Lars von Trier dishes up Hitler sympathy at Cannes

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What can I say? I understand Hitler, but I think he did some wrong things, yes, absolutely. But I can see him sitting in his bunker in the end. He’s not what you would call a good guy, but I understand much about him, and I sympathize with him a little bit. But come on, I’m not for the Second World War, and I’m not against Jews. I am very much for Jews. No, not too much, because Israel is a pain in the ass. How can I get out of this sentence? … OK, I’m a Nazi.
Lars von Trier • Giving a pretty good impression of verbal self-destruction in just a handful of seconds. Von Trier has already apologized for this dispiriting and horrible speech, on the heels of organizers of the Cannes Film Festival, which von Trier was speaking at when he let this slip, called his performance “disturbing.” source

Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Mar 2011 15:29

It was a social crime … In a highly-publicized incident, fashion designer John Galliano was captured on film saying “I love Hitler,” an anti-Jewish sentiment that cost him his job with Christian Dior and drew the public ire of none less than their Oscar-winning spokeswoman Natalie Portman. Galliano has apologized for the incident, but the damage has already been done.
… but is it a legal crime? Galliano will be forced to stand trial in Paris over his remarks. French law designates that incitement of racial hatred is a crime, and Galliano could face six months in prison. Obviously racism is abhorrent and deleterious to society, but the idea of going to prison for what Galliano did seems like a pretty good illustration of the First Amendment’s beauty. source

Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

I was referring to Chuck by his real name, because I wanted to address the man and not the @(!&%$(! persona.
Charlie Sheen • Explaining why he called his “Two and a Half Men” boss, Chuck Lorre, by his Jewish name, Chaim Levine. Not that this is going to appease Jewish groups. “By invoking television producer Chuck Lorre’s Jewish name in the context of an angry tirade against him,” says Anti-Defamation League national director Abraham H. Foxman, “Charlie Sheen left the impression that another reason for his dislike of Mr. Lorre is his Jewishness.” Hey Charlie, may we offer a word of advice for you? You know why you don’t really see Mel Gibson in many movies these days? It’s because he said things like this. source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

Don’t get us wrong. What she said was offensive. It was worth dismissal. But then again, it was one terrible, damaging statement in a career which ranks up there with some of journalism’s greatest. As Twitter user Michael Markman notes, Michael Savage and Glenn Beck have said things nearly as offensive before lunch, and they get to keep their jobs. And now it’s over. Just like that. It’s not fair that she didn’t get to quit on her own terms. Let’s not remember her career for this gaffe but the 50 years that came before it. She deserves it. source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 11 Comments • Permalink

Seriously, dude? Seriously? Sometimes, it’s probably best to cut your losses and just admit you screwed up, and in the case of the Vatican, they’re well past that point. During a Good Friday service, Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa, who has served as preacher for the Papal household since 1980, made the questionable comparison of the Vatican’s troubles to the 2,000-plus-years-strong pains of Jews. We’re mere inches away from a Nazi comparison, at which point Godwin’s Law kicks in – for the Vatican?! source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink