I grew up on Bugs Bunny and Tom and Jerry. Most of my best-loved childhood TV friends were regularly shot at, beaten up, squashed under anvils or exploded in many and various ways. Many years later, I watched Basil Fawlty regularly attack Manuel, his hapless Spanish waiter, and of course the Three Stooges were little more than a relentless series of violent gags.
Violence and humour may seem strange bedfellows, but they have been sleeping together for a very long time. So what are we to make about the latest round of outrage and handwringing over an ABC joke that clearly went too far?
