Fox News Mocks Canadian Military

reply to post by 44soulslayer


OK, 44soul.....I get your point.

I am just trying to compare actually funny 'satire' to this baloney.

AND.....when do they realize that the 'funny' stuff might be taken seriously by actually mentally disturbed people who don't see it as 'funny'??

My point is.....if CNN or MSNBC had a show such as this, the 'right wing' would be all over it!!!!

BUT, because it's on 'Fox', it gets a pass???

No!!! The fringe in America who 'hang' on everything 'Fox' says won't get it....they will react, and likely won't be with intelligence, or the ability to understand so-called "satire".

I'm talkin' about the, as I said, 'fringe' element who may have stayed up late, drinking beers, and saw this show....and formed an already incredibly incorrect opinion, but just got 'it' re-inforced by this baloney!!!

THIS is the danger to America!!! The ignorant, the uneducated. The 'radical'.....

The ones who have never read the Constitution....or can't even 'spell' "Constitution".....that is who I fear.

reply to post by FreeSpeaker


Back in university, I used to read the aforementioned Ottawa Citizen, believe me laughing at US foreign policy, and by a similar logic, the soldiers dying for it is quite common place. Check out Cam Cardow's (of the Citizen) political cartoons. Humour and humor is not so different, IMO.

Like Masqua pointed out, awful timing.

I mentioned above that I found the segment insulting as well. The show appears to be total crap anyways - have you seen Vor78's posted video? It's especially demeaning towards women and gays. Seems to be the shows standard.

[edit on 23/3/09 by ConspiracyNut23]

Poor material.
Thing is, a person associates with a comic because they have idealogies that lean in the same was as said comic.

Not always, but a lot of times, yes.

Some people are funny just for funny's sake. However, some comedians use hatred as their prop for comedy. The true comic geniuses don't need this kind of garbage.

When was the last time you saw Will Ferrell speak an overtly racist comment?
Steve Martin?

Dave Chappelle? Actually Dave does, but then he turns it around and targets his own ethnicity.
Balance in these matters, as well as timing, is everything.

Do the DBs at "The Red Eye" balance their material?
When was the last time they accused an American Soldier of neglecting his duty for a manicure?

Doubtful if they ever have. While it may disguise itself as comedy, it isn't. It it is ridiculous material that was marketed as comedy for a small segment of their demographic. The Fringe Right Wing.

From there you can draw your own conclusions. Remember, Murdoch has admitted Brain Washing techniques in his shows.

The government speaks.

Defence Minister Peter Mackay isn't laughing this off much. A statement from his spokesman and reiterated by the minister himself on Canadian News (CTV) is ratchetting up the controversy:

"We want an apology from this so-called comedian and his panel. These are despicable, hurtful and ignorant comments. No one is laughing and they owe Canada, and more importantly the families of each one of our fallen heroes, an apology for their ill-informed mistakes," Dan Dugas, the spokesman for Defence Minister Peter MacKay, told Canwest News Service on Monday.

MacKay, along with Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean, was to attend the repatriation ceremony Monday at CFB Trenton, Ont., where the families of Canada's four latest Afghanistan fatalities were to meet the flag-draped coffins of their fallen loved ones.

MacKay reiterated his call for an apology in a brief interview with CTV News.

www.ottawacitizen.com...

I can't wait for Question Period

reply to post by masqua


I don't think they owe Canada anything. I do think they owe the families that have lost members due to this war more than an apology though.

To be honest, I as a Canadian am not hurt by their comments, I find them stupid, cruel, and petty, but they do not change the pace of my day. If i were someone that lost a family member or friend in the war, I might hold a different opinion.

To me, his reaction seems more for political points, rather than because he actually cares.

reply to post by vor78


At no point is taking lightly the sacrifices my fellow country men and women have made in a war they shouldnt' be in, in the first place entertainment.

Originally posted by InSpiteOf
To me, his reaction seems more for political points, rather than because he actually cares.

Good point.

Although, it's difficult to determine whether it's genuine or not. It's definitely the right thing to say politically. Those who are indifferent, like you and I, don't really care what comes out of this. Those who think Fox owes the fallen soldiers an apology for the comments have their minister standing by them.

reply to post by ConspiracyNut23


To be frank, if it is just for political points (like we would ever find out anyway), than our MoD is the one that owes an apology or two. Scoring political points on the backs of some of the hardest working men and women in (and outside) of Canada is a the real shame.

$.02

reply to post by weedwhacker


I can only agree that this show shouldn't be on a "news" channel.

It's stupid and immature, but it counts on the readers realising that it is being deliberately so in order to ape the mindless drones who actually believe those views.

I can definitely see what you are saying though... there might be some people stupid enough to take what they are saying with utmost seriousness and see it as vindication. Though in that regard, I think normal Fox news is far more dangerous... they espouse almost the same views but they're actually being serious!

Personally I feel this unfortunate episode would be better served by being ignored.

Why make an international mini-crisis over some lame stupidity masking as humour/humor? Silence on the part of the government would have sent a far better message to FOX.

Funny thing is that Harper recently dumped on the Obama administration, which, by all accounts, FOX should have loved. They likely hadn't heard a peep about it.

reply to post by Jay-in-AR


Jay,

I don't think I agree with you on many issues, but we at least have found common ground here.

The concept involves comedy that doesn't cross a line and become offensive....but, that's a very slippery slope.

Again, as I see the YouTube clip....I see NOTHING funny.

To my mind, just a bundh of bobbleheads prattering away (is 'pratter' a word???)....well, you get my drift.

Not to go off-topic, but one bozo on the feed, as they were discussing Mexico, mentions Brazil!! (As in, a potential invasion source to the USA...)

OK, we need to buy these idoits a globe, for each of them....What/ $10 each???

edit) 44Soul....got your comment, thanks. Star!!


[edit on 3/23/0909 by weedwhacker]

reply to post by masqua


yeah thats right , be blindingly IGNORANT but just ignoring everything when your country insults anothers war dead , who died fighting your own pointless self started wars.

get a grip and grow up.

media.photobucket.com...

[edit on 23/3/09 by Harlequin]

reply to post by Harlequin


I think what masqua was alluding to is the fact that the outrage and circulation of this story is only serving to further this shows viewing group. You know that old adage 'Any publicity is good publicity"? Well I'd say it directly applies to this.

Would the families of those who have given their lives in our Armed Forces have been bothered by these fools if other news outlets had not picked up the story? I doubt it.

Do I think this "panel" is in bad judgment and even poorer taste, absolutely.

[edit on 23-3-2009 by InSpiteOf]

Originally posted by Harlequin
yeah thats right , be blindingly IGNORANT but just ignoring everything when your country insults anothers war dead , who died fighting your own pointless self started wars.

Erm... I AM Canadian, FYI and have a military background. The added pain for the families of fallen soldiers through the Afghan conflict is an insult, but not worth an official response.

get a grip and grow up.

At 62, I don't think there's much room left to grow.

I sympathize with your feelings, though. The whole matter is an unfortunate bad joke at an extremely bad time. The reason I feel that our government should have stayed out of this is that it gives the FOX 'comedy' show a ton of credibility that it surely doesn't deserve.

Just to back up what I said earlier about Harper slagging Obama and Wall Street and how FOX should have been paying attention before airing that crude segment, here's some links:

www.cp24.com...

www.westislandchronicle.com...

reply to post by stereovoyaged


Agreed. I'm not defending what was said as much as trying to explain that this is not a news program. Its more or less comedy (and no, I'm not going to argue whether this incident actually WAS funny). In many ways, the show is intentionally offensive and rude.

Just to add, at about 2:40, did anyone catch Gutfeld say that 'we won't invade, we're too wimpy for that...'

He was, of course, refering to the United States in that instance. Where's the outrage over that? Not that there should be any, mind you, but one could argue that he 'insulted' the US military right there as well.



[edit on 23-3-2009 by vor78]

Originally posted by Harlequin
reply to post by masqua

 

yeah thats right , be blindingly IGNORANT but just ignoring everything when your country insults anothers war dead , who died fighting your own pointless self started wars.

get a grip and grow up.

media.photobucket.com...

[edit on 23/3/09 by Harlequin]

A little harsh considering masqua is Canadian AND A VETERAN!!! You might want to consider what he's saying.

I understand both sides of this story. For one, Fox news is tabloid trash at best and should not be taken seriously. I've watched the video and the comments they were making were insulting and ignorant. (Again, consider the source) These talking heads do not represent the majority of Americans' views of the Canadian Armed Forces, their contributions to the war in Afghanistan and of Canada in general.
Now, the reason why this has generated such a strong reaction in Canada is because the war in Afghanistan is a very touchy subject at the moment. There are constant reports in the Canadian media of new casualties in Afghanistan and they are becoming more and more frequent. Some politicians and citizens are beginning to question Canada's role in this war, and if they should have even gone there in the first place. Some are even calling for the outright withdrawal of all Canadian personnel from Afghanistan, as they feel the war is futile and unwinnable. Peter Mansbridge (Canadian news anchor) asked President Obama directy if the Afghan war is winnable in an interview Obama did just before he went to Ottawa on an official visit.
Lastly, Canadians are sensitive to the perceptions of them by their American neighbours. Yes it's true. Canadians in general, are very proud of their men and women who serve in the Armed Forces. The Canadian military has a very rich history of fighting with courage, honour and bravery. Their contributions have been lauded by many military commanders over the years (US and European alike) for their level of professionalism and courage under fire. The Canadian war dead are venerated for their achievements in battle in places such as: Passendale, Vimy Ridge, Juno Beach...just to name a few.
The Canadian Forces may not have a world class military in terms of armour and aircraft, but they make up for it by having world class soldiers. Their sacrifices are deserving of our honour and respect, not the belittling at the hands of a few ignoramus' at Fox news.

Well, it looks like this issue has made it all the way to the Canadian Minister of Defense, who is now calling for an apology from Fox news. And rightly so:
watch.ctv.ca...


[edit on 23-3-2009 by kommunist]

reply to post by weedwhacker


Well yeah. I mean, you'd think if they were trying to market this as a funny show that there would at least be ONE witty or clever line in the discussion.
Not a one.

The way I see this problem is that these people (I'm speaking of the MSM and FOX as a whole) have bundle-wrapped all of the BS that spewed out of Washington as a justification to brainwash people into accepting this farce of a 'war' in the first place. Then when the USA loses a little bit of support, for a small amount of time, we get this garbage from them?
It isn't a knock on the Canadian population so much as it is on the soldiers that were led down a foolhearted path in the first place. I'm sure that most Canadians despise this war, just as most Americans do.

The outrage is that one of the people that SOLD US this ridiculous package to begin with has the audacity to challenge the integrity of people who were simply doing their duty.

To say they owe an apology is an understatement.


[edit on 23-3-2009 by Jay-in-AR]

reply to post by Jay-in-AR


Jay.....TWICE we agree!!!!

This treads dangerously close to 'off-topic'....but...calling the invasion of Iraq a 'war' is stretching the definition of 'WAR'!!!!

The 'Operation' in Afghanistan....well, that is a more pertinent effort, inasmuch as some of the worst 'terrorists' might be finding a haven there.

For topic: The mere fact that our wonderful Allies have lost their own blood and family, makes me weep....even now. Not to diminish all the other sacrifices, of course.

I just do NOT see how that sacrifice could be tossed off as 'humour'....in any way!!!!!!!

Even if it is Satire, I agree that it was done in poor taste and is completely unacceptable. Death is not something to be made fun of, and when a Uniform passes as a result of an unfortunate event, it should not be made the butt of a joke, or the content of a comedy skit. This pisses me off, I won't sugarcoat it. It does, it does not sit well with me, and I really do hope that a public apology is made. Completely unacceptable.

War is not glamorous, war is not pretty, and war is not a joke. It shouldn't be the punch line, and four soldiers passing - is something to be recognized with respect. For godsake these men and women put their lives on the line every damn day. This isn't something to be joked about.

As a Canadian, my heart breaks just a little bit more every time I hear about the loss of our Soldiers - as in a couple of months - two of my friends will be traveling overseas for their first tours. Perhaps that's why I take this personally...


- Carrot