bbc forcing mixed panels on their shows

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Tunney said:
Of course, no-one wants to see positive discrimination. The problem is that we live in a world that's still prejudiced. The reality is that positive discrimination often the only way to balance things up. After all, the people booking these comedians will swear that they always choose the funniest comedians and that they certainly aren't sexist.
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The problem with positive discrimination is that it's still discrimination and takes a big dump on selection of the best candidate based on merit.

Even worse, once positive discrimination is in place; anyone from the group the system is trying to help who gets a gig/job/promotion will be thought to have got it because the employer had to meet an unjust quota and not because they got it on merit.
 
Tunney said:
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Of course, no-one wants to see positive discrimination. [..]
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That right there is the core of the problem - the belief that discriminating against people solely on the basis of an irrelevant biological characteristic is a positive thing.

Everyone who supports any irrational discrimination thinks it's a good thing as long as it's used against the "right" group or groups, e.g. pro-white racists think that pro-white racism is positive discrimination.

So you're wrong - every supporter of irrational discrimination wants to see what they consider to be positive discrimination. It's just that different ones disagree on which is the right group or groups to discriminate against.
 
Dolph said:
Equality is gender blindness not enforced ratios. True equality is acheived when gender doesn't matter, not whrn it is a criteria in itself.

Terrible decision by the bbc.
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Agree 100%.

"Suspiciously spot-on gender and ethnic diversity."

cainer said:
Mock the week will be ruined by this, unless they manage to find a female version of Frankie boyle
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:eek:

That would be worth seeing. (Although Mock The Week was arguably already ruined after they dropped him. Also, every female panelist they've had has been so unfunny, it's incredible. They just say the most mundane, unimaginative things.)
 
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Robosapien said:
:eek:

That would be worth seeing. (Although Mock The Week was arguably already ruined after they dropped him. Also, every female panelist they've had has been so unfunny, it's incredible. They just say the most mundane, unimaginative things.)
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But, but, but vagina jokes are so cutting edge and mature!

Can you imagine how far a male comedian would get if he used material of a similar type as female comedians? Half a dozen penis jokes and something about being fat.

Be out of a job in a day.
 
Tunney said:
Of course, no-one wants to see positive discrimination. The problem is that we live in a world that's still prejudiced. The reality is that positive discrimination often the only way to balance things up. After all, the people booking these comedians will swear that they always choose the funniest comedians and that they certainly aren't sexist.
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well no if they said that they'd be terrible tv producers, they hire the current "in" comedian they can afford at the right time.

its about ratings, hire the name that draws crowds.
 
People aren't really equal though, so what's the point in forcing it the way so many try to?

Everyone should be given equal opportunity, but that doesn't mean everyone is equal.

Naturally men and women will excel at different things, for example men will do better at physically demanding jobs than women, not because of gender but because of testosterone.
 
Dolph said:
Equality is gender blindness not enforced ratios. True equality is acheived when gender doesn't matter, not whrn it is a criteria in itself.

Terrible decision by the bbc.
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Took the words out of my mouth, hit the nail on the head.

Pointless when it's being enforced, equality is where they've picked the best for the job and the ratio of men/women is irrelevant.
 
Tefal said:
well no if they said that they'd be terrible tv producers, they hire the current "in" comedian they can afford at the right time.

its about ratings, hire the name that draws crowds.
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As I said earlier, that's not what they're doing. Mock The Week et al aren't out there scouting new talent and trying to find in comedians. They use an agency who fill the bill with their own acts. If you're not on that agent's books, you don't get a look in.

There are plenty of fantastic female comedians out there. They're not getting picked up to appear on these shows. What solution do people propose?
 
If this is a good idea or not would depend on if the current selection criteria is indeed based purely off merit, or if a small selection of potentially sexist agents are only picking men.

Without knowing this I can't possibly state if I agree with it or not, as one way it's enforcing a quota system into an area it isn't needed (it may simply be there are an unequal number of comedians of each gender making it a simple numbers game) - the other way it's shaking up a potentially bias selection group.
 
Tunney said:
There are plenty of fantastic female comedians out there. They're not getting picked up to appear on these shows. What solution do people propose?
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be better at their jobs?

why would the agency pass up a good act unless it doesn't sell because its not good.

remember relevant content is part of the parameters for a good act.
 
i wonder if the male comedians will be banned from making jokes about how the female panelist got on the show?
 
Tunney said:
As I said earlier, that's not what they're doing. Mock The Week et al aren't out there scouting new talent and trying to find in comedians. They use an agency who fill the bill with their own acts. If you're not on that agent's books, you don't get a look in.

There are plenty of fantastic female comedians out there. They're not getting picked up to appear on these shows. What solution do people propose?
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There are several problems.

Female comics are less popular, and this isn't only with males. Many more females prefer male comics than visa-versa.

Female comics might be ok, but they are rarely brilliant. If you look at the comedians that go on tour, the vast majority who sell out large arenas are men. This has nothing to do agencies. It's the public voting with their money.

Lastly, panel shows are a very male oriented. The humor, audience and format.

It's basically banter. Women don't naturally partake in banter like men, who do nothing else given the chance. Having women on the panel often makes banter harder not easier.

Women often look lost spare parts on panel shows.

If the bbc wish to see more female comedians on TV fine. But I don't see how having quotas for panel shows is very helpful. They should come up with ideas that work for female comedians. I guess the reason they haven't is because the viewing figures would be poor.
 
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If this means Sarah Millican gets any more airtime than she currently does, I think i'll give up with TV completely.
 
My missus just said in response to this... "why would I even want to watch Jo Brand on mock the week? She isn't funny and all she talks about is periods and being fat".

This all reminds me about white people kicking up a stink about something being racist when black people are just "er, we don't care".
 
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