Serbians are so sensitive. The NY Daily News reports:
Chelsea Handler is the latest comedian being asked to apologize for an off-color routine.
On Monday’s episode of her E! late-night series “Chelsea Lately,” Handler made jokes about Serbians in a segment related to Amy Winehouse’s recent disastrous concert in Serbia. “Along with Chris Franjola, Natasha Leggero, and Greg Proops, Ms. Handler for 3 straight minutes ruthlessly attacked Serbia and its people,” it says on a Facebook page calling for a boycott of the star until she apologizes on air. Handler and her panel, as well as the audience, laughed as she said she didn’t know Serbians were allowed to attend concerts. Handler’s “worst comment” implied that “Serbia and its people are a shame and disappointment.” “For the sake of trying to seem comical, these ‘comedians’ have viciously attacked Serbia and its people,” the post continued. “Their attempt at comedy has horrendously failed, and instead turned into outright hate speech!” The page, liked by more than 27,000 people, also urges a boycott of NBC Universal and the show’s sponsors, such as Panasonic and Dr. Pepper. A petition on the site change.org, which encourages people to fight for social causes, had more than 12,000 signatures as of press time. Filip Filipi, who organized the Facebook page, told The Hollywood Reporter he was “in talks” with Handler’s team about issuing an official apology.
I didn’t see the episode, but “hate speech” is probably a bit much, because “hate” implies that you care. Before Amy Winehouse’s trainwreck video surfaced, I doubt Chelsea Handler knew Serbia existed. In any case, I’m not Serbian, but I’m willing to boycott Chelsea Handler by continuing to not watch her show. Not because I was offended, but because she’s, you know, never ever funny.
