As a free speech advocate I find it troubling that the comedians of the very popular and transgressive show, Bajd u Bacon, are blackmailed and threatened or criminally charged in Court for their art. The issue has risen after the comics portrayed an insulting depiction of a transgender individual, who is popular on local social media, during one of their public shows.
There are serious issues to what the comics did, but applying criminal law to punish them is seriously problematic, sets dangerous precedents and is on a long-run worse for overall free speech and the free expression.
What they did was clearly wrong and transphobic and I don’t applaud it: the individual was mocked and targeted specifically for being transgender. Secondly, the individual is not actually a public person, and therefore does not merit to be bullied and humiliated in public. Even if this person was a public individual, transgressing or bullying this person for their gender or their sexuality, race or ethnicity is unethical – however this should definitely not merit punishment by law.
Politicians have defended, first and foremost, their own interests when they passed legislation through the Electronic Communications Act about bullying. The virtuous call by politicians to “protect people from bullying” is a veiled threat to free speech apart from being an arrogant and patronising theatrical spectacle by politicians who are bullying the country into its ruin out of personal ambition and greed. There is nothing positive about criminally charging the producers and comics of Bajd u Bacon, let alone blackmailing them to give their income to charity.
I think that what the producers and comics of Bajd u Bacon is wrong and personally, I would never produce or distribute such content, even on public officials, however I find most of the people condemning them as opportunists who are trying to project virtuousness when they have none.
On the other hand, I think that the individual who was targeted has all the right to seek civil damages and the law also provides redress and tools for this. If the producers of Bajd u Bacon profited from ridiculing a private individual, clearly the private individual is entitled to a share of those profits.
I have the utmost respect for JD Patrick, one of the producers and the comics of the show who just resigned following the issue. JD Patrick is one of the very rare professional Maltese artists who actually makes a living out of his art. He spent ten years as a radio show-host on Vibe FM and his journey to comedy resulted in the creation of a different and new product in the local culture and entertainment industries. I wish him luck and all the best in his future endeavors. I’m sure it hasn’t been easy for him as he transitioned from the dying, radio entertainment industry. We are all humans, and thus, we are not perfect: JD Patrick’s mistake and excess in his newfound ventures is just a blip in his artistic journey.
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