By Sarah Farid

In one of his shows, comedian Dane Cook poked fun at some of his experiences as a Catholic by referring to the host, the bread that is given during the Eucharist to symbolize Jesus Christ, “Jeez-It” or the “crouton-o-Christ.” Although some may think Cook is entertaining, some wonder how far media icons can go before they become disrespectful. In light of the controversy caused by anti-Semitic humor in the movie Borat, the University’s Interfaith Network presented Bad Wrap: Religion in Pop Culture, where students watched video clips from popular programs and discussed their feelings about how religion is portrayed in the media.

“Listening to students talk about the movie Borat and the controversy it created, we realized many groups were offended, and since it was such a hot topic in the media we thought our students are probably talking about it, and they were, and they still are,” said Stephanie Ginsberg, of the Interfaith Network.

The first clip was from Cook’s act, in which he discusses growing up as a Catholic. He picked on many of the religion’s customs and rituals such as the Eucharist. It was followed by a clip from an episode of South Park, where Stan, Kenny and Stan’s baby brother Ike have to go to “Jewbilee,” a Jewish camp.

A clip from the episode involving the “Super Best Friends,” where figures from each of the main religions banded together to fight evil, was also shown.

“We wanted to find clips that try to represent many groups,” said Ginsberg.

Each table in the Student Center Greenhouse, where the presentation was held, was supplied with a set of questions and students were asked to discuss their opinions on the clips. Questions included, “Should there be censorship on these types of shows,” “Do you feel guilty for laughing” and “Would you boycott a show because of its comments on your or another’s religion?”

Students could not help but laugh at the jokes, “but when it came time to answer questions they took it seriously. I was very impressed by the students who participated,” Ginsberg said.

Some students seemed to be against this type of humor, however. “Religion is a serious thing, why would you make fun of that?” said freshman Laura Maselli, who was raised Catholic. Most students agreed that changing the channel is the best response to offensive comedy, while others seemed to believe further action should be taken.

“Especially with shows that create stereotypes, I think they should be boycott,” said senior Josh Lanier, who does not call himself the religious type. Students seemed to agree that jokes are acceptable, as long as they are not taken too far. As one student, Marc Goldsmith, said “If you can’t make a joke in front of everyone, then don’t say it at all.”