A former regional newspaper editor has slated comedian Frankie Boyle over a joke he made about autism.
Dave King left his job at the Swindon Advertiser last summer and is now head of news at a group of Johnston Press-owned weekly newspapers in Sussex.
Dave, who has an autistic teenage son, is currently organising a doughnut-eating race to raise funds for a local charity that helps raise awareness of the condition.
In a recent blog post entitled ‘Isn’t Frankie Boyle a Funny Wee Man?’ Dave slammed the comedian for a joke he made about the disabilty and described his humour as one-dimensional, based purely on the ability to shock.
His comments followed a visit by the funny man to Portsmouth in which he described a world record attempt by some local schoolchildren to arrange themselves into the shape of the Olympic logo as ‘the most autistic response to a global event.’
Wrote Dave: “Ironically, the Frankie story broke on the same day that we launched the Doughnut Dash 5k in aid of the Hampshire Autistic Society.
“My son, Ross is one of those. Sadly, he suffered his first epileptic fit this week in almost six months which was hugely disappointing.
“Ross cannot talk, he cannot express his fears or his pain. He is an innocent autistic, the sort of victim that the courageous Frankie Boyle chose to pick on. How brave and wise of you, Frankie – pushing the bold boundaries of humour in aid of a cheap laugh.”
The Doughnut Dash takes place at the Mountbatten Centre in Portsmouth on Sunday 29 July. The 13-lap race will see competitors having to eat three Krispy Kreme doughnuts half way round.
Added Dave: “We’ll have plenty of laughs on July 29, and when you are dealing with autism, you have got to keep your sense of humour – but there is a limit to that comedy, especially when it becomes tasteless and crosses the line.”
Log onto www.doughnutdash.co.uk for more information.
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Sorry, Dave, I have two autistic children and I disagree with you. If Boyle had joked about any other condition you wouldn’t have blinked – you may even have laughed. But because the subject matter is close to your heart, you object. Comedians like Boyle do aim to shock but that is to be expected – don’t like, don’t listen. Having met the man, I know his stage persona is eons from his true self. Don’t make the mistake of trying to dilute our comedians – we are becoming a country of apologisers (BBC take note). I hope your event goes well and that Ross grows up to be a healthy happy lad – he`s lucky to have a dad so willing to fight his corner.
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Well said Joanne.
Boyle’s a creepy comedian with a sinister smirk and the autism joke is one of his tamer efforts.
He has a page in one of the nationals – I forget which one – and it is full of contrived vitriolic drivel which presumably some people find amusing.
He swears a lot so I could say he suffers from Tourette’s syndrome but someone would probably object to that. Let’s not be petty.
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Dave King is an outstanding journalist and more importantly one of the most genuine people I know. I have a brother who has Down’s and I would be just as livid if Boyle had a go at him. So where do you draw the line? Is it OK to make a joke about Holocaust victims? Or is a racist taunt acceptable?
Dave is doing what all good journos should do – hold people to account, challenge, and spark debate.
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Yep. Comedian makes joke. Shock.
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A bit of an overreaction by the editor. The joke as quoted doesn’t come over as shocking.
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It’s a good job Dave King isn’t in our newsroom. Sounds like he’d be reaching for his blog about 30 times every day.
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People who get outraged at jokes really are morons. Yes i’m talking to you Paul Durrant, Norwich.
“I have a brother who has Down’s and I would be just as livid if Boyle had a go at him.”
If Boyle walked up to your brother and said something to his face then by all means get livid but by saying it in his act, note the word ACT, he is not “having a go at him.”
Get some perspective in your life man.
Racist jokes can now fall foul of the “inciting racial hatred” law so yes, to answer your question, that is where you draw the line.
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Unfortunately, Dave’s really doing more harm than good with this. Is he seriously suggesting that the word “autistic” should be off-limits for discussion?
I am on the autistic spectrum myself and the biggest problem is ignorance. If you’re not going to allow people to even use the word in any context without their being an outcry, then how are you going to encourage openness about mental disabilities, what it’s like to live with them and how such people should be regarded by society?
The word autistic, surely, applies as much to people like me who have Asperger’s Syndrome but function reasonably well in the world and those who have such a severe condition that they have little quality of life.
I say to people either: “I have Asperger’s” or “I am on the autistic spectrum” or just “I’m autistic”. I do many things that a “normal” person would find bizarre, but to me they make sense.
To me, Frankie Boyle’s comments come across as meaning “the response was one that seems to have its own logic”, and I don’t find them offensive. Whether they’re funny or not is a different debate.
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