These days, so encompassing has the professionally offended industry become, that even going to a fancy dress party can get you into hot water. It happened a few years back to Prince Harry. It has happened again, this time to a councillor in Harrogate.
The leader of Harrogate Borough Council has been suspended from the Conservative Party after being photographed dressed as Adolf Hitler.
Mike Gardner, who was pictured giving a Nazi salute at a fancy dress party, said he had done “nothing wrong”.
That’s because he hasn’t done anything wrong. A fancy dress party is just that, dressing up as famous or infamous figures from history or fantasy – the point being, that they are recognisable as such. I wonder if he would have been in so much trouble if he had gone as Uncle Joe?
And, shame on the local conservatives for suspending him. It was a fancy dress party – dressing up as Julius Caesar, Atilla the Hun or Genghis Khan doesn’t mean that you wish to emulate their behaviour, the same applies to dressing up as Adolf. That said, these days, given the thin skins of our easily offended society, why is he surprised by the reaction? He should have seen it coming.
Whatever he does, I do hope he continues his stand – remains as an independent and refuses to apologise. He has done nothing to apologise for. It was just a fancy dress party.
It’s a story that seems to be beset by idiots on both sides:
“The images were taken from a Facebook page, which Mr Gardner said was a “total violation of my privacy”.”
Well, no, Mr Gardner, YOU put them there…
Indeed so. The best way to avoid people seeing potentially embarrassing photographs on your Facebook page is not to have one. Otherwise, don’t put them up or use the privacy settings.
All of that said, the over reaction is pretty awful.
I can remember a certain Mr Milligan, who used to tell jokes making half of his career out of dressing as Hitler.