The Damned

[Dave Monroe]

Don't know if this is obvious to non-native English
speakers, but, er, "Slit Eyes Yakomoto" (oh, what a
giveaway ...) a.k.a. Luchino Visconti here (played by
Teryy Jones in the skit) is not only a pretty nasty
stereotype (though I will admit to having a particular
fondeness for this sketch, perhaps the "intellectual"
content and/or strangeness ameliorates the problematic
aspects here?  "It's vely sullearist"?  Well, okay
...), but, given that the character (caricature) is
supposed to be "Japanese," insult is added to injury
(and ignorance is piled on ignornace?) by the fact
that it's the Chinese who, having difficulty
pronouncing that "r" sound (my understanding is that
it's largely absent from the various dialects, but
Doug'd know about that), tend to substitute that "l"
instead.  Vice versa for the Japanese.  I'm guessing
there are caricatures (albeit pretty accurate ones) of
the American mangling of German (esp. vowels)  as well
(I don't think I've ever managed to pronounce "Goethe"
the same way twice, much less correctly.  Hence the
weak humor in "I loathe Goethe" ...).  But there's no
doubt a paper to be written, a debate to be had, over
the Pythonian employment of stereotypes, slurs, et al.
 E.g. ...

http://www.montypython.net/scripts/prejudice.php

... with apologies to Michel et al.  But I did learn
everything I know about Visconti from that skit, MPFC
is great for making you do your research ("The Treaty
of bloody Westphalia," "You bloody fool, Morgan,
that's the metope") ...

http://www.montypython.net/scripts/coalmine.php

See also The Black Adder.  Oh, er, Thomas Pynchon, The
Crying of Lot 49 ...


--- Otto <o.sell at telda.net> wrote:
> A nice turning of the oppositions "l" and "r"
> 
> thank you, Dave
> 
> Otto
> 
> 
> > from Monty Python's Flying Circus, so ...
> > 
> > http://www.montypython.net/scripts/fraud.php
> > 
> 
> 


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