In 1979 Monty Python filmed a sketch for their film, ‘The Life of Brian’, in which freedom fighter Stan announced that he wanted to be known as Loretta. When the film was released it was met with a storm of opposition and outrage, none of which was aimed at Stan’s insistence that he be treated as a woman. The controversy of the day was almost entirely religious in character.

Recently, John Cleese was asked to cut the Stan/ Loretta sketch from the proposed stage version of the movie on the grounds that some people found it offensive; he has stated that the sketch will remain. Both the film and the stage show are satires and it seems that some of the issues that were contemporary in the late 1970’s are still with us today, only a minority of people expect that their ability to be offended is justified grounds to raise objections.

Satire has been a popular tool of British culture for many years. It is used to prick the pomposity and even stupidity of arguments concerned with prevalent social issues through the use of humour, irony, ridicule, and exaggeration. Satire, at its best, hurts, but only those people who cling to arguments that lack logic, reason, and supporting evidence. An intelligent person would consider a satirical attack on their argument in terms of how accurately it exposes the inherent weaknesses and respond accordingly. A more common response today is to claim personal offence and use this as the one and only rejoinder. It is a weak argument even more deserving of being rubbished by satire.