The Daily Telegraph Editorial: Our laughter is dying

‘HOW many Australians does it take to change a light globe?” The answer, increasingly, is “that’s not funny!” As The Daily Telegraph reports today, our old larrikin tradition of take no prisoners humour has been all but banished from centre stage in our culture, having been replaced instead by a new attitude.

Comedian Kevin "Bloody" Wilson says political correctness is taking over in the comedy world. Picture: Ross Swanborough

‘HOW many Australians does it take to change a light globe?” The answer, increasingly, is “that’s not funny!”

As The Daily Telegraph reports today, our old larrikin tradition of take no prisoners humour has been all but banished from centre stage in our culture, having been replaced instead by a new attitude that is all about ensuring that no one takes offence unless, of course, the target is a pale, male, and stale white guy.

Comedy gigs are drying up, corporations no longer book laugh-makers for events, and outside the ABC (whose comedy offerings regularly make headlines for their puerile name-calling against right wingers), commercial TV networks have found it easier and safer to place their bets on reality shows.

The culprit is, not surprisingly, our 21st-century culture of po-faced political correctness and perpetual outrage. And it’s not just great Australian acts like Kevin “Bloody” Wilson, Austen Tayshus, and Billy Birmingham (who told The Daily Telegraph he’d be “hung, drawn and quartered” for his Twelfth Man cricket routines) who are suffering.

Rodney Rude was a comedian who was taken to court a number of times for his jokes. Picture: Supplied

Even a new generation which grew up under a more restrictive regime are finding it all a bit too much.

The terrible irony is that political correctness is making our society more, rather than less, fractious. Australia is one of a few nations — the US being a notable other — that have managed to bring large numbers of people from very different backgrounds and ethnicities together without, for the most part, society breaking down into ethnic warfare. The power of humour to help this along should never be underestimated. Comedy has throughout history been a way for society to deal with and process difficult or dark subjects, and in shutting off this collective safety valve, there is a real risk we add to the very tensions those who would silence politically incorrect comedians claim to be trying to soothe.

Here we might look back at Nino Culotta’s (real name: John O’Grady) They’re a Weird Mob, but in poking fun at the travails of a new Italian migrant — what would be called “punching down” by today’s comedy commissars — the ways of Anglo Australia were just as up for mockery, and the ultimate message was one of tolerance. Sometimes, it turns out, laughter is the best medicine.

The “w” is for wardrobe

You would think that of all the issues to concern the Country Women’s Association, the question of gender-neutral school uniforms would be pretty far down the list — well below, say, drought relief or bringing more services to the bush or even what makes a really great scone.

Yet this week saw the CWA’s Sydney branch push a radical motion demanding “mandatory” gender-neutral school uniforms. Sanity prevailed and the motion was defeated, but it’s just another example of the way organisations that otherwise do a lot of good can be hijacked for politically correct causes du jour.

The working state

There’s never been a better time to be looking for a job — at least in NSW. According to figures being released today, employment is booming, and not just in the Sydney CBD either. And what’s more, we are only halfway through what is expected to be a decade-long jobs boom.

While Sydney is expected to see jobs grow at 9.4 per cent over the next five years to 2022, other regions are also getting into the act. From Parramatta and Penrith to the mid-north coast, employment is expected to keep powering along.

Job growth in a number of industries is tipped to boom, including healthcare. Picture: Justin Lloyd

This is great news for a number of reasons. School leavers apprehensive about their futures in the work force will be cheered by the fact that their chances of finding work continue to be strong. And at a time when voters and policymakers are worried about an equitable spread of economic opportunity, the fact that prospects are growing well beyond the CBD is all to the good. It also vindicates the state government’s programs, particularly in regional NSW, to invest across the state. A good job done by all.

Now, let’s get back to work.

Originally published as The Daily Telegraph Editorial: Our laughter is dying