Dam Busters offensive language

[Smudger105e]

I am sitting here watching the 1955 film the Dam Busters on Channel 5 and the announcement at the end of each ad break says, "And now back to the Dam Busters. This film contains offensive language".

Now, the only offensive language I can think of is the odd word 'ruddy' and the name of Gibson's dog.

I guess its the latter. I do not need C5 to tell me it's offensive, when I don't necessarily think it is. In my opinion, a better wording would be, "And now back to the Dam Busters. This film contains language which some viewers may find offensive"

Anyone else got a view on this or is it just me?

 

[Zoidberg]

Perhaps the announcer mistook the title of the film and thought some might be upsert by reference to those damn Busters.

Maybe not

 

[DaleCooper]

Just be grateful they didn't censor it.

 

[Geezertronic]

TV stations in general seem to do it a lot and whilst you and I do not need them to state the bleeding obvious, I am sure they would get some complaints by people with nothing better to do if they didn't I agree that the wording should be "some viewers" though

It's the same with programs that contain "scenes of a sexual nature" - some viewers may find them offensive. The following link and quote springs to mind:

The Sun And Daily Mail Have Got It Completely Wrong On Ofcom 'Complaints' Over 'London Spy'

13 complaints out of an audience of 2.5m seems ok to me

 

[Johnuk123]

Just be grateful they didn't censor it.

The dog has been censored before on tv, some broadcasters cut it out and some don't.

 

[Minilad]

How dare you not be offended by the things the terminally offended want you to be offended by!

 

[Johnuk123]

How dare you not be offended by the things the terminally offended want you to be offended by!

The person who complained to the BBC about the use of the term 'man flu' is no doubt at this moment firing of an indignant missive to ch 5.

 

[g4mby]

Now, the only offensive language I can think of is the odd word 'ruddy' and the name of Gibson's dog.

I guess its the latter. I do not need C5 to tell me it's offensive, when I don't necessarily think it is. In my opinion, a better wording would be, "And now back to the Dam Busters. This film contains language which some viewers may find offensive"

Anyone else got a view on this or is it just me?

Times change as does the language we use and the meaning of the words that we use.

My mother served in the WRAF in Egypt. When she referred to the locals she used the "W" word. At the time, the 1950s, it was not considered to be offensive but merely descriptive of those that were being referred to. Ten or fifteen years later that word took on a very different meaning. I may well have used that word. I wasn't being offensive as I was merely using a word that was descriptive of those that I was referring to at the time.

But now it's a word that I would not want to ever be associated with. Times change. But old films should be viewed in the context of the time in which they were made.

 

[TheEdge]

Dam Busters seems to have to sit in purgatory all about the dog's name.

TV channels know they get a bad press if they censor it but they also get complaints if they broadcast it, ergo, they now broadcast it but often add the offensive language warning.

 

[krus_aragon]

The broadcaster's warning could be worse. Over on the other side of the pond, you're liable to hear the likes of:
“The following program has been rated PG-13. Viewer discretion is advised.” - and that's at the end of every commercial break in the program (which are numerous).

 

[scott118]

didn't seem to deter Dappy earlier, in his post Christmas speech...

 

[ExRes]

It's a shame that the dog didn't go on to star in It Ain't Half Hot Mum

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

I once did a radio piece for an American station reviewing the Dam Busters and used the full and uncensored "******" as Gibson's dog's name as it is a piece of historical fact and the codeword for the successful attack on the first dam

(Although i did think twice before using the name here but decided to use it in full as it is historical fact and also because somebody today used the term "Sambo" in posing a question on the Railway General Knowledge thread and was not censored for that either)

 

[ComUtoR]

(Although i did think twice before using the name here but decided to use it in full as it is historical fact and also because somebody today used the term "Sambo" in posing a question on the Railway General Knowledge thread and was not censored for that either)

Two wrongs don't make a right.

 

[DaleCooper]

Two wrongs don't make a right.

That makes it three.

 

[AM9]

I once did a radio piece for an American station reviewing the Dam Busters and used the full and uncensored "******" as Gibson's dog's name as it is a piece of historical fact and the codeword for the successful attack on the first dam

(Although i did think twice before using the name here but decided to use it in full as it is historical fact and also because somebody today used the term "Sambo" in posing a question on the Railway General Knowledge thread and was not censored for that either)

I don't think that the majority of adult members of this forum have a problem with you mentioning the word itself, particularly as you have correctly used double inverted commas, (something that is so often not the case in online fora postings). Unless used provacatively, I can't understand why historical references cannot be stated verbatim. The courts of the land insist on it however uncomfortable its venerable members may feel, so any pretense of decency to suppress sensible discussion by lesser groups is evidence either of an undeclared agenda, or just plain insecurity in adult verbal transactions.

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

Hence why I have used it

 

[Butts]

In my view the Film should be broadcast uncensored, the poor Dog cannot be castigated for his monicker.

Anyone with half a brain will realise at the time of it's inception the language used was common parlance. Why are people today so reticent to admit this was the case? This is perhaps the bigger problem.

When I was small we had a black cat called "Sooty" - would this be permissable today ?

These "warnings" are completely unecessary.

Who remembers the "red triangle" on Channel Four when anything contentious was to be Broadcast ? It almost guaranteed a bigger audience by drawing attention to the content

 

[deltic1989]

The fact is (according to my elderly Grandfather) that in the time in which the film is set, and in 1955 when the film was released the N word was still in common use as a term of reference for a certain group of people.

He also states that it was quite common for people to use it as a name for a black dog. There were possibly thousands of dogs named "******" at the time, however this particular dog earned notoriety because of his master, and the fact his name was used as a code word to indicate the successful attack of the Mohne Dam. Because of the success of the raid someone happened to make a film which is still shown regularly.
At the time the film was made the script writers and producers could hardly have known that the N word would come to be on a par with how the F word was viewed at the time. What they were concerned with was portraying historical fact.

Although speaking of which I cannot help but be concerned at how the poor hound's demise is portrayed in the film. There is no doubt of course that he was hit by a car, Gibson says as much in 'Enemy Coast Ahead'. However the film portrays him walking past the Guard Room and out through the Wide open main gate. I find it extremely difficult to believe that during the work up to such a secret operation that the main gate would have been left open, surely it would have been securely locked.

 

[ComUtoR]

The fact is (according to my elderly Grandfather) that in the time in which the film is set, and in 1955 when the film was released the N word was still in common use as a term of reference for a certain group of people.

Yes. "Blacks" were called "Niggers"

He also states that it was quite common for people to use it as a name for a black dog. There were possibly thousands of dogs named "******" at the time,

Yes. Many people were total bigots.

At the time the film was made the script writers and producers could hardly have known that the N word would come to be on a par with how the F word was viewed at the time. What they were concerned with was portraying historical fact.

I'm pretty sure they knew what context the word "******" was being used and that the word "******" was exceptionally offensive. Whilst historically accurate, lets not forget that its was done with a racist intent.

I don't believe in removing the word from history but neither do I believe that casual use of the word "******" is appropriate. Whether or not they choose to censor the word is the choice of the channel the movie is aired. Those looking for historical facts are more than free to obtain an uncensored version or check the history books themselves. However; it is aired for entertainment.

 

[ungreat]

In the rumoured remake of The Dam Busters scripted by IIRC,Stephen Fry,it has been said that Gibson's dog will be renamed "Nipper". Rewriting history to appease the PC brigade,however offensive a word has become over time,should not IMO be allowed

 

[Smudger105e]

In the rumoured remake of The Dam Busters scripted by IIRC,Stephen Fry,it has been said that Gibson's dog will be renamed "Nipper". Rewriting history to appease the PC brigade,however offensive a word has become over time,should not IMO be allowed

Might that not be offensive to the Japanese?

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

Might that not be offensive to the Japanese?

And small children

 

[GatwickDepress]

In the rumoured remake of The Dam Busters scripted by IIRC,Stephen Fry,it has been said that Gibson's dog will be renamed "Nipper". Rewriting history to appease the PC brigade,however offensive a word has become over time,should not IMO be allowed

Except while it's a historical film, the primary function of entertainment is to entertain. Scriptwriters have the right to alter and modify historical fact to however they wish. While I do enjoy historical films set in Ancient Greece, I'd be more than a little squicked out if the film depicted vicious pederasty. Bloody PC brigade gone mad. You can't even bugger Grecian boys without it being "offensive".