My hats (and if I would wear one, my yarmulke) off to the Jewish people. If there is one group of people that can take a joke it's them. Throughout history, Jews have been some of the most persecuted and assaulted ethnic/religious groups in the world (God's Chosen People?! More like God's whipping boys). Take a look at their track record: The exile from Egypt, the fight over the holy land in Palestine, the Inquisition, the Holocaust (the Decision - Lebron James' agent was super pissed over him taking a pay cut to go play for Miami). The Hebrew race is a resilient group that has taken a lickin' and has kept on tickin'... and LAUGHIN'.
This past Saturday, practicing members of the Jewish faith observed the day of Yom Kippur. Known commonly as the Jewish day of atonement, Yom Kippur marks the end of the High Holy Days (that would be Super Bowl Weekend for me!). Amongst many other traditions, Jewish people will look for forgiveness for wrong-doings towards God or other human beings. It is a day that most Jews will fast for about 25 hours and give up many everyday things such as bathing and even sexual relations. NO...WAY.... (YAH....WEH!)
What I'm trying to get at here people is that on this very sacred day to the Jewish people, if anyone should be asking for forgiveness, it is the man known as Mel Brooks.
If anyone has ever benefited off the troubles of the Jewish people it's him! His movies, Broadway musicals, and his TV show bits (check out the
"2,000-Year-Old Man" for some classic Mel) all have a joke or two (or a few dozen) at the expense of the Hebrew race. He's put Hitler on Broadway, black men in Sherwood Forest, and Jews in space.
Mel Brooks, a Jewish man himself, skewers numerous races in his work (
Exhibit A), but some of his most noteworthy jokes come at the expense of his own race
(nobody likes the Jews... NOT EVEN THE JEWS)! The mastermind of such movies as "The Producers", "Young Frankenstein"and "Spaceballs" never misses the opportunity to take a jab
(What? With A LANCE! Like you did to MY messiah?!) at the Hebrew race
(Hey, just like that OTHER Mel). No source material is too taboo or too revered for Mel. Don't believe me? Take a look at this scene
(one of my favorites from the movie) from "History of the World Pt. 1"....
(I'm still waiting on the sequel, Mel)
(I don't know what the Muslims and Jews have against this period of time... it looked SPECTACULAR!)
The key to all this is self-deprecating humor (or how I gaffed in class the other day - self-defecating humor. I don't know what the big deal was, in either case you're still shitting on yourself!). With this type of humor one shows a slight bit of humility, they show that no race or person is perfect and they show that while all we are all different we still share some commonalities. Before we can begin to discuss what makes us all racially and ethnically different, we must first be able to get off our high horse and meet on the same level with one another - that I am no better than you (well, better than Hitler maybe... and not better than Ghandi). It is the philosophy that Mel uses in his work and one that we should adapt when looking at the classic comedy that is life on Earth.
(Ya see! I was getting to my point eventually!)
So on behalf of all the boys and goyim, (I hope I get this right)...
"Gemmar Chattimah Tovah"
