Friday, August 26, 2016
Comedian Fined $42,000 by Human Rights Tribunal for Telling a Joke
Canadian comedian Mike Ward was fined a whopping $42,000 by Quebec’s Human Rights Tribunal for jokes he made about a disabled boy.
The child, Jérémy Gabriel, who suffers from Treacher Collins Syndrome, is a bit of a national celebrity in Canada after he sung for the pope in 2006 essentially because everyone thought he did not have long to live. Ward’s joke was a rant about how the child was supposed to die, that he “stole a wish” and is unkillable. Sure, not in great taste, but certainly not in violation of the kid’s “human rights.”
His joke was never televised, but after he talked about the bit in an interview, Gabriel’s parents found out and dragged the comedian to the human rights tribunal last month. He fought the fine, but lost in court.
Ward told Spiked that he plans to appeal the decision, and if that fails, will try to bring the case to the Supreme Court. “If I lose that I’ll just move to Syria or Saudi Arabia, or some other country that respects free speech as much as Canada does,” he said.
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4 comments:
Canada used to be a great country.
"Freedom of speech" does not mean "freedom from repercussions of that speech."
Ward made comments about a kid that he thought the was a "Make a Wish Kid" and 5 years later the "kid won't die." Ward even said that he thought the kid should be killed and even tried to drown the kid himself.
The direct and foreseeable results of Ward's recklessness was that the kid was bullied at school, driving him to the point of suicide. The kid and family claim that the kid's singing career was harmed because he was the butt of statements made by Ward.
Even if Ward wants to claim that the "jokes" weren't meant to harm the kid, they did. When he was told about the harm initially, Ward continued to make the jokes in his standup routine and therefore knowingly causing a 15 year old kid even more abuse and harm.
Just because Human Rights Commissions get many things wrong doesn't mean they don't get somethings right once in awhile.
They got this one right. Ward slandered the kid, knowingly and repeatedly causing the kid harm to his reputation.
Even in the US, this probably would hold up and rightfully so,
I think what everyone missed was the fact that the kid's vilifiers should hold their head in shame and accept responsibility for their own actions.
It may be one thing to make cruel jokes, but the actual harm done wasn't caused by the joke itself, it was made by those turds that used it as an excuse to vilify and make themselves feel superior. That's simply childish and spineless. Think on your sins, people.
These human rights fascists need to be totaly defunded and abolished or newwer more common sense persons running it
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