Fawlty Towers: Women are strange creatures
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- čas přidán 20. 06. 2017
- From the episode "The Germans" - Basil and the Major reminisce about their experiences with the fairer sex.
If you have any favourite clips from the show, let us know and we'll upload them!
All copyrights belong to the BBC. - Komedie
Who's here after this episode got banned from TV?
Yep
This nigga
yup
Yeah, I guess satire is not understood anymore. This literally is supposed to make fun of racists
That’s the biggest crime of them all. Riots and now censorship of a sitcom. It’s comedy ffs! Don’t take it seriously. I have friends of a different skin colour and they take the piss out of themselves by calling themselves things stereotypically associated with their skin colour
The Major's comic timing and delivery is so flawless and superb. He doesn't even have to say something funny, he just is inherently funny. That's a timeless performance right there
Ballard Berkeley - fabulous actor.
Ballad Berkeley here gives an absolute masterclass in comic timing and delivery.
I have himfor PM.
@@vodaredhill1704 You'll have to dig him up first. Still better than the clowns we've had over the past 25 years.
I love it how Fawlty is always patient with the major.
He did actually like the major
@@carlodonn8983 He respected him for his service. Fawlty was all about status
Major was paying customer and he never complained about service or food even though he knew that Fawlty Towers was second worst hotel in Western Europe after that place in Eastbourne. He even ate omelet Basil teared apart on other customer plate and gave it to him. He had couple of important things in his life : newspaper, cricket and his daily drinks in bar. He was satisfied customer and of course Basil liked him.
The Major's a racist? No. I won't have that. There was this Major in Eastbourne...
Hahahaha
The major IS racist but the joke is on HIM! The humour is his portrayal of a character from a bygone era, completely out of touch with modern reality.
It wasn’t racist back in this day
Well played! Well played sir. You’ve made the century with that one.
𝙱𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚢
Genius writing. The Major is so well written and acted by Ballard throughout the series.
Major is not PC but he is a very accurate representation of a war hero from his era. Although never stated he is suffering from dementia and PTSD which is why he talks as he does. If you notice major is a very kind and loyal. He is never coming from a place of hate. He is very much of his time.
Sometimes old people say things which make you want to crawl in a hole from embarrassment and they will do it in public.
I remember an old neighbour 20 years ago. He would be about 80 who had a disabled son. He said his wife liked to volunteer some of her time looking after, "Spastics and Mongols". No hate meant it was archaic language even then, probably 30 years out of date
But go back 40 to 50 years, to the time of Fawlty Towers, and that's how folk described the disabled, including calling folk cripples. Hell, early Family Guy was aired 23 years ago, and the disabled guy Joe calls himself handicapped. Now, that's now considered an offensive word. Language changes. Eskimo is now Inuet, and Lapp is now Sammi.
@@stephenroney2366handicap is not offensive? Had no idea. I must have subconsciously stopped using the word, but not I am hearing outcries of the word disabled being offensive. I am disabled, and I don't get offended calling myself that😂
@srldwg Neither do I. As I said, changing words, changing times. My heckles did go up once, when I was called a cripple. But it was by an old guy, and no offence was given or taken.
@@SiddharthaOmkara-bm5lp clearly you have not spent time with people with PTSD and or dementia. Most definitely you have not met anyone from the war era either.
The world isn't always pc and it's ok to find that funny.
Alot of the humour around major is based on him saying something that was ok to say in his youth and is inappropriate for the time when the show came out.
What is pc is always changing we see this in the dynamic between Basil and major.
Recently the terms " person of colour" has appeared I was taught the word coloured was extremely offensive when I was little. "Queer" has become popularised after it being a slur while I was growing up. I don't use these words because I grew up with the connotations around them being negitive words.
@@srldwg Any word used to refer to a disability (even the word disability) because what people doesn't understand is not that the word is undesirable. It's the situation. so any word used to refeer to the situation will inherit said undesirability.
"At the oval!!!!!" The major is hilarious
One of my favorite lines of this show. Basil was thinking, “You took her to INDIA?!” And then when he realizes, he sighs like, “I should have known…”
@@kingsize127 I know right? 😂😂😂
I can watch it a 100 times. I still laugh. The major is soooo funny!
Its one of the most powerful,funny scenes in the series...and that says alot as its fawlty towers...:)
100 likes as well
John Cleese said that the funniest character was the major.
it's the Major's facial expressions that are hilarious too, every time he tries to emphasize what he's saying
As one of the mentioned Indians, this is a bloody hilarious episode and ought to have never been removed. Utter disgrace to deprive us of comedy on account of the sensibilities of a minority of a minority.
This is the white, British Lefties taking offence on behalf of, in this case, you, who don't take offence.
Well said !
What has it been removed from?
@@PaulHussey01 It was removed from some time from airing
Glad you enjoyed it
I watched this episode at school when I was 13. I had a couple of West Indian lads in my class who didn’t find this offensive at all. They were laughing their heads off at this scene.
Although, what else could they do? If they had complained about it, they probably would have got beaten up, or had p*ss taken out of them even more. People of other ethnicities quickly learned to try and "blend in" and not cause any problems for themselves by complaining about stuff.
@@ashleyp.4932 you are the reason why the world is completely fkd at the moment. It's called comedy. Having the piss taken out of you or someone else should be embraced. But shunned.
Yes I loved being called a wog at school in the 70 s and getting jumped on the way home. Such nostalgia.
@@ashleyp.4932 Really?
Of course they were🤔.
This is one of my most favourite episodes in Fawlty Towers --- Ballard Berkeley was wonderful.
Its great,this clip,isnt it..he was brilliant too,as the confused major :)
The Major is my favourite character; apparently his character was going to have a higher profile but a lot of his lines got written out, which is a real shame. BB was in films from the 1930s, often as a police inspector.
What's the one where the major goes into the bar with a shotgun and basil thinks he wants to shoot a German not vermin classic
@@noifurze6397 'Basil the Rat', last episode of series 2. "But they're vermin Fawlty!"
@@noifurze6397 This is the one -- czcams.com/video/o-fjZYEhtaM/video.html
It's all about context. The episode isn't condoning the use of these racial slurs, even though this was the 70's. Far from it in fact. Basil's slightly shocked response proves that.
This was highlighting attitudes... prevalent at the time with people involved in the war and British India...and holding them up for ridicule NOT approval- This is brave and brilliant writing it very best and does not grate or seem dated or unseemly or antiquated
@@MrDodgedollar It's timeless because every generation has their slurs/bigoted examples and the joke is not on the Major per say, it's the ridiculousness of holding those values.
There's certainly no laughter from the audience at the remarks...
Not intended as racism, clearly mocking the major but you can't really put that language on TV in that context anymore.
@@scopeh2006 have another listen right after the word wogs……or maybe you blocked it out.
Looked being called a wig in the 70 s
Brilliant scene. Ballard Berkeley was brilliant as the confused Major.
Genius. I have watched faulty towers thousands of times, everytime I end up in tears and struggling to breath. Best comedy there has ever been.
*Fawlty
"Towers"
Good old fashioned british humour.. absolutely brilliant
And then there is : I see, you are volunteering to go out and get meat. Not necessary! Ve have meat in ze building!
@@blueodum Veely good!
The acting here is phenomenal. And the person who wrote this script should deserve an Oscar!
Cleese wrote it, another erudite sketch is 'Romans go home' from Life of Brian 😄
Back from an era when British comedy was genuinely hilarious and not a load of boring, sanitised, unfunny sh1te.
Yes these days you only have to say you’re English and you get arrested.
@MIND he's just having a moan
@@oobenoob good, you should go to prison forever
@mind5403 Perfect world honestly
@@oobenoobthat's the kind of silly lefty response you often get absolutely silly
Ger...Germans coming here!? His senility vanishes, his facial expressions change. Brilliant.
Ballard Berkeley, a real old english gentleman and accomplished stage actor, fine man.
@@Joe-xb2ow Stop talking shit
Jim Jimjimmels Idiot.
@@ELLIOT1311 can you prove his wasn't? No ? DIDN'T THINK SO
@@Joe-xb2ow I can. I was there when he was born and was his babysitter and bodyguard for life. He never did such a thing. Now, go put a goddamn shirt on, Staypuft.
@@Joe-xb2ow No, no, no, I read his Wikipedia entry and that says nothing about him being a terrorist.
Enjoy this while you still can....
I've got my boxset as backup.
@@GarryWilliams555 don't mention that the thought police will be round the burn it
I can enjoy it forever as I bought the DVD boxset many years ago.
True that. Good thing I have the DVD set..uncut version or what the heck you would call it these days.
It's been put back on the BBC.
one of the funniest scenes, the major was always a favourite
yeah i like how freely he says niggers haha
This is one of my favourite segments because the major has a significant role here. I wish there was more of him on the show - at least we got this large part here.
At 65 i'm glad i lived when i did....i think i've seen the best of times in our country...There are ominous clouds gathering over Britain now...i hope our kind survive and with them our Humour..the best in the world!
I agree
Guess you voted brexit then. Still living in the past. The world has moved on. Britain was once ruled by...take your pick. Time moves on... 'darling'
What is your kind?
Sometimes I wish I born in your time elaine but instead I live in this time with left wing know it all arseholes like MARK and RIChARD who just shout brexit and assume your racist and do this to oppress people who have a different opinion 2020 the rise of left wing fascism in uk
@@1994mccarthy wow, your the one making assumptions pal, how do you know where i stand from the question "who is your kind?" Calm down you twat
😂😂😂😂😂 one of the finest performances in the history of television.
Watching FT again and again from a media perspective the acting is brilliant beyond belief. It can't compare to the mass produced sitcom stodge of today
Major...best character in the show.
This never gets unfunny, it never gets old. In real life, the Major would be a concern. In comedy, it's just pure gold.
I was surprised to hear that this episode got banned. This is my favourite episode.
Comedy Gold, we love the major.
One of the funniest moments I’ve ever seen in any comedy sitcom EVER.
Pretty un PC nowadays but it was made in the early 70s.
FUNNY.
Agreed, there were many less non-pc jokes that were also brilliant, Fawlty Towers is, was and always will be a gem!
Incredibly funny and wonderfully acted out.......loved the Major!
It's just a higher level of intelligence
And now it’s gone :(
The BBC need reminding that it’s funny.
One of the funniest moments in comedy history.
Genius casting for all of them
I've got all 12 episodes on DVD. They cannot cancel them
Me too, in german
Good old Major Gowan. Backbone of Britain.
I was tutoring some guys from India when this was replayed on TV, a while back and they told me they watched it and really found it very funny.
Only barely literate minorities don't understand that such racism exists today. Educated Indians don't tolerate this rubbish, unless they are right wing.
“Minds like Swiss cheese”
“What do you mean HAAAARRRD !! “
Some of the best comedy ever written and performed.
The beauty of the script timing and acting is peerless
One of the best episode ever
The 70's. (Wistful sigh).
This is brilliant, one of my favourite scenes
“ German women..... GOOD CARD PLAYERS..”
That's the best line of the scene! Random, hilarious observation and the major doesn't miss a beat. You almost wonder if it was improvised (but I'm pretty sure it wasn't).
robicenco1 or the minds like Swiss cheese..: “ what do you mean HARD’
They are too !
Its always interested me to see people who have an understandable criticism of this scene. Because I've always interpreted as nobody is racist here, just typical British miscommunication humor.
Listening to the words and reactions of each character (specifically the major) I find that Basil is shocked and confused when the Major uses his "names" for the cricketers and the Major seems shocked when he thinks Basil has insulted them intellectually.
The Major being from the Imperial era has a great respect for both cricket teams Indians/West Indies and seems momentarily affronted by Basils' intelligence insult. And thinks they're a "Hard" people, like some cheeses'
Basil being from the Post-Empire age seems shocked but the Majors apparent racism despite not actually using the words in the derogatory. They are for better or worse "worse" just the words he uses as times have changed.
The only actual insult said is against women and is immensely sarcastic in the British style... his wife (who he hates) and Polly (who he kind of respects). Remember Basil is also meant to be a horrible person... not racist just a massive jerk who hates people... all people.
But hey 2020 the year nuance died...
The left wouldn't know common sense and mockery if it smacked them in the face
Good comedy isn't supposed to be politically correct :)
@@mindedchaos Right you are...
@@mindedchaos I'm literally a card carrying socialist and I love this show lmao. You're thinking of liberals, not leftists.
He was brilliant in this and played the part to perfection throughout the series, the depth of talent in FT was unreal.. This and Mrs Richards were masterclasses in acting.
Joan Sanderson was magnificent. Loved her in Rising Damp as well. She and Leonard Rossiter provided a comedy masterclass.
As a kurd from northern Iraq, I can say that I learnt so much English humour by watching faulty towers - a great show ❤
I'm sure people think this is a documentary and not comedy satire.
Maybe anyone younger than 40
@@andrewsmyth6237 There's a gap. People born between 1980 and 2000 will be offended by this entire scene. People older than that, and younger than that will simply laugh at the millennials.
@@monkeyballz168 How one can be offended by the best of the British comedy? Learn the history and don’t watch modern rubbish and you can laugh at that onez
@@monkeyballz168 I'm born in 91 and find this hilarious 😂
Terrific character, the major. This is intellectual humor, dimwits please don't watch and cherrypick the words.
@@roshan17t
The character of the Major is lampooning an ignorant old man, it's satire.
When you listen to a Dr Dre album, does every N word stab you in the heart? Or Samuel L Jackson in Pulp Fiction? I assume not, because of the CONTEXT its in.
Or would you like the N word removed from every dictionary, song, book and film because someone will take offense regardless of the context?
Context is everything.
Satire, pisstaking and dangerous humour is built into the British psyche.
@@roshan17t Snowflake.
@@roshan17t I understand that. The difference is in this scene is that it's not used in malice or hatred, he's using stupid nasty words from a forgotten time and that's made very obvious here. We don't take the Major seriously. The whole point of the character is to be a point of fun making because he's an old fashioned dinosaur.
We laugh at the stupidity, we don't remove words. At the end of the day they're just words. It's the context you apply to that word. I am sorry you've encountered horrible people. but censoring things like this is not answer
@@kevlavis8736 - the ministry of truth removed the content.
Perhaps my favourite 3 mins segment of the 12 episode's. This was the major (Ballard Berkeley) at his comedic peak.
0:01 Now This Is My Funniest Fawlty Towers The Original Series Episode Ever. Thanks Mate. X
THANK GOD I HAVE THE COMPLETE BOX SET -- nobody's gonna stop me watching that !!!
One of my best buys
Now see, this is why this episode doesn't go down well. 🤣
Basil says bastards!😂🤣
That and he is also quite rude to a war hero. Sickening.
And they implied that german women are good card players. The audacity...
Gasoline85 it’s all comedy ffs you need to get the jokes
@@carroll101rr8 He's taking the piss. That's also humour.😂🇦🇺
@@downunderrob And the K-word - that surely did it.
The Major was absolutely brilliant in this scene. Fantastic timing
Classic good old comedy... brilliant writing.
It's still modern, a little bit of timeless
@@peacfulearth Satirical humour isn't well understood nowadays unfortunately. It's a great style and should come back :)
England makes the best comedy and music., Hello from Chicago
Hello, Chicago, from England! --- Iove the Biker Mice From Mars. :D
This is real satire. Anyone who wants to censor that is not a democrat.
Cracking. I've been married to an Indian lady for 30 years and while she doesn't quite get the humour of FT in the way I do, she's not in the least offended.
To think this went out on the BBC!
I dread to think how watered down it would be if it ever got commissioned today.
An amazing scene. Brilliant.
When you realise his "heyday" would have been the 20s. He's (pretend) taking a chick to the cricket 100 years ago!!
Yes, and I'm surprised by the historical accuracy. British India did play the county clubs in the 20s, led by the 'father of Indian cricket' Ranjit Singh, who later represented England as well. All 5 tests were drawn
Non PC comedy is the best comedy 😂😂😂
Yeah, cross the board cutting parts is bit like book burning. There is unpleasant use of words from fools and then there is unpleasant use of words with a purpose in comedy.
Not now, damn radical left
Only if you are established white hetero male, preferably of Anglo Saxon descent.
It's the only comedy, theres no such thing as PC comedy 😂
@@genghiskhanxxx5276 Exactly!
What a fantastic good picture quality from 1975! But the BBC had state of the art equipment, of course.....
I believe this is the bit that's caused all the fury, not the one with the actual Germans.
Perspective really. Accusing the Germans to their faces of invading Poland was vastly more offensive than this. Reduced the lady to tears (might not have been much acting involved either - the war wasn't that long ago then). Tragi-comic is the word isn't it?
Correct.
Because in the minds of the woke-ists, having a darker coloured skin makes you into a victim while being white makes you automatically into an oppressor. No room for context, or nuance, or even dialogue between fellow humans of different colours. When European colonialists, the nazis and the Confederate southerners were pigeonholeing people according to skin colour or other ethnic signifiers, they were being dreadful racists as we all know- but I wonder what the woke-ists are.
@@anonUK I don't think woke-ists dare to give an opinion; too scared to in case they offend someone 😂
One of the best episodes. Glad I have both series on DVD. Try taking them from me!!!!
They’ve really convinced you there’s monsters under the bed, haven’t they.
@@jgmediting7770 What an imbecile you are. Get back in your cage, feeding time is over.
WolfMan - Yep. They’ve got right into your head. The ruling class’ ability to play the proles is why the world is so shit.
@@jgmediting7770 Meh! Imbecile with limited brain capacity for logical thinking LOL LOL LOL LOL.
This is absolutely brilliant! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Beyond Brilliant!...
True about women being strange creatures though.
What a great scene Ballard is brilliant,,,
British comedy at it's best.
Bring tv like this back in every country! Bring back all in the family too..
He reminds me of my 74 y.o. Grandma who forgets about the baked beans every time.
Major is right women are difficult specimens
Doesn't sound like you've been out with much
What, Indians?
@@tijmen131 🍆💦
"She's still got my wallet"
Hahahahahahahhaaaaaaaaaaa
Glad this was my school play. It was hilarious
Ah, the good old days.
one of the funniest scenes in, not just fawlty towers but any sitcom. the major was from the old raj days and the descriptions were never meant as an insult just descriptive and purely innocent, that is why it is so funny, he doesn't see any offence in it. i'm so glad this scene hasn't been deleted. i have the whole series anyway so i'm safe from the PC wankers
@@mlvpc There is no God, George. Not in the Judeo-Christian way.
The One True God is a Lady named Death.
And she is waiting for all of us. So in the meantime, "Always look on the bright, side of Life..."
@@downunderrob Death is not a Lady, he is a bloke and his horse is named Binky. He also has a granddaughter named Susan.
mike spike - there are no monsters under the bed, no matter what your right wing masters try to tell you.
'How did she get a nail in her'.
I love this so much!🥹😃😄😁😆😅😂🤣😝😜
Always loved the portrait of the Mayor. Spot on like an old senile. My favorite is when he try to recall Basil given him money for the race horse.
When did the Major become Mayor?
Last week, in Bristol - he authorised pulling down the Colston statue after a change of heart.
"What was the question again" always gets me
Fantastic, wish this was aired today, stir up the snow flakes
This I find the funniest sketch in the whole series
Rip fawlty towers, the bonkers left are on their way
“Minds like Swiss cheese”
“What do you mean HAAAARRRD !! “
Worried they’ll remove your favourite word ?
Just the work of some brainless beurocrats. Not many 'lefties' agree with this, myself included.
Anyway, the BBC is centre right at best these days.
Ben Neill - something these people don’t get. It’s the right amplifying this crap to get people worked up.
It's quite unbelievable how this scene is now bleeped out and the episode itself is now classified MA simply because this exchange. There is no condoning or support of racism in this conversation. We are laughing at the Major's ignorance and stupidity - just look at how he bumbles from sentence to sentence. Basil himself is even slightly uncomfortable in this conversation.
Yes and we still love the major a little bit, because he's the major. And that's human ^^
@@peacfulearth Absolutely. We all love the Major - there's not a trace of malice in the character. In this scene he's simply speaking from his own worldview.
Yes but people today don’t understand the context of the times the major grew up in. When he was a kid it was “ennie minne mine moe catch a nigger by the toe,” a popular shoe polish was “nigger brown” and a dessert might be “niggers toes” or “niggers in the snow,” and when trying to solve a problem someone might say “we’ve got to find the nigger in the woodpile.” The use of such language is just jarring and offensive as most have no living memory of people who grew up in such a time. The further away we move from this history the more this history will offend people because it is offensive and it was racist. It was a racist society and even though most people were still good people they had attitudes about race that are just harmful by todays understanding.
This was funny when it was aired because most viewers knew and understood the context, but that context has been lost to time and the humor is lost on the younger viewers.
40 years ago I was laughing non stop in this episode, today I could get in trouble for doing that! It's just comedy.
You should even laughing louder. Come on, we laughing again
@@peacfulearth oh I keep laughing believe me! To bad that the new generations are different.
I’m a part of the generation that gets offended by everything but because my parents watched this stuff when I was younger I also saw it and I think it’s fucking hilarious.
It's your own free choice to laugh at whatever you wish. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. To hell with the fascists :)
I watched this growing up in the mid 2000s and I don't remember this scene at all! It was certainly cut, and no way will it be on the Netflix version. I hope someone is preserving the old movies and shows as they actually were. Editing them and presenting them changed is almost equivalent to book burning.
Got them all on DVD. This scene was in the paper today because the BBC have put it back on their streaming service, no doubt it will be taken down as soon as the snowflakes get wind of it. If you want a comedy that will never see the light of day again due to being so un-PC you should look up Love Thy Neighbour.
@but ton History shouldn't be rewritten nor should anybody try to. Love Thy Neighbour isn't the funniest show but it would definitely have people crying these days. The good thing with the show is that they both insulted each other, gave as good as they got, and then ended up in the pub together later on.
It is in the netflix version I saw it yesterday with my Grandfather Xx
@@mintydog06 Yup, they just did.
It’s on the Netflix version.
Major was brilliant!!!!
Let's be clear: the Major was clearly a stereotype to be laughed at, not with. He's senile, totally outdated in his outlook, yet amiable, harmless and eager to please.
Ballard Berkeley's portrayal of him is so perfect that he creates one of the truly great comedy characters of all time. His birth name was Blascheck, which may be Czech or Polish, so perhaps he could have had a real reason not to be fond of Germans.
It's actually frightening how little people understand satire now, and how it has to be broken down into explainations like yours to make it a BIT more consumable for them. You did a great job, but you shouldn't have to!
‘I took her to see India’ So funny.Do not let the ‘do right’ brigade shut this down.
Suppose i will have to do with the cd.
PURE JOY.
Great scene
...she's still got my wallet lol
try that these days, comedy gold.
I love this. It's classic old British humour, it's so sad how the modern PC world has killed humour.
I’m surprised they haven’t complained about Basil’s reaction to the Dr. as well.
Again, it would be understandable considering that this was Torquay in the 1970s. I'm sure that 'people of colour', as I am forced to call them, were very much in the minority there, of there were any there at all.
He has a fear of doctors ...
One of my favourite dialogues of the whole series. It is perfect and the acting is superb and hilarious, fitting like a glove. You tend to remember every word of it because of its perfection! Various levels of irony and sarcasm. But the impression you have of who has a mind full of holes like a Swiss cheese is perhaps the Major? haha Though his firm assertion that German women are “Good card players!” vindicates him in the end.
Brilliant and in the great tradition British comedy.
I always found it funny as a kid growing up (30 now) it’s always the goose stepping episode they used as an example of offensive content. Fuck me was I surprised at this scene.
Pure genius why ban This?
To cause a reaction.
Problem reaction solution
Social programming by the elite.
Funny how i never saw basil get mad at the major. He got mad at everyone else though.
It used to make me laugh the way Basil used to refer to the Major as "stupid old sod" - that is one of my favourite expressions and I use it often (and not just behind people's backs either)
@@hammadoolass I'd be delighted to be called a stupid old sod. We should meet up!
@@hairyairey Ha ha
Thats because faulty is a wanna be and the major has status. its a class thing and one of the many cogs that make this series great.
@@BowlingCrony Also, Fawlty admires the major for his fearlessness, while Fawlty always acts out of fear.
He didn't say if Surrey won or lost ...
@@BP-kx2ig @1:18
apology accepted
Amazing what you could get away with on the Tele back in the 70s. First time ever watching Fawlty Towers all the way through 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣
Ridiculing racists and racism. What are they getting away with?
the pirate - the racist character wasn’t ridiculed by racism. The racist views were ridiculed by being shown by other characters to be stupid, unreasonable and out of date. Those racist characters were also the figure of fun, always lost or ended up looking the fool.