Friday, April 5, 2013

#StayStrongSmithtown Update: #Jeselprick

The Jeselnik Offensive, a show on Comedy Central featuring Anthony Jeselnik, made a joke about Liam Armstrong's death (check out this post for more on who Liam was). The day after Jeselnick made this comment, Twitter was overflowing with the hashtag #Jeselprick. 

Friends of Liam's from Smithtown High School East — the high school I attended — were outraged. An English teacher from the high school, James Kelly, took initiative and spoke with corporate sponsors of The Jeselnik Offensive. 

"I am happy to report that the Merck Corporation (who make Claritin) have withdrawn their sponsorship of the show. Target and Nestle/Purina are still deliberating," Kelly said. "Score one for the good guys."

It's easy for Jeselnik to make that joke, considering how disconnected he is from the situation. What he didn't take into consideration was the amount of people that would be deeply affected by that comment. The joke blatantly mocked the emotions of people close to Liam, and as a result, Smithtown banded together to become a force to be reckoned with. I'd be nervous about my career if I were him. 

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