Full name: Nguyen Thuy Quynh Mai ID: 41.01.701.

062
Course: Humour In English Literature Instructor: Pham Tan

Me on the
right!

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT 1
An excerpt of Out of England Part 2 The stand-up special by Ricky Gervais

TRANSCRIPT

Ive been criticized in the past for having a go at fat people. Ive never had a go at fat
people. Ive only ever pointed out the fact that you get fat if you take in more calories than
you burn off.. Thats simple science. I dont judge them in any other aspect of their life. But
thats what happens You get fat if you take in more calories than you burn off. Thats
indisputable, okay? Now the thing is people think Im having a go. Im not because I dont
judge them. If I see a fat person, I dont make assumptions about them other than how they
got fat.

And, this is the other thing, they No, wait wait. Not only is that what makes you fat
People know thats whats making them fat. No one got fat behind their own back. No one
ate and then went, What the fucks that? Its not a surprise. Its a gradual process. You
have loads of time to back out from this project at any Also, no ones sneaking into thin
peoples apartments and then injecting their lettuce with a million calories. That doesnt
happen, okay? They know whats doing If you go to a bloke and hes surrounded by cakes
and pies and you go, You know whats making you fat, dont ya? He doesnt go, Is it all
the running? He knows what But I dont make judgments other than how they got fat.
Full name: Nguyen Thuy Quynh Mai ID: 41.01.701.062
Course: Humour In English Literature Instructor: Pham Tan

If I see a fat person, I dont go, Oh, hes fat, therefore hes jolly, right? A lot of them are
miserable, arent they? If if I see a fat girl, I dont go, Oh, shed be pretty if she lost
weight. Thats rarely the case. So dont fall for that. A lot of them started eating because
they had fuck all to lose, so No. But theres no stigma attached because People dont
even want to use the word fat now because they think its derogatory. Its a real taboo
subject, so they use euphemisms. They go, Oh, you know Brenda, the f big girl? What,
seven foot? No no. Not tall. What does she look like? Brenda you know, she Shes
the one whos clammy even in winter. Just say shes fat. Nothing wrong with it. Its their
choice. Its up to you if you wanna be fat. But they dont. They go, You know, Brenda
Shes out of breath just standing up at her desk.

Just But even though it is their own fault and it is their own fault I feel sorry for them,
all right. No, I do, particularly fat women, cause fat is a feminist issue. Men get fat and we
just go, Fuck it. All bought and paid for. You know. We dont come under the same
constraints of society, whereas women are inundated with images of how you should be
size 0 models, this diet, that diet. Look like this. Keep your man. And they make such an
effort, dont they, fat girls? Theyve always got lovely hair. Arent they? Theyre always
having their hair done. Theyve got lovely hair. Always got lovely hair. Always got those
lovely false nails, dont they? They make an effort. Anything but jogging, right? They love
high heels, dont they? They think it makes their legs look less It doesnt. It just You can
just hear them coming now. I dont want any fat people to feel uncomfortable at one of my
gigs. So next time, buy two seats. Im Im joking. Theres Im joking. Shut up.

I was on a plane last year going from New York to L.A. And me and my girlfriend were on
one side of the plane. There was the aisle. And the other side There were these two huge,
fat men. Proper proper proper fat. One of them just got on and went, Can I have a belt
extension? Yeah, of course you can. Youve earned it. So proper In fact, I was thinking
Full name: Nguyen Thuy Quynh Mai ID: 41.01.701.062
Course: Humour In English Literature Instructor: Pham Tan

of calling the pilot out and going, Should one of us swap with one of them? Otherwise
were just going to Canada. Do you know what I mean?

And one of them was even fatter than the other one. She was there and shed got on the
plane with one of those take-away buckets of fast food. Bucket! I mean, theres your first
clue. When did that happen? When did fat people just give up? When did they go into a
shop and go, Oh, fuck it. Just treat me like a farmyard animal. Really? Give me it in a
bucket. In fact, just strap it to my fuckin head and Ill just A bucket? Really? You want
your meal in a bucket? Yes. So shes there and shes chowing down. And I swear she
turns to her fat friend and says, This is the best fried chicken Ive had all day.
But Im not having a go. Im not having a go. No, Im not. No, Im not. Because even though
it is their own fault and it is their own fault I dont know if you know this about fat
people They fucking love cake. They love it. They love it, right? And I blame the food
industries, because you go into a supermarket and its just packed with that stuff.
Everythings packed with hydrogenated fats and extra calories and sugar and butter and
everything. And they they love that. And theres always a big door, isnt there, to a
supermarket. Theres always a Theyve got a quadruple door, isnt it? No ones ever been
too fat to get through the door of a supermarket, okay? And it opens automatically, so they
dont have to waste calories pushing anything. Theres just And its a good job it opens
automatically because usually its glass and they can see the pie from down the road and
theyre in like that. Grazing, right?

So I say keep the big door. Keep the big door. Sure, keep the big door. Come on, fat people.
Come In you go. But when they get in there, its all fresh fruit and veg. Its all whole grain.
Its all stuff thats good for you. Of course theyll be confused at first. Theyll go, What?
Thats not real food to them. They think Brussels sprouts is packaging. Theyre theyre
looking Wheres the cakes? Wheres the cakes? The cakes are over here. The cakes are
through a different door, but this door is human-sized. So now theyll go, Theres the
cakes. Theyre gonna Oh fuck, I cant get in. I cant I cant get through the fuckin door.
Full name: Nguyen Thuy Quynh Mai ID: 41.01.701.062
Course: Humour In English Literature Instructor: Pham Tan

I cant ( Whimpering ) And theyre starving. Theyll go, Oh God, Ive got whats this?
Ive gotta eat. Whats this? A banana. ( Retching ) Right? And theyll go back. Oh no, I still
cant Back and have a carrot. ( Retching ) Theyre back and forth for days and the fats
falling off them. Soon they can slip through the door and have a cake. They cant get out
again. No, but I mean But weve gotta do something. Weve gotta intervene.

Comprehension questions!
1. In what way is the sentence Thats rarely the case (paragraph 3, line 3) funny?
A. It is funny because Ricky Gervais rarely talks to a girl like that
B. It is funny because Ricky Gervais implies those girls wont ever lose weight
C. The sentence is not meant to be funny
D. Both A&B
2. Listeners or readers can deduce that Ricky Gervais likes attacking fat people.
o True
o False

Amazing words to learn!

1. you get fat if you take in more calories than you burn off.
(phrv): to put something (sth) inside (phrv): to use sth (for example, energy)
somebody (sb) or sth else to reduce its quantity

* This sentence means: You get fat if you eat more calories than you use.
* Take in usually means the following words in common contexts: eat, drink, consume,
accept, welcome, have.
* Burn off usually means the following words in common contexts: use, release, let sth
out
* More examples:
- The children have taken in too much sweet. They are at risk of diabetes.
- If you take in homeless people, it means you let them stay at your house, or any kind of
shelter.
Full name: Nguyen Thuy Quynh Mai ID: 41.01.701.062
Course: Humour In English Literature Instructor: Pham Tan

- My fat friend walks 1 km every evening to burn off his energy.

* Little exercise: Fill in the blank using either take in or burn off in their correct verb
form
Bears are huge in size so they need to .. a lot of nutrients to properly fuel their body
functions. During hibernation, a bear .. its energy gradually. Since bears do not eat
anything during their hibernation, they have a special mechanism to preserve their energy.
2. No one got fat behind their own back.
idiom: without their knowledge or
permission

* This sentence means: Everyone sees and knows that they are getting fat. Getting fat is
obvious. It is not something people cant feel or see.
* Idiom explanation and examples: if something happens behind somebodys back, it
happens without the persons knowledge or permission.
- Naughty children are always planning tricks behind their parents back.
- Her husband has been cheating behind her back for years.
* Behind somebodys back usually means the following words in common contexts:
secretly, in a secret way.
* Little exercise: Choose the activities below that you think people often do behind
somebodys back. Explain your choices.

smuggle drugs ; go shopping ; murder

someone ; go to school ; cheat in exams ;
go on a date ; drive a car ; wear a bikini ;
shoplift ; catch a train ; visit a nightclub

3. People dont even want to use the word fat now because they think its derogatory

adjective: unpleasant, insulting

* This sentence means: People do not use the word fat to describe other people because
they think that word is very unpleasant or cruel.
* Derogatory usually means the following words in common contexts: unpleasant,
insulting, cruel, offensive, degrading.
* More examples:
Full name: Nguyen Thuy Quynh Mai ID: 41.01.701.062
Course: Humour In English Literature Instructor: Pham Tan

- Men often make derogatory comments/remarks of womens body (men often body-
shame women)
- If we throw derogatory words at other people, we will surely get a lot of insults back
sooner or later.
* Little exercise: Which of the following situations do you think has derogatory remarks?
Explain your choice.
- Situation 1: (From the movie Fast and Furious)
The two street racers are chatting
Man 1: I see the way you look at her. She must be very special to you. But, just so you
know, shes hard to get. Shes a demanding woman. Youve gotta give her shiny diamonds
and jewellery and stuff. Give her something big.
Man 2: What if I dont have those?
Man 1: Wellthen.in that case, you must have some other things that are as big as those.
Your man thing must be big, dude. Thats how you get girls.
Man 2: Wellnow I see why all of your girls wear big jewellery.
- Situation 2: Blind man in a lesbian bar
A blind man enters a lesbian bar by mistake. He finds his way to a barstool and orders a
drink.
After sitting there for a while, he yells to the bartender in a loud voice, "Hey bartender, you
wanna hear the best dumb blonde joke ever?". The bar immediately falls deathly quiet. In a
deep, husky voice, the woman next to him says, "Before you tell that joke, sir, I think it is
fair, given that you are blind, that you should know five things . . .
"One: The bartender is a blonde woman.
"Two: The bouncer is a blonde woman.
"Three: The woman sitting next to me is blonde and is a professional boxer.
"Four: The lady to your right is a blonde and is a professional wrestler.
"Five: I'm a 6-foot, 200 pound blonde woman with a black belt in karate and a very bad
attitude!
Now, think about it seriously, mister. Do you still want to tell that joke?"
The blind man thinks for a second, shakes his head and says:
"Nah, not if I'm gonna have to explain it five times!"
Full name: Nguyen Thuy Quynh Mai ID: 41.01.701.062
Course: Humour In English Literature Instructor: Pham Tan

Mixed vocabulary exercise: Fill in the blank using take in, burn off, behind
somebodys back or derogatory in their correct verb form.
Jackie has been eating sweets and cake at night . his moms . He has . too much fat.
Hes been growing bigger and bigger in size. He grows out of his clothes quickly. His friends
at school are throwing .. remarks at him like ugly king kong, pig boy, There are cruel
rumors .. that he can cause earthquakes with his heavy steps. Now Jackie just wants to .
all the fat he . days ago. He does not want to be the subject of peoples .. jokes
anymore.
Answer key!
Comprehension questions: 1. B 2. True (though Ricky keeps saying that he never has a go
at fat people, we can infer from the content of his jokes, which center around fat people,
and his tone that he does exactly the opposite of what he claims).
Vocabulary 1:
Bears are huge in size so they need to take in a lot of nutrients to properly fuel their body
functions. During hibernation, a bear burns off its energy gradually. Since bears do not eat
anything during their hibernation, they have a special mechanism to preserve their energy.
Vocabulary 2: Answers can vary. Below are suggested answers:
smuggle drugs ; murder someone ; cheat in exams, shoplift ; visit a nightclub
Vocabulary 3:
Both situations contain derogatory remarks. In situation 1, man 2 says Wellnow I see why
all of your girls wear big jewellery to mean that man 1 has a small penis. Thats why he
needs to give his girls big jewellery to compensate for his small thing.
In situation 2, the blind man says "Nah, not if I'm gonna have to explain it five times!" to
mean that all of those 5 blonde women are dumb.
Mixed vocabulary exercise:
Jackie has been eating sweets and cake at night behind his moms back. He has taken in too
much fat. Hes been growing bigger and bigger in size. He grows out of his clothes quickly.
His friends at school are throwing derogatory remarks at him like ugly king kong, pig
boy, There are cruel rumors behind his back that he can cause earthquakes with his
heavy steps. Now Jackie just wants to burn off all the fat he took in days ago. He does not
want to be the subject of peoples derogatory jokes anymore.