http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/11/07/4447492/jimmy-kimmel-hitlera-controversy.html#.Up9IfMRDsrV
Do you think the Chinese overreacted to this controversial segment, or was it right of them to speak up? Is Jimmy Kimmel truly comparable to Hitler, as the article's title conveys? Is there anything else that Kimmel and ABC could do to ease the tension caused by the segment? Do the "perceived American prejudices against Chinese and Chinese-Americans" mentioned in the article actually exist today?
I believe that Kimmel’s comments were unnecessary, however, the Chinese community might be overreacting slightly. These comments were initially made by a 6 year old, who doesn’t know any better. Many children say things without realizing that they may be overstepping societal boundaries. Going into the segment Kimmel’s intent was not to bring up the killing of the Chinese, and it is not his fault that the young child thought the best way to get rid of the debt was to kill them. Granted, I don’t think it was smart of Kimmel to add “Should we allow the Chinese to live?”, however, the child’s remarks should not be blamed on Kimmel. I also think that it is an exaggeration to compare Hitler to Kimmel, even though the mass killing of Jews was used in cartoons published during the 1930’s. Kimmel was not supporting the mass murdering of the Chinese, he was simply probing the minds of these young children who then shared their opinion. I don’t think it was a smart idea to air the segment because the network representatives could have seen it as racist, but now that it has been aired, I don’t think that Kimmel should be blamed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_ITwbtxfiY This is a link to the segment that aired and after reading through the comments it appears that people are very split. There are some who are outraged, some who are explaining that it is a joke, and some in the middle. I feel as though I relate best with the people that think it is wrong, but don’t believe Kimmel is to blame entirely. The child is the one who brought up killing Chinese people, not Kimmel. Granted, I don’t think that Kimmel should have continued the conversation, but still he is not the one who brought it up in the first place. In addition to Kimmel coming under fire, it appears that Disney (the owners of ABC where Kimmel’s show was aired) are being protested within China. This comes during the publicity of their new park, Shanghai Disneyland. This park is set to open in 2015 and be 3 times larger than Hong Kong Disney. Some experts are afraid that this bad publicity will taint the success of the new theme park. http://thediplomat.com/2013/11/jimmy-kimmel-row-an-obstacle-for-shanghai-disneyworld/
ReplyDeletehttp://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-12/disney-needs-to-worry-about-jimmy-kimmel-controversy-in-china
Although it was a very offensive segment, China did not need to react the way they did. It was obviously meant as a joke, and that is why they had kids say it. Kids don’t think things through, and usually say the first thing that comes to mind, so a six year old child would see that as the “logical” solution to the problem. If Jimmy Kimmel was truly comparable to Hitler, he would have said that himself in a much more serious setting than his comedy show. I don’t believe there is anything else he can do in order to apologize to the Chinese people than what he has already done: “On Oct. 28, under growing pressure, Kimmel made an on-air apology, stating, “It was certainly not my intent to upset anyone.” Two days later, Kimmel met with and apologized to protesters at his studio.” Given that it was only a small segment of the show, and that he has attempted to give an honest apology, there is nothing else that he can/ needs to do. I don’t believe that these beliefs are actually common in Americans today. Comedy shows often use offensive segments, and Jimmy Kimmel is not the only one to have offended anyone in his show. Obviously, there are some extremists who think this, but most Americans are indifferent when it comes to China.
ReplyDelete-Teigue Young
Very good explaination Teigue
DeleteIt was definitely an overreaction. It is completely well within reason for the Chinese community to be upset over the airing. It was crass and insensitive but in no way can comparisons be made between Kimmel and Hitler. Kimmel in no way supports the idea, showing no signs of agreement and denouncing the obviously outlandish idea of killing all the people in China by commenting on the Lord of the Flies-esque suggestion. A push for a public apology was far enough, and ABC has issued two, Kimmel himself apologizing on air for the segment. Let's not forget Hitler never made any apologies. He also never manipulated the children in any way. He simply asked them a harmless question and got a slightly harmful answer. Coming from the mouth of a child this statement can hardly be taken seriously. After all, it is a comedy show. On the other hand, however innocent, the comment should not have been allowed to air. The foolish proposal was given a certain degree of validity when shown on national television. The idea of genocide over debt is ridiculous, which is why it was aired on a comedy channel- the element of ludicrousness is what, to some, provided the comedic appeal. But as pointed out in the article, if this was said about Jews or blacks or Muslims, it would have been taken a lot harsher by the American people. There is a little bit of a disconnect between the Chinese and American cultures. The tension cannot be denied, and is partly to blame for the exaggeration of the situation on the part of the Chinese people, and the lack of reaction by everyone else. A woman interviewed by Business Insider said it best- “If you don't have this kind of big movement, nobody will hear you.” Though an overreaction, it is probable that there would have been no show of regret from ABC or Kimmel, and no one would have thought anything of it. But the main point is the allegations of Kimmel being the next Hitler and an impending genocide are completely insane and unfounded. The child's ignorance has been turned into a declaration of war, prompting some to speculate on collapsed foreign relations between the US and China. This has been taken way out of hand. It is interesting, though, that with all the pro-Chinese propaganda and censorship in China, the government has not blocked this video.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.seattlepi.com/technology/businessinsider/article/A-Chinese-Protester-Explains-Why-Jimmy-Kimmel-4983793.php
I don’t think that it was completely necessary for the Chinese community to compare him to Hitler because after all it was a comedy bit so he wasn’t being serious in his comments. However, I feel as though Kimmel’s comments were also very unnecessary. He should have thought through hid bit before he aired it and known that it would have made him look bad, but I don’t believe that he is comparable to Hitler. I can also see how the Chinese could be manipulating their people to believe this to cause tension since they do not seem to be very open in listening to Kimmel’s explanation or apology. I don’t know if there is anything Kimmel could really do to ease the tension other than wait it out and just wait for it all to die down a little. And I am sure that there are people in America that are again Chinese and Chinese-Americans, there are still people that are still racist, but that doesn’t mean that everyone is.
ReplyDelete-Shelby Desmarais
I think the Chinese are overreacting completely. Jimmy Kimmel is obviously a comedian and it's his job to make jokes. Regardless of whether the joke was racist or not doesn't give the Chinese the right to compare Jimmy Kimmel to Hitler. I don't believe that Kimmel or ABC as a whole should have been pressured to apologize for the segment as their speech is protected by the 1st amendment. The comment about killing the Chinese wasn't even scripted and again, it was said by a child. That part of the whole controversy hasn't even been mentioned by the Chinese protesters. In an article by business insider it states that over 100,000 people have signed a petition for the White House (Why the White House?) to investigate Jimmy Kimmel. It also shows a poorly photoshopped photo of Jimmy Kimmel to look like Hitler. All in all I think that the Chinese protesters should reconsider their logic about Jimmy Kimmel's joke.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-protester-on-jimmy-kimmel-2013-11
Matt Coppola
I think the comparison of Kimmel to Hitler was a little over exaggerated. They do, however, have every right to speak up and defend themselves for these hateful comments. I agree with the anonymous person who tweeted about the incident saying, “But if those kids said kill the blacks, Muslims or Jews, I think ABC would delete their words…” I do not think this statement could be any truer. I believe the racial things that were said were far out of line and the apology from Kimmel was very necessary. If they had been said about Muslims, Jews, or any other race there would have been even more outrage among the American people. The fact that a 6 year old said it does not change anything. This episode could have been deleted or not aired but they chose to air it. Why this is even considered to be comedic is beyond me, I do not think that saying hateful words towards an entire country is not funny at all. I think that the little kids were some what scripted or had no idea what they were talking about because I don’t know many six year olds who have any clue what debt is. I believe that this inappropriate act was somewhat planned should have never been aired. Unfortunately, I believe that racism will always exist and there are American prejudices against Chinese and Chinese-American people, which hopefully one day will disappear and people will be able to accept everyone.
ReplyDelete-Michael Robicheau
I think that people can say whatever they want to say, but people can also interpret and react to the statements as they please. What happened on Jimmy Kimmel’s show is no different then what happens on a large number of popular U.S. television shows. In my opinion most of the jokes on shows like Family Guy and South Park are all based around sexism, racism and discrimination. If everyone has such a big problem with racist TV shows then Jimmy Kimmel’s should not be the only one. There are far more racist and insensitive shows being aired all the time and there aren’t many reactions to it anymore. I think that how the Chinese are reacting to the show is perfectly fine and justified, they can say and do whatever they want. These People had a problem with the show and they are speaking up about it, I say keep it up. Maybe this will help shine some light on the dozens of racially, gender insensitive shows. Honestly It doesn’t matter what these shows say, they can say whatever they want, people in the U.S. who preach freedom and equality who have problems with these shows are hypocrites. The basis of real freedom means anything goes, say and do what you want.
ReplyDelete-Alex Waldron