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72Point Royal London Society for Blind People - 'Bad Taste'

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4 May 2011

Jokes about disability, race or sexuality aren't considered funny anymore, a study revealed yesterday (Tues).

More than eight out of ten adults now believe gags which poke fun at minority sectors of Britain's complex social tapestry are unacceptable.

And rather than finding them comical, a third of Brits admit they feel 'uncomfortable' when someone tells a joke about a sensitive subject, while another 13 per cent said they felt 'disappointed' in the person telling it.

Almost one in ten said they were often left feeling angry rather than amused.

The survey was carried out in the wake of comic Frankie Boyle's vile gag about glamour model Jordan and her disabled son Harvey on his Tramadol Nights show on Channel 4 last year.

Dr Tom Pey, Chief Executive of the Royal London Society for Blind People, which commissioned the research said: ''There is no place in our society for abuse which masquerades as humour.

''It may have been commonplace ten or twenty years ago, but the vast majority of Brits now see these remarks as unfunny, unfair or completely unacceptable.

''If we do laugh, then it's more often than not out of embarrassment rather than appreciation of the gag, or we simply take a step back because it's so cringe-worthy.

''The public outcry over Frankie Boyle's vile comments about Katie Price highlights how people don't have time for those who get a kick of making someone with a disability the butt of a joke.

"Equally, the condemnation over his grotesque remarks about black people also support the view that Boyle is really out of touch with public opinion.

''But this study shows that people are at last able to distinguish between laughing with someone and laughing at them.

''I, like many visually impaired people, are happy to make jokes about blindness but there is a difference between humour that works and abuse that hurts.

''Sadly, some top comedians still are not able to make that distinction. This survey shows they are out of kilter with public opinion. That's good news.

''However, we still have a long way to go before blind and partially sighted people are given the same consideration as other minority groups.''

The poll of 3,000 Brits found that 69 per cent think the country is becoming less accepting of inappropriate jokes about race, gender, sexuality or disability.

And another two thirds think there is no longer a place for bad taste humour, with more than a quarter believing that younger people are becoming less likely to find the offensive gags funny.

Four in ten Brits put this down to more people knowing someone affected by one of the subjects, while another 36 per cent believe we are becoming more aware of the problems faced by minority groups and those with disabilities.

Mental illness was named as the subject most likely to cause offence, with 72 per cent of people saying they find these jokes inappropriate.

Physical disability gags leave another 71 per cent fuming while jokes about blindness, deafness or racial differences are also more likely to be met with silence than laughter.

But researchers found that an uncomfortable 29 per cent of people have laughed along at an inappropriate joke because they felt like they had too.

And another 11 per cent admitted they had told an offensive joke because they felt like they had to join in with everyone else around them.

Not everyone lets it go though as 42 per cent have had a row with someone after they told a gag about a subject they didn't think was funny.

And another 12 per cent have stopped talking to someone altogether.

Dr Pey added: ''We hope the survey will help us to persuade everyone to treat blind and partially sighted people with the same respect that blacks and gays receive.

''In particular, we want people to work with us to give visually impaired children the same life chances as the same time as their sighted peers.

''And we won't get there if they are seen as the source of cheap laughs.''