A LOST LIBERTY! Why too much sensitivity to offence has taken away our right of free expression. We can see the result in the community at large in everyone having to consider every spoken word least it be offensive to someone. The fear is a barrier to harmless banter -raillery which is necessary for those who love their right of free expression in their contact with their fellow citizens. It is a means of bridging the gap between those from different social and religious or national backgrounds which a little humour can most effectively bridge. The law of the land and common sense was on the whole successful in ensuring that those who overstepped the mark outrageously were taken to task. Over the past decades before the arrival of New Labour there were a number of hilarious comedy's on television which illustrated the differences within our society which we believe in their portrayal helped newcomers to our shores to in time appreciate our great sense of humour. there can be few who have not heard good-natured raillery even from those who have settled here from across the world. In fact when the local accent is added into that dimension the affect is a great deal funnier and that added to a sense of belonging by the newcomer and the acceptance to our country. We hope that in our country the sense of FAIR PLAY is not dead and this has the affect of keeping in check those who may decide to cross the narrow line between innocent banter and verbal brutality. We do have a law of breach of the peace which is in most circumstances able to deal with those who are a persistent nuisance and should the offender dare to raise a finger in further aggravation they will find themselves on the way to Gaol. Of course since New Labour arrived on the scene it is impossible to be sure that the VICTIM will go to GAOL and the AGGRAVATED ASSAULT treated with a CAUTION or possibly awarded a PRIZE to hope for better behaviour in the future. Recently we have the actor and director Clint Eastwood-quoted in the Daily Mail-February 26,2009: Eastwood goes gunning for those PC killjoys CLINT EASTWOOD believes the rise of political correctness is no laughing matter. he says the world would be a better place if we could still laugh at inoffensive jokes about different races. The Hollywood actor and director, 79, said we live in constant fear of beiong labelled racist for simply laughing about national sterotypes. 'People have lost their sense of humour,'he told Germany's Der Spiegel magazine. 'In former times we constantly made jokes about different races. 'You can only tell them today with one hand over your outh otherwise you will be insulted as a racist. I find that ridiculous. In those earlier days every friendly clique had a "Sam and Jew" or "Jose the Mexican" - but we didn't think anything of it or have a racist thought. 'It was normal that we made jokes based on our nationality or ethnicity. That was never a problem. " I don't want to be politically correct. We're all spending too much time and energy trying to be politically correct about EVERYTHING.' His comments come in a week in which BT suspended 30 call centre staff after they had circulated an Irish joke by email. BT, however, insists other serious matters are involved and that a joke was not the sole reason for the suspensions. *
* FEBRUARY-2009 |