I see this a lot. Even Mel Brooks doesn’t think it could be done today. I disagree.

The first, and most obvious, argument is that it has already been made. And brilliantly. But that argument says more about my feelings on remakes in general.

The mamnin rgument is that the words used, the topics touched on, are untouchable now. It’s the myth of “political correctness” that is used to insinuate an offense that hasn’t yet occurred. It’s speculative outrage.

The fact that this movie can be seen, is still getting laughs, is proof enough. That it is being celebrated as an iconic film says there is still an audience. And that means it could be made.

But the argument against that relies on taking specific elements out of their context in the film and holding them up as taboo. And yes, some of them are. When they are not in their context.

If used artlessly, if used to provoke for the sake of provocation, offend for the sake of offending, then these things would be unacceptable. But that isn’t the case here.

In the end it is an outstanding parody of the Western genre, and a superb satire of racism. The racist townsfolk eventually weep at Bart’s departure, and throughout the film Bart is the smartest person in every room. We are, in essence, seeing this culture through his eyes.

And that, the film viewed as a whole, is a far cry from just being “they said ‘nigger’”. If that were all it was, then the film shouldn’t have been made in the first place, and if it had we wouldn’t be talking about it now.