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20050703 Sunday July 03, 2005

JavaOne: Apologies for Dennis Miller

I've put off this thought for a few days but it's still at the front of my mind so I have to comment. I went to the JavaOne After Dark party this week and watched our invited entertainer, Dennis Miller, give a show that had a number of very funny observations in it - I was creased with laughter as my companion would confirm.

However, in the middle he veered off into a five minute tirade of bitter, unfunny and very racist comments about French people and then for the rest of the show peppered the content with comments about many other nationalities such as Germans, with a big emphasis on right-wing American politics. I enjoy political humour and tolerate a great deal of breadth but I found him very offensive - and this coming from an Englishman, defending the French...

I'm not keen to be a party-pooper but even James Gosling felt the need to comment in his Thursday keynote. I think Miller was a profoundly bad choice of entertainment for an international techno-geek conference and I was ashamed to work for Sun as I watched delegates troop out of the room following these comments (one Englishman shouting out "racist!" as he left). My deepest apologies to friends, customers, colleagues and even enemies - I have commented internally that even the Java condoms are in good taste compared to Miller, I have no idea which out-of-touch marketeer thought Miller appropriate. Sorry.

Posted by webmink ( Jul 03 2005, 12:00:52 AM PDT ) Permalink Comments [13]
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Trackback URL: http://blogs.sun.com/webmink/entry/javaone_apologies_for_dennis_miller
Comments:

You know, the world is just looking to be offended these days. How can talking about the French be racists. Are French jokes about Americans racist, or is that just good fun. Are all those nice muslims and their 'kill the infidel speech and acts' they racist too -- or are they a protected species.

All the nasty comments heaped on the USA President, Hitler, and so on, just good fun? I bet you liked the John Kerry party with that Whoopie freak, probably laughed your butt off at the Bush jokes. One man's racism is another man's just good fun.

What do you think about real horror, Mugabe -- Chiraq's good bud, killing thousands? Saddam Huessein, killing hundreds of thousands? All OK? Terrorists killing innocents at will in Iraq, Isreal, Lebanon, Somalia, Kosovo, just fighting for their homeland -- yeah sure.

You need to get a life, and try a little perspective while you are at it.

Posted by john on July 03, 2005 at 05:49 AM PDT #

Wow, John! I didn't even know that racist French people, rabid muslims, Hitler, John Kerry and terrorist from all over the place were ALSO invited by Sun for JavaOne entertainment! That must have been an interesting show! (And if they weren't, how is your comment AT ALL relevant to anything mentioned in the blog you just commented?)

Posted by Robert B on July 03, 2005 at 08:41 AM PDT #

[Trackback] Comedian and one time political talk show host Dennis Miller was part of the after show entertainment at JavaOne. Full time Sun employee and part time blogger Simon Phipps has the following to say about some of the more unsavoury parts of Miller’...

Posted by Stuff. on July 03, 2005 at 09:34 AM PDT #

Good one, Simon! Politics and tech do not mix well ;-) Oh, yeah, bush sucks - just look at the economy, outsourcing, the never-ending war in iraq, and the slow curtailing of american freedoms.

Posted by asj on July 03, 2005 at 10:27 PM PDT #

Is this the only "official" appology of Sun? Miller is well known wing nut - even CNBC, which is purely right wing channel, cancelled his show because it was so idiotic.

Posted by Krage on July 04, 2005 at 02:35 PM PDT #

I'm sure with Sun's low budget for the conference, this was as good as they could get.

Posted by 24.4.97.142 on July 04, 2005 at 11:28 PM PDT #

Wait, it gets better: http://radio.weblogs.com/0001011/2005/07/08.html#a10566

Posted by 213.41.115.148 on July 08, 2005 at 04:17 AM PDT #

Making fun of the French is not *racist*, it may offend some people, but not racist. You don't sound like you've been a victim of racism, so please, lets not dilute the meaning of that word. Perhaps you're offended. Sorry. I have a feeling I would find your political opionions offensive as well. It is a free country, thankfully, and there is room for all of us. No need to apologize. I'm a part of the tech world too, and if I had been there I'm sure I would have enjoyed Dennis Miller.

Posted by Mark on July 09, 2005 at 09:17 AM PDT #

I've always enjoyed a good French joke myself, but I wasn't there. Generally has been commedians that will talk at a tech conference aren't the best.

Posted by Andy on July 11, 2005 at 05:46 PM PDT #

RE Mark

I always find it odd that some people say that other people who don't "sound like [they]'ve been a victim of racism" somehow aren't credible. Racism is a two-way street in the modern western world, and it isn't like some people are automatically priviledged to have more ownership over the concept of racism than others. To say otherwise is latching childishly onto the past. _Everyone_ is responsible for the elements of racism still present in our society. Everyone.

Posted by Anon on July 11, 2005 at 09:19 PM PDT #

How many of you John's and Jack's really heard what Dennis Miller actually said? Maybe he did make racist comments about french people? >Are French jokes about Americans racist? maybe they are , thats no excuse for being racist yourself? > I think Miller was a profoundly bad choice of entertainment for an international techno-geek conference ... good observation on simon's part. Bad political humour and technology dont mix (as someone else pointed out). >Whoopie freak? Shouldnt u be hanging out on msn spaces?

Posted by Deidre on July 12, 2005 at 06:41 AM PDT #

Dennis Miller is funny and smart and politically informed. I have a hard time believing you'd have taken issue with his style of humor if it had been directed at Bush instead of the French. It is flipping amazing how defensive, and angry liberals are these days.

Posted by Lisa Iddings on March 31, 2006 at 10:42 AM PST #

I use to find Dennis Miller hilarious. There was a lot of logic in his comments and was a breath of fresh air! Then suddenly the great logic and reparte was replaced by a stodgy dialogue about how wonderful Bush was ,uttering a litergy of belief that held no logical connections. Did he just front for his clever political writers before or has he sold his soul so he could stay in the limelight?? Certainly Bill Maher and George Carlin have been silenced a great deal by some unseen force.If we are to come to eriodite conclusions we must hear the current logic (please demand a logical structure from whoever has the pulpet) so us poor ignorant people can find our way for all the right reasons!!

Posted by Harley Cooper on August 29, 2006 at 11:07 PM PDT #

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