Haven't we seen this before? And found it repugnant?

via John Ray's PC Watch blog, the vulgar notion from the UK that comedy needs to be pasteurized of anything controversial:


Has the history of difficulty comedians had in the Soviet Union been forgotten? The positive and lovable but not always funny Yakov Smirnov learned this lesson from his struggle with the illiberal culture of Soviet minding, squealing, and censorship, and he ran away.

To add to that Rowan Atkinson spoke for a large group of comedians, artists, writers, and performers - warning that there are (possibly unintended) stifling consequences to Britain's proposed anti-religious-hatred incitement legislation. Even the nanny state proponent Polly Toynbee found in repugnant, calling it a platform for accusation by social factions and not offended individuals. Atkinson's point was clear and apolitical: it is a violation of the basic free speech which allows for the creative spirit, and that anyone free to incite can be just as freely rebutted.

I doubt that performers will begin to flee, but one could always hope that the un-PC Ali G. might set up shop on Broadway.