No I don’t really think that, but sometimes I think I hear people say it. I have been struggling with comedy for some time now.
I used to watch “Have I got News” regularly, but it seemed to transition at some point to a bunch of people saying how dumb everybody else was (and by inference how amazing they were). After not watching it for a while I turned it back on and cringed. Had I really thought that was funny?
Then there was taskmaster. Quite funny – always made me laugh. But I started to feel uncomfortable about the presentation – it was almost a celebration of being a bully. Then there is the fact it is all about contestants being made to look stupid.
One by one my list of comedies has reduced. I still have Red Dwarf, Room 101, Auf Wiedersehn Pet (despite the warnings about content) and “Would I lie to you”, with a sprinkling of QI. So not terrible.
I’ve also been looking at safeguarding recently for young people. What behaviours do we need to challenge? If I saw kids acting like taskmaster would I think I would need to intervene. The answer is yes. Of course the contestants on taskmaster are adults and have chosen to be made fun of. Or have they?
Then there are a couple of recent events- there is the “joke” told at the Oscars about Jada Pinkett Smith. Would I stop a kid from making fun of another kids medical problem? You bet I would. And then Jenny Tonge posted an unflattering photo of Boris with a snarky comment. Would I accept that type of behaviour from kids. You bet I wouldn’t.
But am I forgetting, they are all adults and it comes with the job? They should expect to be made fun of. Then tonight I had a realisation – that argument has the same roots as the rape defence “she was asking for it”. It is the Harvey Weinstein defence. Make the victim have to stand up to say what happened to them is wrong – put the victim in the dock. No this is not about Boris, or Jada Smith, it is about the behaviour of those that think it is funny to mock people. This is about the jokes being unacceptable, not whether somebody has the right to object to them.
And sadly by my taking part in the behaviour I have to admit to being part of the cheering crowd. I need to review the comedy I enjoy. I don’t know when we moved on from “A man walked into a pub with a USB stick on his head…”. Kids emulate the adult behaviour they see. If we don’t want this behaviour in them then we need to call it out as unacceptable.