John Cleese Weighs in on Political Correctness

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines political correctness as:

...agreeing with the idea that people should be careful to not use language or behave in a way that could offend a particular group of people.

You may have read recently that several high-profile comedians have cut back on, or eliminated completely, playing before audiences on college campuses. Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Dennis Miller, Larry the Cable Guy, and other comics have been lamenting that the culture of "I'm offended by that!" is so pervasive at institutions of higher learning, that it's just not worth it to do shows there. I have a friend who is a successful stand-up comic, and the stories he's shared with me about people getting all bent out of shape over something a comedian said just blow me away. Everybody who makes their living trying to make other people laugh has experienced the phenomenon is one way or another.

Many are speaking out against our over-sensitivity to "offensive material," including comedy legend John Cleese: