via Al Masry Al Youm and Masrawy 

Here’s the deal: We love Egyptian TV, especially during the Ramadan season. With the number of cool ads and exciting TV shows, we just can’t help it. However, there are some things that we’re less than happy about, and our unhappiness is amplified by how these things always, always happen no matter how many times we complain about them.

In the past couple of years, though, we’ve noticed that our TV game has been slowly improving—just last year, we were delving into topics previously undiscussed by our shows, like ADHD and marital rape!

Because of these improvements, we sat down and wrote about the five things we don’t want in our Ramadan shows this year. And we’re holding all shows accountable, too, because, as we’ve seen before, we have the potential to improve.

Blackface

via Milleworld

Let’s put this argument to bed once and for all: Blackface just isn’t funny; it’s racist, and will only ever be racist. And, yes, Egyptians can still be racist towards other non-white, non-Egyptian people, so that’s not a defence we’re willing to hear. What we want to hear, though, is Egyptian comedy actors and writers making actual jokes that don’t rely on being offensive to be funny. 

Sexual Harassment “As A Joke”

via Identity

Yes, this still happens. Despite the fact that we all read those anti-harassment posts and the fact that Egyptians have been quite belligerently exposing sexual harassers left and right for the past couple of years, Egyptian screenwriters apparently haven’t got the memo. And yes, we’re taking a stand. If harassment makes it on our screens one more time without it being taken seriously, we’ll (virtually) riot. 

Anything Regarding Ramez Galal

via Fil Fan

We gave up on seeing Ramez Galal taken off the air. We just did—-the man is uncancellable, ratings-wise. However, that doesn’t mean that we, as viewers, can’t boycott him. So, instead of posting anything about the man or the celebrities who make appearances on his sadistic, self-indulgent shows, how about we collectively ‘soft block’ him? Honestly, that’s the only thing that might work at this point. 

Misogyny in Ramadan Series AND Talk Shows

via YouTube

Hear that? That was the collective sigh we all shared as we read this headline because we’re all just as tired of hearing the same, trite, horrifying misogyny that makes it out of the mouths of everyone, from actors to screenwriters and talk show hosts, in Ramadan. So just once, how about we mention the ‘respect women’ slogan and actually mean it? 

More Obnoxious Ads

via YouTube

So, we all love Ramadan ads, right? They’re funny and well-crafted, which we deeply appreciate. But, unfortunately, sometimes you’ll find ads that overdo it by being so self-aware and intentionally trying to be funny, rendering them deeply eye-rolling. For this year, we hope that we don’t see the numbers of these ads increase (though we know that’s a lost battle—studio execs have already chosen the unfunniest people they know as scriptwriters).