Brendan O’Regan
Can comedy go too far? Oh yes, I think so. I don’t see free speech as an absolute right, and most people draw the line somewhere. Disputes tend to happen over the where the line should be drawn, and over who should draw it.
The question was posed by presenter Ciara Kelly on Newstalk Breakfast (Friday), prompted by Barry Egan’s review of the recent Ricky Gervais stand-up show in the 3Arena. The reviewer had described the show as “intolerant”, “nasty” and “grossly offensive”. The presenter offered her own opinion: “I, personally, am tired of people, what the young people would call tone policing each other”, she said. “I’m tired of people telling people what they are allowed to say and think”. Mr Egan’s view was that freedom of speech could easily morph into hate speech.
She was joined to discuss the issue by comedian Steve Cummins. He said he wouldn’t use some of the controversial material because it would make him feel bad, but felt that if you paid to go to a Ricky Gervais gig you knew what you’d be getting. It wasn’t like he was shouting it at people in the street. He seemed to think some offensiveness was in the comedian’s job description, though I would disagree with that – there are many comedians who can be hilarious without giving such offence, e.g. Bob Newhart or Colm O’Regan (no relation!). Dr Kelly suggested that the material might embolden racists, but Mr Cummins wanted his racists emboldened, speaking out so that he could call them out on it. Dr Kelly said he mightn’t say that if he was one of the minorities being punched down on. He thought if people with unpopular views didn’t get a chance to argue an issue, they would become more entrenched in their views -– quite a bit of truth in that. I’d like to have heard someone more critical of Mr Gervais contributing to the discussion.
A related issue was discussed on Sunday Sequence (BBC Radio Ulster), in the light of a flurry of false accusations on social media surrounding the controversy involving a BBC presenter. Alison Morris of the Belfast Telegraph said she had received loads of abuse on social media and for some reason it was generally worse during the summer. She didn’t mind political debate and interaction but innocent people being accused from anonymous accounts was different. As regards taking civil cases for libel or defamation, it was costly and would get you nowhere if the accused had no assets (though wouldn’t it help to restore reputation?). She could see the point of anonymous accounts in some cases, but thought people behind these accounts should have to register with identification. Emmet Ryan of the Business Post disagreed and thought there was a case for some vulnerable people to be anonymous. He referenced the debate about whether the social media giants were publishers and therefore responsible for content, and said these companies always resisted such efforts and no court had yet decided they were publishers. He thought one factor was that the companies were providing so much tax revenue that governments didn’t want to upset them and so he reckoned it was important for regulations to be beefed up worldwide.
Away from such aggravations it was good to hear such a positive interview on Catholics Come Home (EWTN, Saturday). We heard the inspiring and unusual story of Sr Mary Frances Power – I do like a good vocation story. She was born into a large Irish Catholic family in San Francisco, but moved around a lot because her father was in the Air Force. Engaged to a Baptist convert at 17 and married at 19 (too young, she said), she had three sons, worked in the Air Force, the Pentagon and the civil service. Eventually, she got divorced, though we didn’t learn about the circumstances. She drifted from the Church for a few years, attending church sometimes, then got her religious vocation in her mid-50s. At that age she found it hard to find an order that would take her, but a fortuitous meeting led her to the Eudist Servants of the Eleventh Hour, following the spirituality of St John Eudes, a French priest from the 1600s. Part of the formation involved prison ministry – and the order generally has a strong spirit of service.
She often felt surprised at the paths down which life and God took her.
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PICK OF THE WEEK
Vox Nostra with Vlad Smishkewych
RTÉ Lyric FM, Sunday July 23, 7am
Early music for a modern Camino: Vlad explores pilgrimage music of Ireland, Galicia, and more ahead of Santiago, St James’ Day.
Film: Quiz Show
TG4, Monday July 24, 9.30pm
(1994) Starring Ralph Fiennes and John Turturro. Directed by Robert Redford. A young lawyer investigates a potentially fixed game show. Interesting moral issues.
Rome Direct – Courage International
EWTN, Friday July 28, 7pm
Jan Bentz interviews Fr Paul Check on his worldwide apostolate, Courage International, that helps individuals with same-sex attraction live chaste lives, as they discuss the documentary, Desire of the Everlasting Hills.