Kiwi comedian Raybon Kan was under fire last night for linking the Holocaust to All Black sponsor adidas and Auckland's Rugby World Cup travel woes.
Kan said online: "Maybe adidas should run Auckland public transport. Nice German company. They should know how to load thousands on to trains."
When asked to explain what he meant, Kan said: "Oh, it's just a joke about World War II. Well, you know, it's just a Nazi joke. It's a joke in the context of all the transport issues that were happening.
"I'm not a politician, I'm a comedian," he added.
About six million Jewish people were killed under Germany's Nazi regime. Many died on crowded trains on the way to concentration camps.
Kan said he had not had any complaints. "You're looking for offence that hasn't happened. I invite those people to email me," he said.
There is nothing funny about the Holocaust, and Kan's joke wasn't even a particularly good one. I'm not sure why he continues to try to defend what he said.
This just reinforces my belief that if you say something stupid and unjustifiable, you should just own up and admit your error.
Had Kan just said "Oh my God, did I really say that? What an idiot I am", this would not be a story.
But people will be angered by the attempts of a public figure to justify what cannot be defended.
Update: Both David Farrar and the Dim-Post's Danyl say that Holocaust jokes are okay. They are much more widely read than I, so they must be right.
To be honest, I don't think that people will be angered by this.
ReplyDeleteThey might think it an unfunny, inappropriate joke but I can't imagine people getting risen to anger by it. Most people have more important things in their lives to worry about.
I understand Raybon has Chinese heritage. Chinese and Chinese immigrants were targets of eugenic policies and practices worldwide (along with lots of other groups) of which the holocaust is just the most famous manifestation. The targets of the Nazis were anyone 'other' ie Jewish, gay, disabled, and non German people. So it could be seen as a reclaiming or insider joke by Raybon, in which case entirely justified.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he was channeling his inner dickhead. Dickheads have, after all, been maligned throughout history.
ReplyDeleteIn reply to the bmk:
ReplyDeleteTotally agree. The good people of New Zealand simply cannot comprehend the horror of ethnocide. They tend to rationalize it - them Jews got to be guilty of something"...
In reply to the Onanimus:
Nevertheless, as the classic has said, "Only Jews were killed because they were Jewish".
There's someone else who he's upset too...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99OwdDPYarY
Don't see any problem with the joke
ReplyDelete