To Jack,

I mentioned you as Akes suggestion that only a select political elite understand satire, and his implication that those who use it are somehow out of touch with real people, or insensitive about their frustrations etc was aimed at you.


To the world in general.

Apart from the fact that this assertion of Akes is wildly inaccurate - satire, in its social and political forms is immensely popular in the UK among every demographic - Akes assertion is in fact an extremely patronizing generalization about "uneducated" people.

Ask anyone in the UK about Alf Garnet - whether white British or from any racial or sexual minority - and the majority will tell you that he is a hideous caricature. They will also tell you that they love that Caricature. Why? Because it was well done.

I have heard Black and Asian comedians claim that the character Alf Garnet was a very powerful and effective satirical weapon in the fight to overcome ignorance and bigotry in the UK.

You will encounter only a tiny few people who take that caricature seriously and they are the very people that were being satirized.

But what has really motivated me to comment on this thread is that Ake has dared to be outraged and scandalized by satirical generalizations of Junkies when a cursory glance at his posting history uncovers a tome of entirely non satirical and wholly offensive generalizations about Moslems, Tinkers, Gays and asylum seekers.

If Ake posts political opinions on a public forum he should expect to have his comments scrutinized.

Whinging that having his point of view scrutinized is equivalent to having his freedom of speech curtailed, or moaning that it somehow makes him a victim is a complete joke.