Kate Barron

FREEDOM of speech isn’t under threat anymore than it’s been at various points in history. There have always been topics off-limits, and comedians have consistently tried to push boundaries.

I’m in Edinburgh, a city where back in the “good old days” I’d have been burned as a witch for the things I say on stage. This isn’t a new fight. What’s new is the hyperbole around freedom of speech.

You’re free to say what you want, but there may be consequences. Marginalised communities who had to take it on the chin before are now saying it’s not acceptable.

Not because the content is newly offensive, but because they finally feel safe to do so. That said, just because something offends you, doesn’t mean anyone has to care about your opinion. “Wokeness gone wild” is clickbait, with people saying things they know will offend to get attention and then crying that they’re in fact the victim when they’re called out.

Freedom of speech cannot be used as a shield to spew hate, and some people deserve to be cancelled. The problem is punishments aren’t equal – your power and influence determine how much it affects you. I could make the same joke as an A-lister and nobody would think twice about ending my career, but comedians with multi-million-dollar Netflix deals are virtually untouchable. Is that fair? On TV, I suspect risk-averse executives are impacting what we see. I’d be foolish to say it’s not something that influences me. Is it ruining comedy? No. Is it impacting it? Yes. See Kate Barron at The Tron