To think Jo Brand should be allowed to joke about anything and everything?

[noleftturn]

I don't want to live in a world where we are all censored

I really like black comedy usually. Its usually a lot cleverer than 'throw acid at somebody' though which is a bit crass and cheap
But the response has been really interesting and just indicates how uneasy everything is

@hilbobaggins

I like the fact that Jess Phillips whines about Sargon making ‘rape threats’ (which they quite obviously weren’t!) but feels it’s acceptable to say she’d stab Jeremy Corbyn in the front, not the back.

She’s apparently free to talk seriously about inflicting (metaphorical) violence on Corbyn, but others aren’t allowed to joke about the fact that they wouldn't use violence against her.

Makes all the sense in the world

Exactly HOW was she inviting violence? Context is everything.

Or maybe one halcyon day we can get back to the world of sanity in which no comedian is ever investigated for a bloody joke.

Happy thought indeed.

Would you find it funny if a Brexiteer comedian joked about throwing battery acid on Remainers?

Of course they wouldn't this is highlighting the hypocrisy further down the line.

Just as how today's yougov poll highlighted the situation of one side being apparently about debate and critical thinking

twitter.com/YouGov/status/1139081077400752128

If a right wing person or politician had said this about someone like Anna Soubery or Kier Starmer would that be ok?

Is it ok to use violent language against politicians we don't agree with.
Her "joke" normalises violence.
I believe Scotland Yard are now investigating it.

There are many things that I think people shouldn't joke about and this is one of them.

I despise Jo Brand, but I don't see that what she said was a crime. It falls well short of incitement, or "encouragement" as I think it is now called in UK law.

You should also not remove trade unionsists for speaking at Brexit meetings, or sack Danny Baker for a tweet.

People should and will joke about anything

Well said Luaa

@hilbobaggins

Or maybe one halcyon day we can get back to the world of sanity in which no comedian is ever investigated for a bloody joke. Remember those days? Happy times.

Nobody remembers those days because they never existed.

Chubby Brown made a 'joke' about the Bradford fire at one of his concerts in the late 80s, and was vilified for it. Also, Bernard Manning and Chubby Brown, and several other 'blue' comedians of the 70s and 80s were banned from TV - (before the 1990s) because of their risque manner, and rude jokes, and language.

Frankie Boyle has never been seen on telly again, since his 'joke' about Katie Price's disabled, blind son six years ago, Jim Davidson's show was axed from a theatre in Norwich ten years ago, purely because the manager of the theatre said it is not the type of act HE wants there, and in the 1970s, RTE issued a ban on Dave Allen.

There are plenty more, and like many others you are seeing the past through rose-tinted glasses, because it's hogwash that comedians are only being censored now. It has been happening for many decades.

I agree with a number of other posters that too many people make excuses for left-wing comedians and their rude and nasty 'humour.' If the shoe was on the other foot, and a right wing comedian made a joke about chucking acid in the face of a muslim, imagine the outrage then. They would be drop-kicked off the planet by the left-wing PC brigade!

Jo Brand is not even sorry. She was interviewed briefly earlier today, and came across as very arrogant and obnoxious. Used to like her, but I have gone RIGHT off her now.

www.thesun.co.uk/news/9286844/jo-brand-refuses-apologise-bbc-acid-attack/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=sunmaintwitter&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1560424804

There are many things that I think people shouldn't joke about and this is one of them.

Well don’t joke about them then. Other people will decide what they want to joke about.

I think she should be allowed to. (Assuming that it doesn’t cross the line to incitement to violence.)

But it isn’t something that I personally find funny and so I won’t be watching her comedy in the future. Which is a shame as I have liked her in the past.

I am a big believer in “vote with your feet”.

I think the joke is something and nothing, particularly in the context of the programme and its audience (and the fact that other comedians say far more provocative things than this), but it does highlight how messed up things are at the moment.

I don’t approve at all

We need to learn to live together and allow different views , even if we despise them

It’s all so nasty these daysb

There are many things that I think people shouldn't joke about and this is one of them.

Wow full on totalitarian, maybe the police her lock her up for wrong think!

I agree that it's fine for her to joke about it. But as others have pointed out, that goes hand in hand with everyone else having free speech too. I was ok with Frankie Boyle joking about Madeleine McCann's dead body being sexually abused. Sure, it was disgusting and not very funny and it put me right off him, and I felt really bad for her family who possibly saw a clip of him saying that, but my response was to simply stop watching stuff that he's in because I decided I didn't like his brand of comedy and I didn't want to condone that sort of material. That was the end of that. I didn't complain or call for him to be punished or have to apologise. He's free to say whatever disgusting things he likes.

So I think it's fine to say we all have free speech, and I 100% agree with you, but we need to understand what free speech really means. Usually when people claim they want free speech what they actually mean is they want free speech for everyone who thinks the same things that they do, because they are "right", and people who don't agree with them shouldn't be allowed free speech because they are "wrong". You see this attitude on mumsnet all the time, it's quite depressing.

Indeed you do, PregnantSea.

Time for adults to stop policing what other adults say.

It's weak.

Nothing should be off limits but comedy is about delivery and timing

At the moment it’s the wrong time to be saying what she said that will come across funny

And yes I know the papers have picked out one line but she knows this she has been in public eye for long enough to know this and assumed many on the left would giggle along its backfired

“You can joke about anything, nothing is off limits” is such bullshit and you all know it.

If a bbc comedian went out there and spent an hour making racist jokes about black people would you all be saying the same thing?

I don’t think she should be fired but I really don’t think it was a wise thing to say

Time for adults to stop policing what other adults say

No body is saying to lock her up!! Criticising her joke is part of our free speech.

I consider myself a liberal but I'm getting sick of all the double standards.

Yes, criticising what she said is your right, no shit. I wouldn't call it a joke as I don't think she's ever made one. She's as funny as cancer.

Plenty of people are signing petitions to lose her her job.... that's what I think is fucking weak. So fucking fragile.

Same with Danny Baker, and the next person, and the next.

I love Jo Brand and cannot stand Nigel Farage. Sadly, I think Jo got it wrong on this occasion. Our politicians are now subjected to so much abuse and so many threats, we simply can't afford to make jokes like this. The BBC shouldn't have allowed the comments to be broadcast.

That said, I don't think it's a good use of police time to investigate this. It's very obvious that this was a poorly judged joke, rather than an attempt to incite violence. We need to use a bit of common sense here.

These things have an impact. When Boris Johnson made comments about Muslim women being letter boxes and bank robbers hate crime against Muslim women went up and women started being abused using those terms.