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Sat 12 Jul, 2008 01:47 pm
I guess you cant really blame Obama too much; part of being a professional politician, let alone a presidential candidate, is that you just cant be seen to offend anyone. The cries of outrage are always close. I guess you dont really have a choice but to always side with the most prudish -- comes with the territory.
But jesus... I mean - pathetic...
Quote:Obama Camp To Bernie Mac: "We Are Not Amused"
Comedian Bernie Mac shocked the Obama campaign last night at a high-dollar fundraiser, where the Chicago-native introduced the presumptive Democratic nominee with some colorful comments.
Mac, who is known for his crass standup routines, joked about having a black First Lady and offered some unsolicited campaign advice.
"Being a president is tough ?'cause you're not just running the county. You got to run your family too," Mac said. "Having a black first lady is different. You're still going have to do the dishes and the laundry and all that
you got to pick up the kids. You didn't pick up the kids? I just came from Korea, talking about nuclear weapons. You were on Air Force One and you couldn't stop to pick up the kids?"
Mac also told Obama to be cautious of the rumor mill. "People like rumors. They are going to say things like, you know, you was in the club with Lil' Kim and you and Kanye West got in a fist fight."
During the 10-minute introduction, Mac was heckled and asked to step down from the stage, particularly after he made some offensive comments about women.
"Calm down," Mac said, and went on to introduce Obama as a friend. Obama graciously greeted Mac, but later tried to smooth things over.
"We can't afford to be divided by religion, or by region or class. Or by gender," Obama said and joked, "That means, by the way, Bernie you got to clean up your act. This is a family affair. I'm just messing with you!"
Shortly after the fundraiser ended, the campaign issued a statement denouncing Mac's comments. "Senator Obama told Bernie Mac that he doesn't condone these statements and believes what was said was inappropriate," spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
Bernie Mac:
Speaking as a professional comedian and comedy writer, I think Mac's routine would have gone over better if it was FUNNY!!!
You are a professional comedian??
Moreover, you're a professional writer and you wrote "if it was funny" instead of "if it were funny?"
You fail.
Of course, you are entirely correct DrewDad! Pardon my faux pas! I may be drummed out of the writers guild for that! I must be more careful with my tenses! Why didn't my editor catch that?
When did people lose their what?
And yet another Obama supporter thrown under the bus.
When did people lose their senses of humor?
When they found it personally satisfying and politically advantageous to be constantly offended.
Finn dAbuzz wrote:When they found it personally satisfying and politically advantageous to be constantly offended.
Hey, I've noticed that, and not just in a political context.
Really, though, the quoted stuff wasn't really that funny.
Summarily, the materials I have seen quoted totally sucked. Or, shall I say, were entirely without artistic merit (to avoid offending the grammatically correct DrewDad).
NickFun wrote:Of course, you are entirely correct DrewDad! Pardon my faux pas! I may be drummed out of the writers guild for that! I must be more careful with my tenses! Why didn't my editor catch that?
The subjunctive isn't a tense. It's a mood.
joefromchicago wrote:NickFun wrote:Of course, you are entirely correct DrewDad! Pardon my faux pas! I may be drummed out of the writers guild for that! I must be more careful with my tenses! Why didn't my editor catch that?
The subjunctive isn't a tense. It's a mood.
That was a little bit funny.
dlowan wrote:joefromchicago wrote:NickFun wrote:Of course, you are entirely correct DrewDad! Pardon my faux pas! I may be drummed out of the writers guild for that! I must be more careful with my tenses! Why didn't my editor catch that?
The subjunctive isn't a tense. It's a mood.
That was a little bit funny.
Thank you, thank you very much. I'll be here all week. Try the veal, it's delicious. And remember to tip your waitresses.
roger wrote:Really, though, the quoted stuff wasn't really that funny.
It made me grin. Point is, it wasn't really that offensive either. I mean, if this is enough to get one sternly admonished about one's jokes, why the hell have a comedian on stage in the first place?
joefromchicago wrote:NickFun wrote:Of course, you are entirely correct DrewDad! Pardon my faux pas! I may be drummed out of the writers guild for that! I must be more careful with my tenses! Why didn't my editor catch that?
The subjunctive isn't a tense. It's a mood.
I always though "were" and "was" were tenses of the verb in conjugation (i.e. I am, you are, he is, they are, we were, he was, etc). Now you are telling me they are moods? I'm giving back my college degree. Obviously I should be working for McDonald's.
NickFun wrote:joefromchicago wrote:NickFun wrote:Of course, you are entirely correct DrewDad! Pardon my faux pas! I may be drummed out of the writers guild for that! I must be more careful with my tenses! Why didn't my editor catch that?
The subjunctive isn't a tense. It's a mood.
I always though "were" and "was" were tenses of the verb in conjugation (i.e. I am, you are, he is, they are, we were, he was, etc). Now you are telling me they are moods? I'm giving back my college degree. Obviously I should be working for McDonald's.
Don't be precipitate...your present mood (like a kidney stone or a prune pit) will pass.
Comics say funny things. Comedians say things funny. Without seeing the routine along with the delivery--body language, facial expressions, vocal inflections--I don't know whether I would have thought the lines funny. Most comedy routines aren't all that funny on paper--it is the comedian himself/herself who makes them funny.
Based on the one example Nimh posted, I'm going to side with him on this one. The lines were not offensive and, if effectively presented, could be funny. I don't know anything about Bernie Mac, but if Jerry Seinfeld delivered those lines, they would be funny. They certainly aren't anything for anybody to get their panties in a bunch over.
I think everybody should lighten up and not make a career of finding things to be offended about. There is enough stuff said seriously to consume sufficient indignation and outrage. I would hate to see us lose the ability to poke fun at ourselves.
Liberals go out of their way to be offended. In this case it was Bernie Mac, tomorrow it will be something else.
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