Not everyone is happy with ITV's decision to axe under fire "lad comedian" Dapper Laughs, despite accusations his show "On The Pull" is trivialising rape and sexual abuse.
The controversial ITV2 show, which sees the online personality, real name Daniel O’Reilly, giving what can only be loosely termed as "dating advice" to men, was cancelled yesterday after a furious public backlash.
Dapper Laughs
But the editor of anti-censorship magazine Spiked has stated that the outrage over Dapper and his particular brand of "comedy" suggests that, in a less civilised society, he would "be dead by now" and that the "pitchfork brigade" are trying to demonise young working-class men.
"For an insight into the new intolerance, into the modern illiberal urge to harry and squash and ultimately kill any idea that dares to offend us, look no further than the fury over Dapper Laughs," Editor Brendan O'Neill wrote online.
"In recent weeks no one has felt the heat of the intolerants’ torches as much as Dapper Laughs has," he argued, claiming that Dapper, and his fans, are who the "authorities want to silence."
"He should at least be grateful that he was born in this era of Twittermobs rather than yesteryear’s time of real mobs: 500 years ago, he’d be dead by now."
Dapper, in case you were still blissfully unaware, imparts pearls of wisdom including: “Just show her your penis. If she cries, she’s just playing hard to get” and “remember, it’s only sexual harassment if she’s more attractive than you.”
But Dapper's humour, O'Neill said, is simply "a bit juvenile. It’s laddish… The anti-Dapper mob believes his comedy could cause actual violence in society."
The article comes as footage emerged of Dapper last month telling a female audience member she is “gagging for a rape”.
Filmed at his sold-out show at the London Scala on 16 October, it saw the comedian deny his material encourages men to sexually assault women, but then single-out an unidentified woman close to the front row.
He said: “She’s gagging for a rape. Yep, we’ll have a chat afterwards. She’s having a chat about ‘yeah, I get quite tight but I get a bit… poor girl.
As a petition was this week signed by over 50,000 people to get Dapper off air, O'Neill, wrote that he hoped ITV would "stick with" the comedian.
"For to give in to the censorious, contemptuous campaign to have him expelled from the public eye would set a very dangerous precedent," he said.
"That is an idea way more offensive and dangerous than any joke about ‘gash’ could ever be."
Unfortunately for O'Neill, ITV confirmed yesterday that the self-declared "proper lad" is to be taken off air.
An ITV spokesman said: "We have given careful thought to the recent criticism of the character Dapper Laughs, which has focused on his activities outside of the ITV2 programme, whose content was carefully considered and complied. We have taken the decision that we will not be considering this show for a second series."
Daniel O'Reilly
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The Spiked editor is not alone in his disappointment in the show being axed, with Dapper fans also taking to social media to bemoan the decision: