I can go down the line and talk about how Mexicans, Blacks, Gays, Christians, and Muslims are routinely brought out as topics and then made fun of by today's comedians. More often than not, a recent trend is for Mexicans to make fun of Mexicans, African-Americans to prey on their own stereotypes, and Muslims (or Muslim looking comics) to talk about being seen as terrorists. Gays still seem to be open targets for everyone with a microphone. This is my observation.
I'm not a prude, some stereotypes are funny. Sometimes, and this is the advantage of being a comedian, it's only on the second (or third, or . . .) time you hear the bit, that the funny becomes apparent. A good case in point is a recent Justin McClure bit I heard about East-Coasters blaming whatever short comings they have on being because of the fact they are from the East Coast. Being born in Newark, NJ, I first thought that's messed up and not true. Second time I thought, "Not only is McClure right, it's freaking funny." But it should be noted McClure is from Boston, MA. He is an East Coaster himself.
Why these recent tendencies for comedians to only attack their own?
Maybe, it was the Michael Richards incident that has forced comics to stay within their own religion, race, coastal orientation and gender identity, for fear of being ostracized by their peers and audience. Maybe, comics have no fear of the Gay community and so continue with their lisping jokes. Maybe, a lot of things.
What I've noticed, with increasing alacrity is the comments, jokes and ramblings towards Jews. Out of the 75 comics I've seen in the last month, or so, barbs about Jews are pretty common. Last night I heard (from an Asian comic), "Why does everyone hate Jews? Even Jews hate Jews. I don't even know where they come from. Jewrusalem, maybe?"
On a side note, in repeating this joke to some non-Jew friends today, it killed, in a Guinness-World-Record-dumbest-racist-joke-on-a-Dixie-Cup manner.
The most prevalent comment/joke I hear revolves around, "Jews killed Jesus."
When it comes to stereotypes, I'm not sure any other group even comes close to being slandered as much as the Jews do, with this much ballyhooed tremendous falsehood. Being stereotyped as lazy, cheap, a good dancer, stupid, fat, or even a terrorist (although that comes pretty close) is not as loaded a remark as being responsible for the death of America's favorite messiah.
Other misconceptions (read: lies) are that Jews are this incredibly powerful, tremendously wealthy group of people. Truth is that Jews are a fragile small group of humans, that despite repeated efforts to obliterate from the planet, still survive.
Jews are one percent of the world's population, and between 2 and 3 percent of the U.S. population. A minority much smaller than African Americans, Mexican Americans and Asian Americans. Various forms of Christians make up over 90% of America. Jews rate around the same as the number of Wicca's.
Being a Jew, I am always surrounded by Christians, Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterians, Unitarians and all the other branches of the Jesus tree. Off the comedy stage, I constantly overhear in coffee shops devotees of Christ arguing about how they are the true believers and how other Christians are not as faithful. In Church last week, in Watsonville, the pastor kept trying to impress upon the congregation how Jesus fulfilled prophecy. Completely disregarding historical accuracy, the nefarious underpinnings of the Council of Nicaea, or any of the ancient texts found in the last 50 years (Dead Sea Scrolls, Essene Gospel, Nag Hammadi etc . . .), the pastor rummaged through Jesus' Bible, the Old Testament, looking for "proof" of his divinity, much like Beatles fans interpreted the back of Sargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band looking for "proof" that Paul was dead.
In the last 6 years, I have gone to various Churches about 200 times. Without exception, during every service some mention of Jews comes up. Sometimes it is as blatant as "Jews killed Jesus," sometimes it is more thoughtful as in, "Jews are not the only chosen people." Theology seems to be a very malleable construct that pastors mold to their own desires, goals and prejudices.
So, it is no wonder that when a percentage of comics hit the stage, products of their own religious upbringing, they come up with the good, "Jews killed Jesus," joke. I thought Lenny Bruce settled this years ago when he said, night after night, "Alright, I'll clear the air once and for all, and confess, Yes, we did it. I did it, my family. I found a note in my basement. It said: 'We killed him, signed, Morty.' "
Apparently, today's comics, while perhaps idolizing Lenny Bruce, have never taken the time or brain power to consider what the hell he was saying.
When Michael Richards went off on his tirade, it brought up deep feelings of racial divide, segregation, and hatred perpetrated on people of a different color that has lasted 400 years.
And perhaps people don't know this, but through the 1950s and early 60s in America, there were many places that Jews were not allowed. The Ku Klux Klan hated Jews. My Grandparents left Russia at the turn-of-last-century because the Russian soldiers were running their horses through Jewish villages crushing the heads of women, men and children. The holocaust is still a joke for some comics, but if the holocaust is funny, then why not Darfur? Wait for it.....wait for it......wait for it........
Personally I just don't get the continuation of the "Jews killed Jesus" funny business I hear on stage. And I for one will greet the next comic's pronouncement of this 2000 year-old lie, that has been the basis for most of the world's Antisemitism with a big "Fuck You." I'm not trying to be like Lenny Bruce, it just bothers the hell out of me and it makes me think that the comic I'm watching is an idiot who has no idea what the words coming out of their mouth means.
DNA is a certified muckraker and diamontologist. His newest novel is about a Jewish Messiah running for President in 2008 and can be found at www.votedna.com
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