Maureen Lipman has claimed that cancel culture will “wipe out” comedy, but it looks like not many people agree with her on Twitter.
The actor, comedian and activist told the BBC that comics are now so concerned about offending an audience that “it’s in the balance whether we will ever be funny again”.
Cancel culture is a term to describe efforts to block people with divisive – or not particularly politically correct – views.
Maureen added: “Something has to be forbidden to make you laugh, really belly laugh. It’s when you shouldn’t be laughing.”
Her comments have not gone down that well with her online critics, though.
The BBC also paired her interview with a new YouGov poll which shows only a quarter of Britons express their political or social views when they want to, despite the reception it may receive.
But YouGov was quick to point out that this does not prove cancel culture is affecting day-to-day life in its analysis of the results.
It explained: “This is not to suggest that any example of someone holding back is an example of cancel culture.
“Asked in what circumstances people have kept their lips zipped, Britons are most likely to do so with people they’ve only just met (49%), perhaps an understandable occasion on which to avoid a potential argument.”
Four in 10 restrain from sharing their real opinions at work while a third of Brits don’t reveal their real thoughts on social media.
As some suggested, this could be more indicative about UK “politeness” than cancel culture.
What’s more, 65% of respondents were not even aware of what cancel culture was, according to the survey.