Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Q144: Gottfried's Firing

You've probably heard that Gottfried was fired from being the voice of the Aflac duck.  I couldn't find exactly what he said that led to this. Eventually, I found someone who wrote an intelligent article on the event.

The author raises interesting points - humor does heal, but when is it an appropriate time to use it?  I haven't heard comedians ever tackle the Oklahoma City or World Trade Center bombings.  The Katrina jokes still seem in very bad taste to me.  Is there a line?

Read and respond.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2011/0318/Japan-s-earthquake-If-tragedy-and-comedy-can-coexist-how-and-when/(page)/2

1 comment:

  1. Joking about tragedy will always be difficult. I agree with what one of the comedians in the article said that we should joke with victims but not necessarily about their tragedy. I would say that there are hardly any jokes one can make about any tragedy. At the same time, a joke can definitely be made without a great amount of insult. While insult can be okay, it is not necessary and I feel many people do not realize that fact today. Sensitivity is important and so is laughing. Today, we must find some sort of balance so that we can all be happy.

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