Photos
It was announced yesterday that giant insurance company Aflac fired the voice of its spokesduck, Gilbert Gottfried, after it was discovered that he wrote tasteless jokes about the Japanese tsunami on his Twitter. R.I.P. corporate duck voice! We’ll hear you at the crossroads!
From CNN:
Most of the tweets attributed to Gottfried make light of the natural disaster in either a flippant or sexual manner. The tweets include this, posted at 12:33 p.m. Saturday:
“Japan called me. They said ‘maybe those jokes are a hit in the U.S., but over here, they’re all sinking.’”
Another tweet, posted at 11:06 a.m. the same day, said:
“I was talking to my Japanese real estate agent. I said ‘is there a school in this area.’ She said ‘not now, but just wait.’”
How do say “whoops” in Japanese?
Obviously, Gottfried should have shown better judgment. After all, as DJ Douggpound put it, it’s still too tsun’ to make light of the horrific events in Japan. Especially if you make (what I assume to be) an obscene amount of money advertising for a company that does a majority of its business insuring people in Japan.
However, Aflac might have seen this coming if they looked at literally ANYTHING ELSE GILBERT GOTTFRIED HAS EVER DONE*. I mean, they hired one of the most infamously raunchy roast comedians in America as their spokesduck. So it’s kind of weak to then fire him for acting like one of the most infamously raunchy roast comedians in America.
I’m not defending Gottfried. I’m just saying “Uh, no doi.”
Please feel free to pay your respects to the Aflac duck in your comments.
(* Except maybe Aladdin or Thumbelina)
 |
 |
You Might Also Like
 Here Are Some Afternoon Links! |  Here Are Some Afternoon Links! |  Grown Adults Auditioning To Be The New Aflac Duck |  A Gilbert Gottfried PSA Against Music Piracy For Some Reason |
Leave a Reply
Sign inSign in with FacebookYou must be logged in to post, reply to, or rate a comment.
It looks like his Goose is cooked.
Oops, I fowled up. Goose isn’t a proper noun.
I beg to differ.
To be fair, its hard to be racist when all you get to say is “AFLAC!” But dammed if he didn’t try:
“Alright Gilbert, let’s take it from the top…”
“AFRO!”
“No, no, no, try again.”
“JEWFLAC!”
“God dammit…”
“NIG-”
“THANK YOU GILBERT, THAT’LL BE AL FOR TODAY.”
“Al For Today” = Al Roker’s talk show in his head.
He’s also the talking bird in the PBS show “Cyberchase” if that’s even still on.
Yes. It is. – a guy with three young kids
UCLA girl: “Whatever. I was showing insensitivity toward Japanese people devastated by the tsunami BEFORE everyone else was doing it.”
This was the same guy who made fun of his friend dying on twitter, after all. But if you ask me this is his most offensive tweet:
TOO SOON!
..what about earthquakes? they’re so underground.
I hear volcanoes are blowing up.
I liked hurricanes until they killed my whole family.
What exactly is the impetus to make jokes about disasters like this?
Is it just shock value? Racism? Or just simple insensitivity?
I think some folks would say that comedy has to be free to be offensive and hurtful because of the importance of humor or something and interrogating the motives behind why certain jokes are made has a harmful impact on the purity of comedy.
Of course, the real reason in a case like this is money. Sure he lots his job voicing a duck, but it raises his profile and it won’t hurt his comedy career because people like shit like this. In the end, it will benefit him.
Oops, you make jokes about people’s deaths to advance your career!
That said, we all know I am not funny and have no sense of humor, so maybe I am not the best person to answer this.
“That’s what I’ve been saying!” – torgothewhite
In all seriousness, though, I’m not easily offended. I’m certainly less easily offended than Mans. I generally like humor that goes after sacred cows and takes the piss out of people.
HOWEVER, ongoing disasters are not sacred cows and there’s nobody here to take the piss out of. Some fucked up stuff is happening to innocent people, it’s terrible, and that’s about it.
See, R2, I agree with you. Comedy is best used when as a weapon against “sacred cows.” What that means to me is that comedy should be used to highlight inequality or to subvert those social structures that are bad.
But too often, “offensive” comedy doesn’t attack the establishment but just makes fun of those that already have to put up with the oppression. So I Chappelle’s Show or Richard Pryor or Stewart Lee because they highlight what is wrong, in a very funny way. Just telling ironic racist or sexist jokes doesn’t feel like going after sacred cows. It feels safe and unfunny.
I’m not saying that this is what you are saying, but I am trying to explain my position better. I like my comedy to be pointed and harsh, but I like it to be aimed at improving humanity rather than insulting the already insulted.
I’m not easily offended, but I am also not easily amused.
If he’s going to say hateful or insensitive things, he should follow it with “That’s what that girl from UCLA thinks probably.” That’s how I do it!
Now to eat this cake I still have or whatever.
We’re ok with Polish jokes, though. Right?
I hear you, and I’m sure many would argue that humor needs to be free to be offensive or hurtful. I don’t necessarily disagree with that idea, but I wonder what drives someone to place the value of humor over the value of human suffering.
And yes, you are probably right about the money part. I just wonder about the kids on twitter making worse jokes, who really have nothing to gain from doing so.
topknot, those kids on twitter are just insensitive jerks.
I have mixed feelings now about anointing him one of my weirdest lady-boners. Just kidding! This just means my lady-boner for him is even weirder.
In his defense, Gilbert Godfried couldn’t have possibly known anyone was actually following him on Twitter.
I really feel like he should have his own font on there. So when you see it, you won’t need to check, you’ll just immediately know it’s him.
If the duck was taught to say “Aflac”, it probably wouldn’t be a huge stretch to teach it “Half-black” and “Laugh-track”. Maybe it could do a sitcom with The Rock?
That’s whack.
The duck already did a movie with him, it was called The Pacifier.
Oh wait…I guess that was Vin Diesel. Oh well, same difference.
Looks like you’ve got a problem, child!
I say get rid of the duck altogether and figure out a way to make the Crack Fox the new spokesman.
Totally off topic. Yet… couldn’t resist.
Kirk, is it true that you have become a vehicular menace; mowing down all in your path?
I’m just happy for the guy that he even exists anymore. Like… Gilbert Gottfried is still a thing… So… Good for him.
Fare thee well Aflac duck. You were my least favorite running commercial until Geico decided to make 800 spokespersons. Then you were just one of my least favorites.
Yes, thank you Gilbert. Now, if you could find a way to get rid of this:
Disagree. I am oddly attracted for Flo.
FWIW, I actually like the Aflac duck. And the Geico commercials. Flow I could do without.
Me too.
You know what’s worse? Glenn Beck linking Japan’s tragedy to God’s displeasure with humanity, saying the reason the earth ” moved off its axis” is because some people are following the Quran instead of the 10 commandments.
Bigoted explanations and lame jokes about this terrible event are just unnacceptable.
And those who do them deserve slaps in the face.
Ugh, I know. I saw a YouTube video of some lady going off about how “God is so great” for “answering Lenten prayers” to show atheists the light. She gives Jesus a bad name.
“Oh that bitch? Yeah, I don’t know her. That bitch be crazy, amirite? *high fives Holy Spirit*” – Jesus
http://kotaku.com/#!5782029/this-woman-just-trolled-the-entire-internet
Luckily (I guess?) she was just trolling everyone.
Doesn’t make it any less terrible. She’s missing the wink and a nod that makes satire satire.
Ugh, I agree DSN. She was so obviously faking, and somehow her ‘pretending’ to be an awful human being to sell her own personal vendetta by exploiting human tragedy is somehow worse! She becomes exactly what she clearly hates, but she’s a fucking LIAR to boot, so, in sum, barf barf barf barf barf text REDCROSS to 90999.
http://twitter.com/#!/search/japan%20karma%20bitch%20-who%20-gilbert%20
Why am I not surprised! … I think I’m gonna have a heart attack and die from not surprise
Oh boy, we’ve got a big problem here.
So, how did it go?
Yikes.
TOO TSUNami….
(Before anyone gets angry at me for making this joke, it’s all Scott Aukermans fault).
It’s okay everybody; radioactive isotopes from nuclear meltdowns don’t discriminate or contain themselves to just one country, race, or religion! We’re all doomed! That’s very funny!