You really need to look this woman up and listen to her interviews. Because her routine is that she will find actual experts in various fields and then bring them into joke interviews, that they believe are completely serious. And then she delivers the most absurd questions the most straight-faced professional sounding monotone possible, and then watch people try to answer those questions without getting mad, blowing off the interview, or asking if this is a joke...

As they are lead to believe that it is serious and they don't want to look unprofessional or be the rude person.

[–] Marbles@discuss.tchncs.de 73 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This is not true. The experts know in advance its a comedy thing, they just dont know what the questions will be.

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 points 1 year ago

Most of them have been on her shows multiple times, as well. So they tend to have previous experience with her, on top of already being aware.

[–] ryven@lemmy.dbzer0.com 47 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I get really bad embarrassment squick (watching other people in uncomfortable situations makes me very uncomfortable) and this show is 100% unwatchable, which means it is definitely hilarious for anyone who isn't afflicted by a similar condition.

[–] ApfelstrudelWAKASAGI@feddit.de 21 points 1 year ago (2 children)

No clue how you got that impression. I suffer from the same second-hand emabarassment as well (which prevents me from enjoying most western 'look at how stupid and dumb and embarassing the MCs are'-comedies), but its not being triggered in the slightest by her. The interviewees 100% percent know that they're being fucked with.

[–] blindsight@beehaw.org 3 points 1 year ago

Yeah, I don't think anyone is confused that it's a comedy interview, are they? I can't imagine they can do it all in one take without anyone cracking up.

She's a reasonably famous comedian since The IT Crowd, too.

[–] teuniac_@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

I feel the same way. She is also way too well known for any expert to be fooled into thinking it's going to be a serious interview

[–] DharkStare@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I'm the same. I watched about 1 min of one of her interviews and had to turn it off due to all the second hand embarrassment I was feeling.

[–] naevaTheRat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 1 year ago

They're in on the joke to a degree. They know it's a comedy show but nothing more.

Some of them have so much fun playing straight man. The philosopher, the military history guy who comforts her when she mock cries on finding out nukes still exist, and the "Jesus was the first victim of cancel culture" religious scholar all come to mind.

[–] hydrospanner@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

I never knew this was "a thing", but I guess I have a form of it.

I absolutely, positively cannot watch The Office, but Cunk on Earth? It is one of the few comedy things lately that's had me absolutely rolling.

[–] pineapplelover@lemm.ee 16 points 1 year ago

Cunk on Earth is brilliant

[–] gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 15 points 1 year ago

Case in point

[–] Cringe2793@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Do they really think it's serious? I thought they knew it was a joke, but try to answer as seriously as possible

[–] LemmysMum@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

No, they are told to answer honestly and truthfully as if the questions were genuine, this is brilliant because it makes them the perfect "straight man" for the act.

[–] Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Basically an updated take on Brass Eye (which is absolutely a compliment)

[–] veroxii@aussie.zone 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ali G and Borat would like a word too.

[–] CorneliusTalmadge@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Ali G: I got a mate he’s called dangerous Dave and he says he’s taken 22 e’s in one night.

Such a great show.

[–] neuracnu@lemmy.blahaj.zone 113 points 1 year ago (1 children)

But the slaves' emancipation was right around the corner in 1865, approximately 124 years prior to the release of Belgian techno anthem Pump Up the Jam.

[–] Wenchette@lemmy.ml 11 points 1 year ago

😂😂😂

[–] RememberTheApollo@lemmy.world 105 points 1 year ago (2 children)

…and the Native Americans.

[–] spudwart@spudwart.com 110 points 1 year ago

"We will have equal rights for all. Except blacks, Asians, Hispanics, Jews, gays, women, Muslims. Uhmm...Everybody who's not a white man. And I mean white-white, so no Italians, no Polish, just people from Ireland, England, and Scotland. But only certain parts of Scotland and Ireland. Just full blooded whites. No, you know what? Not even whites. Nobody gets any rights. Ahhh...America!"

Peter Griffin

[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah I was watching the 1953 Calamity Jane Musical on the television, and there is a scene where they just take in the Splendor of the beauty of nature as they travel to this party, and they start singing a song. But before they do they remark

"No matter them injuns are fighting so hard to keep this wonderful place"

Which was a line that made me do a double take and go "Or maybe the more important fact that it's.. ya know... theirs to begin with?"

[–] ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

I just finished a biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of Little House on the Prairie and other books in that series. In one of her books she had a line describing her part of the West as "a land that had no people in it". In the 1950s, shortly before she died, a young fan wrote to her and pointed out that there were, in fact, people in it: the Indians. To her credit, Wilder wrote back that she had made a mistake and of course Indians were people, and she had future editions of the book edited to say "a land that had no settlers in it".

[–] Dasnap@lemmy.world 95 points 1 year ago (1 children)

land of the free

look inside

slaves

[–] 1847953620@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago

perfect comment

[–] Wenchette@lemmy.ml 37 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Love Philomena ❤️

[–] Varyk@sh.itjust.works 19 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Haha, what is this? A show?

[–] Wenchette@lemmy.ml 31 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes, a really great one (there are two series)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cunk_on_Earth?wprov=sfla1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cunk_on_Britain?wprov=sfla1

[–] Varyk@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This is great, thank you

[–] Wenchette@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 year ago

😊

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 24 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Philomena Cunk actually started as a "man-on-the-street" interview segment on Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe. She was often shown alongside Barry Shitpeas (whom I miss dearly). Philomena's character was quite popular however, and Brooker has written many spin-off shows featuring her, with titles styled like "Cunk on..." such as Cunk on Britain and Cunk on Earth.

If you recognize the name Charlie Brooker, it's more likely you recognize it from his show Black Mirror. I honestly quite like his comedy much better and think A Touch of Cloth is wildly underrated.

[–] Varyk@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 year ago

Oh man I am definitely going to dive into all of this, thank you so much for the context and recommendations

[–] Obi@sopuli.xyz 4 points 1 year ago

Hehe, "shitpeas" is what they serve at your local chippy alongside fish and chips.

[–] Algaroth@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Cunk on Earth. It's on Netflix. I highly recommend it.

[–] Varyk@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm sold already, I'm planning to watch it right after work

[–] KepBen@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Word of warning: there's only six episodes, so if you watch it all right now you'll have to settle for a rewatch tomorrow.

[–] Varyk@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 year ago

Oh my god I'm almost crying on the first episode of cunk on Britain

[–] Varyk@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

Good to know, taken into consideration. Thank you very much

[–] Hegar@kbin.social 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Mockumentary called Cunk on Earth.

[–] Varyk@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 year ago

So funny, thanks

[–] wandermind@sopuli.xyz 22 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I fully believe that America is the land of the free.

It's just that most people are not a part of "the free."

[–] adespoton@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 year ago

Indeed. Only The Free could hold land. Everyone else was prevented from doing so. And in order to vote, you needed to be a landholder.

[–] AMillionNames@sh.itjust.works 20 points 1 year ago

A Netflix series that's more historical than the History Channel, and funny to boot.

[–] PhlubbaDubba@lemm.ee 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ok was it actually called that before emancipation? I can't help but feel like actually calling it that was more of a cold war-ism

[–] CH3DD4R_G0BL1N@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 year ago

Star Spangled Banner was written in 1814, so yes. It wasn’t adopted as the US natl anthem until 1931, but race relations were hardly a thing of the past at that point either.

[–] Rapidcreek@reddthat.com 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

In America, well it's the land of the free

You can get what you want if you've got some do re me

[–] Pixelologist@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Welcome to the United Snakes

Land of the thief,

Home of the slave.

https://youtu.be/OO18F4aKGzQ?t=29