Toxic commentators 2
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- Date published:
11:38 am, May 20th, 2012 - 26 comments
Categories: accountability, Media -
Tags: paul henry, toxic
Well that didn’t take long. Paul Henry, chucked off the telly here in NZ, left for a new TV presenting role in Australia in March. Predictably:
Paul Henry slammed for asylum seeker comments
Australian TV viewers and media critics have slammed Paul Henry for “sick” remarks about asylum seekers including a suggestion they could live in linen cupboards.
The former TVNZ Breakfast show host, now a host on Channel Ten’s Breakfast programme, was commenting on a Daily Telegraph story that Australia’s federal government will pay families to temporarily house asylum seekers in their homes to help deal with increasing arrivals.
Henry said the idea could be broadened out. “I mean if this is all about saving money you could broaden it out. Why not criminals? Not murderers, but low level criminals. You could – the jails could be smaller and you could put them in homestay situations. The mentally ill. The mentally ill could go into homes.” Co-host Andrew Rochford interrupted, describing the comments as “a classic demonisation of asylum seekers”.
When Rochford said people who don’t have the room would not invite a refugee to come and live in the linen cupboard, Henry said: “That’s a good idea, 300 bucks a week for the linen cupboard. You could put – you’d want to get the linen out, wouldn’t you? Otherwise (inaudible) ‘oh, these sheets are dirty. Ergh’. “Don’t ask. These towels… (sniffs) oh no, don’t ask. We’ve got someone living in the linen cupboard kids, just don’t go in there.”
ABC TV’s Media Watch show described Henry’s comments as “sick”. “What’s sicker still is that Henry’s bosses at Ten will be delighted that their struggling little breakfast show has featured on Media Watch. If they’d had any shame, they wouldn’t have hired him in the first place,” host Jonathan Holmes said in this week’s episode.
That last paragraph contains the essence of it. Controversy makes money (just like “sex sells” and so on). Trouble is that it does so only for some (the media organisation), and it does so at a cost to society (the cost of beating up hatreds and tensions). Like a polluter making money while passing on the costs of pollution to the rest of us, a media organisation can make money while passing on the costs of hatred in the same way. It’s a tricky balance with free speech and all, but why do we put up with toxic commentators? Why don’t we demand better?
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Although it would appear that his cohost at least criticised his initial statement, rather than grinning uncomfortably alongside. Australian light entertainment hosts have more guts than our PM.
“Australian light entertainment hosts have more guts than our PM.”
LOL +100
which isn’t saying much…… johnny sparkles would be the softest cock ever to have a prime ministership handed to him on a plate ever….
so true bbf
I recall some predicting it would only be a matter of time before the Aussies said; “don’t come the raw prawn with me mate” and kicked Henry out. Where oh where will the poor media celebrity refugee go then… Siberia?
Nearly right jackal with his politics he will be welcome in Serbia
He would be a natural successor to Radovan Karadzic
He’d fit in really well in Belgrade.
I actually don’t read it as Henry mocking boat people. He was mocking the Aussie’s government’s plan of housing boat people in peoples homes.
He mocked it by the use of hyperbole by extending the example to say why not include crims and mentally ill people as well? (By mentally ill I take it to mean those who are currently in secure care)
To be honest its not really a big deal – what he said in NZ was a lot worse.
A lot of satire posts on here aimed at John Key contain a lot more extreme language/examples than what Henry said.
Hardly worth taking the time out to post on I would have thought
“Hardly worth taking the time out to post on I would have thought”
Quite right. Don’t you fucks have anything else to complain about?
I, for one, think Paul Henry is damned funny. Troll away.
Henry’s divisive comments made the news here and in Aussie… but I guess a post about how many sunglasses somebody stole is far more worthy of your “qualifications”… Paul the pillock Henry has the intellect of a five year old, perhaps why you find him funny The Contrarian.
Sunglasses? Dude, that was days ago.
Move on, buddy
I’m wondering why you think you can tell people what to do? Clearly your ego far outstrips your abilities The Contrarian… Perhaps a reason for being a mindless cheerleader of Paul Henry.
Clearly your ego far outstrips your abilities The Contrarian…
Honesty, intelligence and valor are your strong suits, Jack my man.
Dud, that was days ago. Can you point out where I’ve been dishonest The Contortionist… Or will you just start wailing about those invisible straw men again?
Mate, you’re so predictable.
“Mate, you’re so predictable.”
Oh really..Lets see…
I am thinking of a number between 1 and 10. What is it?
Its not 7
“so predictable”, not “perfectly predictable”.
As in whenever someone calls you on being an unoriginal predictable troll, you slightly misinterpret their comment (as above) in order to be able to make a trite, smug and irrelevant response.
Keep up with the caricature.
Just trying to enjoy myself.
At least wipe the keyboard clean afterwards.
Jimmie – Henry doesn’t know how to be satirical and takes the piss out of anybody vaguely vulnerable. And grading and comparing unpleasant denigrating remarks isn’t on. You are showing classic case of brutalisation of the mind when it comes to standards. Henry is completely there, please don’t try to excuse him.
here is a select audience and its politics.
thats different to airing prejudice and bigotry on the mass media.
I get the impression he has been hired by Lachie to stir up the ratings. There is quite a long tradition of that. Nevertheless, he will have to watch his back if he walks down a dark alley after a few drinks.
There is a name for people like him over there – ‘a comet’ .. shines brightly for a while then disappears.
Paul Henry………the closest thing to Glen Beck this side of the USA.
Unashamedly vicious and possessed by an extraordinary narcissism.
The wicked thing is that were he to read this likely he would clap his fine wee hands together in a breathless, exhilarated way and effeminately screech/giggle like a schoolgirl bully, pleased as punch at the hurt she’s caused.
Giggle on Pauline.
I think Paul Henry will ultimately fail in Australia because they have their own brand of brain dead racism and bigotry which they prefer to his schoolgirl bullying type.
With friends like these, who needs enemies ?
Act backer Crimp: ‘I’ll get a gun’
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz-government/news/article.cfm?c_id=144&objectid=10807412
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2012/05/louis_crimp.html
http://truebluenz.com/2012/05/20/louis-crimp-speaks-out-liberals-scuttle-for-cover/
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/maori/news/article.cfm?c_id=252&objectid=10806938
http://fundypost.blogspot.co.nz/2012/05/louis-crimp-man-of-actions.html
http://i.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/opinion/6161056/Editorial-A-bit-rich-Louis
Mr Crimp is in no position to rail, with any integrity, against the foundation’s use of pokie proceeds. He has, himself, been one of the grandfathers of the pokies industry in Invercargill, albeit in rivalry with the trust. So his contempt can hardly stem from holding the machines themselves to be an intolerable social harm. Far from overbrimming with sympathy for the problems of pokie addiction, he wrote to our public opinion column in April referring witheringly to “the suckers who addict themselves to poker machines”. Much as he criticises the foundation for “making donations to doubtful charities” it has never been pinged for doing so. In fact, the ILT skites, and not without evidence, that it is regarded by governmental watchdogs as a role model for returning proceeds to the community. By shabby contrast it is Mr Crimp who has been caught up in notorious and inglorious misuses of pokie funds. This was in the 1990s, and involved decisions so imperious that they offended rules that were less strict than they are now. The Southland Pool Players’ Club, upon whose executive Mr Crimp had been a member, dispensed the money from pokies at one of Mr Crimp’s most high-profile establishments, Players’ pool hall, for a team of nine members, including Mr Crimp, to attend a pool competition in Australia. This was just part of what Internal Affairs inspectors described as “gross misapplication of proceeds”. Undaunted, as he so often is, by official disapproval, Mr Crimp had then stuck his hand out for Players’ pokie profits to help pay the 1998 election expenses of Southland Action, a group of candidates which he led into the Invercargill City Council election race.
http://i.stuff.co.nz/the-press/opinion/columnists/chris-trotter/6962238/Redneck-views-may-not-be-too-far-from-the-centre