ANGER MANAGEMENT
The DEATH
of
HUMOUR
Proof, if proof were needed, that political correctness is killing the most enduring trait of the British people – that of being able to laugh at ourselves and those around us. By Maarten Hoffmann
100
T
he Waitrose magazine editor, William Sitwell recently had a crack at vegans saying: “How about l write a series on killing vegans? Ways to trap them? How to integrate them properly? Expose their hypocrisy? Force feed them meat? Make then eat steak and drink red wine?” These joking comments were made to a friend in a private email exchange that was then leaked to the press. He has now been forced to resign. This is madness. It was obviously a joke and a private joke at that and MP’s and food writers have
accused Waitrose of forcing him out over a ‘storm in a tea cup’. So afraid is the company of any type of backlash that they would rather kill off their talented editor than face a handful of plant eaters refusing to shop there. Fellow restaurant critic, Giles Coren commented: “Vegans are not a race or gender or a sexual orientation or a differently abled group. They just chose to eat plants. You should be able to take the piss and not lose your job”. Tom Parker Bowles said the decision by the food chain was ‘pathet-