Norman Mailer was full of bons mots, as all the obits and remembrances make plain (more on that another day). Here’s one from 2000 that seems particularly relevant in light of the current strike:

Mr. Mailer acknowledged that few writers are ultimately satisfied with the way his or her work is portrayed on-screen, in television or film. Both are director’s mediums, he said. Mr. Mailer recalled a college symposium which said a screenwriter is “nothing but the towel boy in the whorehouse.”

“That remark still applies, as far as I’m concerned,” Mr. Mailer said.

The NYT’s Alessandra Stanley finally notices that there’s a not-so-subtle assault on political correctness in TV entertainment, and claims that this is a new phenomenon.

Jokes about race and racial tensions are suddenly all over television, or more precisely, all over comedies that pride themselves on tweaking convention and political correctness. Certain belittling jokes about gays and women are found on even the most mainstream sitcoms like “Two and a Half Men” on CBS or “Back to You” on Fox, but those shows are much more skittish about race.

“The Office” and “30 Rock” on NBC, “Family Guy” on Fox and, of course, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” on HBO are leading a backlash against lingering inhibitions. On a recent episode of “30 Rock,” a Watergate-era comedy writer suggests that the staff write a skit in blackface because “race is the last taboo.” The show’s head writer, Liz Lemon, played by Tina Fey, is aghast. “You can’t do race stuff on TV,” Liz says. “It’s too sensitive.”

Obviously it isn’t any more.

In case anyone gets the idea that any of this stuff is entertaining, Stanley also clarifies the stakes [e.a.]:

Not all comics are equally funny, and what works for Mr. David or Ms. Fey could be awful from the mouths of less sophisticated and less self-aware comedians. Defying political correctness comes with a risk: It could embolden genuine racists to join in the fun.

In this formulation, political correctness is the only shield that protects our nation from racism (and, it is suggested, all the other ills that plague us). Thus, free speech is restricted to those who pass some kind of “sophistication” and “self-awareness” test. Only those who pass the test are allowed to toy with convention in public, especially on TV.

Spare me. Please.

The role of art—in this case, let’s say for the sake of the argument that television is “art”—is precisely to give voice to what is hidden in society, in our personal relationships, in our political systems, in our social intercourse, and in our souls.

Here’s to a lot more edginess—and honesty—and an American population liberated from the obscene constraints of political correctness.

For a long time I operated under the assumption that if your super-infotaining message is daring, captivating, and sticky enough, it will get through.

That’s why it’s useful to see person-on-the-street interviews with the common schlub—oops!, I mean the typical American.