John Elliott offends with Can of Worms clanger
Outspoken John Elliott shocked the Can of Worms audience on Monday night when a slip of the tongue revealed his conservative views.
- Published by David Knox
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Last night on TEN’s new Can of Worms, businessman John Elliott dropped a big social no-no.
Answering the question: “Should we acknowledge traditional owners at official events?”
Elliott said acknowledgment was “sheer bloody nonsense.”
“I was in St. Paul’s Cathedral the other day and there’s the Dean of the Church and all he did for the first five minutes was talk about the A**s.”
The audience immediately reacted with horror.
“Indigenous people, sorry. Not allowed to use that word.”
Guest Maude Garrett responded: “But you did.”
Elliott responded, “That’s how we were grown up and talked about them. But I know it’s changed, and I’m sorry for that.”
But the damage had been done.
Video: offending moment from 6:40 mins.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su77I3geny8[/youtube]
Dicko’s new Can of Worms, which last week had Don Burke frequently dropping the F-word, has laid claim to its uncompromising, potentially controversial television, and last night it delivered.
Elliott attempted to justify his answer to the controversial question: “I was there to attend a funeral for a friend and I just thought it was totally inappropriate.”
But the bigger question for the show produced by Zapruder’s Other Films is whether it was right to include the term in the final edit, given it had been pre-recorded.
Was it right to offend sections of the audience simply to demonstrate Elliott’s views, or to attract attention for a new programme?
Last night on Twitter the moment attracted due comment:
geeeorgiwouldz: He really said ‘A**s’ on national TV. Disgusted #canofworms
NatGrasso: Did he really said ‘A**s’ on national TV?? He’ll regret saying that in the morning #canofworms
Marsh_Paul: Oh dear John Elliott – that sort of talk should have gone out in the 80s … like you #canofwormstv
glengyron: So, the man who just called Aboriginal people ‘A**s’ was the President of the Liberal Party for 3 years…. #canofworms
emwatsford: Oh goodness me. John Elliott you ignorant old man. He probably still thinks “a**’s” (his words) should be classified as fauna and flora.
fraggle73: Ah oh John Elliott, you just tripped over the line #canofworms
dizzyizzy11: oh my god..what John Elliott is saying is making me sick
DannyADalton: @canofwormstv John Elliott likes to cloak his racism as “our generation”. If this show isn’t live then shame on ch 10 for airing his comment
Mikey_Nicholson: What is this “A**” John Elliott speaks of? I hope for his sake he was talking about Tony Abbott… #auspol
EnsignR: Yes, he’s if a different generation, but I quite like John Elliott. At the very least he’s entertaining. #canofworms #donthateme
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52 Responses
I don’t get apset over someones perseption and openion.
How can we know how we fill if everibody has same openion.
Can of worms gives many a chance to re evaluate their thought and action.
Some openions are funny, so, don’t get to serious.
P.S. where is spelling check?
Why are people upset over Johns’ use of the word “a**”, yet everyone laughed at making fun of rangas. I’m not a redhead but find the word rangas offensive. That blond bimbo on the panel should be ashamed of herself for making fun of redheads as should the 54% of people polled that think it’s ok to make fun of them.
That’s the way John talks,that’s him.He apologized end of story.Why Dicko was given yet another chance to host a TV show is beyond me
The most offensive part of this whole pathetic scenario is the original question posed by the host.
Everyone needs to get a life, this is Australia, every race creed or colour has some form of connotation associated with it. We are not living in paradise utopia. I live with some sort of preconception every day. Time to move forward everyone living permanently in this country are equal. No prior recognition needed. John Elliot is born and bred here, an elder of this land, some respect please.
It’s refreshing to see a show break the current day norms of political correctness. We are becoming more and more regulated for fear of upsetting the do-gooders of the world. I understand the comment could be perceived as racist but it’s simply perception. Now we just need them to open a can of worms on the carbon tax!
By the looks of the crowd, I’m sure most of them use the word anyway
I don’t think Denton’s won himself too many favours with this garbage. This show tries too hard to be controversial it’s why they have idiots like Aker and old money pigs like John Elliott on there.
Stick to Hungry Beast that show was at least informative.
Get over it. The whole point of the show is to voice your opinions, and he apologised immediately anyway, so he knows that the term is socially unacceptable.
It’s all sripted ,I think the porducers tell them to say controversial things for rattings.
Ps sorry if my spelling was bad.
Just read Lauren’s post….*geeze*……nearly 10PM start next week….well that should be the beginning of the end…..dumb move!
Another storm in the teacup of Australia.
But the show is about speaking freely and giving your opinions. I would much rather watch a show which is straight up and doesn’t censer out speaking terms.
For my $0.02c worth:
1) It may be where you grew up. For example, where I grew up the word ‘wog’ was hugely offensive and led to some massive punch-ups, while now it seems to be accepted. I still don’t use the word. I’m pretty sure ‘abo’ was offensive where I grew up and so I didn’t use it then or now.
2) Surely this is precisely the sort of stink that opening a ‘can of worms’ ‘was supposed to create? Look at all the comments on this subject – Ch10 must be laughing their heads off. Sadly (imo) their ratings will skyrocket next week as a result.
@Tim, I was also shocked by the “F” word montage as well. It screened well before 9pm and I didn’t think that word was allowed to be used onscreen before then. Perhaps regulations regarding offensive language have been changed of late? Another thing that shocked me was Maude Garrett admitting that her father used to buy and supply her with alcohol when she was 17. Is it not a criminal offence for a parent to knowingly supply alcohol to a legally underaged drinker?
I thought that comment was a little off, but my grandparents use that term a lot so im customed to treating it as he said (its how they grew up saying it).
I was more shocked that they had the Don Burke f*** montage at 8:49pm i thought it wasn’t supposed to be used until after 9 and even then sparingly (going back to the panel when rob sitch dropped it much to everyones shock, maybe things have changed more since then).
Perhaps i watch too much american TV, where they can’t even say “shit” at 11pm without it bleeping (on basic cable).
It’s his opinion that should be offensive to people, not his use of the term ‘abo’. As people have said, ‘abo’ is just a shortened form of the word aboriginal, so it’s hardly an inherently offensive term. In my experience it tends to be older people and blue collar Australians who are more likely to use the term. For that reason, you’re going to have a higher percentage of racist people using it, which further perpetuates the idea that it can only be used as a racial slur. However, I do know of people who use the term in an entirely inoffensive way, even whilst talking in support of “abo rights”.
Unfortunately, John Elliot seemed to use the term with a lot of malice, and he failed to provide any rational argument as to why acknowledging aboriginal land owners was such a bad thing. For that reason, he came across as as mean spirited, petty, nasty, ill-informed and possibly even racist.
I see no prob with saying abo, i mean i’m app white trash.
@ Trix – thanks, I was just about to post something similar.
While some people claim they don’t use the term intending abuse, they should realise that it has negative connotations for a lot of people, and that it is used to belittle and dismiss Indigenous Australians. I am glad they didn’t edit this out; I would have liked more discussion of this issue, because we can’t “move on” as some posters here have argued, until “Aussie” racism is thoroughly examined and discussed.
do we carry on when we get called aussies???
abo is only shortned for aboriginal.
people shorten every word or abbreviates them.
we call the english poms, the americans yanks. and so on…….
nothing wrong with what john said.
OMG better not watch any Chips Rafferty films then, when “Abos” is the common term used.
@Moanique in Brisbane (and others), historically the term ‘Abo’ was most certainly used in a pejorative sense (in the same way ‘gin’ was used to describe an Aboriginal woman) so it’s not in the same boat as Aussie being a contraction for Australian. It’s all about the context! And I’m not championing the idea of John Elliot or anyone else being silenced for speaking what, for them, is their opinion, just clarifying what the word has and does mean, for some Australians at least.
Oh boo hoo guys! We’re in the 21st century, yes racism is a huge issue in Australia but what’s said is said and lets move on. People say stupid things like that all the time. In one view, yes people should acknowledge traditional owners of the land and in another, they shouldn’t. If people are honest they get in trouble, if people lie they do as well. So no one wins in this argument. The show is about peoples opinions and regardless of how they say it, people should accept it. Bet you’ve once before called an Aboriginal that in your life, to your self, in your car to a friend etc.
Lets be honest here; the show wants to deliver views from different generations, walks of life and be controversial.
I don’t agree with the term Abos, but there are a large portion of the population that actually use the term. The show isn’t representing all points of view if they’re going to block this type of view.
Its a wrong view IMO, but it is still a view; and to counter balance opinions like this they have guests on who are going to have their say for the way he spoke; be as outraged as you want, dicko says in the opening that offending is half the fun?!
Don’t take it too personally, the other guests were quite defensive of his language.
So because the word n***er comes from negro, it isn’t offensive either? Grow up people, of course the word is offensive.
As for it being a “generational thing”. Bollocks to that. My Mum is 70 and she wouldn’t be caught dead using that word. He’s always been a sexist, racist, homophobic boor and clearly nothing has changed.