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Richard Belzer blasted for making Hitler salute at TV festival – but says it’s okay because he’s Jewish
The actor/comedian called it ‘satire,’ but an Anti-Defamation League official said it was ‘inappropriate and offensive.’
“Satire” and “irony” may be part of Richard Belzer’s vocabulary, but “double standard” is one term the “Law & Order” actor may need to freshen up on.
The Jewish actor/comedian caused a stir Tuesday when he flashed a Nazi salute and put two fingers to his upper lip in a mock Hitler moustache at a TV festival in Monte Carlo.
But Belzer is hardly apologizing for his behavior, instead insisting that he’s entitled to make such loaded gestures.
“To say that a Jew can’t do that gesture as homage to Chaplin’s masterpiece, ‘The Great Dictator,’ is like Muslim extremists killing a cartoonist for disparaging Mohammed in his art,” he said in a statement issued to TMZ.
Belzer claimed he was referencing Charlie Chaplin’s satirical film when he made the mocking gesture.
The 67-year-old added that his “grandfather represented Israel in the UN before it was made a nation,” and that “there’s this new thing out, it’s called satire, irony and historical reference.”
The Anti-Defamation League, which fights anti-Semitism, isn’t laughing, however.
MADJACK
June 14th, 2012
I say ask 6 MILLION DEAD JEWS what they think of Hitler’s salute used in any way or fashion????
PISS ON richard belzer!
Papadoc
June 14th, 2012
So,iOTW is now against satire? Really?
Maudie N Mandeville
June 14th, 2012
Hey, and he’s got a tattoo on his wrist just like Auschwitz. Maybe he can do a skit about ‘walking into the gas chamber’. He’ll have the libs rolling in the aisles.
the aardvark
June 14th, 2012
I still think of him as the stoner that he played in the movie The Groove Tube back in the 70′s. I’ve never really cared for him or his acting.
Callmelennie
June 14th, 2012
Make the bastards live by their own rules; ain’t that right, Saul Alinsky .. or was that Hippie Critic
Dr. Tar
June 14th, 2012
Belzer has the right to pull a hacky stunt and the Anti-Defamation league has a right to point out how inappropriate it is. And I have the right to think Belzer’s not very funny, edge or relevant.
Free speech means freedom all the way around – freedom to do something stupid and freedom for others to point out how stupid it is and freedom for the rest of us to form our own opinions on the idiot doing the stupid thing. We can all then decide not to reward the jerk in the future by not paying to see his or her performance.
Mikey
June 14th, 2012
I just hope he’s not anti-Dentite.
Left Coast Dan
June 14th, 2012
I knew I’d forget to change my name back…
Tim
June 14th, 2012
Chaplin wasn’t very funny, either.
Corona
June 14th, 2012
Yowser! And I thought O’s ears were big.
reggie l
June 14th, 2012
just another “smart-rich-jew” DUMBASS that will STILL vote for the current marxist adminstration
Boobie the Rocket Dog
June 14th, 2012
Never heard of him, so WGAS? Toss this jackoff in the garbâge with DWS.
I only watched GROOVE TUBE for the T&A.
Was Charlie Chaplin Jewish?
norman einstein
June 14th, 2012
Compared to what’s going on in the REAL world, getting worked up over this douche is picking the fly shit out of the pepper.
It. Matters. Not.
@Maudie, his tattoo says “Love”…or maybe it’s “Loon”.
Boobie the Rocket Dog
June 14th, 2012
In my work I’ve seen plenty of those holocaust tattoos. They are not that Disney-like stylish. But they are a badge of honor.
CrustyB
June 14th, 2012
“Double standard” is right. I remember Belzer getting all self-righteous over Andrew Dice Clay’s act, calling his act “brown-shirting” and fretting that it would create gangs of homicidal racists. That’s problem #1.
Problem #2 is he’s standing his ground by refusing to apologize but at the same time he’s trying to weasel out by claiming he was doing a riff on Chaplin, not Hitler.
Problem #3 is equating criticizing a tacky gesture with killing a cartoonist. His liberal lack of a sense of proportion meets up with his liberal hypocrisy.
I think we can all safely return to ignoring Richard Belzer.
Diogenes
June 14th, 2012
I didn’t realize Richard Belzer is a comedian.
I’ve never heard him say anything even remotely funny……
LadyGun12
June 14th, 2012
I thought tattoos were taboo for Jewish people. Guess he’s not very good at being Jewish either.
LadyGun12
June 14th, 2012
Oh, and he’s another reason I no longer watch Law and Order.
Callmelennie
June 14th, 2012
Dio
Belzer was sorta edgy about 35 years ago. Here’s a video of one of his best bits — a talk show host named Dick Ballentine. This is from a National Lampoon album. BTW, the first caller is Bill Murray’s older brother, Brian
even steven
June 14th, 2012
What’s really outrageous is that anyone would describe him as a comedian. Really? When has that dullard ever been even remotely funny?
beachmom
June 14th, 2012
He’s the same guy who in an interview proclaimed himself one of the most informed guys around because he reads 10 newspapers a day.
Doesn’t look too smaht to me.
MADJACK
June 14th, 2012
PapaDoc there are some subjects to me that are totally off limits when it comes to Satire. The Holocaust being one of them. After reading many books and watching many productions regarding the Holocaust, the murder of 6 million Jews and the misery, terror and horror they went through are to me sacred ground.
This guy saying he has the right because he is a Jew is pure unadulterated BS to me.
Nunya
June 14th, 2012
He’s as Jewish as the Pope is
Anyone who has to stoop to controversy and shock is already irrelevant
Anyone who has to defend or explain a “joke” is not funny
SgtZim
June 14th, 2012
Ya wanna be edgy Ricky? Put on a turban and do moohammed jokes.
GregMan
June 14th, 2012
Boobie: I believe Chaplin was Jewish, yes. He was also a devout leftist and peacenik and nailed every starlet he could.
Some of his early silent comedy was pretty good, but he didn’t fare too well with the transition to talkies. In my opinion he also never had the staying power of, say, Laurel and Hardy, who were just as funny in the talkies (maybe even funnier) as they were in silent films.
I never really understood what all the fuss over Chaplin was. Just to take one example, Chaplin vs. The Three Stooges. No contest, amirite?
Richurd Bellchur
June 14th, 2012
I waNt tu sayy too all yoo rite-wnig HAterz taht whuT i did waz oK bekuz iM’ a joo. if You wernt’ all neeandurth… naendrethal… kavemen yood now how FUNY it AM.
Jeff
June 14th, 2012
Let’s see how funny he is: try mocking Mao, Stalin, Che or Obama.
Boobie the Rocket Dog
June 14th, 2012
@ GregMan – Ewe R.
muddjuice
June 14th, 2012
Not funny but I don’t care. People use the “Hitler finds out” video on youtube constantly and I think it’s hilarious.
Background: May grampa fought in the Dutch Resistance during the war and was captured and tortured by the Nazis. I hate the nazi philosophy and I think Hitler was pure evil.
My point: Sometime a joke is a joke. Somethimes they’re funny and sometimes they aren’t. His was in bad taste but that’s all. Ignore it….
scr_north
June 14th, 2012
Interestingly enough he may have a point. When was the last time you heard a non-black person use the term “n*gg*r”? Black people use it all the time as both a term of endearment, a perjorative, a challenge etc etc. If a non-black person used this in a room all conversation would stop and you could hear a pin drop, if a black person said it no one would take notice. I think the word is a horrible hot word that no one should use and frankly blacks that bandy it about only demean themselves and their race.
As far as Belzer goes, Lennie is quite right in that the stuff he did for NatLamp was his highwater mark as a comedian and for the last 10 years his career has been limited to a secondary role on a formulaic TV show.
Toaster
June 14th, 2012
FWIW
No Chaplain was not Jewish, some people thought he was after he made “The Great Dictator” in 1940 which parodied Hitler. When Chaplain was asked he replied “No, I do not have that honor”. He was a big lefty in politics, but I’m pretty sure his religion was Anglican (Church of England).
Chaplain ultimately was accused of un-American activities and his re-entry permit for the US was revoked in 1952. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was a communist, he was friends with many lefty pr0g types.
Chaplain did more than just the tramp character that he’s mostly known for. He was nominated for many Academy Awards as were his films.
Mimsey
June 14th, 2012
Was the anti-defamation league upset over any of Mel Brook’s films. He got away doing what he does as a film maker because he is Jewish. How about The Producers and the song Spring Time for Hitler?
Relax, take a break.
Mary Jane Anklestraps
June 14th, 2012
“Belzer claimed he was referencing Charlie Chaplin’s satirical film when he made the mocking gesture.”
Well if he had to explain it later on that he was trying to be funny, it wasn’t that funny now, was it? Whatever.
“In 2009, while on a live Fox News broadcast, the actor raised his hand in an attempt to jump into the discussion, but when ignored, flashed the salute on-air.”
More Chaplin stuff there too, right?
Pfft. LAME comedian I’d say.
Mary Jane Anklestraps
June 14th, 2012
“So,iOTW is now against satire? Really?”
@ papadoc,
Where in this post did it say that?
Cruisin' Cat
June 14th, 2012
Another Hollyweirdo who doesn’t know the difference between poor taste and “Satire”, as well as low-class and “irony”.
Ho-hum.