... and so it could be argued that the viewer was supposed to sympathise with him to an extent. I never did, and have never found Alf Garnett offensive, but yes - I see the problem with the Alf Garnett stuff that some people wouldn't get the irony and identify Garnett as a role model/hero/whatever.
Alf Garnett's more complex, too, because if you don't like him, then his character is a very damning indictment of the English working classes, stereotyping them as racist and ignorant, which is also problematic.
With Hamburger, though, he's very recognisably "a pathetic stand-up comedian" and doesn't demand identification or sympathy in that same way, so I find it a lot less problematic. And far more funny. But there you go.
Posted By: Ottosson Foxtrot, Mar 20, 15:35:07
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