Advertising should really just be banned altogether

OMG! RUN! THERE'S A MOTHERFUCKING GOD STORM COMING! GOD WILL SMITE YOU DOWN FOR LOVING SOMEONE OF YOUR OWN SEX!!!!!!!!

The Huffington Post has a playlist of all the anti-gay marriage ads that have aired in the US recently, most in relation to Proposition 8.

Naturally, most are downright offensive, but it's also fascinating to see the manipulative way these organisations will get around the obvious anti-gay message. "We don't need to confuse the issue." "Our kids can't even understand divorce - how are they going to understand gay attraction?" "This is about choice - by giving gays the right to marry, you're taking away my choice." That last one is a kicker.

I guess the scariest thing I always find when I watch this shit is the realisation that I am in a minority lefty section of the world. Last night, I had to sit in a crowded theatre at Fringe Festival, listening to a comedian (whose name now escapes me) do an entire routine based on the premise that it was funny that all men will freak out at the thought of a cock in a man's arse. That was it - that was the joke.

Why is that funny? Is it funny because of the ironic homophobia implied? No - it's funny because all men should be afraid of that image. It's wrong and something to be frightened and uncomfortable about. I genuinely had to look around the room at the people laughing, so see what kind of bigoted arseholes were in attendance. A lot, apparently.

I'm all for offensive humour. I'm all for horribly uncomfortable ironic satire. But when a white middle class man with an Australian country town twang in his voice tries to relate to you with stories of his own inherent homophobia, I'd just rather that someone glass them. It's the cultural equivalent of a bunch of Germans jumping up on stage and cracking jokes about the Holocaust (see Comedy Festival 2009).

Bigotry, racism, sexism, homophobia, class-warfare, religious or cultural persecution - they can only be funny when the intention of satire is clear. When it's not, you should just fuck off back to your slab of VB, turn the footy on and beat your own wife in the privacy of your own trailer-park.

The most worrying thing - this was a line-up currated and organised by Daniel Kitson, who I do genuinely like. To introduce this guy as having 'some of the funniest material of the festival' makes me very concerned for a great comedian's judgement.