The guys at the end were lucky not to take incoming fire.
If I'd been on duty there I would *at least* have leveled a rifle at them.
I think the fact that the camera crew was close at hand and had joined in the fun helped them (a) understand that it was a joke and (b) think better of taking a shot or two.
The guys at the end were lucky not to take incoming fire.
If I'd been on duty there I would *at least* have leveled a rifle at them.
I think the fact that the camera crew was close at hand and had joined in the fun helped them (a) understand that it was a joke and (b) think better of taking a shot or two.
Yeah, but it's America, you know...
I bet if any of those guys had looked at all Arabic, then it would have been shoot first and ask questions later.
Plus, on a (slightly) more serious note, can intelligent terrorists apply your reasoning and have some of their party dress as a film crew and surround the rest of them, whenever they want to gain access somewhere to blow it up?
OMG, in this day & age when people should fear any object left around unattended, these guys were granted permission to leave the mother of all terroristic pressies in so many places.
At least the Turkish knew a bit better, the army there... lol, the woman joking at first to 'Check Inside' shows that at least one Australian knew a bit about history.
I thought the people at the Turkish Consulate might've seen the stunt as a bit insensitive. It was the only location where there was no conceivably good reason for the horse to be there. At all the others, there was a scenario, however far-fetched, that made it difficult for the security guard to decide whether it belonged or not.
The reaction of the guard at Channel 9 was excellent.
Chaser's death song in poor taste 19 October 2007
Jane Gardner
The Chaser's death song has copped criticism from a Sunshine Coast stand-up comedian who said it had crossed the line between humour and being lewd for the sake of it. Lindsay Webb said if the comedy team continued producing such offensive material, it would ultimately lead to their downfall.
“I think satire is excellent, but this has gone too far and too hard. It lacks respect. Anything involving Steve Irwin is way too soon. They set out to be shocking and do amazing things every week, but there’s only so long that can go on for before you have to push the bar. They’ve delved in to a concept that really should have been left alone and if you start to run water too hot, you’re going to get burnt.”
Wednesday’s episode concluded with a song defaming eight dead celebrities, including Steve Irwin. Chaser comedian Andrew Hansen performed the tawdry piano ditty, The Eulogy Song, which accuses Steve Irwin of being a “tool” and “kamikaze cartoon croc and tot taunter”, labels Princess Diana a “slut” and accuses Peter Brock of being so anti-green he drove in to a tree. The no-holds-barred attack on dead celebrities was punctuated with the chorus line of “even wankers turn in to top blokes after death.”
Yesterday Labor leader Kevin Rudd, who has admitted to being a fan of the show, warned the Chaser’s to lift their game. “This is absolutely disgusting,” he said. In a rare show of solidarity, Prime Minister John Howard agreed. “I think it just totally distasteful and despicable,” he said. “Why don’t they stick to decent, dirt-free humour that we can all enjoy.”
While jokes about the deceased have always been shaky ground, ABC television’s former commissioning editor and head of comedy Dr Geoff Portmann argues The Chaser’s confronting brand of satire is a perfectly acceptable facet of Australian culture. He believes it does have a place on television and those who don’t want to watch, should switch off. “Most comedy offends somebody,” he said. “The very nature of satire is to make us uncomfortable and push the boundaries of society forward. It’s highly subjective. How long after Princess Di died in a tragic car accident can you make a joke about it? For some people it’s never and others posted jokes on the internet within 30 minutes.
“I think (The Chasers) are a very funny and highly amusing group of comedians who perform a very valuable role; to make us as a society to look at ourselves, re-evaluate views and attitudes about the world around us. They challenge us, provoke us, make us think, make us uncomfortable, and that forces us to have a look at the world from another direction. In the end all you can say is comedy by its nature will be provocative. It is part of a good healthy society.”
Chris Taylor, who wrote the lyrics, said the song was adapted from his play Dead Caesar and was, “if anything ... slightly watered down for television.” “I think it makes a fair enough point that people who was flawed in life is often disproportionately hailed as saints in death,” he said. “We were making a joke about the inappropriateness of making a joke.”
The ABC’s media manager said in the hour after the television show screened, they received six calls about the song – three of them positive. It was only after the media sparked the debate about whether speaking ill of the dead was appropriate that the switchboard began to light up, he said.
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