Daphne Anson: Aussie Academic Slams Broadcasters' Holocaust "Joke"

Eretz Israel is our unforgettable historic homeland...The Jews who will it shall achieve their State...And whatever we attempt there for our own benefit will redound mightily and beneficially to the good of all mankind. (Theodor Herzl, DerJudenstaat, 1896)

We offer peace and amity to all the neighbouring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all. The State of Israel is ready to contribute its full share to the peaceful progress and development of the Middle East. (From Proclamation of the State of Israel, 5 Iyar 5708; 14 May 1948)

With a liberal democratic political system operating under the rule of law, a flourishing market economy producing technological innovation to the benefit of the wider world, and a population as educated and cultured as anywhere in Europe or North America, Israel is a normal Western country with a right to be treated as such in the community of nations.... For the global jihad, Israel may be the first objective. But it will not be the last. (Friends of Israel Initiative)

Friday, 10 August 2012

Aussie Academic Slams Broadcasters' Holocaust "Joke"

"Dude, if you don't like the show, just don't listen. It's profoundly easy." Thus tweeted Melbourne Triple J radio host Tom Ballard in response to a listener's outrage regarding a sick segment in the radio show he co-hosts with Alex Dyson which makes fun out of the extermination camps of the Final Solution.

As Dr Dvir Abramovich, Director of the Centre for Jewish History and Culture at the University of Melbourne, writes:

"Maybe Tom and Alex can explain to us what is remotely funny about the gassing of millions of men, women and children and the burning of their bodies?

Perhaps if the two visited the death camps of Auschwitz, where 1.5 million people were exterminated, where mothers with their babies clutched to their breasts went into the gas chambers, they could enlighten us about the humour in it.

What right do Tom and Alex have to re-traumatise survivors [of whom there are many in Melbourne, although of course their numbers steadily dwindle from year to year] and trample on their feelings? They, and the producers of the show, should have known that the horrors of the Holocaust must be approached with respect and sensitivity and that there is nothing funny about Hitler.

Would they have made played the same game if their grandparents, parents, siblings or uncles were executed and their naked corpses incinerated in the ovens?"

Ballard has since issued an apology, but as Abramovich observes:

"Triple J may think that any publicity is good publicity and will lure listeners. But yesterday's hurtful and sickening prank showcases a disturbing abdication of responsible judgment and a troubling lack of sensitivity.

Was there not a single person to tell them that this was a terrible idea, that there was no humour to be milked from mass murder, that trivialising genocide for outrageous comic pay-off is inexcusable and will be a kick in the stomach to survivors?"

3 comments:

Empress Trudy11 August 2012 at 01:38
They are neo nazis with a friendly face and should be driven from the air forever. They need to be called out and branded for what they are and it has to be ceaseless until they are permanently unemployed and unemployable in all media forever.
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Juniper in the Desert11 August 2012 at 05:46
See how the boot fits on the other foot: braodcast a joke in which this nazi's children and parents are blown up in a terrorist attack. Then watch the fit hit the shan! One rule for Jews...
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