to make money, you have no integrity. It is not talent, or skill you are using to profit. it is your own capacity to willingly and knowingly debase and humiliate yourself for profit. There is no dignity in that.

No good comes out of the perpetuation of racial / national stereotypes. I hope that clarifies my point.

 

[Schmetterling]

I find comedy using with racist stereotypes not funny. I find Henning Wehn uses these. Thus, I do not consider him funny. Reinforcing existing stereotypes perpetuates racism.

Schmetterling, In my first post, I referenced a comparison to Amos N' Andy, Black & White minstrel shows and so forth. As in, someone who trades upon their own national / racial identity and does so to make commercial gain. It is, like I said, me pretending to be a stock in trade Brummie as my comedy schtick to get a cheap laugh, rather than using wit or observation or intellect.

If you trade upon your racial / national background in order to exploit it to make money, you have no integrity. It is not talent, or skill you are using to profit. it is your own capacity to willingly and knowingly debase and humiliate yourself for profit. There is no dignity in that.

No good comes out of the perpetuation of racial / national stereotypes. I hope that clarifies my point.

Ah! Germans are a race?
ETA And Andy and Amos were black?

 

[ViolentPanda]

If you find Wehn/Pryor funny, you tolerate racism, or are indeed racist apparently. Or did I read him wrong?

You dirty racist cunt!

 

[Orang Utan]

I find comedy using with racist stereotypes not funny. I find Henning Wehn uses these. Thus, I do not consider him funny. Reinforcing existing stereotypes perpetuates racism.

Schmetterling, In my first post, I referenced a comparison to Amos N' Andy, Black & White minstrel shows and so forth. As in, someone who trades upon their own national / racial identity and does so to make commercial gain. It is, like I said, me pretending to be a stock in trade Brummie as my comedy schtick to get a cheap laugh, rather than using wit or observation or intellect.

If you trade upon your racial / national background in order to exploit it to make money, you have no integrity. It is not talent, or skill you are using to profit. it is your own capacity to willingly and knowingly debase and humiliate yourself for profit. There is no dignity in that.

No good comes out of the perpetuation of racial / national stereotypes. I hope that clarifies my point.

Not really. You are mistaking joking about racism and stereotyping as racism and stereotyping. This makes you at worst stupid and humourless, at best obtuse and blinkered.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Ah! Germans are a race?

Personally, I've always thought that Germans are just like everyone else, 'cos most of the Germans I've met don't immediately say "I'm German", it's more "I'm Westphalian", "I'm Saxon" or "I'm Bavarian", or "I'm a Dusseldorfer", just like most other people I've met who identify themselves by a region, a city or a state. They don't say "I am a member of the German race".

 

[StraightOuttaQ]

Not really. You are mistaking joking about racism and stereotyping as racism and stereotyping. This makes you at worst stupid and humourless, at best obtuse and blinkered.

Read again - closely. You appear to think I don't know the difference between being racist and joking about racism using racist stereotypes.I do.

My point was that by using these stereotypes, you reinforce the stereotypes. Even in attempting to subvert them, the stereotype has to exist and to be used. The butt of the joke may be the how stupid the person who believes the stereotype is - but the stereotype is again used.

If you do not see how that using a stereotype reinforces the stereotype in people's minds, why not? The whole joke requires understanding the stereotype and cliche and not challenging that stereotype. I can only explain it to you, not understand it for you.

"Ah! Germans are a race?"

I should have written "using racist and national stereotypes" rather than just "racist stereotypes". I left two words out whilst typing at speed. In which case I wouldn't have been asserting that the Germans are a race, which is not something I believe.

 

[Reno]

Personally, I've always thought that Germans are just like everyone else, 'cos most of the Germans I've met don't immediately say "I'm German", it's more "I'm Westphalian", "I'm Saxon" or "I'm Bavarian", or "I'm a Dusseldorfer", just like most other people I've met who identify themselves by a region, a city or a state. They don't say "I am a member of the German race".

True, I always say "I'm from Bavaria" when people ask, because my German accent makes it so bloody obvious what country I'm from. I do know that barking "I am of the master race" would be an undiplomatic way to introduce myself at work interviews and dinner parties.

 

[Orang Utan]

Joking about national stereotypes can shatter those stereotypes too. Wehn is a living embodiment of this: a funny German.

 

[Schmetterling]

Personally, I've always thought that Germans are just like everyone else, 'cos most of the Germans I've met don't immediately say "I'm German", it's more "I'm Westphalian", "I'm Saxon" or "I'm Bavarian", or "I'm a Dusseldorfer", just like most other people I've met who identify themselves by a region, a city or a state. They don't say "I am a member of the German race".

Hmm; had to think about that. In general I - personally - would first say German and then name the town (for town read teensy weensy village).
I was just being flippant (and for flippant read pedantic) about the use of 'racism' as opposed to xenophobia.
Anyway: Feierabend! See you all tomorrow!

 

[Balbi]

True, I always say "I'm from Bavaria" when people ask, because my German accent makes it so bloody obvious what country I'm from. I do know that barking "I am of the master race" would be an undiplomatic way to introduce myself at work interviews and dinner parties.

Yes, but surely you've been tempted, at least once?

 

[Balbi]

Al Murray's more dangerous to what SDQ is trying to say, as people take his material at face value without seeing the deeper comedy involved - the same with Warren Mitchell's Alf Garnett character. Like Stewart Lee's comment about Jim Davidson appropriating some of Jimmy Carr's jokes - and how it implies that Carr should get some better material.

Wehn is an observational comedian, except he's got the perspective of another culture where things are different - and living with a German for coming up on a year now, he's not over egging it - he's just German and funny

 

[Orang Utan]

I know two Germans very well and they're both hilarious. I don't k ow where the stereotype of the humourless German came from. I guess ww2 was a serious business.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Why do you feel the need to repost that?

Because a thread about Henning Wehn has been filled with stuff about something else, the tickets are free and people who like Henning Wehn might like to find out without wading through all the stuff about other, mostly long dead comedians.

 

[Orang Utan]

People will see it if they're interested. Threads often go down unexpected paths. It's a good thing usually! it's not exactly a 100 page beast of a thread!

 

[Random]

Now I'm feeling bad for ever taking straightouttaQ seriously. This is flimsier or firky on a bean hunt.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

I also find SOQ's argument particularly skew-whiff.....and his whole argument assuming that no-one else's families have experienced racism is extremely patronising and wrong. I also suspect that he knows no German and misses a lot of Wehn's more subtle humour and is falling into the 'Germans are unsubtle' stereotype trap which just makes him look a bit thick, to be honest, like people who didn't get the Alf Gartnett subtext.

 

[Greebo]

HENNING KNOWS BEST
<snip>Henning will be recording these shows at The Drill Hall in central London on the evenings of 10th January, 17th January and 24th January 2012. <snip>

*Checks next year's diary* damn, all of those are Tuesdays. Won't be able to get there in time.

Will just have to console myself with Loriot and Cindy aus Marzahn until it's aired on R2.

 

[Greebo]

<snip>I also suspect that he knows no German and misses a lot of Wehn's more subtle humour and is falling into the 'Germans are unsubtle' stereotype trap which just makes him look a bit thick, to be honest, like people who didn't get the Alf Gartnett subtext.

Agreed, even VP could tell (from German television) that Germans have as many different types of humour and comedy as anyone else - slapstick, lavatorial, sex, situation comedy, farce, black humour, wordplay, satirical etc. Some of which are far more subtle than others.

 

[Reno]

This year Loriot died. He was Germany's greatest comedian. Well loved for his cartoons, deadpan delivery and spot-on social satire.

 

[Reno]

Karl Valentin was a popular Bavarian comedian and Dadaist artist of the 20s, a bit like a mixture of Buster Keaton and Marcel Duchamp. He was an influence on Bertolt Brecht.

 

[Greebo]

Not forgetting Dietmar Wischmeyer, who does observational comedy.

There's even a really irritating comedian (his name, as per usual, escapes me) who dresses like a nerd (complete with plain glass specs) and is a cross between Jeremy Beadle, Alan Carr, and Graham Norton.

BTW I quite like some of Graham Norton's stuff, but here I'm referring to his least funny and most vicious efforts, combined with the least funny material of the other performers.

 

[goldenecitrone]

Henning Wehn was good, but he's not half as funny as Helge Schneider.

 

[Greebo]

This year Loriot died. He was Germany's greatest comedian. Well loved for his cartoons, deadpan delivery and spot-on social satire.

Luckily, at least some of his material was put onto DVD and CD.

 

[DotCommunist]

Not forgetting Dietmar Wischmeyer, who does observational comedy.

There's even a really irritating comedian (his name, as per usual, escapes me) who dresses like a nerd (complete with plain glass specs) and is a cross between Jeremy Beadle, Alan Carr, and Graham Norton.

dennis penis

 

[Reno]

Luckily, at least some of his material was put onto DVD and CD.

Yes, I think pretty much all of his work is out on DVD. I have all the TV series and films on DVD and several collections of his cartoons. My best German friend and me quote him a lot to each other.