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Hyundai/Oddcast/Comedy Central Launch Unfunny Comedy Site

comedy.pngThere appears to be an insensitivity epidemic. Not only has that total jerk Don Imus insulted the Rutgers Women's Basketball Team, but now Comedy Central and Oddcast have launched the Comedy Central Comedian Constructor which lets you make a comedian avatar who tells pre-recorded jokes or uses ones that you record. It's sponsored by Hyundai. And it makes fun of homeless people. A pre-recorded message you can have your avatar say:

What's the best thing about dating homeless guys? You can drop them off anywhere."
When did homelessness become funny?

Oddcast is the brilliant company behind Monk-e-mail and several other brilliant campaigns. Which makes this slur astounding. And I have to say, after this, I won't be thinking Hyundai when I think about cars.

C'mon you guys! You gotta get that joke off the site right now!!! Homeless bashing just isn't funny.


Categories: Advertainment
BL Ochman | Apr 11 07 4:09 | TrackBack (0)

Comments

SPONSORED BY HYUNDAI? Is that a joke? (ha ha)
It should be! and the jokes's on them! Just how could any responsible company sponsor such a ridiculous, albeit not-for-funny website? Do they even speak American?

Can you say Michael (used-to-be-Kramer)Richards?

I agree this is NOT the place, NOT the time, and there is NO humor to be had. Good for you BL - someone needs to heckle them right off stage!
Bob VL

Posted by: Bob Van L at April 11, 2007 5:01 PM

Hi B.L. -
I agree that homelessness is not funny. I haven't looked at the site to see what other slurs may be lurking there, but I think the humor in this joke is supposed to come from the fact that hospitals in Los Angeles have been "dumping" homeless people (who have come to them for medical attention) at random locations just to get rid of them.

The hospitals decide that they don't want to treat the homeless person so they sneak them down to skid row in an ambulance or a taxi and drop them off. Since homeless people are, for the most part, totally powerless, hospitals figure there's no real harm in doing so as long as they don't get caught.

Great, eh?

Here's one such story: http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1761873&page=1

So it seems to me that the joke's humor is based on the fact that it's insensitive to drop off your date at a random location, and it's clearly - at least to some - disgusting to think that you can "drop off" a homeless person because you don't want the responsibility of caring for them.

The butt of the joke is the people responsible for "discharging" homeless people back onto the street.

Posted by: Mark McLaren at April 11, 2007 5:19 PM

Agree, jokes about homeless are simply shameful. Jokes against those less fortunate are easy to make, but in really poor taste; too easy to make, and a screen for nothing else about the brand to say. work harder.

Posted by: buypurina at April 11, 2007 9:17 PM

Rimshot please...Ta Ta Thisshhhh.

Bad taste.

Posted by: Buns and Chou Chou at April 12, 2007 9:53 AM

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About BL Ochman
BL Ochman
Blogger, social media strategy consultant to Fortune 500 companies, and sought-after corporate speaker B.L. Ochman heads the creative team of whatsnextonline.com. She also publishes the Ethics Crisis blog for SRF Global Translations


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