Political Coirrectness. Didn't we do this,already ?

Grid Girls have lost their jobs.
As have the darts ladies.

Objectifying women is a crime on a par with the Holocaust.
In the wake of Weinstein using the same casting couch that has been in existence since motion pictures, and some men getting a good look at some girls legs at a charity event, the politically correct social media had a fit of the vapours. And when the smelling salts took effect have forced institutions to take action. 

Take action on things they were probably planning to do anyway. 

Like when the Left thought they had won a moral crusade to stop page 3. And to hurt the hated Murdoc. Loaded and Nuts came and showed a lot more of what “Sarah, 19, Librarian from Basildon,” had to show. And since then Internet porn and mobile phone photography have made topless pictures about as pornographic and forbidden as a nude nymph in a Pr-Raphaelite painting.
Something else that has been banned.

Nobody wants to say ‘No’ to the Twitter-Storm. That just fuels the easy journalism of the intern’s article. Makes a bad story, worse. 

Poundland are remarkably relaxed about the ton of publicity they got for their, teabagging elf ads. Ads that were purely designed to press the starter of the outrage bus. Some clever Adzecutives saw how to get the masses to do their bidding. All the while acting surprised that their targeted offence might be triggering the campus guardians of morality. And pressing their buttons with wide eyed innocence and further sexual positioning.

For those who missed the story, the Elf was a Christmas advert. Cashing in on last year’s “Elf on a shelf” craze. {If you don’t know,I’m not explaining it. Google it or ask Grandchildren.} The Elf was a naughty elf. Basically, he was objectifying the fairies. 
The Poundland Elf writers clearly saw how this was going to cause a stink in PC-Land. And reckoned the bad publicity would be overwhelmed by total publicity. And they were correct.

What I find so tedious about all this New Puritanism, is it wasn’t that long ago that we already did this. The 1980s were awash with ‘Alternative’ comedians. And what they were an alternative too, was sexist and racist comedy. The new comedians wanted to do more jokes and observations that were not about mother-in-laws or black neighbours or wives who couldn’t park. And to be more political. 
They appealed to a totally different audience,were extremely Politically Correct, which is where thas old fashioned word comes from, and were very, very funny.

The high priest of alternative comedy was Ben Elton. Motormouth guest, host and writer and so popular he had his own show. That raked in huge audiences in its relatively short run.
Ben was a the most ‘progressive’ of them all. And he meant it. As did most of these new iuniversity jokers. Ben was unapologetic for his vies that there shouldbe no sexism or racism in comedy. Or anywhere else. 

As uncontaversial as it sounds today, there was quite an establishment, ie red top press, backlash against glitter suited Elton. More for his unremitting anti-tory, anti-Thatcher monolgues than his championing of feminism. But any stick would do to give him a quick whack with. For a while Ben Elton was as much of a hate figure as Ken Livingstone. No more so than when he attacked Benny Hill.

What actually happened was in a few of his skits he was disparaging about the scantily clad Hills Angels. And in one Wogan TV interview he specifically mentioned he thought the roles for women in those BH shows were just objects. They didn’t have any charchter except to be a sexy temptress or an ugly harradin. And he said he thought he could do comedy better, without relying on those.

Benny Hill was long past its sell by date when he said that. And ITV stopped commissioning it soon after. When Benny Hill died a few years later, Ben Elton was attacked in the press for forcing harmless comedy off the air. Though Elton had always insisted he didn’t mind Carry On. With its stronger female roles. But didn’t like the Benny style of comedy. He had to row back a lot as the backlash against him, personally, grew.

The Blackadder co-writer has a point though. Blackadder, the best of Elton’s TV work, has stood the test of time equally as well as Porridge. Dad’s Army. Two Ronnies or any of those other ‘British Greats.’

What’s different about the liikes of the old, alternative comedians and thier political thoughts and leanings, and today, is people like Elton wanted to change things. Not to ban things. Not to prevent things. I expect Ben Elton would be appaled by the idea of ‘No Platforming’ or ‘safe spaces.’ 
He was always clear he wanted to change people’s views. Not stop them having views. 
And, that political correctness, that began in comedy, spread to politics and then to advertising, and then, everywhere. The likes of Jim Davidson, popular and successful at the same time as Elton, lost that cultural war.

I suggest that the reason the alternatives had a far reaching effect on our societies cuture, was precisely because they stood FOR, not AGAINST, something.

And,they really were very, very good comedians and writers.

Have a look at this.
This is Ben Elton in a Harry Enfield sketch. Self deprecating and sending up the whole Politically Correct experience. Whilst paying homage to the Benny Hill comedy.

Its terrific..