What I completely forgot were the scenes with Stan transitioning into Loretta. What seemed like an eccentric joke at the time (more than 40 years ago!) proved fairly prescient. Funny yet handled with kindness.
So I think it's at least difficult to object to? Yes that behaviour is correct but it's not allowed in a comedy? Stop laughing (so it can still be in the script, it's just not a joke?)?
I think the whole film is far more thoughtful than it is unkind, to any group. The main contemporary objection was from religious groups of course, but just watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeKWVuye1YE.
Would it be an acceptable sketch today? Probably not, and that's not really a bad thing given that improvements to the rights and recognition of transgender people is one of the more positive things to come out of the last couple of decades in my opinion. Should Monty Python be cancelled over this sketch though? Not in a million years.
"Never Be Rude to an Arab" is Islamaphobic on its face, as well as normalizing other racial slurs.
"I like Chinese" is full of pretty gross stereotypes as well.
The troop claims they harbor no ill intent, and that may be true, but it's easy to say "We're not here to offend" about someone else but not acknowledging the power differences here and why someone might be offended.
There's definitely a lens of "the history of the world as it's presented in high-school" that makes the Life of Brian so funny.
The way people represent the joke, as if they had no reason to oppose the Romans is a joke by itself.
(The "let's interrupt our program because the Queen has just started watching" is the best.)
“People called Romanes they go the house?!”
That film has so many absolutely classic scenes with the Romans. My personal favourite is the "romanes eunt domus" scene!