Political correctness gone mad!
red_scully wrote an LJ entry here: http://red-scully.livejournal.com/166791.html that I tried to respond to, but I went over the character limit, and LJ told me to shorten it! I don't want to shorten it. So here's my response (her LJ is friends-locked, so basically she was remonstrating
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Political Correctness had and in some places still does have it's place. If you've ever seen any of Mat Fraser then you'll know that he is one of the least pc comedians around, partly because he can get away with it because of the thalidomide. He talks about post-pc; yes it's good that he can now walk down the street and not have people yelling 'retard' at him - this is where pc has succeeded - but that shouldn't stop him from making jokes about anyone and anything in the context of JOKE. Where ism's exist a certain level of pc has it's place, ignorance needs to be stamped out, this does not mean that we should have this insane level of dictatorship as we have now. Bishi got in trouble at the Royal Festival Hall for mentioning getting drunk at new years to a 5pm crowd... are there ANY children who aren't aware that adults like to get drunk at new years? One problem is that as the recession/depression hits tastes get more conservative, it's happened countless times before and will happen again. If it was just down to that then it wouldn't be a huge problem, what with new technology like minded people are freer to find and express their views and whilst there would be some miserable people there would be enough free speech etc to keep us going. What's causing a bigger problem is the media bandwagon proclaiming all things as evil. Now clubs are frightened of the bad press. For example the JR/RB thing went out with almost no fuss at all until the media reported it as such a shocking and nasty thing to do, suddenly 49,000 people complained. This is why a campaign IS needed, the media is a vile and horrible thing but it is not possible to get rid of it in this society and whilst it is impossible to wield it for the powers of good (like the One Ring, evil would work through it no matter what your intentions) if it were possible to persuade it that an anti-censorship campaign was popular and would sell papers then maybe a few comedians would feel free to let loose.
However, I feel I must play devils advocate here. Part of the cycle I mentioned is the 'after party'. After the rationing comes the 60's etc etc. Comedians can't shock anyone anymore, everything's been said and done before. Maybe if things were toned down a bit again we'd get the joy of a new Lenny Bruce or Richard Pryor, we can't imagine what it was like to hear them for the first time, we look back and it just seems like someone saying 'fuck'. Imagine how joyous it would be to have a true pioneer breaking the mould. That can't happen without the mould.
In truth I agree with my first paragraph more, yes it would be great to have a new Lenny but would it make up for a few years of censorship? No.
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I need to read The Country Wife again. That was kick ass dude. Actually might read Age Of Innocence...
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Age of Innocence... I hope that was a joke, and you're not *seriously* going to waste your time reading it again?! Christ, once was bad enough...
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I wouldn't actually read AoI again (I say again, didn't we only read selected chapters?) but I am truthfully am considering re-watching the film. I think I may be able to appreciate it more in my adulthood.
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And really, I don't think we were missing much with the film. I strongly believe it won't be any better now with the benefit of hindsight. What I *do* need see again is Othello, with Kenneth Branagh doing the "Put money in thigh purse" scene brilliantly.
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