Mel Brooks says that society’s “stupidly politically correct” sensibilities are going to lead to the “death of comedy.”
The 91-year-old veteran Hollywood comedian joined BBC’s Radio 4’s Today program this week to explain how he believes that political correctness is putting a stranglehold on jokesters.
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“It’s not good for comedy. Comedy has to walk a thin line, take risks,” he said. “Comedy is the lecherous little elf whispering in the king’s ear, always telling the truth about human behavior.”
According to Brooks, his iconic western parody, Blazing Saddles, would not have been able to be made in the current political climate. The 1974 comedy starring Gene Wilder and Cleavon Little was a story about a black sheriff in a racist town.
The director said it was the racial prejudice portrayed onscreen that gave the film its cultural significance.
“Without that, the movie would not have had nearly the significance, the force, the dynamism and the stakes that were contained in it,” he said.
Even though Brooks says that he can find humor in almost anything, he does say that there are certain topics that he will not touch.
“I personally would never touch gas chambers or the death of children or Jews at the hands of the Nazis,” he said. “Everything else is ok.”
Over the course of his highly celebrated career, Brooks has won an Oscar for best original screenplay (The Producers) and is one of only 12 people to earn an Emmy, Grammy, Academy Award and a Tony, according to Telegraph.
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