You know, I kinda thought that whole “Amy Winehouse drunkenly performs in Serbia” thing had great comedic potential, and apparently funny lady Chelsea Handler thought so too. Only instead of going after Amy, she decided to go after Serbia for some reason, calling the entire country a disappointment. Get it? No? … *Rimshot?*
The largest outrage in Belgrade and beyond this week seems reserved for Handler’s remarks, which aired later in the June 20th segment, where she seemed to insinuate, jokingly or not, that the entire country of Serbia was a “disappointment.”
“The worst comment by Ms. Handler came at the conclusion of the assault on the Serbian people. In implying that somehow Serbs should not use Facebook, Ms. Handler read the statement of Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac who said that the the concert was a shame and a disappointment. At this point, Ms. Handler says that “Guess what? So is your country,” meaning that Serbia and its people are a shame and disappointment, as well.” SOURCE
Look, I know the point of comedy is to make fun of everyone and everything, but at the same time, there’s a difference between a set-up and a punchline, and telling a country to suck it before saying “Just kidding! Teeheehee. Funny!” That’s not how comedy works. Think of it this way: When I made fun of Amy’s performance, I joked that it was worse than the Ottoman empire. See? It’s funny because they were eventually overthrown and, if I remember my history classes correctly, they were all turned into delightful pieces of furniture meant to support your feet.