To Quack Or Not To Quack

Gilbert Gottfried will no longer be the Aflac duck.  He has been fired for "Tweeting" jokes that are considered bad taste due to the current condition of Japan.  I will repeat some of his jokes here.  I have no fear of being fired since I no longer have a job.  And if you consider these jokes to be crude, unwarranted and ill timed, remember I am only the messenger.

This is from the mind of Gilbert Gottfried.  He wrote: "The Japanese are really advanced.  They don't go to the beach.  The beach comes to them."

He also tweeted: "I just split up with my girlfriend, but like the Japanese say, `There'll be another one floating by any minute now.'"

And he wrote: “Japan called me. They said ‘maybe those jokes are a hit in the U.S., but over here, they’re all sinking.”

Gottfried is known for inappropriate timed humor.  When Greg Giraldo died, the next day Gottfried said, "If he gets cremated would that be considered the Greg Giraldo Roast?"

Gilbert Gottfried has what is known as Gallows Humor.  This does not mean that he is insensitive, although many, many people will not see him any other way.  It is just a way that some people deal with horrible situations.  Greg Giraldo was one of Gilbert Gottfried's closest friends.  They were so close that they shared the same initials.  Yet, when Giraldo died, Gottfried almost immediately came out with jokes.  This is how he grieves.  In tense situations, like the Japan earthquake and tsunami, a witty remark to ease the stress can be a relief.  Some people are wired this way.

About 75% of Aflac's business is in Japan.  This is one of the main reasons Gottfried was fired.  In his defense, I did not read anything that he wrote to be with malicious intent.  He did not wish further harm nor state that this disaster was deserved.  He simply made light of a terrible happening.  Plus, he wasn't on Public Radio  blathering diatribe like another celebrity of late.  He posted on his twitter account.  If someone doesn't like Gilbert Gottfried's sense of humor, why sign on for his posts?

Well, I laughed at Gottfried's jokes.  I think the Japan earthquake and tsunami is a horrible thing.  If I had the power to turn back time and avert the disaster, I would do so without hesitation.  Yet when I read some of Gottfried's jokes, they struck me funny.  Sorry.  That's just the way I'm wired.  If I see a pallbearer slip on a banana peel, I'd be slapping a hand over my mouth to hold in the laughter as the coffin drops.

On a side note, for years I had weekly deductions from my paychecks to have Aflac insure me with short term and long term disability.  This was to guarantee an income in case I was hurt or sick.  After many years of payments, I ended up stuck in bed for five weeks.  Aflac was suppose to pay thirty-five dollars a day for the time I was off.  Not an enormous amount of money, but it would help with the medical co-pay, and other bills.  Aflac paid five days worth.  When I called to complain, they kept saying I was right, that I should be receiving additional monies.  They never sent any.  They gave me the run-around for a few months, never denying my claim, but never paying the full amount owed, until I finally gave up.

So I say "F*** Aflac!  Gilbert Gottfried is better off without them!"