that a radio program made a joke of 'shooting' Barack Obama?

[ilovemydog]

Last Friday, on The Now Show (BBC Radio 4 18:30 - 19:00) was a song about Barack Obama.

For those who aren't familiar with The Now Show, it's a finger on the pulse type of current affairs/satire radio program.

Some of it was quite funny. How everyone knew that Barack would win the nomination, but the Clintons.

The end of the song, in reference to Barack Obama was that, 'we'll enjoy you until someone shoots you...'

I found this highly offensive (RFK anyone?) as an American (Democrat) but also purely as a human being. Why is this funny?

I complained to the BBC and got s standard reply: humor is subjective. ha ha.

Is it me? Is this funny?

Oh, and although I am a Democrat, I wouldn't find it funny either if the song was about Mr Mc Cain. It's a patriotic thing.

That's interesting edam.

I also think that the office of the president has a great deal of resonance for the average US citizen - even if s/he doesn't like the office-holder, they respect him because he represents the nation. Whereas in the UK, nobody don't respect nothing, certainly not an office.

thanks wonk! I think I get it - that the joke isn't about the democratic nominee being assassinated (not funny) but about the right wing faction being right wing (slightly more room for scope, but still not really funny). I really didn't get it and am grateful for the explanation.

It's quite true that presidental assassinations have been by right wing factions and/or weirdos from Lincoln to Reagan.

You're right about boundaries - they are much more wide here.

I'm going home for Thanksgiving

No probs. It must be alienating at times!

You might want to hold off on the Thanksgiving thing though. I don't know a lot about the US, but I reckon it's a bit early.

don't any of you watch the daily show with jon stewart? they are very irreverent. i recommend it

Yup, Daily Show v. good, and lots of very funny comedians in the States. But Bryson's point was more about the extent of humour in everyday life, and the way it is valued by society. Someone else, I think, once said an Englishman would rather be told he was bad in bed than that he had no sense of humour. (Do other nations specify GSOH in lonely-hearts ads, I wonder?)

I've spent half the day finding pictures of American 'things' for my youngests 4th July Summer Fayre (FFS). I came up with Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, the Decleration of Independence, Disney, Baseball (Cardinals natch), some nice 30's postcards, the Spirit of 76, a guide to Indigenous Peoples of the Americas, and a few nice flags.

I was going to go for the obesity crimes, the insane arming of a whole nation, the massacres having their own generic term (going postal), and TV Evangelists. But I wasn't sure the children would believe me.

I love America, I hate guns. It's very difficult to seperate these days

And Elvis still kind of sells it to me.

I think humour has an important role to play in naming and examining our dark thoughts and worries and the possibility of the first black president of the US being shot is one such worry.

Spiderama I agree. And I think it's surprising how much this is explored by Americans as much as the English. We are a little reserved (ok, a lot), but the rise of the more introspective US comedies like Seinfeld, Family Guy/American Dad, and Curb Your Enthusiasm are showing that the dark hearts have an American sense of humour too.

Doing a joke about Obama being shot is not in poor taste. Starting a MN sweepstake about which day would be.

Oh, I think that was not a good thing to laugh at but it is a very big concern here. It is common belief that once he is in, he may as well have a target on his head

Spider - so well put.

I lived in the States for a while and getting used to the gun culture took a while, and along the way any attempts at humour were instantly shot down ( ahem!). It is such a cultural misnoma for most Brits...we don't (in general) get it !

I am still interested why Obama is called Black, when he is mixed race. If he went to a predominantly black nation, e.g. Ghana, would he be described as white?

The gun culture is scary. But one that Obama is quite used to - it is a big problem in our neighbourhood. I hope it is something he will try to address.

It takes a brave man to put himself in that position. I'm very fed up with the media making everything a race issue when it involves a black person in the running. Obama is the first black presidential candidate/will be the first black president/will be the first dead black president/will be an inspiration for every black person forever more. Er...did he have any politics at all ? Strikes me that the rest of the black American politicians don't suffer this colour first media attitude. Condoleeza doesn't seem to have this laid on her. I get the feelling the Colin (and that's Colin, not f**king Colon, please!) Powell would kick your ass for suggesting he was anything except American.

Paul Ince, the footballer turned manager, got the same thing recently, first black manager (thinks, hang on, what colour was
Sideshow Bob Ruud Gullit?)

If everyone concentrated on what he said and did, and not what colour he is (not sure how you define black, because technically speaking it's actually brown, but if your mixed race and don't know then I'd suggest early Public Enemy albums will definitely point you in the right direction) then there wouldn't be such a fuss. You can see how this sort of thread spreads, until he not only has a target, but it's just encouraging someone to shoot him for the fame.

Celebrity Big (presidential) Brother (like a black brother, not a blood brother because somehow that seems stronger) - Day 4 - Obama is in tha Ooval Office. His task this week is to hide under a different table everyday, away from the windoughs. Affter the CIA, FBI, DEA, CSI, and FRO have swept it for bugs and ascertained it is not a Communist hidey hole, BO is called to the diary room

Yes, Magnificent7, sadly it does seem to be being set up as a challenge .

The colour thing is odd.

Controversy sells papers and ad space. Slow news month so everyone in the uk pretends they know what a Primary is. It's similar to the knife crime stats released this week. We're al lterrified that we're going to be stabbed any minute now because the papers/TV tells us about the epidemic...when violent crime including knife crime is down over 40% in the last ten years. What the figures don't represent accurately is the shift in age of the criminal to youths from adults. Scotland has it far far worse than London, but it isn't such a good as space seller.

Unfortunately for Obama, when he's put in the spotlight, the first thing everyone comments on, apparently, is his colour. Brave, but if you're going to be remembered for your colour first, rather than your politics, send a tape and a cut out of yourself. Let them shoot that.

The sooner we let him be a Man, rather than a Black Man, the sooner we'll reach equality.

Do you think those blue and red rosettes look like targets...

i think it is a landmark time for america and world though, that there is now (as in its taken this long!) a black or mixed race candidate for president,
i see bo race comments it in similar way as to hillary being commented on as a woman
woman and black people have lived in usa long time, first time either were strong candidates for presidential nomination so inevitable it would be referred to...

also knife crime is rife in london just now and so many young teenagers are dead now because of it...i dont doubt it is anywhere else..it is a change of attitude giving of hope for future and show of complete intolerance for carrying of weapons that needs to happen...

pw.. reading your post, i think of bill hicks, lenny, (ok both dead now)! but do think there are comedians in us who would say what they think and make jokes of it all
it is essential we do it
i think also that the asassination jokes are in part due to other comparisons of jfk and bo though and they change they seemed to represent, fashionable wives, new era hopes.. ...
bo worries me now, the iran thing wtf..
arrrgghhh

I think it is a landmark time. And in equality terms, if either was elected it would mean a great deal for sticking to your beliefs and achieving a once impossible goal. Need to stick to the real point though and that is running the most powerful nation in the world. The colour/gender thing is really of only small detail. Margaret Thatcher showed that a woman can wield power and use it constructively, possibly more firmly than any male counterparts. Hilary already has a history with the public, and I'm not sure if I don't think she already ran the Presidency from behind Bill whilst he did his own thing.

Like I said, Barak is a brave man, and I admire his courage in a situation where he has a fantastically important job to do, knowing that regardless of colour he's a target, and because of colour he's a bigger target for a more spineless reason. His wife must be going through hell supporting him.

To be fair, politicians have always been the butt of everyones jokes since time began. I don't think what was said on the radio was offensive so much as sensitive. We all know the risk, likelihood, but a lot wouldn't dare say it. It's not a race thing either. Anyone remember the Eddy Murphy sketch from his first live DVD ? About goofing around and voting for a black president. The next morning everyone woke up and said "He f**king won?". Then he does a presidential speech running round the stage ducking and dodging bullets. 1984 that was so it's been a long time coming but the sentiments have changed much.

Knife crime is a whole other subject so i'm not getting into it here anymore, it's just too sad and too difficult.