Editorial: Bad-taste jokes have no place

The offending blackboard outside The Elbow Room Sports Bar owner in Hastings.

It is fair to say that the owner of The Elbow Room in Hastings has saved face in what was a very bad situation for his bar.

I am sure you are familiar with the story - we have an update on pages one and five today. What staff believed was a joke was put on a blackboard outside the Mahora pub last week, but unfortunately it upset some people, including the Women's Refuge, because it was making light of domestic violence.

There has been much debate on our Facebook page and our website www.hbtoday.co.nz about whether the reaction was justified or "PC gone mad". Many people felt it was the latter.

However, there is no question that the "joke" was in bad taste and that domestic violence is not something to joke about.

The bar's owner, Mike Newrick, has recognised that and done the honourable thing - removed the blackboard for good and offered to volunteer at the Hastings Women's Refuge.

Good on him.

What the people who think the joke was okay must realise is that society has changed to such an extent that jokes that may have been commonplace years ago are simply not acceptable now.

That is a good thing, because in the past vileness like sexism and racism was often allowed to flourish, hidden as it was, behind the right "to have a laugh".

Of course, you can go overboard in the other direction and we often see examples of political correctness being alive and well in our society.

I suppose the trick is finding the balance between the two - poking the borax at sacred cows, but protecting the vulnerable from ridicule.