Sunday, April 10, 2016
What is the line between a 'Joke' and being offensive?
I know that Jewish 'Jokes' are out there in the world; to be completely honest, I have chuckled at a few. But then there are stereotypes that drag a joke out to the point where its angering. After reading this article I have realized that stereotypes are more present than just a small mention here and there. There is a restaurant in the Ukraine right next to (the ruins of) one of the most important synagogues from before WW2. This restaurant has waiters with stereotypical Jewish names who wear hats with fake peyot (the hair grown from sideburns and then curled often by Ultra-Orthodox Jews) and no prices on the menu because 'Jews traditionally like to haggle prices.' Okay, they're just going with the theme of the restaurant, right? Well, yes, but the theme of the restaurant is offensive by itself. Joking about the population that, very recently, was almost destroyed by the Nazis right in that very spot is one of those 'too soon' types of things. The waiters who work there were clearly not Jewish. They would talk about 'Jewish tradition' the way someone talks about the most recent viral video on Facebook, its a joke. This restaurant is making a joke of Jewish tradition. I can't tell you what the line between Joke and Offensive is, but what I can tell you is that what they are doing at that restaurant is clearly offensive.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree with you that this restaurant is clearly offensive. However, I think that it is important to find out precisely what is offensive about that restaurant. I, too, have felt confused about how to react to semi-anti-semitic Jewish jokes, not wanting to come across as oversensitive. I think that defining something as a mere joke justifies for ourselves blatant anti-semitism. However, I think that if we are honest with ourselves, and not just claim anti-semitism as a joke, the difference between a real joke and offensive will become very clear.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the restaurant is offensive however I think that the people need a way of money. This is similar to Chinese and other ethnically themed restaurants in America. People create and decorate restaurants in the theme of the food style that they want to sell. I definitely don't agree with how it is dealt with.
ReplyDelete