I AM so glad I am not a child growing up now as I would be terribly confused about, well[2026] everything.

Children are not born with a sense of fair play and respect for others, but as they grow up they look to adults to lead by example and to teach them to be considerate.

But caring about others' feelings now seems old hat (particularly since a comic's recent 'jokes' about people with Down's syndrome).

Being cruel is the new cool. Go to any comedy club and you'll find people fighting NOT to be in the front row, as they know the stand-up comic will tear them to shreds - their appearance, their partner, their name.

Everyone laughs (I have, too, in relief that it is not me being dissected) but it is not always a comfortable feeling.

Even political correctness, which was invented to stop people being rude, unjust and unfeeling to others, has not always done the job it set out to do.

Yes, disabled people are no longer called 'handicapped' and those from other races are protected by law from racial slurs. This is undoubtedly progress. But many people who would describe themselves as 'PC' will still publicly poke fun about people's disabilities to get a cheap laugh.

Have you, like me, laughed at a joke on the internet, and then felt bad about it? It may be witty but does that compensate for being cruel?

Two people who are often the butt of such jokes are Gordon Brown, who lost an eye in a rugby accident when he was young, and Heather Mills, whose leg was shattered in a crash.

We don't have to like them, and of course politicians and celebrities should expect stick, but does that mean it is OK to abuse them for their disabilities?

If it were us, or a member of our family on the receiving end, would we still think it was fair game?

If bullying behaviour is always wrong and indiscriminate swearing unsavoury, why do we applaud celebrities such as Gordon Ramsay for reducing people to tears with his foul language and cruel criticism?

Pity the schools and the many parents who are still trying to instil a sense of right and wrong in their children against seemingly impossible odds.