Thread: Aflac Fires Gilbert Gottfried Over Japan Jokes

Life's a bitch.

I usually side with people cracking jokes out of fun, but this just oozes douche.

Not to wax poetic about lives lost and tragedies, but it is what it is - with thousands upon thousands dead and injured, this is a horrendous tragedy. Also, viewing gobs of footage I noticed a major difference with the Japanese vs. the rest of the world including us. No panic. No looting. Organized lines with people waiting patiently. No violence or chaos. cleanliness (as much as possible). Respectful. DID I MENTION NO LOOTING? Some Egyptions were looting their own national treasures - disgraceful. Look at Hurricane Katrina. They stayed in the dome and made it look like something out of Mad Max and tore the place apart. Looting rampant, etc.

I applaud the people of Japan and wish the rest of us were a little more like them.

Gay...

No one can take a joke anymore.

No reason to joke about a people being paid back for attrocities committed 70 years ago. They've prolly built up a tolerance for radiation anywho. It's probably in their genes by now. Just sayin.

Originally Posted by phosphor

I usually side with people cracking jokes out of fun, but this just oozes douche.

Not to wax poetic about lives lost and tragedies, but it is what it is - with thousands upon thousands dead and injured, this is a horrendous tragedy. Also, viewing gobs of footage I noticed a major difference with the Japanese vs. the rest of the world including us. No panic. No looting. Organized lines with people waiting patiently. No violence or chaos. cleanliness (as much as possible). Respectful. DID I MENTION NO LOOTING? Some Egyptions were looting their own national treasures - disgraceful. Look at Hurricane Katrina. They stayed in the dome and made it look like something out of Mad Max and tore the place apart. Looting rampant, etc.

I applaud the people of Japan and wish the rest of us were a little more like them.

Plus, Gotfried was part of the public image of a company. When you're paid to do that, you can't be bi-winning.

And yes, black Americans < Japanese.

Originally Posted by sprayherup

Gay...

No one can take a joke anymore.

They were probably just using it as an excuse. The guy is a douche and is not funny anyway. His Japan jokes probably weren't even funny either, so that's why they really fired him. The only thing funny is the way he looks.

So now the Japs will be exposed to more radiation and they'll be more fucked up than they already are.

I understand he is a comedian and they're just jokes, but I think they were a bit too soon.

i'm glad they fired him. i hate that fucking annoying little bastard.

Damn fool! 75% of Afflacs business was in Japan...Now go eat some Matzah ball soup.

Originally Posted by Prince

I understand he is a comedian and they're just jokes, but I think they were a bit too soon.

exactly....way to soon! and far too many people have been killed...maybe in a couple of years but not days after a catastrophic event like that.

There was some looting, but not like you would see in big inner cities, these are smaller cities, I see a lot of elderly too. Besides what is there to loot, how and where would they take the looted stuff very few roads are open? The Japanese are a very unique, well behaved culture, but they do have their miscreants.

As for Gilbert, he's an idiot, with bad timing and not even funny at that.....or maybe he did a good thing Aflac can give the money they would have given him for future commercials(just to quack like a duck, any fool can play that part) and donate it to the relief efforts.....

I was curious so I looked for some of them:

The 10 Worst Gilbert Gottfried Tsunami Jokes: Pics, Videos, Links, News

Originally Posted by phosphor

I usually side with people cracking jokes out of fun, but this just oozes douche.

Not to wax poetic about lives lost and tragedies, but it is what it is - with thousands upon thousands dead and injured, this is a horrendous tragedy. Also, viewing gobs of footage I noticed a major difference with the Japanese vs. the rest of the world including us. No panic. No looting. Organized lines with people waiting patiently. No violence or chaos. cleanliness (as much as possible). Respectful. DID I MENTION NO LOOTING? Some Egyptions were looting their own national treasures - disgraceful. Look at Hurricane Katrina. They stayed in the dome and made it look like something out of Mad Max and tore the place apart. Looting rampant, etc.

I applaud the people of Japan and wish the rest of us were a little more like them.

when i was over there, they wouldnt even cross the street unless the light told them to do so(even if there wasnt a car in sight). they are a very disciplined people, and i have a lot of respect for them

Fucking idiot. The guy is lucky to have a paying gig in my opinion.

He posted an apology for the jokes:

NEW YORK (Reuters)- Comedian Gilbert Gottfried apologized on Tuesday for a series of jokes made on Twitter about the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, comments which got him fired as the voice of insurer Aflac.
"I sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended by my attempt at humor regarding the tragedy in Japan. I meant no disrespect, and my thoughts are with the victims and their families," Gottfried said in a statement.
Since 2000, the comedian had been the voice of the quacking duck in Aflac's commercials, shouting "Af-LAC!" at opportune moments.
But the company was quick to dismiss him after a dozen jokes made on his Twitter account last weekend, many of them crude and sexual riffs on the effects of the Japanese disaster.
Aflac made its name selling cancer expense policies in Japan in the 1970s and still derives about three-quarters of its revenue there. Its stock was down almost six percent to $50.94 near the end of the trading day on the New York Stock Exchange.
Gottfried's jokes included: "I just split up with my girlfriend, but like the Japanese say, 'They'll be another one floating by any minute now.'" They have since been deleted from his Twitter account.
Howard Stern, a long-time supporter who often has Gottfried as a guest on his satellite radio show, defended the comedian on his program on Tuesday.
"When the Aflac people hired him to be the Aflac duck, they knew ... this is an offensive guy, this is a guy whose humor is offensive. He's made fun of every disaster I've ever heard of," Stern said.
Stern added, "There's no reason for him to be fired."
Indeed, Gottfried did not lose his job when he joked two weeks after the September 11 attacks that it was hard to get a direct flight from New York to California because "they said they have to stop at the Empire State Building first," according to a New York Observer account at the time.

Good riddens, he is such a tool.

Originally Posted by gregzs

i was curious so i looked for some of them:

the 10 worst gilbert gottfried tsunami jokes: Pics, videos, links, news

that shit aint even funny.

Originally Posted by Gregzs

I was curious so I looked for some of them:

The 10 Worst Gilbert Gottfried Tsunami Jokes: Pics, Videos, Links, News

This guy gets paid for being a comedian ? Mike Sorrentino's funnier than this guy! Dope!

Terrible jokes by an unfunny man. However, fuck off with the boohoo its too soon mentality. I believe that this is when we need humor the most. If you can't laugh in the face of horror and sadness, you might get pulled into it.

Then again, there are many ways to cope with tragedy. I choose humor. When it works, it works well to laugh at my plight instead of going postal. The Japanese have chosen honor and duty. If that works for them, then good for them. I respect their culture, and I hope they get that nuclear reactor problem sorted out quickly.

Oh and also, lets not forget that the most important part of treading thin ice is you damn well better be funny, otherwise the backfire will be vicious. Just ask Mike "the talentless loser" Situation.

Originally Posted by klc9100

i'm glad they fired him. i hate that fucking annoying little bastard.

Fully agreed, and his voice is like nail on a chalk board. Ear piercing and irritating.

Kelju

Originally Posted by Gregzs

I was curious so I looked for some of them:

The 10 Worst Gilbert Gottfried Tsunami Jokes: Pics, Videos, Links, News

Not really funny, but I can appreciate the humor.

Originally Posted by sprayherup

Gay...

No one can take a joke anymore.

When the "voice" of your company pisses off 75% of your customer base, it's not a joking matter.

Originally Posted by ALBOB

When the "voice" of your company pisses off 75% of your customer base, it's not a joking matter.

this