Category Archives: Political Correctness

Near the end of Mel Brookss History of the World Part 1, just as the King of France and his consorts are about to feel the wrath of the guillotine, a Roman slave, played by Gregory Hines, rides in from an earlier segment in a chariot, drawn by a horse named Miracle.

Its Miracle! Mel Brooks exclaims.

And thats exactly how I felt yesterday when I read the news that Hulu has commissioned an eight-part variety series called History of the World Part II. History of the World Part I appeared 40 years ago. Mel Brooks is 95 years old. Pretty much everyone else involved in that movie is dead: Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, Cloris Leachman, Ron Carey, certainly Sid Caesar, Dom DeLuise, Jackie Mason. Orson Welles was thenarrator,for pitys sake! Of the major cast members, only Pamela Stephenson, who is a psychiatrist in Beverly Hills, still walks among us. Besides Mel Brooks, that is.

Id been feeling despair about my old-school comedy tastes up until when I heard the History of the World news. Over the weekend, the New York Post re-published a Commentary essay from David Zucker, in which he laments that our current woke environment would make it impossible for him to see a green-light for his movie Airplane! today. He bemoaned the joy-killing Twitter elite who kill any even mildly offensive joke in the womb. He might as well have been writing my eulogy when he said:

Im a perpetually frustrated person whos annoyed and bored by the dullness that everyone else seems to tolerate so easily. I have a rage against mildness, against playing it safe, against political correctness. Jokes are my defense against normalcy, and as a comedy writer, if Im not teetering on the edge of offending someone, then Im not doing my job. Because I know that people get themselves stuck in a rut when they take things too seriously.

I posted that piece up on my Facebook feed. Most people agreed with me that Airplane! is an all-time classic, though I found someone else arguing that its irrelevant and that only people who are emotionally 12 years old could like it. Guilty as charged, I guess. It left me thinking, even if people did like comedy from that era, that it was no longer possible in our present-day environment where touchy feelings can end peoples careers.

Maybe Im not emotionally 12 years old, but I still like the comedy from when I was a kid. I was nine when Airplane! appeared, and I was 11 when Brooks released History of the World Part I, the last of his golden age of movie parodies, though I guess you could make an argument for Spaceballs as well. Brooks created an epically ridiculous journey through history, with a showstopping Spanish Inquisition musical number in the middle, a comic tour de force, featuring dancing monks and swimming nuns and Jew torture, that only Every Sperm Is Sacred from Monty Pythons Meaning of Life can equal.

Thats some of the most baldfacedly offensive shit ever put on screen, and its also possible the funniest scene in cinematic history. In History of the World Part I, Mel Brooks mocks the Jews, he makes fun of gay people, he is sexist, racist, and totally crude. The movie begins with a minute-long scene of ape-men jerking off. And its amazing.

Unlike David Zucker, whos a known conservative and therefore evil, liberal tastemakers continue to love Mel Brooks. The list of show runners and co-writers include my more or less contemporaries Nick Kroll and Ike Barinholtz. Ive seen what those guys do for comedy. Its highly possible that theyll keep the ratio of boob and dick jokes high. Most of all, its highly possible that well finally get to see the long-awaited extended cut of Jews In Space.

Here comes History of the World Part 2. Aneight-partsequel to one of the greatest comedy movies of all time. In this political and cultural climate, where offending anyone can lead to immediate career death. It truly is a miracle.

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History of the World Part 1 is Getting a Sequel - Book and Film Globe

AstonRep Theatre Company will welcome back audiences this fall with a revival of Yasmina Reza's frenetic dark comedy God of Carnage, translated by Christopher Hampton and co-directed by directed by Derek Bertelsen* and Robert Tobin*.

God of Carnage will play November 12 - December 12, 2021 at The Edge Off-Broadway Theatre, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at http://www.astonrep.com or by calling (773) 828-9129. The press opening is Saturday, November 13 at 7:30 pm.

Please note: all patrons will need to provide proof of vaccination when picking up tickets and wear a mask inside the venue during the performance. Please visit AstonRep's safety page for additional COVID-related information.

The cast includes Maggie Antonijevic, Mike Newquist, Erin Kathleen O'Brien* and Mark Tacderas.

Two high-strung couples, Alan and Annette Raleigh and Michael and Veronica Novak, decide to meet one evening for a civilized discussion about a playground altercation between their two young sons. What follows is a comically explosive downhill slide from polite, political correctness to full-on character assassination. A no-holds-barred look at what happens when the littlest things end up pushing us completely over the edge.

God of Carnage co-directors Derek Bertelsen and Robert Tobin comment, "We at AstonRep are excited to go back to our roots to produce this though provoking and timeless play, which we also presented nine seasons ago. With a new cast and new venue, this seems like the perfect script for us as we get back to producing live theatre again."

The production team includes Jeremiah Barr* (scenic/props design, technical director), Uriel Gomez (costume design), Becca Venable (lighting design), Robert Tobin* (sound design), Samantha Barr* (production manager) and Heather Branham (stage manager).

*Denotes AstonRep Company Members.

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AstonRep Theatre Presents GOD OF CARNAGE At The Edge Theater - Broadway World

Ibelieve the satiric impulse to be a defining Australian element of Australian culture, equally by colonists and the colonised.

On a number of occasions over the years, folk have lamented that Australian television political satire has been light on the ground since The Gillies Report in the early '80s. Whilst it's gratifying to be so remembered, it's a misperception.

There was a dearth of satire before The Gillies Report, having been 15years since The Mavis Bramston Show wound up. Mavis had been widely regarded as the earliest iteration of the genre on our shores.

Truth be told, TV management across the board had been leery of it.

In fact, despite the ABC commissioning a pilot from us, it shared the general scepticism about our prospects for success, the demographic for the genre assumed to be males aged between 45 and 60.

My experience in live cabaret suggested otherwise, and fortunately this held up in the transfer to the mass medium.

With the burgeoning of social media and smart technology offering a plethora of new platforms, nearly everybody's a satirist these days.

Satire is at heart reactionary impulse. The important distinction is between practitioners who punch down and those who punch up.

Everybody "doing"political satire has their own approach.

The most common recipe since stand-up became a fashionable performance genre in the 1980s is basically what the Americans designate the monologue. All their daily topical TV shows sport one. We all use it to a degree.

But beyond the stringing together of gags, the ways are infinite Barry Humphries, Shaun Micallef, the Chaser crowd, Rod Quantock, Curtis and Kelso, Eddie Perfect, Tim Minchin, Phil Scott and The Wharf Revue, Clark and Dawe, to choose a few males at random. Each develops his own unique formula. As do the women.

For example, Micallef's approach has evolved over time.

Basically he is the analyst exposing contradiction, who is nevertheless bemused by unexpected further duplicity.

He has also gathered about him a team of expert know-alls, PR reps, demographers, forecasters, academics, military and sporting figures, journalists etc to confuse him even more.

The whole gaggle is supplemented with a bunch of creatures from his own slapstick imagination.

My method as it evolved was not simply burlesque or mimicry, caricature or dramatic psychological representation, but involved all of the above.

Inconsistency, and hypocrisy were the drivers. My purpose was initially ambiguous to me, playing onthe contradictions between intent and behaviour, policy and practice, altruism and veniality.

Most importantly, my work was not a solo act but at all times a very real collaboration. While I've colluded with many canny and talented folk over the years, three in particular have been critical to evolution of the shtick.

Initially the writers Patrick Cook and Don Watson helped me discover the rich scope of its possibilities. Mordant, quirky and both with acute historical perspicacity, their characters leapt off the page at me. Without them my television satire would not have transpired.

Fortuitously a young Guy Rundle had been taking notes as we went to air and would introduce himself a decade later.

A prodigiously talented polymath and funny to boot, Guy subsequently wrote four political revues and countless exquisite monologues for me over the next quarter of a century - my most satisfying years on stage.

Gifted make-up artists and wig makers Paddy Opwald and Laura Morris and prosthetics wizard Nick Dorning were vital contributors. As were dental technicians from time to time.

For television, I was blessed to have two Australian master alchemists overseeing the studio and our unique ensemble of infinitely creative performers including John Clarke, Tracy Harvey, Wendy Harmer, Phil Scott and Geoff Kelso.

In satirising political mores, I would often find myself in a quandary, which would ultimately turn out to be a key to success.

To target a politician for an egregious moral lapse or policy crime is one thing. As an actor I needed to show the perpetrator of a political offence as psychologically plausible.

Humanising a target in this way somehow mitigated the admonition.

The positive take on this is the opportunity it affords to play with contradiction the key to memorable characters and stories.

Discovering that prime minister Malcolm Fraser's apparent arrogance was his almost debilitating shyness was a revelation.

The contrast between reality and appearance was always rich territory.

Andrew Peacock and Bob Hawke each let their guards down disarmingly, provoking both lampoon and yet surprisingly enduring friendships.

They would not be the only ones to embrace the mockery. Russ Hinze and Amanda were very good sports, rendering them virtually unassailable.

By historical accident, The Gillies Report was just in time for the globalisation of economies, unprecedented trade liberalisation, and deregulation of markets.

Thatcher, Reagan, Hawke and Keating were the principal cast. Colourful locals like Neville Wran, Bjelke-Petersen and Russ Hinze at the periphery joined supporting players, the Polish Pope, and Mikhail Gorbachev.

The greatest hazard for satirists today is the litigious propensity of some politicians and journalists. Victimhood is now embraced by the most powerful among us.

In my day such behaviour would have rightly been given short shrift. The powerful were made of sterner stuff back then.

A common complaint by comedians these days is that wokeness and political correctness make it impossible to do what was permissible even a decade ago. I disagree. The formula is always via contradiction and context.

Don Watson found a perfect way to deal with the sensitive, the outr and the politically incorrect in the very first Hawke piece he wrote for me: the offensive joke, both sexist AND racist, immediately followed by a pugnaciously handsome apology. I find it still works treat.

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Max Gillies talks satire, The Gillies Report and the future of political comedy - ABC News

Many cast members from The Office have their all-time favorite moments from the NBC sitcom. Whether its a favorite episode or one particular heartfelt moment, the show had many memorable moments. John Krasinski, who played Jim Halpert, once shared his favorite episode from the series. Yet, some may say it is considered a controversial take.

RELATED: B.J. Novak Revealed His Biggest Regret About The Office and Why He Left the Show

The Office aired for nine seasons on NBC before coming to an end in 2013. By using a mockumentary format, the series follows the lives of office workers from the fictitious Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, located in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Based on the British television series of the same name, creator and writer Greg Daniels made an American adaptation.

Throughout the shows run, former cast member John Krasinskis favorite episode of all-time marked a turning point for the comedy series. In 2018, the actor and director sat down with Stephen Colbert as part of 92Y Talks.

During the interview, the actor said that the second episode of The Office, titled Diversity Day, is his all-time favorite episode in the show. The actor noted the pilot episode was an exact copy of Ricky Gervaiss British series. So for Krasinski, the second episode signaled a transitional period in the show.

B.J. Novak wrote Diversity Day, he said. I remember that day when [the diversity sensitivity counselor played by Larry Wilmore] comes in and says, My name is Mr. Brown, and Michael says, Im not gonna call you that.

Krasinski continued, It was that moment combined with Kelly slapping him [for his impression of a bodega owner] where I said, Oh my God, were a part of something totally unique and I dont think anyone will watch this. But I knew it was really good, and I [remember thinking] we were a part of something special.

RELATED: The Office: Amy Ryan Felt Melancholy When Michael Scott Proposed to Holly Flax

Although many fans may consider Diversity Day a classic, the episode is quite controversial. In The Office Season 1 Episode 2, Michael Scott (played by Steve Carell) makes a controversial impression of the actor and comedian Chris Rock. As a result, the office workers must undergo a racial diversity seminar. A consultant (Larry Wilmore) arrives at Dunder Mifflin to teach the workers about diversity and inclusion, but Michael creates his own separate seminar.

So, he assigns each worker to wear an index card on their forehead with different ethnicities. But, they are pretty offensive Michael wears an index card that says Martin Luther King Jr. on it. Soon after, the staff starts to get irritated. When Kelly Kapoor (Mindy Kaling) comes into the room, Michael proceeds to do an offensive Indian accent. The impression causes Kelly to slap him. The episode was a satirical take on the diversity policies implemented in a work setting.

In September 2021, many fans noticed Diversity Day was absent from a weekend marathon on Comedy Central in the United States. According to Newsweek, The Office fans felt the NBC sitcom had succumbed to Cancel Culture. Some took to Twitter to show their disappointment in the networks decision to remove the episode.

WTF Comedy Central?? You cannot cancel the office diversity day episode, one fan wrote on Twitter. The whole point is to mock the companies that make shitty attempts to boost diversity. Im so annoyed.

Meanwhile, one fan argued an episode like Diversity Day would get a lot of negative criticism today. The account wrote, Diversity Day is one of my favorite episodes. The entire show is based on a character who is oblivious to political correctness of any sort, and the delivery makes it funny to me. Im glad it aired when it did because it wouldnt fly at all today.

In a July 2021 interview with BBC, The Office star and co-creator Ricky Gervais said the sitcom would fall victim to Cancel Culture if it were to air today.

I mean, now it would be canceled, said Gervais. Im looking forward to when they pick out one thing and try to cancel it. Someone said they might try to cancel it one day, and I say, Good let them cancel it. Ive been paid!

All nine seasons of The Office are streaming on Peacock.

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'The Office' Star John Krasinski Once Shared His Favorite Episode of All Time - And It's Pretty Controversial - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Billy Connolly, 78, was a guest on ITVs Lorraine earlier today when he opened up about moving out of New York City. The star admitted the reasoning behind this was due to his worsening Parkinsons symptoms.

The comic was chatting to the ITV host when he made the candid admission.

Lorraine asked him: So, home now is Florida?

Billy explained: Yes, I was living in New York but with Parkinsons I was out of balance a lot of the time.

In the winter, I was sliding and falling on my backside all the time.

READ MORE:James Bond star Daniel Craig reveals why he prefers gay bars

He added: Theres good days and theres bad days, and the good days outnumber the bad days, so Ive got nothing to complain about.

Somebody once told me any time youre not feeling very well, think of the kids in the cancer wards and that straightens me out, rapid.

Billy was speaking as he released his new autobiography Windswept and Interesting.

Elsewhere, the star also admitted he fears hed be cancelled if he launched his comedy career now.

Speaking to Newstalk ZB a few weeks ago, he said: Because of political correctness people have pulled in the horns.

I couldnt have started today with the talent I had then.

Theres a show here in America with all Black comedians, men and women, and they are totally ruthless, they are totally without political correctness and they have always got me on the floor howling with laughter.

There was a comedian who had a series on television and the suits involved were going to take it off at the first commercial break. They have got no bravery.

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Falling all the time Billy Connolly had to move out of New York as Parkinsons worsened - Express

DIVERSITY DIVIDES Its become conventional wisdom that diversity and inclusion are good for business. But new research reveals that corporate thinking on the subject is far from clear-cut.

One in three corporate directors say board diversity will happen naturally, down from 71 percent in 2020. In other words, directors now acknowledge they have to be deliberate, according to an annual survey from accounting giant PwC, also known as PricewaterhouseCoopers.

And more than half the 851 directors surveyed support tying executive compensation to diversity and inclusion goals.

But dig deeper into the report and youll find this: A growing number of directors 58 percent say the diversity push is driven by political correctness. Thats up 6 points from 2020. More than 1 in 4 directors say the push for diversity results in the board nominating unqualified candidates.

This years report is a story of disconnects, said Maria Moats, leader of PwCs Governance Insights Center. Boards understand diversity wont fix itself. But theyre not quite all-in.

The share of corporate directors from racial minority groups was extremely small in 2020. At the countrys largest companies, only about 5 percent of directors were Black and only 3 percent were Latino. Women make up 28 percent of directors on S&P 500 boards, up from 16 percent in the past decade, but theyre predominantly white.

And even though almost half of directors think one or more of their fellow board members should be replaced, thats not happening.

Boards have to assess whether they have the right people to deliver a strategy for the future, and then replace some members, Moats said in an interview.

Nearly two-thirds of directors say environmental, social and governance goals, or ESG, are linked to their companys strategy, a 15-point jump over past year. But only 25 percent said their board understands ESG risks very well. And the vast majority, 67 percent, dont think associated disclosures from climate risk to workforce diversity should be mandatory.

The survey lands as the SEC prepares rules to require publicly traded U.S. companies to report climate risk and disclose more information about workforce diversity. Chair Gary Gensler said it might take the agency until early next year to get the climate disclosure rule out, a longer timeline than many had anticipated.

A proposal for human capital disclosure, which could include diversity and compensation data, likely will reach SEC commissioners next spring, Gensler said.

The Senate, by unanimous consent on Thursday, declared Oct. 8, 2021, National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day. Once again, we missed the festivities. Hope there was ice cream.

Any other parties coming up? Send invites to [emailprotected] and [emailprotected]. Follow us on Twitter @ceboudreau and @Woellert. FOMO? Sign up for The Long Game.

We couldnt have done it this week without Shayna Greene and Bjarke Smith-Meyer. Thanks!

A message from Toyota:

We should be united in an EV future. Not divided. Learn More.

Allbirds Inc. says the sheep that provide wool for its footwear live the good life. But as the startup prepares to go public, its encountering pushback for that claim and others.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has described the sheep raised by Allbirds suppliers as tormented and accused the company of understating its carbon footprint. Then came a class-action lawsuit in June.

Amid the turmoil, the shoe company last week amended its investor prospectus for the third time, dropping about half the references to its sustainability principles and objectives framework, the Financial Times reports. The updated prospectus also omits the claim that Allbirds is conducting its IPO, while following the SPO framework.

Chevron Corp. will aspire to reach net-zero emissions from operations by 2050 and aims to reduce carbon intensity by 5 percent from 2016 levels by 2028 for the lifecycle of its products, including Scope 3 emissions from customers, which make up the majority of fossil fuel pollution.

The company said it could survive a rapid shift from fossil fuels but doubts things will move quickly in that direction. In its latest climate change resilience report, the energy company singled out a scenario from the International Energy Agency for criticism, calling it highly unlikely and inherently speculative.

You might remember that IEA report. It drew global headlines for laying out a path to net-zero emissions, one that required a lot of sacrifice from fossil fuel companies. The multinational group, organized under the OECD, commands attention from governments that pay close heed to its work.

Chevron wasnt impressed. The IEA call to action, the company wrote, requires immediate and unprecedented action: globally coordinated policy design, strong international cooperation, vast capital redeployment, new infrastructure build-out, accelerated technology deployment, and a threefold improvement in energy efficiency that to date has not been forthcoming.

The IEA pathway assumes carbon prices grow some fivefold by 2050.

It is not reflective of any realistic current projections, especially in terms of global cooperation, Chevron wrote.

WASHOUT Nonprofit research group Climate Central today released more than a thousand pictures and videos showing places that could be underwater if governments fail to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

In a worst-case scenario, the high-tide line could encroach on land occupied by about a billion people. If world leaders can meet the most ambitious goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, that exposure could be cut in half, researchers wrote in a peer-reviewed paper in Environmental Research Letters.

Asian nations will be the hardest-hit. Then theres Washington, D.C., which sits between two rivers and is built on a network of creekbeds. The National Mall, the Ellipse near the White House, and parts of Capitol Hill could be flooded if temperatures rise by 4 degrees Celsius. Nationals Park, huddled against the Anacostia River waterfront, could have a permanent washout.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER? More than five months after the launch of the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, JPMorgan Chase & Co. said it would join the group and take its lending and investment portfolios net-zero. JPM, which has been conspicuously absent from the alliance, is one of the worlds largest funders of fossil fuels. The bank reduced its exposure during the pandemic.

Environmental groups last week accused U.N. special envoy Mark Carney, who leads the net-zero banking and other financial alliances, of facilitating the watering down of net-zero rules for finance and said alliance members have failed to adopt International Energy Agency findings.

A message from Toyota:

DELIVERY IN PROGRESS With just three weeks to go before COP26, the U.N. climate change summit in Glasgow, Scotland, theres plenty of rhetoric and virtual spilled ink but little to report on actual progress. With a U.S. spending bill and infrastructure package still mired in congressional politics, President Joe Biden has nothing from lawmakers to take to the meeting. Other national pledges could remain just that.

Its not that encouraging that the promises made at COP26 will be followed through, Douglas Flint, chair of investment company abrdn plc, said Monday at an annual meeting of the Institute of International Finance.

In Paris, COP President-designate Alok Sharma warned that governments need to deliver concrete action to cut coal, boost electric cars, protect trees and reduce methane emissions, and honor a $100 billion pledge to help small and vulnerable economies.

The meeting, which begins Oct. 31, is the first significant climate gathering since the Paris Climate Agreement was signed in 2015.

COP26 is not a photo-op, Sharma said in his speech Tuesday. It must be the forum where we put the world on track to deliver on climate. And that is down to leaders.

Sharma also said the conference would make funds available to cover costs to delegates and others from developing countries if they contract Covid-19 during their stay and have to isolate in Glasgow.

ICYMI, Pope Francis, 84, is staying home. Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin will represent the Holy See in Glasgow.

A message from Toyota:

We should be united in an EV future. Not divided.

Proposed EV tax credit legislation will apply only to certain carmakersputting thousands of dedicated American auto workers at a disadvantage. Learn more about how this tax credit should be applied equally to all manufacturers.

THE TAXMEN COMETH Policymakers from 136 countries on Friday committed to overhauling corporate tax rules so that giant companies pay their fair share. The deal would set a 15 percent global minimum corporate tax for the largest companies and could raise an additional $150 billion in revenue globally. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called it a victory for the U.S., but dont count those chickens yet. Congress needs to pass legislation for the deal to take effect.

Felicia Wong, president and CEO of the Roosevelt Institute, a progressive think tank, called the move important for democracy.

When 136 countries can come together, we can prevent the world's largest corporations from hoarding wealth and power at the expense of the world's citizens," Wong said.

Oh, hello! | Martin Meissner/AP Photo

They're back! Pink flamingos have returned to Kazakhstans capital after a five-year absence, the U.N. reports.

As they push to protect biodiversity, scientists point to the potential medicinal benefits of fungi that grow on sloths, and other cool stuff. The Guardian has details.

Indigenous activists are protesting in front of the White House this week. They want Biden to end new fossil fuel projects and declare a climate emergency, The Washington Post reports.

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Political correctness - POLITICO

Billy is a guest on the Graham Norton Show tonight on BBC One at 10:35pm. The comedy legend will be discussing his new autobiography,Windswept and Interesting,which details a story of success against all the odds. Billy, was born in a tenement flat in Glasgow in 1942, orphaned by the age of four, and was a survivor of horrific abuse at the hands of his own family, yet he went on to become one of thecountry'smost influential and loved stand ups.

Joining the comic on the BBC chat show is Jodie Whittaker, who is beginning her final seriesinDoctor Who, Olympic champion diver Tom Daley, acting great Eileen Atkins and Sir Lenny Henry.

The programme will also feature music from Coldplay, who will perform their new single, My Universe.

Billy carved out a career as a fearless and outspoken comedian, and recently blasted woke culture, admitting he would never have made it in todays current climate.

However, it was not the first time he called out political correctness for its effect on comedy.

Read more:William Shatner dismantled wokeism in stunning outburst

In an unearthed stand up clip Billy rages at the politically correct mob for screwing it for everybody.

In afoul-mouthedrant from his 2007 stand up special Was It Something I Said he exclaims: Ive always [liked] the way you can laugh at horrible things, and awful things.Now the politically correct f****** mob, theyve screwed it for everybody, because you feel embarrassed.

Im telling a joke, shut the f*** up, get a life.

And thats why youve got person hole covers in the street - f*** you.

Its a manhole cover, f*** off.

In an interview this week for New Zealand radio show Newstalk ZB, the Scottish comic insisted he would have been cancelled had he started out as a comedian in 2021.

Billy also called upon TV executives, whom he referred to as suits, to have more bravery.

He said: Because of political correctness people have pulled in the horns.

I couldnt have started today with the talent I had then.

There was a comedian who had a series on television and the suits involved were going to take it off at the first commercial break.

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Billy Connolly raged at politically correct mob who screwed it for everybody - Daily Express

NEW YORK Should Halloween costumes need to pass a political correctness test before parents let their kids go trick-or-treating? A new survey finds many think moms and dads should think twice before letting their children dress up in certain costumes for Halloween this year.

A recent OnePoll survey asked 2,000 American parents of children under 10 to weigh in on which offensive Halloween costumes they believe should be banned from stores.

Holocaust-related costumes, such as the infamous Anne Frank outfit that caused a social media controversy in 2017, topped the list of ideas to avoid (45%). Anything related to blackface (43%), displaying the Confederate flag (38%), or transphobia (37%) also ranked high on the list. Other choices Americans think kids should avoid include pandemic-related costumes, such as hazmat suits (32%) and also portrayals of cultural stereotypes (29%).

The relationship between Halloween and cultural appropriation or stereotyping has become a hot-button issue over the last decade, with critics and activists popularizing the phrase My culture is not a costume in social media discussions.

When asked to define cultural appropriation in their words, one parent said it means when you take somebody elses culture and make it your own in a disrespectful manner. Another respondent interpreted it as the adoption and showcasing of another peoples culture in a fun or mocking way.

Although parents in the poll believe cultural appropriation is a topic worth discussing with their children, not all were clear about how to define it. One parent defined cultural appropriation as to be proud of your culture. Others admitted they dont know what the term means.

Sixty-three percent of parents say theyve already had conversations with their children about cultural appropriation because of the issues Americans are facing in todays society. Another 58 percent have stressed to their kids that engaging in cultural appropriation or any type of appropriation can be very hurtful to others.

Nearly half of parents (45%) say they now regret wearing certain Halloween costumes in the past that some now consider inappropriate or offensive. Only 37 percent dont feel sorry about sporting those costumes in the past. Since then, nearly two-thirds of respondents (63%) have been more careful with their families costume choices because they dont want to offend anyone.

Of the 42 percent of parents who plan to dress up this Halloween, some are reportedly going as Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Superman, Lady Gaga, and Gomez and Morticia Addams. Three-quarters of adults say their kids also plan on dressing up, choosing costumes including Baby Shark, robots, vampires, and Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

As many parents see those costumes as safe options, most agree that the offensive costumes should be left in the past. Wearing offensive costumes has not only been an issue during Halloween but in the classroom as well.

In 2019, a Tennessee elementary school came under fire after a student was assigned to dress up as Adolf Hitler and gave the Nazi salute to his classmates as part of a WWII history lesson.

In 2017, a Black mother in Georgia spoke out against her childs school for promoting Civil War Day, where a white student dressed as a plantation owner and told her son, You are my slave.

Surprisingly, half the poll say theyd let their child wear a costume some people consider inappropriate or offensive to school for educational purposes.

By comparison, only a quarter say theyre against that type of roleplaying.

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PC Halloween: Here are the costumes parents agree no kid should wear while trick-or-treating - Study Finds

Cancel culture has reared its ugly head once again, and this time in a new and unprecedented way.

A lecture by a physicist was canceled at one of Americas premier institutions of science, MIT, for reasons having nothing to do with the subject of the lecture. The lecture was canceled not because of its scientific content but because of the politically incorrect views on diversity of the scientist scheduled to give the lecture.

Dorian Abbot is a professor in the department of the geophysical sciences at the University of Chicago. He has an undergraduate degree in physics from Harvard and a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from Harvard.

Abbot was scheduled to give the annual John Carlson lecture at MITs Lorenz Center in the department of earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences. The topic was to be climate and the potential for life on other planets.

But this lecture will not take place. In August, Abbot and Ivan Marinovic, an associate professor of accounting at Stanford Universitys Graduate School of Business, published an opinion piece in Newsweek entitled The Diversity Problem on Campus.

Abbot and Marinovic argued that the politically correct regime now taking control of Americas universities, which they identify as DEI diversity, equity and inclusion is undermining the mission of what universities are supposed to be about. That mission is, per Abbot and Marinovic, the production and dissemination of knowledge.

When universities no longer look for the most talented and best trained minds in hiring, and politically motivated criteria drive hiring practices, the universitys core business the search for truth is undermined.

They propose that MFE merit, fairness and equality be adopted as the regime to define hiring practices to displace DEI. MFE is about hiring based on individual merit and qualifications alone.

Abbot is now paying the price for publicly expressing such heresy.

Twitter outrage descended on the administration at MIT, and Abbot was disinvited. So now academic speech is not just about what is said but who is saying it.

Abbot and Marinovic were right on target in their Newsweek essay, suggesting that the DEI politically correct regime carries forward everything about racism that we supposedly have been trying to get rid of.

Racism is all about obliterating individuality and making predetermined judgments about who any individual is based on socially defined characteristics of the group to which they are assigned.

How can any Black child in America not be injured when they are not taught that they are special and unique human beings but that what is most important is their color. It doesnt matter whether they are being rejected because of their color or accepted because of their color. Their humanity is being undermined.

Science advances when we recognize that truth is bigger than and beyond any single human mind. Truth is discovered, piece by piece, through humility and hard work, not political arrogance, pretending we already know it.

We might recall that modern science only emerged some five centuries ago. It wasnt all that long ago that most believed that the sun moved around the Earth rather than the other way around. Scientists such as Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo Galilei, through honest observations, concluded the prevailing view was wrong. This was politically incorrect then; they were attacked, and their books were banned.

One famous graduate of MIT was the great Nobel laureate physicist Richard Feynman.

Feynman observed, Reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled.

The increasing deference of reality to public relations, meaning suppressing what is true to serve what the politically correct want to be true, is destroying our national integrity, hurting the very people that supposedly we are trying to help, and threatening the future of our nation.

Political correctness is undermining personal responsibility and personal development. Now it is threatening to undermine science and truth.

MIT should step up and apologize to Dorian Abbot.

Read more:

Science is the latest victim of cancel culture - Brunswick News

In an interview to promote his autobiography Windswept & Interesting, the comedian spoke to New Zealands radio network Newstalk ZB.

He said: Theres a show here in America with all black comedians, men and women, and they are totally ruthless, they are totally without political correctness and they have always got me on the floor howling with laughter. Its just the cheek of them and the bravery of it.

There was a comedian who had a series on television and the suits involved were going to take it off at the first commercial break. They have got no bravery. We need people who give people time and a chance to develop and all that kind of stuff.

He added: I think things have changed forever [with political correctness] but you never know.

The comedian announced his retirement from stand-up in 2018, having been diagnosed with Parkinsons in 2013, but has continued to make documentaries.

In last years ITV special, Its Been A Pleasure, which was widely perceived as marking the end of the comedians career, he said: I have done my stand-up. I did it for 50 years. I did it quite well and it is time to stop.

My illness, my Parkinsons disease, has rendered me different. It would either mean renewing what I do and doing something else, or give up what I did and thats what Ive done.

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Sir Billy Connolly: I'd be cancelled by the woke brigade if I started out in comedy today - The Telegraph