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Annie Duke vs. Hitler

Comments (25)
by , Apr 22, 2009 | 3:09 am

If you ask me, Annie Duke and her new fans are blowing this Hitler comparison waaayy out of proportion. I mean we’re poker players for chrissake! Who else do you know can show up for a day at the office and talk about being “crippled” with total disregard for the Americans with Disabilities Act … who can talk about RAPING our friends and having a blast while doing it!? Seriously, it would hardly be a big deal in mixed poker company to say, “Dude, I totally got raped by Clonie, but she was kinda getting raped by Tomer Benvenitsi.” Pretty much the only thing we can’t say is “fuck” … and even that rule is hardly enforced.

As far as Annie vs. Joan Rivers is concerned, it’s really just a matter of table image. And really, if experienced poker players can’t appreciate the humor in a 70something Jewish lady embracing Der Furor over Annie Duke … who can?

Meanwhile, this website has put up a humorous comparison between Adolf and Annie:

http://www.shreddingradio.com/duke.html


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  • Shane

    I agree! Why is everybody up in arms over this Hitler comparison? Joan Rivers is a commedian afterall and err, well.. she’s kind of right!

    I started watching Celebrity Apprentice only because Annie Duke was on it and now I am hooked! And Annie is coming off as a two-faced backstabber and with every new episode, I’m rooting for Joan more and more! Frankly, I think she’d make one hell of a poker player!

  • http://pokershrink.blogspot.com Poker Shrink

    Godwin’s Law states: “As a Usenet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1.”

    The rule does not make any statement about whether any particular reference or comparison to Adolf Hitler or the Nazis might be appropriate, but only asserts that the likelihood of such a reference or comparison arising increases in direct proportion to the length of the discussion. It is precisely because such a comparison or reference may sometimes be appropriate, Godwin has argued, that overuse of Nazi and Hitler comparisons should be avoided, because it robs the valid comparisons of their impact. Although in one of its early forms Godwin’s Law referred specifically to Usenet newsgroup discussions, the law is now applied to any threaded online discussion: electronic mailing lists, message boards, chat rooms, and more recently blog comment threads and SECOND CLASS MEDIA TYPES ON CELEBRITY REALITY SHOWS.

    [thanks to Wikipedia for the assist]

  • http://pokerati.com/about-us/#danm DanM

    I still love Annie on the show, totally respect what she’s doing, and don’t find her to be a backstabber (though boy, it’s fun to watch her be fake) … and Joan has revealed why she can’t win. But Annie’s taking the Joan insults so seriously … ? Why wouldn’t she be the one brushing it off as “that’s just Joan’s shtick?” Seems like that would be the best “play” on her part for a post-Apprentice world.

  • Uncle Ray

    Don’t you really think that most of the “after comments” are semi-scripted? Every time anything happens on a “reality show”, there is a camera lurking in supposedly private moments.

    I think it probably went something like this.

    Producer: Annie, she compared you to Hitler. Aren’t you pissed?

    Annie: Hell yeah, I’m pissed. But I’ll get over it.

    Producer: No, no! Let’s get a camera on you and really give it back to her.

  • Shane

    I’m not so sure that joan “can’t” win. Don’t underestimate her. She’s a helluva businesswoman. I saw her on Larry King Live and didn’t realize how global and successful her jewelry business is (nevermind her 40+ years in show business). She ain’t stupid, but then again, neither is Annie.

    Either way, it makes for good tv. Maybe Annie should do a “Celebrity Apprentice” type show of her own, with poker as the subject!

  • http://pokerati.com/about-us/#danm DanM

    I think you’re right, UR, in general about how reality shows work. But Annie’s still claiming offense after the show (and blaming producers for her blowjob comment):

    http://wickedchopspoker.blogs.com/my_weblog/2009/04/celebrity-apprentice-annie-duke-talks-hitler-blowjobs.html

  • http://pokerati.com/about-us/#danm DanM

    Joan Rivers can’t win because she cries too much, and is incapable of telling Donald who she would fire. Simple as that. 2nd place is the best she can do.

    It’s kinda the same reason Blue lost to Mito in From G’s to Gents … and speaking of Mito, that’s what would do Annie well, if she did make it about poker players and degenerate gamblers, as Mito did about felons.

    “I’m doing this for all the deadbeats and degenerates out there, to show them they two can apply their skills to business and succeed in life yadda yadda.”

    Yes, that would win for her.

  • Kevin Mathers

    Shane, she’s done one, called the Best Damn Poker Show.

  • Shane

    Yes, you’re probably right about Joan getting second place. She definitely is showing more emotion and heart than Annie is in this game – and it is just a game. Hell, maybe she’s already won as she just sold out her entire “Boardroom Collection” of jewelry over the weekend.

    And I did just read that Celebrity Apprentice shot two endings and even the celebrities don’t know who ultimately wins.

    Didn’t know about Annie’s show. I’ll check it out online. I gotta admit I still like her. Loved her blowjob comment, too! LOL

  • http://pokershrink.blogspot.com Poker Shrink

    Joan River’s big unfiltered mouth cast on Apprentice reminds me of what Phil Hellmuth said last year when he got this end of Day Five main event penalty (you know the one that was rescinded before Day Six). When the floor finally gave him the penalty, Phil said: “You know they don’t put me at the TV table to be quiet.”

  • http://wisehandpoker.com scott diamond

    Jewish people all over the world who watched this show had to be offended. Supposedly Joan is Jewish so she know better than to say something the Jewish people have lived with for years, the memories of the Concentration camps told to them and lived by family members.

    Hitler was a sick animal and you all may disagree with me, but it was just as bad as calling an African American the “N” word on national TV.

  • Uncle Ray

    The interview supports the thought that the producers egg them on to get footage that makes for more interesting TV.

    I was surprised that she thought the Hitler comparison was going to get more reaction than the blowjob comment. She should consider the audience.

    What I found more offensive was what Joan said to Trump when he asked her “Isn’t Annie a nice person, like she appears to be here in the boardroom?”

    Included in the Hitler comment was “Look at her. She’s a POKAH PLAYAH”. The inference to me was how could you trust Annie about anything, because she’s a poker player and all poker players are liars and phonies. So believe Joan, the comedienne. (My take is, how can you trust a comedian. They’ll make up anything to get a laugh.)

    And Trump loves all of this, because look at all the extra publicity his show is getting.

  • http://pokerati.com/about-us/#danm DanM

    ***The inference to me was how could you trust Annie about anything, because she’s a poker player and all poker players are liars and phonies.***

    I agree. This is what’s a shame, and there’s little we can do about it. It probably doesn’t help when a non-poker person does a little searching for Annie Duke and discovers she’s with a site involved with one of the biggest cheating scandals in history. Yes, we know presume she had nothing to do with that … but you can’t expect the casual internet surfer to do that much research. The quick conclusion will be that she’s an incredibly devil-ish woman, and not in a good way.

  • http://pokerati.com/about-us/#danm DanM

    Scott, your boss is a jew … what’s he say about it?

    I have yet to hear any reports of offense from my non-Gentile friends. You have to remember that Jewish comedians — particularly those of Joan’s generation — have a long history of making fun of themselves. Jackie Mason? Mel Brooks? (He made a whole movie about Hitler!) IMHO, they were the ones that introduced the concept to black comedians — Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Katt Williams, et al — who comfortably throw around the word “nigger” in mixed audiences these days while making progressive commentary. (I find the phrase “n word” more offensive in this context, because it comes across like white people saying “i’m sensitive, please don’t hit me!” when we are actually talking linguistics here.)

    And have you seen any Sarah Silverman lately? I can guarantee you she wasn’t offended.

    In fact, while looking for a list of old Jewish comedians who have made Hitler jokes, I came across this site — http://broadwayworld.com/article/Broadway_Bullet_Interview_The_Jap_Shows_Comedians_20070606 — and found it very interesting that they brought the rape thing up again:

    CK. Yeah. I mean, Sarah Silverman is a case in point. She has a brilliant joke: she looks at the audience, and she goes, “I was raped by a doctor, which is so bittersweet for a Jewish girl.” And a lot of people hate that joke, they don’t care if — “There should never be a joke about rape!” But it’s hilarious! You know? It’s hilarious. And it’s also told from Sarah, who sets it up at the very beginning that she’s — let’s put it this way, less-than Mother Teresa-like. She’s had a lot of sex. So you don’t really know if it was truly a rape, you know what I mean? What people walk away with is, “My God, as a culture, we really do have humor down.” And I’m not taking it away from the Gentiles, because there are some very funny Gentiles. I can’t think of any at this point –

  • http://www.wisehandpoker.com scott diamond

    Dan, My fathers side of the family is Jewish. Here in LA using the word “Nigger” can get you killed or in my job fired.

    My boss is Hispanic and catholic.

    I think what Joan did was tasteless………because it was not meant to be funny as in some comedic act.

  • http://pokerati.com/about-us/#danm DanM

    LOL, I was referring to Gary … I’m pretty sure he is Jewish. And hey, I’m not trying to slam you … just bringing up some points for intelligent discussion.

    I was not personally offended by the Joan comment, and the one Jewish friend I have discussed it with thinks Annie is over-reacting.

  • http://www.pokerati.com/ Ed

    “intelligent discussion.”

    That was a lost cause when you guys started discussing The Celebrity Apprentice.

  • http://pokerati.com/about-us/#danm DanM

    LOL, Ed, good to see you back around these parts. Just in time for the WSOP!

  • http://wisehandpoker.com scott diamond

    Oh That boss……Dan your friend could be right about Annie over reacting but did you see the interview she did with Amanda on the WPT site.

    She still is a little steamed about it and that segment had to of been taped a few months ago.

    I love a good debate, and I am very thick skinned, I have to be in my line of work and I personally was not offended, just thought it was tasteless and to air it on National TV, was a poor decision,no matter how good it was for the shows ratings.

  • http://pokershrink.blogspot.com Poker Shrink

    Ummm, balancing “tasteless” against the shows rating is not even close to a fair comparison in television advertising. I mean this is “reality tv” so the rule is the more tasteless the better.

  • http://wisehandpoker.com scott diamond
  • http://NBCCelebrityApprentice hs59

    The peole of the United States recently went to congress and said you can not take the Holocoust out of our school books and won. Thanks for keeping the issue on the front line of the porker world. I think everyone should make a promise that they will never let their children or grandchildren forget about Hilter. Now we can also be witness to Qutimo which will be known as America’s Holocoust. It seems you all have different personalities depending on the site you are on, including the Psyic. LOL

  • Fuddleduck

    Her “Nazi” comment is atrocious , especially given her Jewish background. The fact that she hasn’t retracted shows us what an awful and vicious person she must be . As business people , we teach ourselves to hold our tongues. I would have fired her on the spot. Donald Trump shows a lack of integrity by letting this pass .

    This reminds me of when George Costanza used the comment ” I slept with your wife ” … Comments of a desperate loser in a pissing contest .

  • Shane

    Fuddleduck, Joan Rivers is a comedian and pokes fun at EVERYTHING. The fact that she is Jewish proves that.

    I respect her much more than the cowardly Annie Duke who chooses to talk about people when they are not around and stab them in the back by playing everybody off of each other. She is disgusting and the last couple episodes of Celebrity Apprentice have proven that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

    I think she would suck off a corpse if it served her purposes.

  • Phil Retnick

    It’s clear to most sane people that Joan acted inappropriately. The Hitler comment is merely a tool which illustrates this relatively easily. Very few sane people would agree that this comment was called for, so this comment is very convenient for people attempting to illustrate just how ridiculous Joan’s actions were.