Chasers Make a Realistic Wish

[kenny]

Chasers have done it again.

This time, making jokes out of terminally ill kids. Everyone has been piping in and having a go at them in the news today. Was it going too far?

I watched the clip on youtube and admittedly laughed my ass off. Don't get me wrong, I feel terrible for these kids as well as any other person who suffers for any reason but it was still funny.

It did raise a question for me though which I have pondered for a long time. When is it ok to joke about something? I mean, you hear the occasional joke about Hiroshima or the Holocaust on Comedy shows and they never get called out. The same goes for what would almost be classed as racist comedy at times. I have never had a problem with it though.

So long as the Comedians are not making an effort to outright bash any group in a hateful way, its all fair game to me.

So are these guys evil? am I ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS36ZuCW-7c

[Uncle. S]

Haha yeah thats pretty harsh! I don't think they've gone too far but they have definitely achieved what they set out to do, upset people.

[incognito]

my immediate thought when i briefly saw the stoy on the news was 'fuckwits'.

i dont find that humour funny at all, but thats just me.

where the kids involved in the skit really terminally ill? and where they aware beforehand of the type of skit they where involved in???

if they where terminally ill and not aware of what the chasers where setiing out to do in their skit, i hope they get their asses sued and get kicked of tv for good.

having said that a friend of mine , whos father is a cameraman for chasers, is heading to syd to do work experience with them. any followers of the show will see her in their skits.

but yeah how low can u go?

[dc]

they weren't terminally ill. I think its rather amusing that such a fuss has been created about a skit that was previously done by the comedy channel. Its defiantly not in good taste but fuck me if you dont like it dont watch it, sounds like more cotton wool for the masses, bring on censorship

[MORG]

Haha. And Aussies claim to be such a laid-back can-laugh-at-anything kind of culture.

What a crock.

There is no bad taste. Terminal illness is a part of life. Just like rape, retards, religion and racism. There should be no sacred cows.

[incognito]

retards

jesus morg... i neva thought u would be the one to label or discriminate.

eh i know id never watch the show after seeing that bit on z news,

heh animal cruelty is a part of life to ay so why not chop up a puppy on the next one.

but shit if i found a parody of terminally ill children amusing i would do some serious self-evaluating.

[Chiral]

When are you lot gunna learn and stop watching these ridiculous stations and shows...stick your head in a book or at worst watch "family guy".... but stay away from commercial TV and the news please I beg of you...or you will end up with a terminal illness like all the rest of the watchers have.

H.

[Uncle. S]

Good point Hunab, it was funny, but not as funny as Family Guy. Is it just me or does it just keep getting better and better? Will they quit at the height of hilarity? Or milk it long after they've exhausted every storyline? Will we see series 15? Or will it go down in history as even funnier than the simpsons? Will it be like Star Wars, laid to rest as a classic, only to be pulled from the grave, mutilated and regurgitated as the heinous mess that is the new movies?

[MORG]

retards

jesus morg... i neva thought u would be the one to label or discriminate.

eh i know id never watch the show after seeing that bit on z news,

heh animal cruelty is a part of life to ay so why not chop up a puppy on the next one.

but shit if i found a parody of terminally ill children amusing i would do some serious self-evaluating.

Id like you to explain how I discriminated there.

And the "label", "retard", well, I was using colloquial language to get my alliteration rolling there.... but seriously, I don't believe in bad taste. Jokes that stray into edgy political territory, if delivered with intelligence, are my favourite. Like Ricky Gervais. His jokes at the expense of the starving, disabled, down-trodden etc etc say more about the people (ie. bigots) that have a problem with these issues than the apparent subjects of the jokes themselves.

It is possible to make a homophobic or racist joke that superficially resembles a homophobic or racist joke but really pokes fun at homophobes and racists. If I could think of one I would.

Borat's another good example. His anti-Semitic jokes are overtly anti-Semitic but ironically (and this is the real meaning of "irony") take the piss out of anti-Semites more than they do Jews.

Your animal-cruelty example isn't very fair. Chaser didn't infect kids with terminal illnesses for their joke. In fact, it wasn't even a parody of terminally ill kids, it was a parody of the Make A Wish Foundation.

I didn't find the sketch itself that funny, mildly amusing, but the backlash I find quite interesting.

Family Guy has a character who is quite clearly a peadophile. That's just as bad, if not worse than this Chaser thing. Where's the hoo-ha? Do you watch Family Guy?

Some people have a less sensitive irony bone than others.

[psychoshaman]

TV the drug of a nation breeding ignorance and feeding radiation...

[Hendry]

Can't say I thought it was really funny. It reminded me of parody video from the onion

Onion video

You wonder how many terminally ill kids were fans of the Chasers and watched that skit. Wonder if they got the joke?

If I had a terminally ill kid I don't think I would like the skit. The "they are gonna die anyway " part was a bit much. Making fun of kids is risky because they might be too young to get "the joke" especially one like this.

Besides this skit I like the Chasers n hope they don't stop the show over this.

(You wonder who the kids in the skit were and what they thought about it ?)

[KanJe]

Firstly, I can agree that media (including books) can be abused and used for escapism but what Chasers is trying to do is convey is the opposite of conformity.

The whole idea is that they will take absolutely anything and take the piss out of it. I also think that the very act of what can make something funny is that it's pushing boundaries. Isn't that how Family Guy works?

I agree with Morg in saying that there is no such thing as a 'bottom of the barrel' standard. Morality is relative.

Edited June 5, 2009 by KanJe

[Neoshaman]

meh comedians and comedy skits are always politically incorrect always have been always will be they set out to challenge peoples ideology on any number of topics i have honestly not seen a good comedy skit or standup act that didn't offend anyone

I wonder how many americans were up in Arms over the Bin Laden stunt i mean in all reality who gives a flying fuck , people need to learn to laughhave fun and not take shit so personally

Its like me attacking cheech and chong cause they make pot smokers look like fucking morons , stupid ignornat drug fucked etc etc. Personally having a uni education and a well paying job i find it offensive that this is the image the generally public associates with cannabis use ......... But in all reality a lot of people even pot smokers find them hilarious so I say each to his own if something offends honestly just fucking don't watch it as I'm sure there are 10x more people who aren't offended and are actually enjoying , this moral minority pushing their opinions on others because theyt are offended can go and fuck themselves for all i care ...get a life and put that energy into campaiging against the problems in society not a fucking TV skit

[incognito]

Id like you to explain how I discriminated there.

And the "label", "retard", well, I was using colloquial language to get my alliteration rolling there....

hey morg, im not 'up in arms' over this issue at all, i just found it quite offensive and gross is all, to my own personal values.

I dont view tv AT ALL, asides from the rare glanCe at the news when im in the room, or maybee King Of The Hill, if im at my sisters plaCe when its on.(now THATS funny!!)

I dont watCh family guy at all, i really dont find it funny. just stupid. but hey thats just my opinion.

I was refering to the term RETARD, when implying u where being disCriminatory. Its a fairly derogatory word today whiCh is used to paint(and disCriminate against) a broad range of human beings. I hope i dont have to explain this muCh further. as for what alliteration is u have lost me!! im thinking it means fanCy words???

as far as the Chasers go i dont really give a fuk as ive never watChed a show, but i might just to see my friend on there!!

its not my kinda humour, therefor i wont watCh it, dont want it banned or anything dont get me wrong.

Now if only i Can get rid of this virus that wont let me use lower Case C without bringing up an ATI Catalyst page.

[MORG]

I was refering to the term RETARD, when implying u where being disCriminatory. Its a fairly derogatory word today whiCh is used to paint(and disCriminate against) a broad range of human beings. I hope i dont have to explain this muCh further. as for what alliteration is u have lost me!! im thinking it means fanCy words???

Round the rugged rocks the rascally rabbit ran. That's alliteration and I'm a wanker . I know its an abrasive politically incorrect term but it started with R and got my point across.

Now if only i Can get rid of this virus that wont let me use lower Case C without bringing up an ATI Catalyst page.

Haha. That's what you get for Googling "rough anal".

[incognito]

. I know its an abrasive politically incorrect term but it started with R and got my point across.

hmm i dunno how well that point was made...but anyways...

i was like...Morg?? but he seems like a really cool guy...surely he wouldnt label someone like that??

i dunno my point i guess would be,........ if u r gonna pull stuff like the chasers did or ur gonna use the term retard, dont be up in arms or surprised if people pass judgement on u as being a fuckwit.

i dunno i just hate that humour where u can tear someone to pieces then its like ' haha that person really got pissed off haha , he doesnt get it , im not reeeally like that im just trying to show up such and such...etc etc etc'

maybee im a wowser.

rough anal makes the world go round ...by the way.

[Chiral]

Round the rugged rocks the rascally rabbit ran. That's alliteration and I'm a wanker . I know its an abrasive politically incorrect term but it started with R and got my point across.

Haha. That's what you get for Googling "rough anal".

ROFLMAO.....or was it googling "rough anal with wabbits"....

king of the hill is hillarious and so is family guy...sure family Guy goes over the top but come on it's all fucking great, tight as brilliant humour.

H.

[incognito]

i dunno hunab... it just seems to be busting its ass for laughs. im not offended at all,, im just left sitting there thinking 'thats so fuken dumb'. each to their own. I can see why people would like it, my nephews LOVE it.

talk about over the top-cartoons, i do like that 'drawn-together' show.

can someone please just tell me if in that chasers skit, they werent really in a childrens ward, and that the kids where actors with make-up??? that i wouldnt be offended by, i wouldnt be amused, but i wouldnt find it offensive.im kinda horrified if the kids in the skit where infact termanally ill, im sure chasers wont be on air again if that is the case.

anyway my friends name is Molly, she should be in future chasers skits, keep an eye out for her if ur watching.

hard to describe her, brunette, early 20's.

[santiago]

There is always a hidden meaning with comedians, i would dare say the chasers were not making fun of sick children themselves but having a go a 'charities' like for example the make a wish foundation which the skit mentioned. Even with glossy, beautiful names charity's take a lot of money for running cost and advertising and executive salesmen etc...in effect most charities end up really being 'corporations'. This was part of the irony the chasers were insinuating..of course the masses wont get that, tell me every cent that was raised for the vic bushfires actually got put back to the community, i say no chance.

I found Rove more controversial last show when in its Kevin Rudd mini show, it directly made fun of Kevin Rudds 'hook foot'. That was directly making fun of a disability the Prime Minister appears to have.

[kenny]

Many interesting points of view!

can someone please just tell me if in that chasers skit, they werent really in a childrens ward, and that the kids where actors with make-up??? that i wouldnt be offended by, i wouldnt be amused, but i wouldnt find it offensive.im kinda horrified if the kids in the skit where infact termanally ill, im sure chasers wont be on air again if that is the case.

Not entirely sure, I cant imagine them being able to walk into the children's hospital and film scenes like that without being kicked out though. They would have used the set's they use to film those hospital soaps.

Anyway, I respect everyone's opinion on this as clearly some people are divided. When it comes to comedy though, someone will always be offended. So either we lock up all the comedians or we agree that its all fair game. After all, who draws the line? and for how long? Comedians are already starting to laugh about 911 openly... too soon?

[Uncle. S]

Isn't laughter the best medicine?

[ThunderIdeal]

incognito i reckon it's 90% likely the sick kid was an actor, but then i believe most of the skits in the borat movie were faked.

anyways, i'm reminded of a south park double episode about family guy and the censoring of mohammad's image.

Edited June 5, 2009 by ThunderIdeal

[incognito]

if that sick kid is not an actor i definately want to punch the chasers in the face. i bet that would make ALOT of people laugh.

in the name of comedy..of course.

[kindness]

ohhhh hot topic. Can't be fucked reading it all because I got to go to sleep and have energy for my son in the morning.. <sigh>.

the greatest comment I reck's is

"television, the drug of a nation" man, go the disposable hero's!

blast from the past there new poster to the forum person...

Also, I think that unless we can laugh at ourselves, even at the dearest hardest times of our lives... then we may as well cry forever, or at least just be generally depressed.

then again, maybe not,.. im crapping on online... and anyone reading this right now. GO KISS EVERYONE YOU LOVE IN YOUR HOUSE!

fuck yeah.

mz

[Thelema]

I think the point that no-one gets is that the skit in question was not pulling the piss out of sick kids, it was designed to pull the piss out of the "Make a wish foundation".

My brother got leukeamia, seriously, and he got a laptop through the foundation. He laughed about it at the time. It's pretty hilarious really : give a bone cancer kid a bonus laptop. What a joke.-And I'm "allowed" to laugh at it because it happened to my brother. I think they've got a point: in the face of death, why not get used to a stick rather than meeting a celebrity?

Question why should you wish for a celebrity before death rather than going out into the forest (stick).

There's an underlying, if not fully conscious existential parody happenening here that hasn't been picked up on.