Political correctness started out as a half decent idea and now it’s taken to an absurd level. People used to able to make jokes like: “Why do French people have so many civil wars? Because eventually they may win one or two.” Or jokes like: “Why do Australians have such good balance? Because they have a chip on both shoulders.” Then you would go on to say: “And then there were these Mexicans…..” and the whole audience would sit in a state of shocked silence. Why can’t you make jokes about Mexicans? This crowd reaction is really patronising to imply that Mexicans are so feeble that they cannot look after themselves or that we cannot trust them with comedy. This is very condescending.
With the French and Danish cartoonist attacks, it appears that we cannot make jokes about Muslims. I’m not saying that you legally cannot, but if you wish to make these jokes, or write a novel as Salman Rushdie did, they will try to kill you. I’m not going to beat around the bush there. They will try to kill you. One was able to make Islam jokes like: “Islam is a religion of peace. Look! There’s a piece of you over there, and over here and the other pieces are scattered over there!” It’s fair to say that if you make about people who are going to kill you there is a tendency to hold back a little, just a little.
At the recent “Guys Choice Awards” a joke by Clint Eastwood was censored. I tend to think that Eastwood attempting comedy again after his conversation with the invisible president at the last Republican Party conference was a bold move. Nonetheless this is the transcript of the censored joke: “Dwayne (the Rock) Johnson isn’t the first athlete who’s gone into acting. There’s also Jim Brown and Caitlyn somebody….”
Is “Caitlyn” the new “C word”?
What is the most worrying thing about this new brand of censorship is that it doesn’t care if something is in fact offensive. Jerry Seinfeld said that college (University) audiences just want to say:”That’s racist”, “that’s sexist” or “that’s prejudice”. Indeed, Chris Rock stopped playing at colleges because they lacked the will to be offensive. Larry the Cable guy concurs. He said that “it really is a shame that nobody can handle comedy anymore”.
One undergraduate wrote an open letter to Jerry Seinfeld with the aim of helping Mr Seinfeld better understand comedy. Bill Maher decided he’d draft a letter in response:
“To Little Shit,
I’m sure you’re busy with your new letter explaining astrophysics to Stephen Hawking,
but please try to get a clue.
Bill Maher”
In the undergraduates letter he cited Amy Schumer as a comic who is edgy without indulging in harmful stereotypes. I supposed he overlooked her line: “I used to date Hispanic guys, but now I prefer consensual”.
If someone on the internet expresses backwards views about homosexuality and women then they are subject to ridicule, unless, of course, they are religious for their intolerance is a cultural difference which we have to tolerate-it seems.
I think the example that typifies that ridiculous nature of political correctness is this one. It occurred on the set of the BBC TV series “Spooks”. This show is full of hot exchanges between various agencies in the field and the amenities between the CIA, MI5 and MI6. Most of the episodes involve bombs going off around London and someone has to try and save the day. So there is a lot of driving around.
Naturally there is a lot of communication between base and the agents, considering that we are living in a digital age. However, on the screen, when they are driving around their seatbelts must be worn at all times and they must never use their telephones whilst driving. This includes hands free communication devices too. They entitled kill each other in cold blood, to betray their country, behave badly to their wives and children, eat unhealthy food but they are not entitled to undo their seat belt or use the telephone (which people in a real emergency would do).
Yes I know it happens to be illegal, but it’s also illegal to shoot people in the face but they shoot people in the face in Spooks and it’s not regulated. There are people out there, who’s job it is to stop people being filmed in cars not wearing seat belts or making phone calls. It’s apparently called “compliance”. Compliance with what!?
I find it hard to believe that someone didn’t say no! “I’m gonnah film it the way it should be”. What’s the point of having cars, backgrounds and extras? What’s the point of trying to make it realistic? Why not just film it against cardboard, if you are not allowed to do it as it really should be done. The awful thing is that people like this lose and the regulators always win. The directors and the producers of the programme comply! They should have told the regulators to fuck off!
What kind of country are we living in?! I’ve actually ended an article with the question: What kind of country are we living in?! I await the answer……
beyond the Edge of reason 