Some jokes just aren't funny.

Who else? Keith Olbermann.


Keith Olbermann
Countdown with Keith Olbermann
MSNBC Friday, July 28, 2006 July 28, 2006

Letters to the Editor
MSNBC

Dear Mr. Olbermann,

We are deeply dismayed by your ongoing use of the Nazi "Sieg Heil" salute, both on your program and in public appearances -- including the recent Television Critics Association press tour -- while holding up a mask of Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly.

While we understand that your aim is to entertain your audience by taking pot shots at Mr. O'Reilly, your repeated use of the Nazi salute has resulted in many complaints from our constituents, including Holocaust survivors and their families who find the use of this gesture offensive and repugnant in any context.

The Nazi salute is more than just a remnant of history, but serves as a calling card for modern-day neo-Nazis and white supremacists. We believe that the use of gestures and imagery associated with the Nazis – even in jest – only serves to trivialize the Holocaust and denigrate the memory of the six million Jews and others who died as a result of Hitler's Final Solution.
As a respected and well-known media personality, your actions have consequences and can set a standard for others to emulate. We are especially concerned that young people viewing your program might take their cues from your free use of the "Sieg Heil" salute.

In light of these concerns, we hope that you will reconsider your use of the Nazi salute in the future.

Sincerely,
The Anti-Defamation League

h/t Cormac


I've said it before and I will say it again. Using the Nazi and Holocaust reference lightly just diminishes the horror we need to teach our children of the history of true hate. And that goes for all sides of political debate.