9. Simon Weston
On Boyle's most recent stand-up DVD, in a segment discussing the Falklands War, he made reference to veteran of this event Simon Weston. Having not been alive during the war, having Googled his name, the joke made sense, as did the offence that it inevitably caused. Weston suffered horrific burns and cuts across his face and body when his platoon were bombed by Argentinian Skyhawk fighters, which led to over seventy operations of reconstructive surgery and a long battle against depression. Boyle would utilise his background for the joke:
"30 years since the Falklands War and Simon Weston doesn't seem to have aged a day" This was taken as an outrageous attack on a war veteran that had overcome so much in his life in order to regain as much of his past standard of living that had been taken away from him in the name of his country. Boyle is a noted anti-war activist, as often in his banter with crowds at his gigs, if any person is in the army or planning on joining the army, he makes reference to the short duration before they capitulate defending a pointless cause. Therefore, the joke on Weston could be taken as means to not belittle him, but to demonstrate the futility and suffering warfare has brought to people, and through shocking people, the comment and its further meaning become more clear in the mind. However, the criticism it entailed was also understandable, as although Weston suffering was all in vain in many peoples' eyes, he deserves the utmost respect for the courage and dignity he has shown in response to this trauma.