This is so very not okay.
Lena Dunham drew some ire after posting a quiz in the New Yorker entitled Dog or Jewish Boyfriend? A Quiz that encouraged the reader to guess whether the statements written were about her dog or Jewish boyfriend, fun.’s lead guitarist Jack Antonoff.
[ Related: Lena Dunham Got Scandal-ized! ]
So, yeah… equating Jewish people with dogs is something that actually happened in 2015. Yikes.
Prepare to be shocked, because here are some of the statements:
“He doesn’t tip, and he never brings his wallet anywhere; He’s crazy for cream cheese; Every week it’s some new health issue: urine crystals, sprained foot, beef allergy… He has a sensitive stomach and has to take two Dramamine before entering any moving vehicle… He has hair all over his body, like most males who share his background.”
Obviously, a lot of people had some issues with this, voicing a common concern over its apparent, and nonchalant, antisemitism:
Ignorant, anti-Semitic piece in @NewYorker by @lenadunham. Dating a Jewish man does not mean you can compare them to dogs. Obviously.
— Matt Pais (@MattPais) March 27, 2015
Has the @NewYorker said anything about or taken down that repulsive and deeply unfunny @lenadunham piece?
— Ben White (@morningmoneyben) March 27, 2015
im still mad & offended part 1 pic.twitter.com/c53otz8vx2
— zoe la vigne (@xzoelevine) March 27, 2015
im still mad and offended part 2 pic.twitter.com/grZkrUPXbj
— zoe la vigne (@xzoelevine) March 27, 2015
Imagine a piece titled “Dog or Black Boyfriend?”, rife with stereotypes. Then wonder why this is acceptable: http://t.co/Xus5yzEH8l
— Logan Dobson (@LoganDobson) March 27, 2015
Can someone explain to me how this crap from Lena Dunham is supposed to be funny? | Dog or Jewish Boyfriend? A Quiz http://t.co/qdA2tFzgXO
— Imani ABL (@AngryBlackLady) March 27, 2015
@lenadunham strikes again in the @NewYorker . Do you feel no social responsibility to quit perpetuating tired, rude stereotypes? Hacky
— Jessica Mozes (@jessicamoz) March 26, 2015
While some were quick to point out that Lena is half-Jewish, does it forgive the blatant anti-semitism and stereotypes that are being perpetuated in the quiz?
Here’s what editor David Remnick had to say:
“The Jewish-comic tradition is rich with the mockery of, and playing with, stereotypes. Anyone who has ever heard Lenny Bruce or Larry David or Sarah Silverman or who has read ├óΓé¼╦£Portnoy’s Complaint’ knows that. Lena Dunham, who is Jewish and hugely talented, is a comic voice working in that vein. Richard Pryor and Chris Rock do the same about black stereotypes; Amy Schumer does it with women and gender. I don’t mind if one reader or another didn’t find the piece funny. People can differ on that. But considering all the real hatred and tragedy in the world, the people getting exercised about the so-called anti-Semitism of this comic piece, like those who railed at Philip Roth a generation or two ago, are, with respect, howling in the wrong direction.”
What do you all think? Was her piece comedic, or downright offensive?!
-
Categories
