Sunday, October 31, 2010

Jim Davidson and political correctness in comedy

It's interesting that even in these right-on times, comics such as the Brit Jim Davidson still do a lot of politically incorrect material. The reason: people find it funny.

Laughter is not something you can fake. And no matter how hard you try you can't attitudinally reconstruct your sense of humour to make it more culturally sensitive. That's why so many right-on, leftie comics are so painful to watch. They are self-important and deluded. They think their gags have the power to change society. What a joke!

Also, I suspect that even a lot of their most avid supporters are actually faking their response to some degree; guffawing loudly to make it known just how concerned and compassionate they are.

That's why it's good to know that old troopers like Jim Davidson are still going strong, even if the TV gigs have pretty well dried up.

This interview with him in the lead-up to a couple of recent live shows is interesting. The writer of the article confesses to loving Davidson's TV shows as a kid, but feels compelled to repeatedly ring the leper's bell about how offensive his live act is.

Here's some of his comedy. It's probably one of his routines deemed comparatively benign by the perpetually offended, since it's about that oft-covered comedic subject, farting.

Still, this could change one day. If the climate change zealots have their way, such routines might be deemed anti-green, since they trivialize the issue of methane producing flatulence. (And that's not as ridiculous as it sounds. There are plans afoot in New Zealand to tax farmers for cow farts, after all.)

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