A Fortunate Teller

Talk about the latest LRR video or discuss your past favorites.
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A Fortunate Teller

Postby Graham » 28 Feb 2014, 13:34

Enjoy our new video, it knows all your dark secrets.

A Fortunate Teller
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Re: NEW VIDEO - A Fortunate Teller

Postby steric hindrance » 28 Feb 2014, 13:41

Of course Kathleen's character is legit; she has a certificate in hexmanship and everything!

"And let me see what the tarot cards say...'Your government is lying to you.'"
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Re: NEW VIDEO - A Fortunate Teller

Postby Jamfalcon » 28 Feb 2014, 13:53

I don't usually notice this sort of thing, but Kathleen's makeup was quite well done. (As was the video itself.)
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Re: NEW VIDEO - A Fortunate Teller

Postby Foxmar » 28 Feb 2014, 14:02

That was brilliant! Im sure her certificate is completely legit. Also I wish they had work placement like that in Florida!
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Re: NEW VIDEO - A Fortunate Teller

Postby ritchards » 28 Feb 2014, 14:03

Am I the only one who was hoping it would be James as the gypsy? Same outfit and such, just played by James.
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Re: NEW VIDEO - A Fortunate Teller

Postby Jamfalcon » 28 Feb 2014, 14:07

ritchards wrote:Am I the only one who was hoping it would be James as the gypsy? Same outfit and such, just played by James.

Right at the start when it was just hands with cards, I was actually thinking Beej would be really good playing that sort of role and hoping it was him.
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Re: NEW VIDEO - A Fortunate Teller

Postby Kathleen » 28 Feb 2014, 14:34

Jamfalcon wrote:I don't usually notice this sort of thing, but Kathleen's makeup was quite well done. (As was the video itself.)


Thanks! I did it myself!
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Re: NEW VIDEO - A Fortunate Teller

Postby PrvtChurch » 28 Feb 2014, 15:21

That video made me laugh WAY harder than it should have..... EASILY my second favorite video of the year after Laughter.....
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Re: NEW VIDEO - A Fortunate Teller

Postby AdmiralMemo » 28 Feb 2014, 15:22

Funny video, especially the stinger, but I'm getting more amused by the people on YouTube getting all offended by the word "gypsy" :D

I totally agree with the one comment:
sexyngeeky wrote:Also, everyone else, given that the sketch is about questioning and parodying the ridiculous notion of "Gypsy Woman" as a title and job description, the 'ethnic slur' stuff is pretty covered.
Y'know, what with Kathleen's character actively stating that she is not of Romani/Traveller heritage and the implied "This is my profession's preferred fake garb, fake wig, and fake accent".

tldr; "That's The Joke."
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Re: NEW VIDEO - A Fortunate Teller

Postby Derpmind » 28 Feb 2014, 15:51

At the start of the video, I was all like: That's not a very convincing costume you put Kathleen in, LRR. Oh well... and then when the reveal happened I laughed for over a minute straight! :mrgreen: Biggest laughs I've had all year, the most another brilliant video you've had so far this season.
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Re: NEW VIDEO - A Fortunate Teller

Postby AlexanderDitto » 28 Feb 2014, 17:00

Hmmmmmmmmm I like the concept and writing of the sketch EXCEPT for the fact that gypsy is a sometimes a slur... at the very least it's an exonym... and the idea of a "old gypsy crone" as a fortune teller is KINDA problematic. Like... roma are still descriminated against a LOT in Europe, and as an ethnic group face a lot of poverty and crime.

You touch on it VERY briefly ("I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to say that") but it would have been nice if that had lead to the sketch transitioning away from using the word gypsy toward "Roma." (Like Kathleen could have criticized Graham for his insensitivity when she pulled off the wig and explained it to him, which would have fit with the reveal anyway. And I know Kathleen is 1/16th Romanian so that was anice touch, and having her tell it to him straight would make sense.)

I dunno. I'm probably not giving you guys enough credit since you might already know/have considered this stuff. Just don't want you guys to get blowback, and I know there are people for whom this word is REALLY hurtful. Also: recall you sketch on blackface? To some people, this is a kind of blackface.

I liked the idea of the sketch otherwise. Kathleen as an old magical crone is delightful. But did it she really have to be a gypsy?
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Re: NEW VIDEO - A Fortunate Teller

Postby ElFuzzy » 28 Feb 2014, 17:26

That was a fun one, however the rim lighting in some of Graham's shots made it look like he had gray hair. :P
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Re: NEW VIDEO - A Fortunate Teller

Postby Graham » 28 Feb 2014, 18:23

We did consider that Ditto, I appreciate that you assumed we did :)

Part of it was... well, the point. Not the whole point (it doesn't hinge on that joke, like the blackface video), but still.
The other part is that (and I did check) "gypsy" is not, by itself, considered a slur, universally.

It can be slung hurtfully, and the phrased "getting gyp'd" is considered super offensive, but in the same way that "getting jew'd" is offensive and calling someone "a jew" isn't always, we feel comfortable with this. Also, we're not making any disparagement at actual Romani people so, ehhhhhhh it's tough but sometimes you need the sketch comedy shorthand.
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Re: NEW VIDEO - A Fortunate Teller

Postby mariomario42 » 28 Feb 2014, 19:40

Really enjoyed this one, took a great turn.

And concern already? Just mentioning or referencing a possible issue really shouldn't be the first thing you think of. Watch, laugh, watch again.
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Re: NEW VIDEO - A Fortunate Teller

Postby AlexanderDitto » 28 Feb 2014, 21:01

Graham wrote:We did consider that Ditto, I appreciate that you assumed we did :)

Part of it was... well, the point. Not the whole point (it doesn't hinge on that joke, like the blackface video), but still.
The other part is that (and I did check) "gypsy" is not, by itself, considered a slur, universally.

It can be slung hurtfully, and the phrased "getting gyp'd" is considered super offensive, but in the same way that "getting jew'd" is offensive and calling someone "a jew" isn't always, we feel comfortable with this. Also, we're not making any disparagement at actual Romani people so, ehhhhhhh it's tough but sometimes you need the sketch comedy shorthand.


That's fair. I assumed you had thought about it because I know you're all thoughtful people and I appreciate the fact that you're sensitive to stuff like this, Graham. <3 Just wanted to make sure, because it gave me pause (maybe because the lambasting of the trope wasn't as pointed as the blackface video) and I figured you'd appreciate the honesty. You know I love you guys.

I really just want a whole sketch of old crone Kathleen lurking in the background being menacing. :D Phenomenal.

mariomario42 wrote:And concern already? Just mentioning or referencing a possible issue really shouldn't be the first thing you think of. Watch, laugh, watch again.


This I cannot get behind. When I hear something, I ALWAYS think about what it means. Humour is a powerful force. It has depth, and for me, understanding why something is or is not funny, or might not be funny but instead might be hurtful to people, is definitely important. It's the difference between a mediocre joke and a great one. Comedy is not some mindless thing.
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Re: NEW VIDEO - A Fortunate Teller

Postby Omega Lairon » 01 Mar 2014, 13:17

Wow, ouch, my throat hurts just listening to Kathleen doing that dry rasp. A+ for commitment. Great concept too, and well executed. In particular, Graham's delivery of "I do" was perfect.

And hey, first time I spotted the dog on a first viewing! Yay.
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Re: NEW VIDEO - A Fortunate Teller

Postby Gap Filler » 01 Mar 2014, 15:06

Having just gotten back from a day out in Camden (raiding the lock), the idea of a gypsy taking debit doesn't seem particularly far fetched.
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Re: NEW VIDEO - A Fortunate Teller

Postby AdmiralMemo » 01 Mar 2014, 21:35

To be fair, every Romani that came into my dad's shop was always trying to rip him off. Not saying every single Romani in the history of everything is like this, but the "gypsy" stereotype does come from somewhere.
Graham wrote:The point is: Nyeh nyeh nyeh. I'm an old man.
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James: Who cares about that question? That's a good answer.

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Re: NEW VIDEO - A Fortunate Teller

Postby AlexanderDitto » 02 Mar 2014, 22:08

AdmiralMemo wrote:To be fair-


Oh jeez. Please no. Let us not.

"To be fair, every black person I know..." and "To be fair, every gay guy I know..." would not be acceptable things to say. I know I wince when people say them.

Yes, Romani have a problem with high rates of commited crime. They also have a problem with rampant poverty and discrimination. These things are all tied together. The stereotype perpetuates the cycle of crime, which causes discrimination, which causes poverty, which causes more crime. It's a big ol' mess.

LRR has clarified they're trying to throw light on the abusrdity of the stereotype. That's at least something. But trying to excuse the stereotype? Yeah let's just not do that.
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Re: NEW VIDEO - A Fortunate Teller

Postby Graham » 02 Mar 2014, 22:19

For the record I think Ditto's reaction is totally warranted. Making light of the stereotype wasn't the goal of the video so I guess we didn't deliver that particular punch as strongly as we could have, since it wasn't a focus.

Fun Fact: The US has the largest estimated population of Romani worldwide at 1,000,000, which surprised the crap out of me.
Not as much per capita as other countries, but the biggest overall.
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Re: NEW VIDEO - A Fortunate Teller

Postby Draugo » 03 Mar 2014, 08:09

Well, it was said already but I'll say it again: Awesome makeup!
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Re: NEW VIDEO - A Fortunate Teller

Postby AdmiralMemo » 03 Mar 2014, 08:59

AlexanderDitto wrote:LRR has clarified they're trying to throw light on the abusrdity of the stereotype. That's at least something. But trying to excuse the stereotype? Yeah let's just not do that.
Who said I was trying to excuse the stereotype? Why are you putting words in my mouth. Yeah. Let's just not do that either.

All I know is what I've experienced, and you cannot deny my experiences.
Graham wrote:The point is: Nyeh nyeh nyeh. I'm an old man.
LRRcast wrote:Paul: That does not answer that question at all.
James: Who cares about that question? That's a good answer.

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Re: NEW VIDEO - A Fortunate Teller

Postby pokute » 03 Mar 2014, 12:54

That look Kathleen had with the bag of dog hair made me do a minor spit take.
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Re: NEW VIDEO - A Fortunate Teller

Postby AlexanderDitto » 03 Mar 2014, 15:56

Graham wrote:For the record I think Ditto's reaction is totally warranted. Making light of the stereotype wasn't the goal of the video so I guess we didn't deliver that particular punch as strongly as we could have, since it wasn't a focus.

Fun Fact: The US has the largest estimated population of Romani worldwide at 1,000,000, which surprised the crap out of me.
Not as much per capita as other countries, but the biggest overall.


You know, I watched it a third time (after a few days of not watching it), and this time I got more of the subversion of the stereotype.

I also laughed more (especially at "This is a government job?"). So... maybe it just needed a repeated watching. :)
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Re: NEW VIDEO - A Fortunate Teller

Postby WAYF » 04 Mar 2014, 03:36

steric hindrance wrote:Of course Kathleen's character is legit; she has a certificate in hexmanship and everything!

"And let me see what the tarot cards say...'Your government is lying to you.'"


I see what you did there. :D

My favourite parts of the video were the jokes involving the music cutting out (complete with vinyl record scratch!), but I didn't expect Fake Fortune Teller Kathleen to take her disguise off like that.

I also like the idea that putting curses and hexes on people is a government job that you can get training for.
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