Mel Brooks on Political Correctness and Comedy
- Funny
- Offensive
September 26, 2017 – Comedy legend Mel Brooks recently discussed political correctness and its impact on comedy:
“Society’s stupidly politically correct sensibilities will lead to the death of comedy. It’s not good for comedy. Comedy has to walk a thin line, take risks. Comedy is the lecherous little elf whispering in the king’s ear, always telling the truth about human behavior.”
Speaking of his Blazing Saddles, which featured a black sheriff in a racist town, the famed producer and director said that the iconic western parody would not get made in today’s cultural climate.
“Without that (the racial prejudice portrayed within the film) the movie would not have had nearly the significance, the force, the dynamism and the stakes that were contained in it.”
But not everything is fair game and even Brooks draws his own lines, telling BBC Radio 4:
“I personally would never touch gas chambers or the death of children or Jews at the hands of the Nazis. Everything else is ok.”