Rowan Atkinson, one of the funniest comedians ever born–think “Mr. Bean”–is crusading for a restoration of free speech in the United Kingdom: and the rest of the Western world, for that matter. After all, it’s virtually impossible for comedy to exist if you’re not allowed to insult, shock, embarrass, or poke fun at anybody. And it has always been an indispensable safety valve. There comes a point where you just can’t keep any more frustration bottled up without the whole thing exploding.
But in Britain the law, if we may call it that, boils down to this: You can be arrested and punished for just about anything you say, on the grounds that someone, somewhere, might possibly be offended by it.
Another factor to consider: a tyrannical government can be undermined by comedy. Maybe even overthrown, if the satirist’s barbs are sharp enough.
We need comedy! I don’t believe we can keep our sanity without it.
In an amazing coincidence, I watched this very video, only a few minutes before you posted this. It’s powerful stuff, and right on target.
As I see it, there is a major social realignment taking place, before our eyes. People associated with the Left are now finding themselves alienated, as the ground has moved beneath their feet. There are similar changes to the right of center, as well. For example, people on the Right are now calling out the Left for environmental policies which are doing more harm than good. Ultimately, where I see this ending up, there will be forces of atheism fighting against believers, and prior political boundaries will have become meaningless.
Those coincidences happen a lot around here.
I was just thinking that. 🙂
No kidding, they happen all the time. We must be doing something right.
Whenever we see Rowan on TV in some show we together exclaim “That’s Mr. Bean!” Life without good humor is no life at all.
So who said leftids have a sense of humor?
Wow, another side of Mr. Bean that I didn’t know was there. What a great speech and message. That kind of message is so needed in every country. Thanks for posting it.
Actually, Rowan Atkinson has been at this for several years. At one point he asked, “How are we supposed to do comedy, if we can’t say anything that somebody might find offensive?”
Indeed, we can’t do much of anything if we aren’t allowed to speak.
Just looking at guys with a dress and lipstick on, now that is comedy in the wild.
And when you see one, you know he’s either a “teacher” or a member of the Biden administration.