Comedy sketch mocking dying children

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

Australian 'Crappers will already know what I'm about to post here, but I'm posting this for the benefit of everyone else.

The following YouTube video features members of Australian comedy troupe The Chaser, who gained worldwide recognition from breaking into a restricted area at the APEC summit in Sydney with fake IDs and an Osama bin Laden costume. I believe their show, The Chaser's War On Everything, is playing on the G4 network in America.

Last week, they played the following sketch on their show. This was a dark parody of the real-life Make-A-Wish Foundation charity.



Most people, including our Prime Minister, have collectively gone and gotten their flaming torches and pitchforks and condemned this sketch beyond all recognition. The show is now on hiatus, basically on the verge on cancellation.

So 'Crappers, what are your thoughts on this? In a world where necrophilia, colonoscopy re-enactments and speaking ill of the dead were fair game, does mocking sick children take it too far?

[Yami Daimao]

John Cena disapproves.

Anyways, didn't Dave Chappelle do a similar sketch on Chappelle's Show? Where him and a sick kid are playing a basketball video game, and Dave completely owns the kid in the game, while talking down on his poor playing skills, with the kid eventually DYING?

[G✇JI☈A]

The show won't get cancelled. It rates too well for that.

And the people should remember... Well I will let comedian David Cross explain:

(LANGAUGE WARNING)

[Phosphor Glow]

That was pretty goddamn hilarious, I gotta say.

[The Line]

as long as they're not making fun of dying children to their faces, I see no problem with it.

[Blindkarevik]

That's awesome.

To me, it's less making fun of dying children, as it's making fun of the Make-A-Wish foundation. Only saying something along the lines of "What If The Make-A-Wish Foundation had its funding cut?" or something....

[Jay Peas 42]

Yeah, comedy today seems to feed on breaking taboos. The best thing to do is ignore them, or at the very least, no sell. On the other hand, I don't think it's that great of an idea to just surrender the culture to them either.

[Vice honcho room temperature]

That wasn't as bad as the build up was making it

[Brother Coyote]

Jun 5, 2009 22:38:49 GMT -5 Phosphor Glow said:

That was pretty goddamn hilarious, I gotta say.

Yea, not only did I think it was funny but when I saw the thread title I said "I'm THERE" out loud. So I may just be their target audience.

[YellowJacketY2J]

I didn't find it all that bad, honestly.

I can see how it's offensive, but I've seen worse.

[Paul Servo]

Why is Christian Finnigan's new CD/DVD being promoted with that clip?

Anyway, given Craig Kilbourn did "comedy" mocking cancer nothing surprises me anymore

[The Summer of Muskrat XVII]

I'm gonna be honest, I laughed when "BASEketball" made the same joke in 1997. And I laughed when Dave Chappelle did it in 2004 (or 2005 not sure) so I don't see what the big issue is. It's not like this is new ground.


It's like me ripping off a Carlin joke from the 80's and people getting mad at me like no one famous has ever done the same thing

[Childish Gambino]

There is so much outrage becuase of previous controversial skits just building up and up. The Chaser has been suspended for two weeks cos of this sketch. You know what I think? If you don't like it, don't watch it. Pretty easy yeah

[El Cokehead del Knife Fight]

I honestly think that, while it probably shouldn't have been done, how can people honestly be surprised by this?

[Maidpool w/ Cleaning Action]

Were those real sick kids, or actors playing sick kids? Because if they were actors they weren't mocking any kids. They, were spoofing Make-A-Wish.

[Insomniac]

That last line was great. I see nothing wrong with it at all. I'm a big fan of dark humor.

[Maidpool w/ Cleaning Action]

Jun 6, 2009 1:26:24 GMT -5 Insomniac said:

That last line was great. I see nothing wrong with it at all. I'm a big fan of dark humor.

There has been tons of parodies of this kind of thing in the past. I don't get all the hoopla.

[Phosphor Glow]

Jun 6, 2009 1:28:35 GMT -5 Maidpool w/ Cleaning Action said:

Jun 6, 2009 1:26:24 GMT -5 Insomniac said:

That last line was great. I see nothing wrong with it at all. I'm a big fan of dark humor.

There has been tons of parodies of this kind of thing in the past. I don't get all the hoopla.

Ditto. I don't see anything wrong with this at all.

[Maidpool w/ Cleaning Action]

Jun 6, 2009 1:29:48 GMT -5 Phosphor Glow said:

Jun 6, 2009 1:28:35 GMT -5 Maidpool w/ Cleaning Action said:

There has been tons of parodies of this kind of thing in the past. I don't get all the hoopla.

Ditto. I don't see anything wrong with this at all.

The Dave Chappelle skit mentioned earlier was infact the first thing that popped in my head.

[thesam07]

I watched that episode. Besides that sketch, there was a good one about C.M. Coolidge paintings.
Personally, I think the sketch is tame. Sure, I think the last line went a bit too far and if I knew someone in "Make A Wish" I probably wouldn't feel the same way. But people have to realise it's a COMEDY show. Not a Current Affairs program. They make jokes and most of the time The Chaser make jokes for shock value.
I just hope they don't get cancelled. Too many great comedies have allready been taken away from us, meanwhile they air "2 and a half men" all the god damn time on Channel 9, and thats just a watered down "Are you being served?"