I just finished watching the UK edition of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. While I enjoy the show I'm offended by the fact that they keep "translating" British slang into American. One of the actors will say "that looks really smart" and up on the screen comes "smart = good looking." Um, duh. Then another would say, "that would be perfect for going on a holiday" and the screen would print "holiday = vacation." The entire show is littered with these translations so us stupid Americans can laugh in amazement at the fact that there are actually other cultures in the world. Granted I didn't know that a "poofay" was an ottoman (or footstool), but since the girl was pointing at it when she said they word I'm thinking that I just might have figured it out. I'd much rather learn these kinds of things through context than having it splashed across the screen as if to say "these Brits sure are weird and you Americans are just plain stupid."
To ad insult to injury, they printed nearly a third of the dialogue on the screen just to make sure we understood what was being said. It wasn't that the actors were speaking softly, or with a slur, or with food in their mouths, or all mumbly like... Oddly enough they were speaking like they are from the UK. I think it's called an accent. I've heard people from other parts of the world have them. Go figure.
I'm sure that many Americans are loving this little elementary educational experience. To them I say, piss off (look it up you culture deprived freak).
| September 8, 2004 11:30pm | 
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on the new show father of the pride (yes, i have watched WAY TOO MUCH television in the past five days while melding with my couch), there were these two lesbian... animals (weasels?) who were not very smart. but they wanted to impress everyone with how smart they were, so they contstanly defined words that they and others used. (constantly means continually). it was funny in a hugely annoying way.
Valette | September 9, 2004 8:49AM