Ban bandwagon is on a relentless roll
THE Freedom Association is urging us all to boycott Greggs as a punishment for replacing Jesus with a sausage roll in an advert for a Nativity calendar.
Which seems a bit rich coming from a group that promotes freedom of expression and, seeing as the bakers immediately apologised, a bit harsh for one concerned with Christian values like forgiveness. Not to mention the fact that Lor’ Jesus spelt backward is Susej rol, so for all they know, the savoury treat may be a holy relic.
But that’s the way of the world right now. If something offends a small number of people or there are fears it may offend, bans are introduced or called for.
Three Liverpool University students have organised a petition calling for William Gladstone’s name to be taken off one of their halls of residence because his father was a slave owner and the 19th century Prime Minister wasn’t as committed an abolitionist as other Liberals. His defenders say Gladstone was an abolitionist and a reformer who laid the basis of the welfare state, advocated Irish Home Rule and won four General Elections, so he deserves recognition in his home town. Meaning the University is damned if they do rename the halls and damned if they don’t. It’s the same with the BBC after they pulled an adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Ordeal By Innocence from their Christmas schedules due to one of the actors facing rape allegations which he denies. The BBC had no option, but others disagree. I also think there are things that deserve to be banned, the problem sometimes though, is where it can lead. If Gladstone is boycotted for profiting from his father’s involvement in slavery then why not boycott The Beatles who made money on the back of their song Penny Lane, a road named after slave trader James Penny? And why not ban the BBC from spending taxpayers’ money on all Agatha Christie works due to allegations of racism that hung over her – notably a letter from The Anti-Defamation League calling her an anti-semite and the fact she wrote a book (later changed) called Ten Little Niggers?
Obviously it would be mad to boycott The Beatles or Agatha Christie because they lived in different times, and right now we have plenty of other things to worry about. Like the Christmas shopping list.
I hope you realise you can’t give a DVD of any modern film because Harvey Weinstein probably produced it, or buy boxsets like House of Cards (starring Kevin Spacey) or anything by Louis CK (who’s admitted sexual misconduct).
Political biographies are a no-no in case one of the Westminster gropers is mentioned. And I wouldn’t buy any CDs by U2 or Take That (and not just because of Bono or Gary Barlow’s tax affairs but because they’re garbage), or Formula 1 video games because of Lewis Hamilton.
Christmas TV will be a dodgy area too. You can’t watch any Bond films starring Sean Connery as he’s a wife-beater, Mrs Brown’s Boys because of tax issues or Top of The Pops in case there’s a flashback to Jimmy Savile.
And definitely don’t tune into the Queen’s Speech because you’ll be giving approval to a woman whose estate invested in an off-shore taxhaven and whose uncle was a Nazi sympathiser. In fact, the only way I’m thinking I can spend a scandal-free Christmas is by going to Mass and having a good old chinwag afterwards with the Catholic priests about my time spent as an altar boy.
No, hang on. Probably safer just banning Christmas.
You can’t gift anyone a DVD as Weinstein produced it