User:Violetriga/inprogress/Offensive comments by famous people

Offensive comments made by famous people have resulted in some very serious consequences, ranging from the loss of their own job to the instigation of violence. While some people have chosen to make such comments knowing exactly what the ramifications would be, others have been totally unaware of the offense that their words would cause. On some occassions the remarks were never intended to be made public but were accidentally broadcast (usually because of a microphone gaffe) or leaked.

There are many comments by a wide range of people that could easily be perceived as being offensive. However, while some remarks have quickly been forgotten others have had ramifications that lasted for years and that had a profound effect.

Broadcasters
Ron Atkinson, a well-known football broadcaster and former player and manager, made an offensive reference to a player in April 2004. Speaking of Chelsea defender Marcel Desailly after the team's defeat he said "He's what's known in some schools as a fucking lazy thick nigger." The microphone was open to some countries in the Middle East, with UK broadcasts having already finished. Atkinson was forced to resign his position at ITV and left his role as a columnist at The Guardian by mutual agreement.

On 8 August 2006 former cricketer and Australian Network Ten sports commentator Dean Jones said "the terrorist has got another wicket" when Proteas fielder Amla caught Kumar Sangakkara during a match between South Africa and Sri Lanka. Jones claimed he thought the microphone was off and made prompt formal apologies but was sacked from his post.

Comedians
Comedy can sometimes be intentionally used to make offensive comments for the sake of a joke. The acts of cringe comedians play on the awkwardness caused by making such comments. In other situations a joke may be made that was not intended to cause offense but, through unfortunate circumstances, is taken badly.

The film The Aristocrats includes footage of Gilbert Gottfried's telling of the famously-offensive The Aristocrats joke at a Comedy Central/Friars Club roast of Hugh Hefner. Taped not long after the September 11 terrorist attacks, the incident occurred at a time when, according to one of the commentators in the Aristocrats film, entertainers were uncertain how much comedy was allowed in the aftermath of the attacks. Gottfried was booed when he began his performance with a 9/11-related joke ("Sorry I'm late - my plane had a connection with the Empire State Building") and, in response, told an obscenity-filled rendition of the Aristocrats joke. According to the film, the telling was as much a cathartic experience for the audience as it was a shocking one, regardless of whether viewers were familiar with the joke or not. During his performance, Gottfried told the audience "They might have to clean this up for TV" - the joke was edited out entirely when the roast was later broadcast on Comedy Central.

Pope Benedict XVI
The Pope Benedict XVI Islam controversy began when Pope Benedict XVI gave a lecture titled "Faith, Reason and the University — Memories and Reflections" on 12 September 2006 at the University of Regensburg in Germany, where he was previously a professor of theology.

The lecture has been subject to much condemnation, criticism and support by political and religious authorities, particularly Benedict's usage of the quotation: Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached. The quote originated from a 1391 dialogue between the "erudite Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus" and an unnamed "educated Persian", touching on such issues as forced conversion, holy war, and the relationship between faith and reason.

And then, to prove him correct, Palestinians bombed and engaged in shootings against five churches in the West Bank and Gaza.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is well-known in Britain for cracking jokes during public visits that can come across as blunt, insensitive, and racist.

Example incidents include:
 * Speaking to a driving instructor in Scotland, he asked: "How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to get them through the test?".
 * When visiting China in 1986, he told a group of British students, "If you stay here much longer, you'll all be slitty-eyed".
 * After accepting a gift from a Kenyan citizen he replied, "You are a woman, aren't you?"
 * "If it has four legs and is not a chair, has wings and is not an aeroplane, or swims and is not a submarine, the Cantonese will eat it." (1986)