The top 10 barmy ‘right on’ and woke moves from binning Bond girls to snowflake-friendly street signs
WOKE warnings and cancel culture are reaching new degrees of lunacy.
This week, academics breathlessly issued an apology for using “racist stereotypes” after they removed a statue of three monkeys at York University.
Art history experts are baffled at the binning of the sacred buddhist statue which is known to mean seeing, hearing and speaking no evil.
Meanwhile, Geoffrey Chaucer has been removed from Leicester University’s reading list to adopt a “decolonised” curriculum devoted to diversity.
The medieval author of The Canterbury Tales is widely regarded as the father of English literature.
Education secretary Gavin Williamson dismissed the move as a “terrible” idea.
The moves are just the latest in an ever-increasing long list of wacky woke bans and measures.
From barmy TV warnings to sustainable celebs, we present you the 10 most baffling woke decisions.
BBC woke warnings
THE BEEB has been criticised for slapping on woke warnings onto classic shows Dad’s Army, Allo Allo and the Royle Family.
Shows on iPlayer have now been issued with advisory notices which warn: “Contains discriminatory language which some may find offensive.”
Fawlty Towers’ Don’t Mention The War episode was removed from the license fee-funded streaming service altogether.
The most recent victim to the advisory notes was an episode of the Royle Family where dad Jim Royle calls Laurence Llewelyn Bowen a “nancy boy”.
The TV designer told The Sun: “That’s probably what most fathers said when I appeared on their screen.”
Chased out of town
ITV’s The Chase ran into difficulties when naming their new three part documentary series – The Chasers Road Trip: Trains, Brains And Automobiles.
The programme sees three chasers travel across the USA while testing their intelligence against child geniuses, chimpanzees and robots.
Although from the title, some might assume the show is about different methods of transport.
The Sun revealed the working title “Are You Smarter Than A Monkey, A Robot Or A Child?” was axed after telly bosses worried about racist connotations.
A second suggestion “Are you smarter than a chimpanzee” was binned for similar reasons.
Painful pricks
EX-Doctors and nurses who returned to the NHS to give Covid vaccines were surprised to find they had to go through anti-hate training.
Boris Johnson slashed red tape after discovering medics were asked to fill in a 20-page questionnaire asking for proof they have attended anti-terrorism and diversity courses.
Former GP Liam Fox Mp told parliament: “As a qualified but non-practising doctor, I volunteered to help with the scheme and would urge others to do the same.
“But, can I ask the Prime Minister why I’ve been required to complete courses on conflict resolution, equality, diversity and human rights, moving and handling loads and preventing radicalisation in order to give a simple Covid jab?”
Unruly Britannia
THE BBC sensationally U-turned on their decision to drop Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory from The Proms last year.
The patriotic hymns traditionally sung on the last night of the event were criticised for their links to the British Empire.
The broadcasters said an instrumental would be played instead of sung by spectators due to Covid.
The Prime Minister eventually intervened, saying: “I think it’s time we stopped our cringing embarrassment about our history, about our traditions, and about our culture, and we stopped this general bout of self-recrimination and wetness.”
At the Albert Hall event, 18 performers sang the songs, while social distancing.
Wacko Jacko ban
A SIMPSONS episode featuring the voice of Michael Jackson was left off Disney’s streaming service.
In a 1991 episode the King of Pop voices a character Homer meets at a psychiatric hospital who believes he is Jacko.
At the time, Jackson was never credited for the guest spot on the show.
The creator of the cartoon James L Brooks pulled reruns of the episode after controversial documentary Leaving Neverland aired.
Jacko was found not guilty of abusing four minors in 2005 but the documentary revisited old allegations.
Handbags at dawn
PUNDIT Steve “Tommo” Thompson was suspended by the BBC for describing a player scuffle as “handbags”.
Listeners complained after he used the term which is defined in the dictionary as ‘an incident in which people, especially sportsmen, fight or threaten to fight’.
He made the comment last November on BBC Radio Lincolnshire during Lincoln City’s 0-0 draw away at Accrington Stanley in the League One game.
The BBC said: “After listeners raised concerns, Steve acknowledged some of his comments on air didn’t meet the standards we expect. He is taking a break but will be back in the New Year.”
Steve was later axed from the station after being accused of making homophobic remarks.
Cancel couture
THE BAFTAS urged celebrity guests last year to follow their strict dress code of eco-friendly clothes.
Guests were also issued with advice on low-carbon travel to the event and handed a plant based menu.
The Duchess of Cambridge rewore an Alexander McQueen dress while Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley donned a gown made from sustainably sourced fabric.
But the awards ceremony was criticised after their sponsors American Airlines offered invitees gas-guzzling transport to the event.
An advert said: “American Airlines is flying some of Hollywood’s royalty in for the Baftas.
“The A-listers will be treated to Cadillac tarmac transfers.”
Equality street
BIRMINGHAM City Council was accused of virtue signalling after giving streets woke names.
Red-faced residents complained after 1,400 new streets in Perry Barr were given right-on names including Equality Road, Humanity Close and Diversity Grove.
The street signs – chosen by the Labour-run council – were suggested by Louise Kilbride, from nearby Handsworth Wood.
One resident tweeted: “You’ve missed, ‘Virtual Signalling Traffic Lights.”
Another posted: “Patronising beyond belief. So out of touch.”
You've missed, "Virtual Signalling Traffic Lights"…
— Ian (@ianscooper) December 8, 2020
Read it and weep
BAKE Off’s Prue Leith told how she had to scrap her novel after publishers insisted on politically correct characters.
Prue – who wrote novel Leaving Patrick in 1999 – said she had to walk away after disagreeing with editors.
The 80-year-old said: “I think sometimes political correctness is crazy and goes too far.
“I’m all for something sensible and you should not be insulting.
“Children’s writers have to go through a fantastical process of checking they don’t offend anybody.
“If you write a book that never offends anyone it will be a very boring book.”
Bond girls binned
BOMBSHELL Bond girl Britt Ekland claimed political correctness had killed off 007’s scantily clad side kicks.
Britt donned a bikini when she starred as Mary Goodnight in 1974 Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun.
The 78-year-old said: “I’m the proudest Bond Girl there is because there are not a lot of us left, and there won’t be any in future.
“The Bond Girl has to look good in a bikini. That was her role.
“You wouldn’t see her in a bikini next to Daniel Craig in a suit today.”
And the delayed Bond film No Time to Die was given a feminist reboot by Fleabag writer Phoebe Waller Bridge.
Producer Barbara Broccoli said: “The Me Too movement has had a huge impact – rightfully, thankfully – on society, and these films should reflect that, as everything we do should.”
Wombling woke-ism
THE Wombles might seem snowflake-friendly but the show’s upcoming reboot has given the show a woke makeover.
The 1970s kids show has remade in CGI with darker and lighter skinned characters.
The programme’s new tagline reads: “Diversity is beautiful. In humans, in animals, in nature.”
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Her son Marcus Robertson, 64, said: “I don’t believe in black or white Wombles and neither did my mother, because Wombles are Wombles.
“We believe in the diversity of humans, but Wombles are not ethnic humans.”