ok it's Iraq but it's interesting
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Here is a link to a blog put up by Morgan on a different Blog. There are a
number of entries that tie more to your topic than theirs. Enjoy.
15 years ago
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Jewish Forward Spoof on Gaza
Link to spoof of Extreme Makeover. Is this over the line? I do not think anyone would argue that people are not allowed to make fun of themselves but when it is something like this and it involves such a tense situation is this over the line? In the case of the Danish comics a few years ago that incensed the entire Muslim world it was very contentious to have an outsider "making fun of" something which is clearly a sensitive issue. While the rest of the Backward (it is the spoof version of the Jewish Daily Forward, the premier Jewish news source in the United States) is much more tame and self-deprecating, this seems to toe the line a little bit. What do you guys think?
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I must I admit that it was kind of funny. I laughed. After living in a war-torn country, you become slightly apathetic to these things.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, this article coming from Israel, I do believe that it is not the best thing to do. I mean, THEY have destroyed the houses of those people and now they are making fun of that. It is actually really horrible, indeed. If it was really anybody else doing it, I would be fine with it.
If they were making fun of themselves within the Gaza context, that would be perfectly fine. It's funny, but it is not a well-intended joke, quite the opposite, I think.
As Slavi mentioned, I think what defines the way we see this article is that it is coming from an Israeli source. Before I realized what the source was, I thought that perhaps it was possible that it was even some sort of political commentary, mocking the West's and specifically the United States' idea of exporting democracy, or what is more often the case, exporting capitalism. What I mean by this is that American political intervention more often than not simply comes in the form of Americanization. When i was first reading it, I especially thought the line about Ty Pennington thinking the Gaza Strip was an exotic dance was a jab at American ignorance. Furthermore, this idea of americanization would be symbolized by Pennington, an American celebrity offering what he sees as a helping hand to just do a quick "fix up," and simplifying and diminishing the amount of destruction and loss that Gaza has experienced.
ReplyDeleteOf course, as this article is in fact a piece of Israeli media, I highly doubt that this kind of commentary is the author's true message. It is unlikely that Israel would be so critical of it's ally. As a result, I must agree with Slavi and say that reading the article within the context from which it came causes me to see it in an ill-intentioned light.
I agree with you Andra completely. If it were a criticism of American society and media, then it would make sense. In the context of its writing, though, I do feel as if it is very much ill-intentioned.
ReplyDeleteBut it would have been a very good criticism of American ignorance and foreign policy - it maybe even is. It could be that the newspaper is actually very critical of the Israeli government and the U.S. involvement in the entire issue, but I really do not know anything about it. Morgan, do you know anything about that?
Sorry for the confusion but the newspaper is American. It is a Jewish paper that was initially intended for immigrants in the early 1900s who had come (usually) from Eastern Europe.
ReplyDeleteI do not know much about the political leanings of the newspaper, sorry
Here is the History of the newspaper off their website:
ReplyDeleteThe Forward is a legendary name in American journalism and a revered institution in American Jewish life. Launched as a Yiddish-language daily newspaper on April 22, 1897, the Forward entered the din of New York's immigrant press as a defender of trade unionism and moderate, democratic socialism.
In looking at their other news stories I think this is still a news paper that while very focused on Jewish issues is not a knee-jerk supporter of Israeli policy. I think the article you posted is meant to make the readers laugh and think too. I didn't interpret it as ill intentioned as the rest of you. It did connect with some negative stereotypes (like the tunnel line), but I didn't interpret it as "mean-spirited".