Mob Logic Video Response Challenge

[Steve Nelson]

Jared pointed out to me that the fine folks at MobLogic (my favorite podcast) have teamed up with NNN's Veracifier to present a Video Response Challenge on the topic of the popular video known as "Achmed the Dead Terrorist" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uwOL4rB-go).

Use your filmmaking skills to tell Lindsay Campbell (my favorite person on Earth) what you think about it by posting a video response to her request video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTnYStiYW3A&feature=user).

I'm gonna make one!

[atomic9studios]

she has no friggen sense of humor

[WesScog]

My Saudi friend thinks the Achmed the Dead terrorist video is hilarious.

Her response was, "You mean she thinks no Terrorists wear turbans or have weird accents?"

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/3793/120osama20bin20ladencv9.jpg

I mean the puppet is basically a caricature of Osama Bin Laden, I think it's pretty funny, Dunham is a really talented ventriloquist.

I mean, does she have a reason why she thinks it's racist or fear-mongering specifically? Because I don't know, it really doesn't bother me, he makes fun of Jews and Catholics and Lindsey Lohan, I don't really see it as an attack on Muslims. I have heard far far worse, and this is pretty tame stuff as far as comedy goes.

It would bother me if a politician was saying this, but this is a comedian, nobody takes Dunham seriously, he has a puppet. If you hold a puppet, no one takes you seriously.

I could walk around saying I was going to assassinate Stephen Harper, and as long as I was holding a puppet, everyone would just laugh.

[sonnyfromda02]

I personally thought that whole Jeff Dunham special was funny.










Puch!

[Spleg]

I think comedians should be free to say what they like and be able to make fun of everybody, although personally I didn't find it at all funny.

[glmclainmovies]

I don't find him very funny but I don't think he's racist

[Steve Nelson]

My Saudi friend thinks the Achmed the Dead terrorist video is hilarious.

Her response was, "You mean she thinks no Terrorists wear turbans or have weird accents?"

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/3793/120osama20bin20ladencv9.jpg

I mean the puppet is basically a caricature of Osama Bin Laden, I think it's pretty funny, Dunham is a really talented ventriloquist.

I mean, does she have a reason why she thinks it's racist or fear-mongering specifically? Because I don't know, it really doesn't bother me, he makes fun of Jews and Catholics and Lindsey Lohan, I don't really see it as an attack on Muslims. I have heard far far worse, and this is pretty tame stuff as far as comedy goes.

It would bother me if a politician was saying this, but this is a comedian, nobody takes Dunham seriously, he has a puppet. If you hold a puppet, no one takes you seriously.

I could walk around saying I was going to assassinate Stephen Harper, and as long as I was holding a puppet, everyone would just laugh.

I would HARDLY say terrorists can only be found wearing such stereotypical garb or sporting silly accents. There are "terrorists" who were born in the USA, England, and Spain respectively. Have you heard of the Liberty City 7?

I think him being a comedian is WORSE than him being a politician. That's part of the reason it has so many views.

I definitely don't find the video funny, and that's not because I feel any anger towards Dunham. It's just stupid.

But it does further the belief that anyone with a turban and an accent is a terrorist. And that a terrorist wants nothing but to kill people. Which is oversimplifying a very complicated situation. It's irresponsible that he would do such a thing for a few cheap laughs.

[screamingdeathpunchpictures]

I would HARDLY say terrorists can only be found wearing such stereotypical garb or sporting silly accents. There are "terrorists" who were born in the USA, England, and Spain respectively. Have you heard of the Liberty City 7?

I think him being a comedian is WORSE than him being a politician. That's part of the reason it has so many views.

I definitely don't find the video funny, and that's not because I feel any anger towards Dunham. It's just stupid.

But it does further the belief that anyone with a turban and an accent is a terrorist. And that a terrorist wants nothing but to kill people. Which is oversimplifying a very complicated situation. It's irresponsible that he would do such a thing for a few cheap laughs.
Thank you Steve for saying essentially what I was going to type out. I don't find Dunham very funny either and it's not because I'm a leftist who adheers to the PC culture of altruism but because I find the humor unintelligent. Steve got it totally right saying he's oversimplifying such a complicated situation. Kudos to Steve.

[WesScog]

I would HARDLY say terrorists can only be found wearing such stereotypical garb or sporting silly accents. There are "terrorists" who were born in the USA, England, and Spain respectively. Have you heard of the Liberty City 7?

I think him being a comedian is WORSE than him being a politician. That's part of the reason it has so many views.

I definitely don't find the video funny, and that's not because I feel any anger towards Dunham. It's just stupid.

But it does further the belief that anyone with a turban and an accent is a terrorist. And that a terrorist wants nothing but to kill people. Which is oversimplifying a very complicated situation. It's irresponsible that he would do such a thing for a few cheap laughs.

No, they can't ONLY be found wearing Turbans and talking with funny accents, but most of the ones Americans have had to deal with, have been able to be comparable to this character.

Would it be better if the character was named O'Brannigan and was an drunken Irish terrorist? Or was a Chechen? I mean, are ANY terrorists ok to ridicule? Or only the ones that look like WASPs?

But this character, is obviously a caricature of Osama Bin Laden, one of the premier terrorist leaders in the world. I don't see how anyone could associate this as being something that could make the average person go, "You know what, All A-Rabs are teerrrorists."

Anybody that could be inspired to stereotype people based on a comedy act, involving a skeleton puppet, has something bigger wrong with them to begin with, and shouldn't be allowed to watch television, much less comedy acts.

And no, thats true, terrorists don't JUST want to kill people, they want to spread TERROR. Ridiculing them, in all forms, is one way to attack their message, they deserve to be ridiculed, and made fun of. People not taking them seriously, and not being afraid of them, is one step towards defeating them, the less serious people take their message, the less likely people are to consider them a serious threat.

We did the same thing with the Nazis, we made caricatures of them, our comedians ridiculed them, and we even had Bugs Bunny fighting them.

I don't see a difference between use attacking the Nazis with comedy, and use attacking terrorists with comedy, terrorists, of all sorts, Black, White, Brown, Purple, Orange, Polka-Dotted, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Jedi, whatever, all deserve to be ridiculed and humiliated, and just because this guy might lack some finesse or subtly, I don't think he is fear mongering or being bigoted.

[nooneimportant77]

I didn't think the video was very funny. I smiled once or twice, but overall, it was pretty stupid.

[WesScog]

Stupid, for sure, this wasn't high-brow comedy by any reach of the imagination, but was it bigoted?

I mean, if we were going to decry a comedian everytime we thought they were stupid, Mencia and Dane Cook wouldn't even have jobs. But a lot of people like silly/stupid comedy, I think it's a matter of personal taste.

[nooneimportant77]

Well yeah, it'll always boil down to personal taste. Which is why this whole "tell me what YOU think" thing is also sort of stupid. As though there's a right answer. No matter what someone will like it, and someone will hate it, and you'll have all kinds of idiots inbetween.

If you ask me the only thing that can prove its a good video is the fact that that guy sold out that venue, is/was probably on TV, and the video has so many views.

It's like when people complain about hating someone like Jessica Simpson. She's obviously famous, which means enough people like her, enough people that one person bitching abou not liking her dosn't matter. I don't like her, but I can respect the fact that weather I like her or not, she's pretty freakin famous, last time I checked anyway. She cares what we think... all the way to the bank.

No, it's not the first time I've used that example.

[jared]

you know, i've seen it and people have emailed it to me to watch and ultimately what makes me dismiss it is a recognition of pandering over passion.
that's what makes his skit come across as inept or stupid to me.
now this is only me stating my subtle preferences, but it's why i thoroughly enjoyed "not another teen movie" and wanted kidnap the makers of "epic movie" and slowly dissolve their bodies in an acidbath.

[HunnyBunchFilms]

I find his comedy funny. I don't think the puppet is being racist or anything its just making fun of a stereotype. I mean he also has a talking jalapeno pepper puppet with a really bad Mexican accent. I don't see anybody going crazy over that puppet. Also that puppet doesn't offend me (I'm hispanic). Again its not like Dunham is a politician spewing hate. It's just a comedian picking fun at stereotypes. Anybody who bases their world views on a puppet should really get their priorities straight.