Comedian Frankie Boyle is getting a reputation for offensive jokes, evidently aiming to become the Bernard Manning of our time. He has targeted disability a lot because there is ambiguity about where the broadcasting "line" lies. His latest wheeze was a sketch making fun of anti-stigma messages put out by Time to Change, the English mental health anti-discrimination project which Hafal and others hope to extend to Wales soon.
The sketch depicts an ordinary-looking man conveying an anti-stigma message but as the camera retreats a number of murdered children come into view, apparently his victims. The offending clip has been put on-line (poor quality and don't look if you might be upset) here and you can see what he is sending up here.
Quite rightly our sister charity Rethink has complained about this but, though unwelcome, Boyle's "joke" is a kind of recognition that the discussion about these issues is becoming mainstream; it also has the merit of being so crass and unfunny that, even if you make allowance for the bad taste, you would have to be a complete klutz to laugh at it.
