Carr’s tasteless joke went too far
i AGREE with Christopher hart’s intelligent and pertinent comments about Jimmy Carr and his infamous ‘joke’ (Mail). i agree it was tasteless, irresponsible and mean-spirited. the fact the audience laughed says more about them. For most people, this horrendous quip has engendered legitimate outrage. Of course, there has always been questionable humour that is now frowned upon and there can’t be a veto of personal taste. But Carr’s foray into the unacceptable to exploit the rationale behind cancel culture backfired.
JUDITH A. DANIELS, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. HOW sad and pathetic that Jimmy Carr thinks the holocaust can be used to ‘entertain’ his audience. Obviously, he is struggling to find material that could even remotely be considered funny. Comedy legends such as Bob Monkhouse, tommy Cooper, Frankie howerd and Barry Cryer were truly funny and didn’t need to resort to offensive or controversial material. that is why their jokes live on. Jimmy Carr will be remembered for his highly offensive material and the controversy over his tax affairs, but not his comedy, of which there is very little.
STUART KIRA, Brookmans Park, Herts. CONGRATULATIONS to Jimmy Carr for being brave enough to stand up to the ridiculous cancel culture.
M. SOUTHON, Christchurch, Dorset. FREEDOM of speech is the right to disagree, which often means offend. it flows from the right to think. if you disagree with an opinion, you can argue against it. if an opinion is untrue or defamatory, you can take legal action. Freedom of speech includes the freedom not to agree, not to listen to and not to support your antagonists.
D. S. A. MURRAY, Dorking, Surrey. Jimmy CARR is not funny. his stockin-trade is irony and, much like the majority of TV comedians, he thinks he deserves audience laughter. What he really needs is a fulfilling job. B. CHANNING, Pembroke.