Anger over Jimmy Carrs' War Amputee Joke

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I just think - what are these people thinking at times - very ill placed and thought out - these men and women are out there fighting and he thinks it's funny when they come back severely injured???
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/6427618/Anger-over-Jimmy-Carrs-joke-about-war-amputees.html
 
I agree he is way out of order! These brave men and women must have to have a sense of humour to get through the terrible injuries. Did you watch "Wounded"? Was on ITV (?) last month. Was a terrific programme, had me crying my eyes out one minute and laughing hysterically the next. These incredible young men and women deserve respect.
 
I agree it was a totally inappropriate and insensitive joke to make. However, I don't actually think it was an attempt to 'dis' or humilate the amputees at all, as he was actually referring to soldier's level of fitness and physical prowess. That said, I still think it was an idiotic thing to say and totally without any thought to the feelings of the amputees and their families.
 
I agree TGM, I don't think it was intended as an insult. Idiotic? I am not actually sure. Yes it's horrible the injuries that some of these men and women have sustained BUT when you join an army and are sent to war (one of the things the army do have to do!) then it's a risk you takes.

Plus, I am quite sure just because these soldiers have lost limbs that they also lose their sense of humour?! Who knows, maybe Carr could have something there. Maybe it's something these soldiers or some of them could work towards. Of course I am never going to fully understand what it's like unless it happened to me but I would like to think I'd be able to laugh at myself and make the most of what I had. After all it's noone's fault it happened is it.
 
I suspect it was more a comment on the futility of the wars that we are involved in, and a back handed slap at the government. However, it was very bady put - and will have caused widespread offence.

Having watched a programme a few weeks ago which followed two young lads who had suffered the most appalling injuries in Afganistan, I have nothing but admiration for these lads.

The spirit and determination to overcome the most terrible odds that had been thrown at them was truly humbling.
 
I suspect, and I could be wrong, that this is very much an in joke amongst the amputees themselves - soldiers are very good at bringing humour to difficult situations. However it has not translated well to the performance environment.
 
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I suspect, and I could be wrong, that this is very much an in joke amongst the amputees themselves - soldiers are very good at bringing humour to difficult situations. However it has not translated well to the performance environment.

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I agree with you.
I did see a bit on tv not so long ago (can't remember whether it was the news or regional programme) where some of the soldiers who had amputated limbs or other severe disability were actually training for the paralympics. The shot they showed was in a swimming pool. So I can't actually see where the joke is - when it is fact.
 
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I suspect, and I could be wrong, that this is very much an in joke amongst the amputees themselves - soldiers are very good at bringing humour to difficult situations. However it has not translated well to the performance environment.

[/ QUOTE ] I think you have summed it up pretty well there. I had the same thought myself about the origins of the 'joke'. However, very foolish for Carr not to realise that it wouldn't be well received as part of his show - surely he must have realised what a furore it would cause?
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Or perhaps he did, and was working on the basis of there is not such thing as 'bad publicity'!
 
My first thought was it was probably the sort of joke the soldiers would make amongst themselves, but from the comments from serving soldiers in the article it would appear it has offended them, so therefore I agree is in poor taste. The programme " Wounded" left me feeling so humble, it was also the catalyst for those of us doing the big HHO dog walk for Help for Heroes, anyone who wants to join in have a look at the posts in the dog section.
 
All I'll say is if you take offence at all at anything - don't go and see Jimmy Carr!!! Much of his comedy is like that and it's not intended in a nasty way at all. I've heard him come out with far worse (regularly) and his shows always carry warnings about the sort of humour he does.
 
A servicemans view.
My husband is a serving soldier of over 20 years and has served in Iraq, Bosnia and kosovo and we have lost friends and have close friends out in Afghanistan now (we worry about them all the time) I have just read this out to OH and he just shook his head and said disgraceful amongst other unrepeatables!!!!!!
 
My husband is also in the Forces. He along with many other Forces friends enjoy Jimmy Carr (as do I). Like most things it's not to everyone's taste but of course none of it is meant in offence. He actually does a lot for charity and I believe visits military hospitals in support.
 
Jimmy Carr borders on offending everybody all the time. You watch him knowing every so often something he says will make you think, "Good God, you can't say that". If you can't deal with that, its best just not to watch him.
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As above Jimmy Carr says a huge number of things that could be taken as seriously out of order. However he is a comic and if you are going to have a sense of humour failure, best not to watch

I also think he had a point - from what I've seen the service people affected are some of the most brave, determined people you could meet and being extremely fit, they will probably produce some terrific paraolympians.
 
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All I'll say is if you take offence at all at anything - don't go and see Jimmy Carr!!! Much of his comedy is like that and it's not intended in a nasty way at all. I've heard him come out with far worse (regularly) and his shows always carry warnings about the sort of humour he does.

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Absolutely! This was comedy, and as anyone knows, a joke taken out of context simply isn't funny anyway. Also, this was a live show, not on tv - it is not as if we can all be offended from the comfort of our own homes; we have to seek out the insults! FWIW, I thought it was a funny gag. JC has made jokes about other risque subjects, so I have no idea why this one was picked on. I presume everyone who complained mourns the passing of comedians like Bernard Manning. It wasn't like he was taking the p*ss - what he said was actually valid. He is a regular visitor to Headley Court and is well liked by the injured soldiers.
 
Having read the story, my thought's on the joke was 'Is that it!?' To me that is exactly the sort of joke soldiers make anyway. And besides, having seen Jimmy Carr gig that is seriously tame compared to a lot of his jokes.
 
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My first thought was it was probably the sort of joke the soldiers would make amongst themselves, but from the comments from serving soldiers in the article it would appear it has offended them, so therefore I agree is in poor taste. The programme " Wounded" left me feeling so humble, it was also the catalyst for those of us doing the big HHO dog walk for Help for Heroes, anyone who wants to join in have a look at the posts in the dog section.

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Good work Murphys Minder promoting the HHO Big Dog Walk
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My first thought was also that this was the kind of joke servicemen might make themselves, and TBH I still think it is, but I guess there is a difference in making a joke about yourself and having someone make it about you. I doubt he meant to cause huge offence but he obviously has
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It states in the article that Jimmy Carr has visited injured soldiers in hospital & at Hedley Court, hardly the actions of a man who doesn't respect soldiers.
The joke is actually about the strength & athleticism of the injured people he's met.
That sort of gallows homour is common amonst soldiers so I suspect this is a joke he heard whilst visiting them.
The only bad thing about this is the fact that he's probably nicked sombody else's joke!
 
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A lot of fuss about nothing - the soldiers themselves make much worse jokes, believe me!

My eldest is nicknamed 'Billy' as in 'Billy no mates' as his first best friend was killed in Iraq and his second lost a leg in Afghanistan. The lads joke that they don't want to be his friend or they will be next.

My lads found Jimmy Carrs joke hilarious.
 
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If it were your family member and possibly breadwinner that lost a limb or limbs and life as you knew it was gone, would you be making a joke about it? I think not!!!!

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For a lot of people humour is a coping mechanism, but judging by some of the responses to this thread I guess it doesn't work for everybody.
 
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If it were your family member and possibly breadwinner that lost a limb or limbs and life as you knew it was gone, would you be making a joke about it? I think not!!!!

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Someone, somewhere, is always going to be going through something that makes a joke, or a song, or a carless reference, especially painful for them. It happens to all of us, but that doesn't mean we should be silenced. It just means that sometimes, we don't find things funny.
 
As I said, it's one thing making a joke about something yourself, among people that get it - such as other servicemen and women. But it's often a totally different thing having an 'outsider' make the same joke.

I don't think Jimmy Carr would have meant to upset servicemen with this, but in the end he is not, and as far as I know has never been, in the forces, so in this case he is an outsider.

Personally I am not offended by it, but if servicemen have been offended by it I defend their right to feel annoyed by this!
 
yes but are they offended by this? Or as usual a load of people jump on the bandwagon becaues they thenk they are going to be offended. Offending someone is a subjective thing, and I happen to know a lot of squaddies who think this is funny!

I believe Jimmy Carr visited some injured soldiers the week before, so surely he wouldn't have made a joke like this if he thought they would be upset. I expect when he was there somone mentioned the paralympics themselves anyway which is where he got the idea from.
 
The most off colour jokes I have heard have been out of the mouths of men serving in the army. They make awful jokes about one another, injuries, death, torture - far worse than the joke that has received such a bashing here. It is in part a coping mechanism with things that have happened to themselves and to their friends, and also a way of dealing with fears. It might not make sense to outsiders, but my guess is most military men and women would not take offence at it - the top brass have to condemn it, it is their job to, but I don't think it was said with any malice, and don't have an issue with it.
 
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She said: "I hope Jimmy Carr realises that these soldiers have lost their limbs fighting, before he makes jokes like that. Soldiers are fighting for freedom of speech. I hope Mr Carr remembers that when he makes offensive jokes ridiculing them.

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Oh, the irony.
 
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