Ok, just about an hour ago a picture surfaced on IGN UK. Here it is:
This is a picture of the MTV remake of The Inbetweeners. Fair enough, you may say. I don't see why they need to remake a series instead of just show the UK version, but what the hey. That's what a sane person would say. However, facebook is not full of sane people.
The subsequent outcry of people proclaiming this remake is a travesty has been nothing short of staggering considering the short space of time this photo has been out. The second comment under the picture was this: why do they ruin everything!!! (FYI for all of these I'm typing out responses verbatim; it gives my argument even more validity). That response is fairly reasoned as far as the later ones go. This person is maybe an ardent fan of the original and doesn't like the idea of a remake.
It gets much much much worse from there.
Actually, if you want to read these banal comments, it's right here.
The next comment made me guffaw. Actually guffaw.
"Americans don't understand English comedy - they thing it needs more toilet humour to make it funny."
Now before, I get into why this comment made me want to write this blog, I'll analyse that comment. They thing (sic) it needs more toilet humour to make it funny. More?!?!?! More than the already ludicrous amount of toilet humour the UK version of The Inbetweeners already has. In fact I'd go as far to say that's all it has. I like The Inbetweeners by the way, but I never claim that it's anything more than a procession of very crude jokes. And also, the series is basically a rip off of American Pie, which itself is a rip off of Porky's. So, who's copying who exactly?
But the thing that really annoyed me is the implication that Americans don't 'get' English/British comedy. An assertion which is quite frankly, bollocks. Here's a list of some of the choicest quotes.
"Same as 'the office'..british one is brilliant, the acting is really top stuff...but the American office is just dire, why do they try and do British comedy...it don't work you can't do it. Stick to what you do best...eating mega burgers and staying sweaty obese lard arses" - Yeah, you fucking fatties.
"why they need the re-americate everything? Can understand if they reproduce something when the rignal wasn't famous or good. But here there are just stupid money-loving idiots." - I would love to know how to re-americate something.
"Britain does things subtly, with grace and finesse. America does the same things but with all the subtlety of porn." - I would love to say something about this quote, but I'm too busy laughing.
"shameless, being human, only fools and horses and now this. you would have thought with america being the "greatest" country in the world they would have a few ideas of there own"
"This is why the Americans are the dumbest race in the world"
"This is like replacing the Metro Goldwyn Mayer lion with a fraggle. The U.S of A, 236 years old and still not grasping irony, Brit humour, the recognition of the letter U or the fact they got their freedom 236 years ago..." - what is this, I don't even.
" The reason they can't just show the UK version is because most Americans are so Gad damned ignorant that instead of learning about British culture and mannerisms, they'd just reject it."
Now, while certainly I agree that the success rate for remakes of British shows in the US isn't great, with a few obvious exceptions, I would love to know what makes people think that that makes Americans stupid. They really aren't, and overgeneralisations like that aren't helpful. I pointed out that 75% of the shows that these people probably watch are US imports, that are SHOCK HORROR, original. Nobody paid any attention to that, because they were to busy with their RIGHTEOUS FURY to listen to me.
Yes, there are stupid Americans, but guess what, there are stupid British folk too. Most of you posted comments on that photo. So grow up, losers.
Cheers
JC
