Stop your sobbing about controversial comedians
ROCK legend Chrissie Hynde believes that cancelling politically incorrect comedy shows is “destructive” because they are an accurate reflection of their time and the context.
The Pretenders singer said that in the future people will not be able to understand our cultural history if broadcasters remove sketches from the past now thought to be inappropriate.
The 68-year-old argued that comedy shows reveal “the conversation people were having at the time” and censoring them in the wake of the debate triggered by the Black Lives Matter movement is counter-productive.
The American star’s comments come after the BBC and Netflix removed the series Little Britain – which featured sketches with characters in black face – from their services available via streaming.
Netflix also removed The Mighty Boosh and The League Of Gentlemen for the same reason.
Hynde, whose first UK hit was Stop Your Sobbing, revealed she finds blue comedian Roy Chubby Brown funny, but joked that saying so meant a lot of people will not speak to her because they find him politically incorrect.
The star is frustrated that people don’t understand what comedy is, arguing that comedians are just trying to comment on society.
Speaking on the Headliners podcast, she said: “First of all you have to understand that it was comedy and the people who are doing it are making a statement.
“They are usually parodying something or they are making a comment on society.
“They are probably not saying something because they are racist but they might be saying something taking the mick out of someone who is racist.”
Speaking about cancel culture and political correctness, she said: “It’s a shame really because you are missing out on a lot of comedy.
“There are comedians like Roy Chubby Brown and people wouldn’t say he’s politically correct. But he’s funny. Well, in fact, a lot of people won’t speak to me now because I said that. But I like him.”
Hynde said cancel culture hinders our ability to get a realistic view of history and learn from it.
She said of political correctness in TV shows:
“If it wasn’t cancelled at the time, then it becomes part of history and that was the conversation people were having at the time. “If it’s cancelled now you’re not getting a very good picture of what your history is.
“I think there’s something about it which is destructive so far as if you’re trying to find out the truth about human behaviour and how we are supposed to be behaving, I don’t think cancel culture helps. I think that goes the other way.”