issue 09 / volume 41

 

 
   
  

Elliot Chan
.. Opinions Editor
: opinions
@theotherpress.ca

N° even Alan Turing can
solve the Vancouver
Canucks this year, as the team
nobody expected much from is
currently hanging on ina tight
race towards the playoffs. It’s
hard to tell how the Canucks
will play heading down the
stretch. Winning games
against teams like Pittsburgh
and Chicago, and losing
games against Calgary, New
Jersey, and of course, Buffalo,
leaves a lot to question. Such

: inconsistency is nothing new

: for the Canucks, but one

: wonders what good exchanging
: players would actually do for

: the team.

: The team has been plagued :
: with injuries since October,

: and, as trends continue,

: will remain so deep into

: the playoffs. If I were in Jim

: Benning’s shoes, I would wear

: some slippers because it’s

: going to be an uncomfortable

: few months. The Canucks need
: depth on defence and another

: top-six forward to play the

: role of goal scorer if the third

: or fourth round is where they

: want to end up. But gone are

: the days of blockbuster trades.

opinions // 19

 

Image of Vancouver Canucks right wing Zack Kassian photo by Elise Amendola/Associated Press

Canucks: The enigma heading into the trade deadline

» As usual, there is not much the Canucks can do

: Acquiring a game-changing
: player is almost impossible, :
: especially for the Canucks. And :
: yes, I am ignoring the whole
: Mats Sundin thing.

While the focus on

: whether to deal or keep

: Zack Kassian is the storyline

: heading into March, many

: are forgetting about Shawn

: Matthias, who has also been

: contributing with stellar plays
: the last couple of weeks. As

: an unrestricted free agent

: in the summer, it might be

: an opportunity to see what

: the market has to offer while

: their stock is still high. Derek
: Dorsett and Brad Richardson

: are two other players who

: may be shipped off early for
: prospects, but that is unlikely

to happen. Yes, in terms of

: baiting teams to offer us their
: superstars or future superstars,
: we are pretty much doomed.

And assuming Ryan Miller

: can return to form in time

: without rust, we can least feel
: confident that the net will be

: secure. But that is only if Eddie
: Lack can carry the team for

: a month. He had his chance

: before when Roberto Luongo

: was injured last year, and the

: result was far from impressive.
: Well, here’s his chance to earn
: his position again. If only J.

: K. Simmons were behind the

: bench yelling at (motivating)

: him, right? The community

: has shown nothing but love

: for Lack, but believe me, if he

: chokes and causes the Canucks
: to miss the playoffs this year,

: we'd better pass the Sedins a

: couple of shovels to dig him a

: grave between Alex Auld and

: Dany Sabourin.

I'd be thrilled if the

: Canucks are able to make a

: trade before the deadline. I

: believe they need one. But

: for what? There’s nothing out

: there, and if there is, the prices
: are too high. It’s time for us

: Canucks fans to do what we do
: best and just sit on our laurels

: and wait until it’s all over—yet
: again.

 

Political correctness and comedy

» Being a decent human being isn’t standing in the way of anything

: there, but what good is a joke
: when it comes unfairly at one
: party’s expense? Comedians

: complain about people being
: too sensitive, but sometimes,
: comedians are just being :
: assholes, and they get called out :
: on it. :

William Lou
The Silhouette

[° an interview with Vulture,
comedian Chris Rock
articulated a sentiment that has
since been echoed by a number
of comedians.

Rock noted that he no
longer performs at colleges
because the student population
is “too conservative.” He
went on to clarify that it’s our
“willingness to not offend
anyone” that takes the fun out
of comedy.

In short, his point is that
comedy is being stifled by
political correctness.

There’s some merit to
this. Comedy thrives in the
moral grey area between what’s
considered “okay” and “not
okay.’ Like all artists, comedians
need artistic licence. They talk
about this all the time—it’s the
need to be edgy.

But artistic licence isn’t
a free pass to discriminate.
Moreover, comedy doesn’t need
to hinge on discrimination.

Being politically correct
might kill a joke here or

Take John Cleese, best-

: known for his role in the British :
: comedy troupe Monty Python’s
: Flying Circus. In an interview

: with Bill Maher, Cleese griped

: about not being able to make

: jokes about Muslims. His

: reasoning: “they’ll kill you.”

To be fair, Cleese made

: the comment facetiously—as

: ajoke. But what’s the humour

: in that? What’s funny about

: propagating horribly untrue

: Islamophobic sentiments?

: What’s the humour in

: generalizing Muslims as radical
: fundamentalists? Is that worth
: acheap laugh?

: The problem for comedians :
: isn't political correctness. The
: problem is that comedy is really :
: hard and being an asshole
: simply doesn’t cut it.

: Instead of griping about the :
: need to tiptoe around sensitive :

The problem is
that comedy is
really hard and
being an asshole
simply doesn’t
cut it.

: topics, comedians should look
: to the clever and hilarious

: ones among them—like Jon

: Stewart or Stephen Colbert—

: who are able to play within

: the boundaries of political

: correctness, while providing

: poignant and insightful

: commentary on politically
sensitive topics.

Ultimately, if'a joke

: flops, it’s a failure on the part

: of comedians. If people are

: taking offence to a joke instead
: of laughing along, then the

: joke isn’t funny. And if the

> only way you can deliver is by

: discriminating or being divisive,
: that’s on the comedians
: themselves, not political
: correctness.

 

Image by Ricardo DeAratanha, Los Angeles Times