Comments on: Ted Wilson Reviews the World #152

By: Em

Em — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 19:49:33 +0000

And I’m totally going to hell for comparing The Rumpus to Romney.

By: Em

Em — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 19:16:09 +0000

Can’t believe I’m writing more here but I am.

Yes, editorial discretion is important. However I think this was handled poorly. If you didn’t like the review, it should never have gone up in the first place. You shouldn’t have had to play this discretion/censorship situation out. Isaac could have called Ted and said, hey this won’t work, at least not this week. Instead you post it, then pull it down. Which – frankly – kinda makes the rumpus staff look ignorant. Did you guys miss the fact that it was a Jewish holiday? Or was it the point?

This all feels awfully Mitt-esque. Flip floppy.

Or otherwise all of us writing in are part of a big experiment. I feel a bit like I’m in the fishbowl.

By: Betsy

Betsy — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 13:28:04 +0000

I’ve been reading a bunch of Hannah Arendt’s work on The Holocaust recently. Her arguments about the banality of evil were received with a great mix of responses, some finding it deeply unethical to present that kind of suffering as something that could be normalized or connected with normality. I came across one interpretation which drew from some correspondence in which she revealed the agony she faced when deciding whether or not to write about it this way (and raising the possibility that she was self-sacraficial in publishing it, with the aim of having people respond with the kind of visceral and emotive reaction that she thought was worthy of such horror).

An important and appropriately emotional conversation that this piece fits into in an interesting way. But conversations are difficult to have if they are shut down before they start!

By: Anna

Anna — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 10:27:31 +0000

This reminds me of the conversation (on Jezebel) after the Tosh.O rape joke incident. Are there subjects that are off-limits for comedy? Can we thoughtfully make jokes about rape or, in this case, the Holocaust?

One question we might ask ourselves is, at whose expense is the joke? A rape joke that makes fun of a rap survivor is pretty tasteless, I’ll admit. Just like a Holocaust joke that mocks Survivors would be inappropriate (on any day, not just Rosh Hashanah).

Having now read the review, it seems to mock Hitler, Holocaust-deniers, and racists. It’s subversive. But I can’t really see how it mocks the actual victims of the Holocaust. Is this an example of a tasteful, thoughtful Holocaust joke? Maybe. I think so, but I’d imagine others would disagree.

By: Rich

Rich — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 22:09:29 +0000

Disappointed with you, Rumpus.

By: Doireann

Doireann — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 20:27:46 +0000

I am so saddened by this decision to remove Ted’s review from The Rumpus. Having just read it, I must say that I found it both funny and poignant. I hope that the editor will reconsider this censorship. To be blunt, I would have expected much more from The Rumpus (ie courage). I remain hopeful that this is just a stunt of some sort.

By: Ted Wilson

Ted Wilson — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 20:23:44 +0000

Due of the sensitive subject matter, I tried my best to make sure my review was not offensive, but unfortunately, the Rumpus editors found it so. It was their prerogative to remove the review and I think informing the readers that it could be obtained by email is a good compromise. A better compromise would be if they also gave me a hug, but I don’t live near them and hugs are very hard to mail.

My only hope is the editors feel differently about next week’s review of AIDs. (It gets fewer stars than the Holocaust did.)

Sincerely,
Ted

By: Isaac Fitzgerald

Isaac Fitzgerald — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 19:20:23 +0000

I love Ted’s reviews too. It was a Holocaust joke. On Rosh Hashanah. The editorial staff at The Rumpus made a call, and still offered access to the piece via Ted’s email address. That’s not censorship. That’s being an editor.

By: M.

M. — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 18:50:32 +0000

I love your reviews, Ted Wilson.

By: Johnny

Johnny — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 17:01:47 +0000

Hmm. This does seem out of character for the Rumpus. I hope this generates some public discussion about the nature of this website and the editorial process behind it. For now, I will refrain from making a judgment about whether this censorship was appropriate. I appeal to the editorial staff to publish a column or an interview about this.