The American comedian Tom Cotter shot to global fame late in 2022 during a now-viral clip in which he proffered that his country had lost its effin’ mind. Politeness demands some decorum in these few paragraphs, but I’m sure the sentiment he conveyed won’t be lost for all that. The source of his conviction was the “cancelling” of the popular Christmas song Baby, It’s Cold Outside, sung by such renowned loathsome artists as Dean Martin, Rod Stewart, Dolly Parton, and Michael Bublé.

Cotter observed that the hullabaloo behind its banning was down to it being perceived as “rapey and portraying toxic masculinity” — which will no doubt have come as a shock to everyone who’s sung along to it on their Christmas playlist for years. But like all exceptional comedians, he didn’t ridicule the sentiment; he did something much more clever. He compared its lyrics with those of the 26-million-copy-selling hip-hop song by Cardi B that was number one at the time — and had been for two months. Those of you of a particularly sensitive disposition might want to take me at my word rather than searching on Google, but you may raise an eyebrow to learn that one of its milder lines encourages spitting in the mouth – as an expression of "bold female empowerment", don’t you know.

Like all good jokes, it told itself — and Cotter’s case was irrefutable.

Read more by Calum Steele

The genius of using comedy to highlight what is ridiculous and hypocritical remains one of the most incisive forms of commentary that exists. You’d think that some of the goings-on in Scotland would provide........

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