# Don Cherry Muzzled



## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

My apologies for botching the set up of this poll.

Basically I wanted to get a feel for members thoughts on the censorship of Cherry and why so many people think him a bigot.

He referred to "French guys" and "Europeans" as two distinct groups who wear helmet visors. An innocent enough remark that is probably true if you inventoried NHL players who use them.

How people can turn that to bigotry is beyond me. It is a simple statement of fact.

It would be like macnutt or I running to the language police when people call we with Scottish backgrounds "cheap", as has been done for years.

It is after all, only hockey and there are far more obscene things in the game than Cherry, namely players salaries, corporate greed and the violence and fighting fans seem to enjoy.

The whole thing, IMHO is making a mountain out of a mole hill.

PLEASE DO NOT VOTE. POLL DOES NOT WORK! 










[ February 09, 2004, 03:02 PM: Message edited by: SINC ]


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## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

CBC should just fire Cherry's bigoted ass.
Cherry makes more money than Peter Mansbridge.

That's just nuts !


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## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

Uh, Sinc...







I think your poll setup needs a tweak - I keep getting an error message and it won't let me vote. Gonna try again...


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## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

sinc just made a newbie mistake
i'm sure he'll correct it shortly


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## iPetie (Nov 25, 2003)

"Cherry makes more money than Peter Mansbridge"

Yes he does, and his segment has more viewers than Peter Mansbridge and makes the CBC more money in 7 minutes than "The National" makes all week. That is precisely why he won't be fired. Given the fact that his observations were correct and verifiable, I don't see how they could fire him.
That being said, he is a loose canon. It's just a question of time before he says something that will get him fired.
He is in person, one of the quietest, nicest and most gracious and also appreciative men I have ever met.
When he gets wound up, look out. Jeckyll and Hyde.


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## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

peter mansbridge does a far better service for the CBC and is a far better Canadian

Cherry is a bigot and being paid by tax dollars to boot!!

He's made anti-Ukrainian remarks in the past as well
Even though his new wife is of Ukrainian descent

Bigotry knows no bounds

Popularity doesn't always make for justification of one's actions and words

There has to be something better than Cherry's rantings on the peoples network
He's an embarassment to Canada

There are far too many examples in history of how bigotry was justified by popularity.
Let him be a bigot in his own home on his own dime.
Let him have a privately funded tv or radio show, but not on the people's dime. 
  

If I ever met him, I'd let him how I felt. I'd tell him that my parents were one of those "Ukrainians" that he ranted on about. 

If only my parents had not brought me up NOT to beat up on old people.


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## Urban_Legend (May 29, 2003)

I'm going to have to be on Don Cherry's side on this whole BLOWN out of the water Media BS just like Janet Jackson got her 15 minutes of fame the other night.

Don Cherry says how it is, he speaks his mind and quite frankly I don't see any NHL hockey star suing or pressing charges for what he says. Don Cherry is a hard core hockey fanatic from the old days, he is not like everyone else and is different. You can't take him seriously on Coaches corner as most of it is for show and to keep the ratings up for CBC. Lets face it, millions of hockey viewers can just easily get up and use the washroom or make a drink in those 7 minutes of talk in between periods. In the end the viewer has the right to walk away or hit the mute button or change the channel.

I know he has made mistakes in the past and he has actually apologized for them on Coaches Corner. You just have to know the guy to understand him.


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## Chealion (Jan 16, 2001)

Sinc - No one can edit a poll once it has been posted. (Especially after people have voted on it). You wouldn't want to get a poll results, then change what the answers were to make up some results.

However, I don't think they should muzzle Cherry. Although over the top at times, he speaks his mind, and whether you like it or not, he's often right. He says what many people feel, but it takes someone who doesn't care what people think to say it. That said, he could make his comments a little more politically correct, but that wouldn't be his style.

It's too bad we don't get Hockey Night in Canada down here in the States. Makes missing Canada even worse.


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## Brainstrained (Jan 15, 2002)

Don Cherry was told to stick to hockey on Coach's Corner.

He was told to stay away from politics and race on Coach's Corner.

Only a few months ago, Ron Maclean was told the same thing when he made a stupid Cherry/French Canadian joke in Parry Sound.

Bottom line, Cherry can say whatever he likes, except on Coach's Corner where his bosses want him and pay him to talk about hockey. 

He didn't and he should be fired.


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## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

> (Especially after people have voted on it)


no one has entered a vote, yet


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## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

> Although over the top at times, he speaks his mind, and whether you like it or not, he's often right.


speaking his mind on hockey issues and play of INDIVIDUAL players is one thing, but to denegrate certain groups of players by ethnicity is called "bigotry" and is very close to being "hate mongering"

i notice he never says a bad word about Scots or the Irish, only non-anglophons
seems that is acceptable - so very sad
hmmm, why do you think that is?

what's next?


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## PosterBoy (Jan 22, 2002)

Personally, I've never understood Cherry's appeal. I get the feeling many people tune in not to hear his take on the game in progress, rather they tune in just in case he says something controversial.

Whenever coaches corner comes on I change the channel. When watching a hockey game, I'd like to hear about hockey.


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## mbaldwin (Jan 20, 2003)

Chealion, you can view Coach's Corner and Satellite Hotstove clips from CBC's website, provided you're willing to put up with RealPlayer...
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/

I didn't vote since none of the options apply to me. I feel that the only thing more ridiculous than Cherry's statements is the censorship decision. Either properly punish him (or fire him) or let his antics continue.

In fact, I'd be irate with the decision if I were trying to get rid of him. The most likely outcome of this is greater publicity and viewership.

- Martin.


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## MacNutt (Jan 16, 2002)

Personally, I don't think anyone should be muzzled or prevented from saying ANYTHING! On the "people's network" or anywhere else.

If anyone doesn't like what they hear, then hit the mute button or change the channel.

If enough people start changing the channel then the offensive on-air personality will get tossed. If not...then they stay.

Either way, WE get to decide what we want to listen to.

NOT the Government!   

I've lived in far too many countries where the Government decided exactly what everyone was allowed to see and hear.

I didn't like it much. Neither did the locals.


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## iPetie (Nov 25, 2003)

"peter mansbridge does a far better service for the CBC and is a far better Canadian"

"Cherry is a bigot and being paid by tax dollars to boot!!"

Macspectrum, come on, what proof do you have that Mansbridge is a far better Canadian than Cherry. You are jumping to the same conclusions that you accuse Cherry of doing. There are hundred of charities across this country that Cherry shows up for on his own dime. Time and time again.

HNIC is a massive net contributor to the network. In fact the largest. Fact is that not a dime of tax dollars go to Cherry. In fact, by his very presence on HNIC, he is lightening the tax burden of the network and turn actually paying a portion of Mansbridges salary.

I am not defending Cherry, he clearly has offended you in some way. However, your statements are not based on hard fact, much like his.


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## arminarm (Jan 12, 2002)

THIS POLL IS INVALID (if not just conceptually misguided)  

How can a poll be posted when the pollster is flogging a POV to get the respondent to agree with him?









I think SINC to be trolling for support rather than opinion. 

Who doesn't love to watch an idiot on TV? ... especially one SO VAIN ....even off camera and around town here he dresses so that all eyes are on his stupid clown outfits.

Where Cherry agrees with anyone he blurts: *"That's what I'm trying to TELLYA!"* 

Cherry's a total f...ing jerkoff idiot! .... everyone knows that! ... .... could be a contender for US Presi...... oops! ... wrong thread .....

SINC on the other hand is not with his many endearing and thoughtful qualities.









Good topic for discussion. That Cherry does anything for hockey seems highly debatable.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

> THIS POLL IS INVALID (if not just conceptually misguided)
> 
> How can a poll be posted when the pollster is flogging a POV to get the respondent to agree with him?


Agreed. The poll is invalid. Please don't even try to vote.

I'm gonna go to Poll U before I try that again!

When I screwed up the poll, I could not change it, so I edited the post, and tossed out my opinion to see what others thought.

That's it. Plain and simple.

Cheers


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## arminarm (Jan 12, 2002)

SINC ..... keep up the topic .... it should be lively!


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## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

> Macspectrum, come on, what proof do you have that Mansbridge is a far better Canadian than Cherry.


Gee, Cherry makes anti-Ukrainian remarks on national television, but Peter Mansbridge shows up to Ukrainian-Canadian functions.

Cherry's anti non-anglophone sentiments seems to be too easily accepted

I guess being anti-Ukrainian makes Cherry a good Canadian?
Never mind his comments on Europeans and "the French."


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## andreww (Nov 20, 2002)

MacSpectrum you gotta chill dude. Don Cherry is only speaking what is obvious to any person who has watched hockey for any period of time. I am sick and tired of our politically correct society passing any racial observation a racism. Whether it be the chief of police being told not to target young black males, or customs agents being told they cant focus on middle easterners as prime candidates for terrorism.

We live in a world that just cant accept the fact that young black males (ussualy jamaican) are shooting each other. We cant face the facts that certain muslim extremest groups are blowing each other up.

Should it be any suprise that we cant deal with the fact that european hockey players wear visors and tend to be more careless with thier sticks? Lets just paint an observant man as a racist, and hopefully the problem will just go away.


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## iPetie (Nov 25, 2003)

Okay Macspectrum, you've got me. In a Ukrainian Centric world Mansbridge is a better Canadian. You still have offered no proof that he is a better Canadian. Six weeks ago the same could have been said about the anchor (Gord ?) from CityTV.
The reality is you don't know what Peter Mansbridge is like behind closed doors. You don't know if he cheats on his taxes. You don't know if he kicks his dog. You just don't know.

I'm personally sick and tired of living in a politically correct world. Stating that Europeans and "the French" players are the ones who wear visors is not racist. It is an observation. Is it insensitive? Yes! Does it make you a bad Canadian. No! Should he have said it? Probably not!


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## Max (Sep 26, 2002)

"peter mansbridge does a far better service for the CBC and is a far better Canadian"

The guys' a pretentious blowhard but he's paid to act that role out, to the hilt. He's controversial and that's why he gets ratings. It has nothing to do with who is a better Canadian (who gets to decide on the criteria for that, I wonder?) but everything to do with putting bums in seats. Mansbridge maybe a venerable newscaster but he's terribly boring next to Cherry. Good thing for Mansbridge that he has friends in high places, I guess.

As for His Gaseousness, have no doubt that Don Cherry the private individual is a much softer individual than what he turns on for the cameras. He must be amused that people prefer him to be an impetuous clown with bad taste in clothing... and he's laughing all the way to the bank. He is not a brilliant manipulator, but neither is he stupid; he knows very well why people tune in to his spots, and it isn't for him to sound genteel and reasonable. His job is to turn it up to eleven, grit his teeth, and hope for the best.

One day he probably _will_ lose his precious gig. The day it happens will be a poor one for Canadians as a whole, because we'll probably replace him with some colourless sensitive type who won't know whether to crap or wind his watch. I don't even like hockey, and I've certainly seen Cherry say some offensive, dunderheaded things... but to my mind he is no different from a hot-button newspaper columnist or talk-radio personality.

People like to have their buttons pushed, believe it or not.

[ February 09, 2004, 05:28 PM: Message edited by: Max ]


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## james_squared (May 3, 2002)

Hello,

I saw the Coach's Corner and I didn't see anything unusual about it, especially when compared to all the other Coach's Corners I've seen. Don Cherry simply expresses his opinion and I don't feel that he was being extremely harmful to any particular group of hockey players. He was stating that the majority of players who wear visors are in two particular classifications - European and 'French.' This is true, is it not?

He has also made some very interesting observations about players' attitudes regarding the use of their stick since people have begun wearing visors and helmets. He has also commented, many times in the past, that when players are brought up in a system where their actions do not cause physical injury, it becomes very difficult to change their attitudes and playing style. For example, very young children wear full helmets, which can easily allow them to bash each other with their sticks and eyes don't get lost in the process. Cherry has also made the observation between regulation of helmets and the increase in concussions.

I have no idea whether Cherry's observations are correct, but I just don't see why this one particular Coach's Corner was 'worse' than all the others.

James


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## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

Pierre McGuire of TSN is a far better analyst than Cherry.

So sad that the rantings of an obvious lunatic like Cherry, purposefully mispronouncing Patrick Roy's name to cash in on the anti-Francaphone sentiment in this country is just passed off as him being "colourful."

There we have it. State sponsored bigotry.
Cherry's CBC contract allows CBC to fire him the Thursday before any Satruday game. I hope they do it soon.


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## andreww (Nov 20, 2002)

"I saw the Coach's Corner and I didn't see anything unusual about it, especially when compared to all the other Coach's Corners"


Really! Say a European will cry like a little girl if you so much as touch them, and nobody says anything. Say Europeans & French wear visors and people go nuts.

Me thinks the french may be making more of this than the europeans!

By the way I'd like to apologize for my previous racist comment. I did not mean to offend Little Girls by comparing them to europeans.


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## iPetie (Nov 25, 2003)

"There we have it. State sponsored bigotry".

I thought we'd been over this. In so far as Don Cherry and HNIC go, They sponsor the state.


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## Chealion (Jan 16, 2001)

> speaking his mind on hockey issues and play of INDIVIDUAL players is one thing, but to denegrate certain groups of players by ethnicity is called "bigotry" and is very close to being "hate mongering"


Macspectrum - Hence the word usually.

MBaldwin - Thanks for the link!

Nothing to add to my first post however.


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## arminarm (Jan 12, 2002)

anreww ..... "I did not mean to offend Little Girls by comparing them to europeans."

What *IS* your problem?


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## andreww (Nov 20, 2002)

Quote

"What IS your problem?"

Dude I'm European. It's called humor, something alot of people lack a sense of these days. In my day Pollock jokes were funny, and they still are to most people. I'm Polish and have never taken any offence what so ever. It seems that people today are a little uptight about anything to do with race. 

I'm a Pollock! Big deal, everybody is from somewhere, and most are proud of their heritage rather than ashamed of it.

So I ask you "What IS your problem?"


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## iPetie (Nov 25, 2003)

Since we live in such a Politically correct world does this mean we have to stop telling jokes of our brothers and sisters in Newfoundland.
I think the average Newfoundlander would be offended by that.
OOps! I take that back.


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## NetMinder (Dec 15, 2003)

I, for one, love Don Cherry. He is one of the few people on TV who you know is going to say what he really thinks, and boy do I find that refreshing. That is why so many people love watching him. He's got a real energy about him because he is not suffering from any rectal blockages.

This "zero tolerance this and zero tolerance that" place we are creating that is resulting from the leveraging of "individual rights and freedoms of canadians" - thank you Mr Trudeau - by special interest groups and minorites is, in my view, getting a little out of hand. And when the stink is made, the buraucracies have to be seen to be doing something and so they create more rules, policies and procedures.

The fact is that there are many contexts where certain traits, behaviours and/or attitudes do have strong race correlation but noooo we better not say anything, that would be racist (whether it might be some truth to it or not, is quite immaterial), so let's pretend it isn't true, or worse not say anything at all, and perpetrate the half truth, which lays the foundation for the lie.

It slays me when I hear these special interest groups saying that the Toronto police force is racist (their euphemism is "racial profiling") and that is perfectly OK for them to say that, because they represent a minority or some other oppressed group, but let anybody from the general population say something that relates to a specific group and all #[email protected]#% hits the fan. 

If someone makes a statement that is connected to race, let's test or challenge the veracity of what they are saying, but pleeasae let's not start with the racist card. 

We need more Don Cherry's & Rex Murphy's. God bless em for not checking their #X$#@ at the door. 

I have noticed that a good opening rant often leads to some intelligent conversation (even on EhMac). Bring on the rants


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## MannyP Design (Jun 8, 2000)

Am I the only one here who finds it ironic that _some_ of the very same people who want Cherry silenced, muzzled, tarred and feathered, censored are the same kind folk who post a seriously obsessive amount of anti-American topics? How do your words differ?

Hello, kettle? Yeah, it's the Pot, you're blac—er, your complexion is that of a darker nature.


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## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

> How do your words differ?


1. i'm not on television
2. i'm not being paid
3. i am not trying to profit from my viewpoints
4. i am not being a bigot
5. i am not trying to earn the public's trust

is that enuf?


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## Urban_Legend (May 29, 2003)

What the hell is wrong here?

You were not just born yesterday were you? I mean come on....

Don Cherry has been this way for YEARS!!! He didn't just start talking like that last week. So, please just get off the freaking BANDWAGON of the PRESS and MEDIA and forget about it.

Who the hell is the next victim of bandwagon jumpers this week? Alex Trebec? What a sad world we live in when people have nothing better to do then bitch about what the media has said instead of actually knowing the facts or the person in real life.


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## MacNutt (Jan 16, 2002)

Like I said earlier...

If you don't like what you see or hear on TV, then change the friggin channel. Or hit the mute button.

This sort of over-regulation of everything around us really sticks in my craw. I have spent many years living in places where everything was heavily regulated by the government. And I mean EVERYTHING!

"For the greater good of us all" they claim.

And you know what?

These are the places that people are always trying to escape from. In anything that'll float.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Don Cherry and Rex Murphy in the same sentence you must be joking.









As for the Toronto cops and racism - it's about time the ugliness is dragged into the open and kudos for the Star for sticking to their principles for doing so.

I could really care less about Cherry - he plays the persona and if he overplays it he gets his knuckles rapped ala Stern and Co another motor mouth I can live with out.

Rex for all his errata sometimes has hoof in mouth disease just from missing the point or a lacunae in ihis knowledge.
Cherry just plays it for controversy - he gets paid to do something.
If his bosses don't like it they have every right to say so and do something about it.
Air Farce can get pretty raucous at time but that's the venue. Coaches Corner isn't.....get it.









Whatever Cherry is or isn't in real life if his "persona" doesn't fit the requirements









No great loss in my mind. I like Maclean  

'Course in Macnutt's reality distortion field endemic discrimination and bigotry are myths.


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## arminarm (Jan 12, 2002)

Right you are MacDoc,

Having worked with both this past while one finds out very quickly that Maclean is incredibly smart, very funny and engages people around him.

Cherry, the opposite .... cold, humourless, self-obsessed and in a hurry to leave.


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## MacNutt (Jan 16, 2002)

Macdoc...

One of is living in a reality distortion field, no doubt about it. This fact has become self-evident over the past two years or so.

What colour is the sky, in your world?

Just checking.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

"*One* of is living in a reality distortion field, no doubt about it. This fact has become self-evident over the past two years or so."

Well Macnutt you got that right tho I doubt it was what you intended









I'll happily leave the interpretation to the readership.


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## arminarm (Jan 12, 2002)

What colour is the reality distortion where one has to escape Don Cherry or what on anything that floats?

Still in Cuba macnutt? ...

Focus on the topic dearie!


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Rather than censor Cherry for his observations, the CBC should look inward at the often anti-American, and pro-socialist remarks made by many of their other on-air personalities, reporters included.

It became more than I could bear to watch and I gave up watching CBC news years ago. It is perhaps the most biased reporting in the country IMHO.

Since then the only coverage I enjoyed was their sports, but now it would appear the CBC's ugly truth is creeping into that area as well.

Cheers


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## Max (Sep 26, 2002)

The CBC has many problems, that much is certain. I wish it would return to its public broadcasting roots, rather than try to be all things to all people. It has lost its sense of grounded identity and all it can do it panic, offering an uneven, mixed bag of programming. The audience for both its TV and radio aspects is fragmenting and the CBC, like many broadcasters these days, doesn't know how to compete for attention. So some mighty strange and or lame stuff is coming out.

That said, the only thing worse than the CBC as it stands now would be a Canada where the CBC does not exist. But perhaps that's a thread unto itself. Cheers.


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## arminarm (Jan 12, 2002)

"I gave up watching CBC news years ago."

Very honest of you SINC,

We all get the "news" we want to hear.

Obviously though, Cherry's clown outfits mask his red neck.


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## Brainstrained (Jan 15, 2002)

I think Stephen Brunt in today's G&M raises a couple of good points

- it is not a free speech issue;
- it is not a political correctness issue;
- it's an issue of an employer setting parameters on an employee's performance at work.

Cherry may or may not still have his job if he was working at a private broadcaster (ie CTV, Global, TSN, etc...), based on how advertisers, the league and viewers view his stupidity a la Rush Limbaugh.

The CBC, howver, is the CBC a cauldron of conflicting interests and politics, a national institution covering a mnational institution, tinged with money and image concerns, all without the discipline market forces apply. In short, a mess.

Bottom line, Cherry should be fired or let go at the end of the season.


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## MannyP Design (Jun 8, 2000)

Unless of course it was CBC's intention to hire said person for the expressed purpose of getting viewers attention. CBC knew exactly who they were hiring. Besides, it's not called "CBC's corner for expressing the general populace's fair and unbiased opinion on all things pertaining to hockey in the NHL".

Isn't that why they use a disclaimer stating that they do not necessarily share Don Cherry's views? Then why would they bother hiring him in the first place?. Seems like there are some people around Canada suffering from Janet Jackson syndrom, because all of a sudden I'm surrounded by a bunch of overly-sensitive nipples.  

P.S. Why didn't people make this much of an issue when Degrassi's final episode used the F-word over ten years ago on public T.V.?


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## NetMinder (Dec 15, 2003)

> Don Cherry and Rex Murphy in the same sentence you must be joking


Not at all, in their respective ways, they are both good for a great "rant and rave" every now and then. Where do you think Rick Mercer learned his licks. The Monday Report last week was excellent


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Again Mercer and Cherry - sorry - both Mercer and Rex Murphy have some valid and thought provoking dialectic - Cherry is just loud and obnoxious - maybe he and Stern are a fit pair in the same sentence.
No redeeming virtue especially for the money.
•••••

Sinc PBS is also very critical of many things in the US and may be more anti-American than CBC is much to the current administration's dismay. PBS Frontline has been very critical to the point the administration wants to "defund" the organization.
Being pro-multi-lateral and multi-cultural is not "socialist".

It's 2004 not the 80s or the 50's.

A huge number world wide are vocally anti-American right now including me A huge number of US citizens are vocally anti-Bush. Aside from Nixon can you ever recall such vitriol being heaped on a sitting president.....by his own citizens let alone the rest of the planet.

That the CBC should reflect things many Canadians feel - the the US is very much on the wrong track - is hardly inappropriate.
The throne speech was all about the differences.

I deal with American's every day and many of the people I deal with don't much like what's going on either.


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