Dead Man's Hand...

What about that hand transplant, eh?  There's scope for some good old masturbation gags of Hands of Orlac references there, I think.  Not that we're allowed to go in for such crude humour, of course.  According to the humour Nazis who seem to be everywhere on the web these days, telling us what is and what isn't funny, what we are and aren't allowed to laugh at.  Knob and fart gags are apparently just too typical of old-fashioned racist and misogynist working men's club comedians - if you laugh at such gags or, even worse, have ever told them, then you are clearly some kind of moronic unreconstructed reactionary bastard.  I have to say that this is one aspect of the modern left that I despise - its complete lack of humour.  Or rather, its misplaced idea that to be on the left one must conform to a narrow cultural identity, every aspect of which has to be 'approved'.  This 'approval' consists of humourless middle-class poseurs carefully scrutinising every book, TV series, joke, even every piece of meaningless banter by radio DJs to ensure that it doesn't 'offend' anyone.  Even inadvertently.  Moreover, jokes can't be told just for the sake of being funny.  Oh no.  They must have political or satirical purpose.

The fundamental problem here is that the left has increasingly become dominated by these middle class poseurs and has consequently completely lost sight of its origins as a working class movement, dedicated to the advancement of the working classes through the creation of a more equitable society.  Their 'war' on supposedly 'low' humour is simply another attempt to expunge any memory of these origins by denying the validity of traditional working class humour.  I have no doubt that's why many critics and modern day supposed comedians despise sitcoms like Mrs Brown's Boys.  It has the audacity to celebrate traditional Dublin working class life.  Sure, it's a highly sentimentalised and broadly drawn version of this culture, but it is nonetheless proud to be working class.  I know it is based upon crude, smutty and often obvious humour, but it is at least funny.  Which is probably why so many people watch it.  Much to the annoyance of middle class, right-on, liberal critics.  Which is OK by me, as I don't see why the bulk of us on the left should be made to feel ashamed of our working class culture.  Not that I'm saying we should rehabilitate the likes of Bernard Manning or Jim Davidson (both Tory bastards anyway), but we shouldn't feel guilty about laughing at knob and fart jokes.  So, about that hand transplant:  let's hope the donor wasn't a compulsive masturbator or the guy will find himself involuntarily wanking in public, but at least it will feel like someone else doing it without having to lie on his hand to make it numb...