These Strange Days

I am not in the business of gloating over anyone's death and I will not make an exception for Bernard Manning. I will, however, assert that he is no great loss to contemporary comedy. But that is merely my humble opinion. I will also admit to deriving some amusement from the praise being lavished upon him in the media by people who claimed to despise him. Everybody loves you when you're dead. It could even be asserted that it is an excellent career move. Even more amusing are those who try to justify his racism by emphasising his Jewish ancestry. I don't buy that. Was Merle Oberon any less racist when she forced her mother to pretend to be the maid because she was ashamed of her Indian heritage? Absolutely not. If anything it makes her racism even more reprehensible.