Facebook sickness.

I'd better not tell you what JK dressed up as when she was invited to a "bad taste party", then... ?

If the theme of the party was un-pc then I can't see the problem.

i was just thinking this. if it was a regular fancy dress party then yes, i may cull, but surely this was all very tongue in cheek?

Hmm, I'm guessing the OP wants us all to say how she did the absolutely right on thing for culling these awful friends with their disgusting Daily Mailesque pastimes ?

Sorry, BS, but if it was an Un PC Party, then of course it's going to be Un PC....

It's a bit like the former TV presenter Bill Grundy telling the Sex Pistols to say something outrageous on his programme, and then being surprised when one of them called him a "dirty fucker". I mean, what did he expect? ?

Did anyone go as Gary Glitter?

Sorry but ?

If it was an Un PC party then I don't see what the harm is. If it wasn't then I could understand.

Perhaps posting them on facebook wasnt the best idea, but I dont think there is a culling needed for having an un PC party.

What has Gary Glitter got in common with John McCain?

They both spent years in a Vietnamese prison.

(Gets coat, slinks surreptitiously towards exit...)

I don't see how the title of the party makes a swastika cake and so on acceptable.

I'm not sure how I would dress for an un pc party, but it wouldn't be swastika or prison-camped themed. That isn't about being politically correct, that is about glamorising unacceptable treatment.

I think you're somewhat missing the point of the party.

I suspect a key inspiration was this fine upstanding young man, which led to a debate about whether or not it was acceptable to dress in a Nazi uniform even as a joke - which in turn led to accusations of political correctness gone mad, or some such.

And of course the Max Mosley case was a more recent example - where he cheerfully admitted getting up to S&M romps with prostitutes, but sued over suggestions that there was a Nazi element.

And because there was such a huge row over those two cases (and parallel incidents like David Irving being jailed for Holocaust denial), there's certainly a case for saying that invoking Nazi themes now is at least as much a challenge to political correctness as anything else. I certainly think it has more to do with that than "glamourising unacceptable treatment".

glamourising? hardly

just because on one occaision you may laugh at something that ordinarily be unacceptable, doesn't mean you believe in the unacceptable thing. obviously the holocaust is a dreadfully horrible subject, noone in their right mind would condone it. its almost like a bit of light relief really.

i've probably explained that really badly ?

Not at all, I understood what you meant.

I'd love to go to an un-pc party. I'd probably have to change about a dozen times to get all my ideas in ? 7 of those would be the 'Tapas 7' ?

Well put KtC actually, I understand exactly what you mean.

yeah i guess so. maybe its me...emergency services people do on occaision tend to have a sick sense of humour, it can be a coping mechanism at times...

the sickest jewish jokes i ever heard were from my jewish step grandfather. ?

pmsl at the tapas seven costumes. you'd just need 6 mates and some plates of meatballs and tortilla. inspired. ?

For me, it depends on the context. For instance, I thought Prince Harry in a Nazi uniform was hilarious, not because he was being intentionally funny but because the poor hapless sap clearly didn't have the faintest clue what he was doing. Similarly, when it was revealed that David Irving recited racist limericks to his daughter, that was equally funny - not because they themselves were especially witty but because it absolutely undermined his defence in a trial that ended up shredding his reputation.

I genuinely don't think that's what's happening here.

One of the funniest afternoons I've ever had was in the company of a severely disabled writer who I'd been sent to interview. As soon as he found out that I had a disabled girlfriend, he guessed correctly that I wouldn't be the least bit fazed by sick jokes about disability, and told me loads, most of which were unprintable and some of which were truly hair-raising.

But essentially this is all about general taboo-breaking, not about targeting specific individuals.

Actually, now that I come to think of it, the now ex-girlfriend in question has made me promise that, given that I'll almost certainly outlive her (she's eight years older than me and has multiple sclerosis), I'm to read the eulogy at her funeral and I'm to make it as appallingly tasteless as I possibly can - the inspiration being John Cleese's address at Graham Chapman's memorial service, a lot of which I suspect was penned by Chapman himself.

well no, under ordinary circs, i'd find it less than hilarious too

but while the main idea behind these parties is to have a laugh, isn't it in some direct way a bit thought-provoking too? kind of saying this is my un-pc thing...so this is what i think is unacceptable?

again probably not really explaining it amazingly well

Context is vitally important. Something that's hilarious in a private setting may well be considerably less so if exposed to the world - rather like one's sex life. There is absolutely no point going to see a comedian like Jerry Sadowitz if you're easily offended. In fact, I go to see him because I actively want to see someone go as far as it's possible to go while still being funny.

If you go to my link, jump forward to 1:30 and watch the whole of his Gary Glitter rant, you'll see what I mean - I think it's hilarious because it's so utterly extreme (he's trying to defend Gary Glitter) and so obviously beyond the pale that the only two plausible reactions are to blanch with horror or laugh till the tears run down your face. But he's not in any way trivialising what Glitter did - he's satirising people who defend celebrity bad behaviour on the grounds that it's "what they do". And I'd absolutely endorse that.

For me the Bridgend 'joke' is just too recent- it is something that is still affecting peoples lifes, and the tragic loss of all these young possibilities at their own doing - it does'nt matter in what circumstances, certainly is not something to laugh about. As for the Jewish and Swastika element to the party - millions of people died in hideous and degrading way's, for me all this is just lacking in basic respect. Don't get me wrong - I enjoy the odd un p.c joke like everyone else, but to actually have on display disrespect and then make it public - that is something different.

(sorry if I don't make complete sense - I've just drunk a bottle of wine ?)

Define "public" - are these images openly accessible by anyone, or restricted to Facebook friends of the people involved?

Only to friends - but these are offensive and highly emotive subjects to some, I certainly would not post these photos unless I knew the person well enough.

Kieren - if I have an un-pc party, you could accompany me. Which twin tower would you like to be?

south i think. iirc that was the first to collaspe? so i could at long last i could go down on you ?

or i could dress as the hot dog seller from ground zero and go round shouting 'who ordered the jumbo?'

Wah...I think you're going to hell sooner than me ?

Reminds me of my Nana's party - MrJMP went dressed as Harold Shipman & said chatting to her friends.

When Scoot.co.uk offered a pioneering service that involved people tying in their postcode and being told their nearest GP, someone in Manchester was most surprised and alarmed to be told that it was a 'Dr H. Shipman' - he'd been convicted already, but they hadn't updated their database! ?

Oh, and there was a great letter in Viz about him - something like "Yet again I see someone referring to Harold Shipman as 'Britain's worst serial killer'. But surely with an unmatchable tally of 215 known victims, he's clearly Britain's best serial killer? What's wrong with this country that we have to keep knocking our high achievers?"

PMSL

I don't know what to think about this - I feel a bit uncomfortable about it but I don't know if that's because I'm genuinely offended or I think other people might be or if I'm just a grumpy old moobag.

However I think if you're going to have an unPC party then you have to accept whatever occurs. It's a kind of satire and as ever with satire, the line between acceptable and unacceptable is blurry and arguably is what makes it funny. Perhaps the question is whether or not one should have an unPC party in the first place. I don't really agree with censorship and to say you shouldn't have an unPC party is censorship so I've just argued myself into finding it OK. Dammit.

I agree that the Bridgend 'joke' is too recent. Being someone who lives within the county and having had several suicides of young people literally around the corner from where I live affecting so many people in the locality I do find it extremely tasteless. I dont think I could contemplate going to an 'un-pc' party as it does come down to lack of respect for the many, many people that are being poked fun at.

Hey Im probably a straight laced old fuddy duddy, but I still reckon its wrong, and I would have deleted these so called freinds from any contact too.

Welsh Totty and Buffy, I agree with your feelings. I am also from the Bridgend area and have actually lost a school friend and then consequently the rest of his family through suicide.

I do not find this area funny and would be offended.

Sorry, just my personal point of view.