A Humourless Australia ?

People from many nations have laughed at the comedy series " Fawlty  Towers ".  In one memorable spisode, Basil is receiving the first German tourists to visit his hotel after the second world war and he admonishes staff to " not mention the war ".

Of course Basil comits numnerous blunders which culminate in him goose stepping through the dining room, holding a finger under his nose to signify Adolph Hitler's toothbrush moustache.Sadly, we will never see that again because it has been deemed too " racist " and that episode has now been withdrawn from the series.

Even our own ABC is taking the censor's knife to shows that once were prime entertainment on our television screens.  The jokes standup comedians used to depict national steriotypes are now deemed offensive.   We can no longer refer to Scots as " stingy " or the Irish as " thick " and it remains to be decided what happens to the many comic situations that apply to our Australian character.

This has been creeping into the entertainment scene for a very long time.  The artist Joliffe used to regulary draw farmer Sandy Blight and his Aboriginal helper getting into all sorts of predicaments on the farm.  That was a favourite with many Indigenous people, but it was proclaimed " racist " and quickly disappeared from the newsagents shelves.

Someone wrote a witty little ditty called " My Boomerang won't come back " and that has not been heard on air for years.  It was claimed to be offensive because it made fun of Aboriginal people and is often referred to as the sort of " rubbish " that poisons relations between the white race and Indigenous people.  It seems to suggest that Aboriginal people lack a sense of humour.

What seems to be creeping in is a reluctance to show life as it really was in the twentieth century.  In America many familiers employed coloured women as cooks and nannies but now that role is considered offensive and is being removed from series that held vast viewing audiences. The censor's cutting knife is getting ever sharper and the racist view is getting deeper.

Whatever happened to our sense of humour  ?  We always made jokes at the expense of our politicians and today that seems to be the only sort of humour that holds up well.  The political cartoon in the daily newspaper is something that still seems to attract most Australians and often is the reason for buying the paper.

We seem to be in danger of losing the character that made Australians known across the world.  It was our ribald sense of humour in almost any circumstances that distinuished us as a separate race.  In comparison, we saw others who lacked in humour.  Our humour was infectous and often the reason strangers settled so well in this country.

Perhaps a very good reason to stop and think before we consign traditional Australian humour to the dust bin.  If we change our sense of humour we change Australia - and not for the better !