The 7 Sins of England - C4, 10pm tonight

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 08 May 2007, 19:19

Looks quite interesting.
It argues its pointless trying to curb anti social behavior, drunkeness, hoodies etc as it's always gone on in some shape or form throughout history, and its in our nature, or something like that. Not that makes it right but still.
The film uses hoodies to reanact the words used by 11th century people, Edwardians and Elizabethans.

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 08 May 2007, 22:19

Sounds like a glorification of bad behaviour.

It's ludicrous to use centuries old behaviour as a comparison because then we also had hanging and the black death.

Should we have retained those?

Trust sleazy Channel 4 to show a doc aimed at chavs.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 09 May 2007, 08:34

That was what I thought sometimes too. It didnt say it was "right" - just that it has always happened in some form and its pointless trying to stop it.
Some of them did scare me though - talking about fights and "we need violence" - WTF?
I think we could survive without market stall guys saying tasteless things to a Japanese person about Pearl Harbour.

It kept mentioning "England" and "The English" could just as easily have applied to Britain.
On the other hand I found 1 guy OK when he wasnt swearing, he was well spoken and easy to understand IMO - though it was hard to tell when he stopped being interviewed and slipped into "normal" mode.
The girl who had all the bags and things in the "consumerism" part looked like a chav to me.
I thought the "immigration" part was quite interesting, showing how Dutch/Belgian people who came to England/Britain were treated in the 16th century (obviously making the comparison with asylum seekers and Muslims).
Maybe you think it "suggested" it was "right"? (I knew you say that!)

I didnt have a problem with the drinking bit (I thought the Puritans liked a drink when it suited them?) - if adults wanted to get pissed its up to them, it was the fighting part that worried me.
I thought it was quite a clever piece at times though.

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 09 May 2007, 15:17

I didn't watch.

I heard about it in advance and so saved myself the bother.

Bad behaviour is one thing I cannot stand in society so it's really pointless me watching a doc which tries to justify or excuse it.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 09 May 2007, 16:00

I don't think it "justified" it.
If anything sometimes I felt the write-up in the Radio Times was just a little patronising, suggesting that it was amazing a normal working class person ("chav" if you will) could string 2 sentences together, even if theyre just reading quotes. The filmmaker remarked that even the "intelligent" ones found it hard but were really good in the end.
Shhh! Keep quiet or Romero will hear!