Witsherface Rap Sheet

Photograph by Martin ShieldsAs social media went mental about the Witsherface comedy routine at the SIC Reassembly event, they issued this statement in response to the ‘controversy’:

We’ve been asked a few questions today – here’s some answers:

Karen Dunbar’s Witsherface sketch accused of homophobic content! Seriously?

Following all of the furore on social media in reaction to all female comedy collective, Witsherface’s sketch that portrayed Kezia Dugdale, Nicola Sturgeon, Mhairi Black and Ruth Davidson in a satirical ‘rap off’ at the Scottish Independence event at St Lukes, in Glasgow last Sunday, The Telegraph printed an article and social media channels lit up with accusations of homophobia for describing Ruth Davidson as ‘dykey’ in the rap!

This particular sketch was co-written by Witsherface co-founder, actress and comedian Karen Dunbar.

Karen Dunbar explains,

“As a gay woman who has experienced horrendous homophobia, I feel confused that anyone could interpret anything in the rap as being homophobic. If my work has offended anyone it was not my intention. My sole purpose with this sketch was to create a comic rap about our current female political leaders. Any accusation that myself or Witsherface is homophobic, is utterly ridiculous!”

Maureen Carr, comedy actress and Witsherface’s original founder explains:

“As an all female comedy collective of approximately 45 women of varying ages and sexuality, it has been sheer comedy to see this entire scenario play out on social media and in the press as many activists try and create political gain in battering pro independence supporters and Witsherface as being homophobic! It’s great to see so many people defending ‘gay people’ …including those that didn’t actually see the sketch!”

Witsherface has set out to create a platform for young comedians and actresses to cut their teeth and get experience to get into the business. We are immensely proud to see our main political parties led by women. They are great role models for young women coming up and we extend an open invitation to all of our politicians, to all of our future gigs.

The messages of criticism and outrage have been interesting to say the least.

We would ask that people have a good think before they attack and we would also request that everyone’s sense of humour returns. When did Scots lose the ability to take a gentle ribbing and have a good laugh at themselves. Politicians, whatever their colour or creed are always fair game when it comes to comedy. ‘Twas ever thus, and should remain so in a healthy society.’

***

[see also Paul Kavanagh here] Follow them at @WhatsHerFaceComedy

Tags:

Comments (20)

Leave a Reply to N_T_C_W Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

  1. N_T_C_W says:

    Consumed by ultra politically correct, po-faced, virtue signalling political environment they have helped create.

    Some would say this is poetic justice.

  2. Gordon Bickerton says:

    I’m reminded of Ali’s comment to Foreman during the rumble in the jungle,

    “Is that all you’ve got George ? “

  3. James Henry says:

    ”Witsherface has set out to create a platform for young comedians and actresses to cut their teeth and get experience to get into the business.” Maybe they should put this incident down to experience then.

  4. ⭐ ⭐Harry Alffa⭐ ⭐ (@HarryAlffa) says:

    Didn’t see any of it.
    Seen the row on Twitter – thought, hmm. Ignore it.
    Oh look, turns out it was Gaslighting from anti-Indy twats. Colour me confirmed in my suspicions!

    1. Dj says:

      Ok, so let’s imagine at a conservative conference there was a sketch about an SNP politcian using the same language, you would be fine with that? I doubt it

  5. Mach1 says:

    For samples of the wit and humour of Ruth Davidson, look no further than this report (http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/12/ruth-davidson-pokes-fun-at-andrea-leadsom-and-boris-johnson)

    Ruth Davidson, commenting on the balance of power at Westminster.

    “That’s the difference between our two parties: Labour is still fumbling with its flies while the Tories are enjoying their post-coital cigarette. After withdrawing our massive Johnson.”

    Ms Davidson commenting on Angela Eagle’s entry into the Labour leadership race:

    “Are you absolutely sure you want two short-haired, flat shoes, shovel-faced lesbians with northern accents?”
    She also manages to describe herself as a “mother”…

    The real story about the Scottish Tories is how, through non-too-subtle media collaboration, they cobbled together a coalition of the disaffected (disgusted of Duddingston), to sneak past the laughing stock that is Labour in Scotland under Kez. By pumping farmers’ grievances over late farm payments, a right-wing Christian crusade against the Named Persons Act, and calling forth the usual ragbag of xenophobes and landed interests, Ms Davidson and her media team succeeded in gaining more seats at Holyrood than Labour. Shame is that no-one is looking very closely at the creatures of the night prowling about in her backbenches. Some of them are so far to the right that even Ukip would not have them. They, however, know when to shut up. And Ruth’s Mekon-like media chief knows when to spin a story to detract from the fact that the Scottish Tories are split down the middle, not only on Europe, but on the very issues that Ruth championed from the back of a coo during the general election.

    Let’s turn away from the Tories’ concoctions, and look at the real issues.

    1. David McCann says:

      Mach1.
      Your comment is worth a blog of it’s own!

    2. Alf Baird says:

      “Ms Davidson ….succeeded in gaining more seats at Holyrood than Labour” thanks primarily to the uber-dilettante “SNP x 2” strategy, which everyone and their granny knew would turn out to be a complete waste of the second vote.

      Had “Yes” brains been in gear, someone would have coordinated an “SNP1/Yes2” option – which would have led to a large “Yes” majority at Holyrood and with all three unionist parties even more marginalised than before. In the absence of that option, those with brains had no option but to vote for “SNP1/Greens2”, which thankfully at least resulted in a “Yes” majority in Holyrood. I think we have to put this all down to a selfish/overconfident SNP leadership, placing the interest of party before people. Or stupidity. Or both.

  6. Archibald says:

    The routine defined Ruth Davidson as ‘Dykey D’. Her verse in the song was about wanting to have sex with Mhairi Black while saying she had a politically neutral vagina. It may have been made with the best intentions in the world, but it wasn’t a sensible booking, particularly not for a family event.

    It is in most of the national press who of course are quite happy to bash a Yes event that was put-on by a group that includes SNP politicians. Of course you could say that they were always going to complain, but that’s precisely why we shouldn’t be giving them open-goals.

    The intention may not have been to be offensive, but are we really going to say that had it been a unionist comedy group doing the same skit about Joanne Cherry then we’d be discussing it in the same way? It’s how social media works and can create a cheap and easy story, remember when people on our side were outraged over that village in England that was burning an Alex Salmond effigy (but not the ones of Tory ministers)?

    Ultimately it’s not a big thing and will be forgotten by the end of the week. It doesn’t change the case for independence one way or the other. But I can’t see it encouraging new people to get involved. I’d hope organisers are more careful before booking acts like this again.

  7. Alf Baird says:

    A braw repone. But shuid it no be ‘Whitsherface’?

  8. A says:

    You’ve utterly missed the point. You are using Davidson’s sexuality against her. It is the butt of your joke. Do you normally go around making fun of people, not for their views, but for their race, gender or sexuality?

    The joke can be defended on free speech grounds, but not grounds of decency.

    1. Andy Connelly-Nimmo says:

      It wasn’t ‘used against her’ in the slightest. Other’s perception might be that merely referring to someone’s sexuality is somehow an attack on them, but that’s more their problem than that of the writer/performer.

      1. A says:

        It doesn’t work like that. You don’t get to tell other people what they may find offensive or not.

        1. Jim Bennett says:

          Andy CN; lol….net you’ll be suggesting that black people are too sensitive!!!

          The problem for Whatsherface is that the Tories utilised precisely WHF’s own philosophy to attack them with. Of course Ruth wasn’t offended, she didn’t have to benfor the BBC to get a chance repeat its narrative of abusive YES behaviour. It’s very clever media manipulation which we should learn from the Tories.

          Compare and contrast with the Tory anti-EU racism against the former French former SNP MSP. The SNP and YES should still be going to town on it.

  9. Dj says:

    My biggest problem with this performance is just how unfunny it was. If you are going to do a “comedy” routine it at least has Be even slightly humorous?

    1. Fiona says:

      You are totally correct! Not even remotely funny but crap ‘Glasgow’ slang banter that had no wit or humour in its content.

  10. Frank says:

    The PC left, which is increasingly authoritarian and in favour of censorship, has argued for years that an action is homophobic (or racist, sexist, etc) so long as someone feels ‘offended’ and by that yardstick the PC net is forever widening. On a personal note I don’t think this scenario is homophobic. Yet, it seems to be part of a process (the safe spaces policy in the universities spring to mind) where people weaponise being ‘offended’ in order to attack their opponents.

  11. Ramstam says:

    FFS It’s Whitsherface! It’s Scots! Ye ken.

  12. Broadbield says:

    Didn’t see it, didn’t hear it, but the smear campaign against Yes/SNP is entirely predictable and despicable. Read Ponsonby’s deconstruction: http://indyref2.scot/dykey-d-the-bbc-scotland-smear-machine-kicks-in-again

  13. C Rober says:

    Could be worse the Dutch seem to use child labour to sort out any dyke related problems.

Help keep our journalism independent

We don’t take any advertising, we don’t hide behind a pay wall and we don’t keep harassing you for crowd-funding. We’re entirely dependent on our readers to support us.

Subscribe to regular bella in your inbox

Don’t miss a single article. Enter your email address on our subscribe page by clicking the button below. It is completely free and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.