And Why Are They Saying Such Terrible Things About Him?
The liberal fascists are at it again. Not content to mess with the works of Agatha Christie, Mark Twain, and Roald Dahl liberals have targeted P.G. Wodehouse. How come Karl Marx, Mao, and Hitler get a bye?
P.G.Wodehouse died in 1975. He may be best remembered for his series of stories and novels featuring Jeeves and Wooster. I’m pretty sure that is what liberals find most offensive. For those readers unfamiliar with the pair, Bertie Wooster and his gentleman’s gentleman Jeeves stalked the haunts of the rich and languid in the 1920’s and 30’s.
Bertie was one of the “upper class” in British society. This means he went to private school and graduated from Oxford. All of that exclusive education prepared Wooster for employment as, well, nothing. Bertie never held a job, never applied for one and never did a lick of work. He slept late, drank early and looked good in a tux. To amuse himself he visited. There were exclusive clubs, country estates, Cannes and Palm Beach during the season. It was just as well. Because Wooster was a walking talking idiot. Anything that he touched promptly turned to shit. This was where Jeeves stepped in. Jeeves was Wooster’s valet or gentleman’s gentleman, a paid servant. This makes sense because anybody not reliant on Wooster for their livelihood would have kicked his ass on a daily basis.
These stories take place in the 1930’s. That means nobody ever gets laid in any fashion. Profanity, if it exists is more by implication than baldly stated. There is no violence. The main points of controversy seem to revolve around Wooster’s attempts to push the boundaries of sartorial splendor over the objections of Jeeves.
So, what is the big deal? PG Wodehouse poked fun at a class that existed prior to WWII. These folks represented the hard core unemployed. They didn’t work, never had and didn’t intend to start. They possessed degrees from the best colleges in the land. But you couldn’t make them think. They were the elite, because well just because. Their influence waned postwar. My take is prewar the series represented satire and biting social commentary. Post war the same stories were viewed more as slapstick comedy.
What changed? The upper class, social arbiters, and we know what’s best crowd are back. Seventy plus year old stories are striking too close to home. It is not polite to laugh at one’s betters.
Here’s an exercise. It doesn’t even require a red pencil. Read some of Wodehouse’s stories. Instead of taking them in the context of their time and place, substitute liberals, the politically correct and sexually confused POIYHOUIFVIYT or whatever alphabet soup passes these days. Suddenly the stories become timely and reflect an accurate portrayal of these folks in 2023.
Steal a page from Alinsky and subject the woke to the ridicule they so richly deserve!