Articles on patricia benner novice to experts. How do you teach irony? It’s a question I’ve asked myself many times over the years and the only answer I can offer with any degree of honesty is – with great difficulty. There’s a simple reason for this. Free editing software for youtube without watermark. With irony you either get it or you don’t, and trying to help those who don’t get it is, believe me, not an easy task. That’s why, when I teach irony, I reach for Randy Newman. I thought of Randy Newman this week when John Bercow (5ft 6in), in response to a joke made by David Cameron that referred to the Speaker of the House of Commons as one of the Seven Dwarfs, questioned whether such ‘heightism’ was any more acceptable than racism or sexism. It reminded me of the great Newman song ‘Short People’ Here he is singing it – And here’s the first verse – Short People got no reason Short People got no reason Short People got no reason To live They got little hands Little eyes They walk around Tellin’ great big lies They got little noses And tiny little teeth They wear platform shoes On their nasty little feet Well, I don’t want no Short People Don’t want no Short People Don’t want no Short People `Round here Is this a song that hates short people? It certainly seems to be and, clearly, a lot of people in America at the time of its release thought it was. In 1978, legislation was introduced in the state of Maryland to make it illegal to play “Short People” on the radio. So, it seems that Randy Newman hates short people. A description of tropes appearing in Randy Newman. Including 'I Love L.A.' , 'Short People', 'Political Science', 'Marie', 'I Think It's Going To Rain. In 2003, he wrote and sung the Emmy Award-winning theme song for Monk, used from its. ![]() They’ve got ‘no reason to live’ and he doesn’t want them around. The question to ask, though, is whether the words are his. Once you realise that the words are the words of a character and they are being presented for our disapproval because we know, like the writer, that such views are clearly absurd and extreme, you begin to get the point. The speaker’s prejudice against short people is irrational and extreme, a form of outrageous bigotry about which we can only feel critical. What Newman is doing is exposing all forms of prejudice and discrimination in all their absurdity. He’s showing that John Bercow in equating ‘heightism’ with sexism and racism, is absolutely right. The trouble is, though, that like any form of irony, not everyone will get it. Those who complained to radio stations clearly didn’t, nor did some of the good people of Maryland.
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